I am sure that most tree-huggers wouldn't argue with Professor Darwin's views on natural selection. Why is it that these same natural laws are not supposed to apply to human animals? Meat is murder? Bah! No one tells the lion not to eat the zebra, and no one should be able to tell me what I can and cannot hunt and eat, period. These whales are not endangered and even if they were, SO WHAT? Are we supposed to try and change the course of billions of years of evolution on this planet? Good luck with that! Survival of the fittest is, and shall continue to be, the law of the jungle. Millions of species of animals and plants have ceased to exist since this world started turning and Greenpeace needs to realize this and stop trying to play God. The next time you think Mother Nature really needs a helping hand, walk outside during a thunderstorm. Do we really think we are so important? What ego! This world will be here long after we are gone and forgotten.

Tommy, Houston, Texas

It only takes one major oil spill to wipe out an entire species or ecosystem any more. I say leave the whales alone. If they keep surviving despite what humans put into the ocean, then more power to the whales.

On the flip side, if they are going to kill the whales, if they make use of all of it, like the Eskimos, then that is what a good hunter does.

Cat, Juneau, Alaska/ USA

Japan has no right to exterminate these creatures for food; they are at risk of extinction and there are plenty other resources for food.

Michael, Indianapolis, USA

Whales are endangered in every branch & twig of their family tree. For Japan to hunt any whales is an outrage & an insult to the world in general. In my People's language, the term for opportunists & people who behave as if they have no relatives is "wah-SHEE-choo". We should boycott Japanese products until they stop this slaughter. It isn't as if they need the protein - they have ample supplies from non-endangered species.
There are those who maintain that Japan has a 'right' to hunt whatever it wants to, wherever it wants to; & to those bonehead washichu I say, "just because you can doesn't mean you should". Japan does NOT have a 'right' to hunt whales; the scientific evidence is too great to the contrary. I know this; I'm a scientist by training & a business owner as well. Japan's behavior is an embarrassment to the term "civilized" & a shame to their ancestors.

Dog Mocassins, Mandan, USA, ND

I am totaly upset with the way we handle any issue that has to deal with any and all life on this planet. Who are we to say what lives and what does not?
As for Japan, why do they need to hunt 50 this and 50 that? what for? I see this as a real shame on the human race and do we really deserve to be here after what we have done to this planet?

Rob I, Beaverton, OR

It is time to stop this barbaric practice and deal with Japan in a way that will hurt them economically by boycotting all Japanese goods cars,printers ,computers etc,etc,We can be part of the solution and help save this magnificent creature from needless slaughter.The Buck stops here.and will stay here untill the slaughter stops.

Brian Ennis, symington Lanarkshire, Scotland

The whale is an intelligent mammal with feelings of its own. Is it not time to call a halt to the killing and leave them in peace. We could simply just ban or not buy Japanese goods services and foods which would soon bring that government to its senses when its own exports are hit

Dewi Morgan, Cardiff, United Kingdom

What gives us the right to kill these animals just because we have the power to do it and we use to do it? We were unaware of their incredible being then, we know a little more about them now. So now is the time to study, learn and appreciate the beautiful beings thery are, and not live in our ignorant past.
I have eaten whale meat, in Tonga, 32 years ago when it was legal, and I swam with the whales, as legal, 2 years ago.
I do hope a new day is dawning where we can live peacefully and respectufully with all of the other sentient beings on this earth we share.
Listen to their song, one of the most complex languages on the earth, see their grace, beauty and size, swim with them and you will feel the magesty of their presence.
I believe we are capable of respect, and emapthy towards these animals. Now is the time.

red Mahan, haleiwa,

Hi all,
Though Japan says the whales in question are not endangered, they are recently recovering from sparse numbers. If we (i.e. humans) continue to hunt them every time they make minimal numerical recovery they will always be on the verge of extinction. I believe on a deep spiritual level, and science has confirmed, every living creature from the smallest to largest and even those invisible to the naked eye has a place in making and keeping the "balance" of the universe in order. Every living thing has a unique contribution, that is essential to have a holistically balanced environment. Everytime a creature is on the verge of extinction or is made extinct undually, we are doing a diservice to both the present and future.

Ki, Sparta, USA

Humpbacks ARE an endangered species, Jim. And the Japanese ARE hunting humpbacks. Why don't you get your facts straight? Plus, Japan is already taking too much from the ocean; they have to kill dolphins by masses, just to eliminate the competition for the TUNA. Which they most likely over fished, so they have to resort to dolphin murder. Therefore, they have no right and shouldn't complain about cutting back, like everyone else. They have no right to whine about being stopped.

Alisha, Rutherford, Kansas

Japan already has a glut of unsold whale meat, yet for unfathomable reasons, their whaling quota has recently been doubled from about 450 to 900, adding the fin whale and the Humpback to the long hunted Minke whale.

On top of whaling, Japan kills upwards of 20,000 dolphins and porpoises for meat, and captures hundreds for captivity and entertainment.

The whale and dolphin meats in supermarkets from coast to coast all contain ultra-high levels of mercury, PCBs and dioxins, yet they are labeled as "health food", and dolphin meat is times more toxic than even whale meat. In order to cultivate a new generation of whale and dolphin meat consumers, Japan is unconscienably feeding the poisonous substance to children in their school lunch program.

Japan has been whaling in the name of "scientific research" for decades, but try locating bona fide research reports. It is much easier to order whale sushi in a sushi bar.

We humans, not just the Japanese, must cease and desist.

Anthony Marr, Vancouver, Canada / BC

I think if they are going to kill whales for there scientific benifit then they should give the meat to the victims in bangladesh

marcus, gladstone, mich.

The thing about whaling in Japan is that only a small minority of the population eat whale, I lived here all my life and I have never eated whale and only seen it in the stores a few times.
It wouldn't hurt the population of Japan one bit if Japan stopped hunting whales.

David, Tokyo,

In this age & times, I feel the same as the other majority that Japan should stop this hunt, ONCE & FOR ALL. It's barbaric, inhumane & totally unnecessary. Ask the japanese to change their lifestyle & eating habits; everybody can change if we want to. It's all in the mind. I hope the Australian Navy sink ALL the fleets from Japan. Stop buying Japanese. We have to show them the world is against their barbaric actions.

Steven, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

I can understand that these whales are not on the endangered list, however we as humans have hurt this planet and it's animals far to much as it is.
It would be nice if just one place on this planet was left to the other animals that have the same most basic rights as man. That right to live. We have hunted for food and fun from our begining, and it has never been enough. I think tracking an animal to one of the coldest places on earth is truly a sad day for us all as human beings.
We have spread over this planet like a plague which has no cure. Killing and infecting everything we touch and see. It is time mankind to opens it's eyes and see we are not on this planet alone. There are other creatures that God has made. Mankind is the only species guilty of killing this planet. Man as a whole has a lot to answer for, many animals are gone forever thanks to us, and it must STOP.
If not with the whales when?

Mike Ford, Lombard/Illinois, USA

Why do we as human's think that we are the most important species on the planet? I'm am no great educated man, but I do see how we as a species have a habbit of destroying everything around us. Many animals and natural habitats have been wiped out by man in the name of progress or basic survival and here again it's happening with the whales. The ignorance of the Japanese to think they can do what ever they feel when it comes to the whale hunt is appalling. Do pepole think that going to court is going to stop the hunt? If the people think this then they need to wake up! If we want to stop the senseless slaughter of the whales then our governorments need to step forward as a united group and stop the hunt. I think if every world power suddenly put a naval blockade on Japan and stated that the whale hunt was no longer going to be tolerated , well i don't think the whales would have to worry anymore. Let's save our world so our children and there children can enjoy the world as we know

Dave Hamilton, Belleville, Canada

It is not importantly about the whaling issue but just with a human mind which god has given us mistakenly think that if, whales were in our place and we in their's then we would have not accepted this behavior from them. we humans have no right to hunt down other animals with no need but for only pleasure.japan should dismantle it's whaling fleet because now the are not so ignorant that they will allow the merciless killing of innocent whales

shivam singh, faridabad, india

The whales in question are not on the endangered list. Japan has a right to hunt the oceans. Hug a tree- not a whale.

Jim, Lincoln, USA/Illinois

I get sick and tired of hearing people say that they know what the animals are thinking and trying to say to us like Andi from WA suggests.
Andi says that "they are already considered to be extinct from their point of view" and the they "have been trying to tell us for years that the oceans are sacred".
People have no idea what so ever what these animals are thinking period.
These animals are awsome living beings that deserve to be here or else they never would have been here in the first place and to let Japan or any other country hunt them down til all are gone is flat wrong.
I don't believe these animals are telepathic or that they know the future like some believe, but I do believe that they need to be protected from being erased from the face of the earth.
Once they are gone nothing we do can bring them back and the only ones to blame would be the "Human Race".
Leave the whales alone and let them live in peace.

William, Three Rivers, USA

As long as the world (read: US) has bad concious regarding the bombing of Japan during the 2nd World War and thus turns the blind eye to the country often barbaric ways and complete disregard for animal life in general, and as long as money rules the world, Japan will keep doing whatever pleases them, not feeling resposible for any damage caused to the natural habitat in our mother Earth! Keep going, Japan, no one dares to say anything anyway!

MAG, London, UK

E-mail your Japanese embassy and tell them to stop killing whales, these highly intelligent and sensitive sentient beings, and that you will boycott all Japanese products and will never visit Japan as long as they continue this barbaric behavior. And then FOLLOW THROUGH WITH IT AND ACTUALLY DO IT! Don't buy anything made in Japan or by a Japanese company. The boycott pressure and landslide of e-mails put a stop to Iceland's whale hunting (at least some of it). Economic pressure works better than anything, but to the Labor party in Australia I say "good on ya"!

J Swesnon, Torremolinos, Spain

boycott japanese products!!!
see who will hurt the most.

cookie fernandez, fort lauderdale, fl

Simple enough. Torpedo the whaling boats. Japanese die. So what. The population of humans is many orders of magnitude larger than all the cetaceans in the ocean. Kill a thousand humans, not even a blip in the human population. Kill a thousand whales, big impact.

madprophet, Toronto, Canada

A Tutor Group of 13/14 year olds in Sherborne, Dorset are disgusted and would like to know what they can do to help.

Mrs. A Casson, Sherborne, England

Japan has absolutely no legal right to slaughter Whales? Currently this still endangered species faces global warming, pulluted seas, radar interference and many other threats in the oceans. If all that isn´t enough when the whales are peacefully feeding in the Antartic with their young the Japanese whalers come along with their killing ships and floating meat factory and cowardly slaughter them, including pregnant females. International laws are completely ignored. Do the Japanese authorities think it is their inherent right to do whatever they want in the southern oceans? Do they think their economic clout puts them above world opinion and nobody can tell JAPAN what to do? Do they see it as loosing face to back down. Whale Watching is growing every year and brings a big income to many countries. Some small Islands depend on it. Japan should be taken to the International Law Courts to stop this massacre once and for all.

Maureen Roth, Salvador, Brazil

Whales and dolphin are more intelligent than we are, and have been telling us for years that the oceans are sacred!!!
They are already considered to be extinct from their point of view. The Free Willy whale smashed on the aquarium walls the day they took five more baby orcas in Hong Kong harbor, as if to say, you already have me as a representative of my race, why are you taking more of us? Have we become so immersed in a Medusa Effect, where our hearts are turned to stone by the agenda-setting function of the media, that we refuse to even consider the truth of the interdependence of all life in this universe and our responsibility not to end it with nuclear weapons of mass destruction, not from Iraq, but from the so-called powers? We have enough bombs already to open a black hole in space-time!
Listen to the voice of reason from the whales and the dolphin and all creation singing harmonies.
They are telepathic and know the future, as we would if we took of our blinders.

Andi Bowe, Anacortes, WA

I am absolutely for protecting endangered species like the Humpback Whale,but if the Japanese simply used all the whale they hunted and not wasted anything why is it a crime?
All over the world we eat meat. We hunt animals and not always for eating, sometimes simply for sport. Where did one type of animal become more important than others? We should focus on protecting the endangered ones and perhaps the Japanese would feel more inclined to accept a list of acceptable and unacceptable kills and limit the numbers taken a year.

C.J., Jacksonville, Florida

I sincerely hope that Australia uses their military presence for far more than surveillance, these people are at the bottom of the species list, it should be the Japanese Fishermen who are put on the endangered species list, not our beautiful and innocent mammal friends of the ocean world.

Our U.S. military has waged wars for human rights many times over in the past, are we not mammals too? A more intelligent species of mammal with a greater responsibility to protect our world and our environments?
Aren't these beautiful creatures a valuable resource worth protecting? Are they not a fellow mammal species who deserves protection from these extremists as well??

It is your nature Japan to slaughter and pillage every living thing in the sea? Is this Pearl Harbor for all whales and Dolphin? Is it time for another bomb??

If whales controlled oil or could speak our language we'd never let this happen... maybe it's time we learned their language...

Joe, Los Angeles,

The article said: "Japan has used a loophole in the two-decade international moratorium on commercial whaling that allows the killing of whales for research – although it makes no secret that the meat ends up on Japanese dinner plates.".

Gandhi said: “The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated”.

WDCS said: "In his paper Into the brains of whales, published this month in Applied Animal Behaviour Science, Mark Simmonds puts forward a compelling argument for the highly developed intelligence of both whales and dolphins. ... One such indicator is that of self-awareness. ... Evidence of the typically human emotions, grief, parental love and joy, as well as the existence of complex social interactions and structures, are further indicators of the highly developed intelligence of whales and dolphins.".

I say: "Get the picture?"

Vicky, Virginia, USA

I've lived in Japan off and on over the past few years; you can buy whale at supermarkets sometimes, my friend who lived in Saitama got it there.

I also drove to a village in southern Chiba that has tradition of it (that's roughly 65km from Tokyo, not very far), they kill the whale right the and there. If you purchased seafood at a supermarket without being able to read kanji, odds are you could have eaten whale, but not too likely :D

d, london, uk

Whalers must also make a living. Nothing in the food chain that requires killing of the animals is attractive. If the fisherie has been determined that the hunt will not upset the balance, then let the whalers go to work.

Sarg, Miraflores, Peru

What are the japanese thinkin i hope they lose their ships in the ocean and thier prime minster to bird flu.

rudy ryes, whittier, CA

The Japanese are wonderful people but certainly have a barbaric streak in them. It seems that the only thing that gets through to them, sadly, is brute force - as in 1945! They have absolutely no reason to hunt whales and dolphins... as it is, their trawlers are decimating seafood populations around the world to meet the insatiable Japanese appetite for seafood.
I love bak2rak's suggestion - you want to uphold tradition? Then go back to the way you used to hunt, like the native tribes in Alaska.
The only thing that would make Japan submit to such a proposal is to pose a real threat - economic boycotts would definitely work. Maybe the US should threaten to torpedo any Japanese whaling ship that leaves a Japanese port - it would be very effective but is highly unrealistic.

Rich, San Francisco, CA USA

Japan is treading on very holy ground with this one and had best re-evaluate it's plans prior to masacaring these beautiful kings of the ocean. Remember the last time Japan moved forward ill-advised? Many people still do and have very strong feelings about Japan since the Second World War as a result.

I suggest they move forward, and not give yet another generation reason to dislike and punish them.

Charlie Renau, newboro, Canada

PERHAPS we should go about this another way. Let the whaling nations take as many as they can ....BUT..... only using the harvesting methods available in 1776 . The populations would be able to substain the reduced predation and the predation itself would be even less economically driven, and it would be more sportsmanlike

bak2rak, home, usa

I lived in Tokyo for 6 months and never saw any whale meat in the shops, nor was I even offered it by any Japanese friends even spending every Saturday night eating and drinking with a club of Japanese joggers in Japanese restaurants. So where does it go? Perhaps they were too embarrased to make the offer. I did notice that Japanese people do not put the conservation of wildlife very high on their ethical agenda and this lead to plenty of heated discussions. Internationally, we need to name and shame the final destinations of this practice - the supermarkets, restaurants etc and get the support of the Japanese media.

Iain Pearson, Reading, UK

Boycott Japanese goods, end of. Particularly with the smaller electronics goods considering that Christmas is coming up.

This includes car makers like Toyota, Lexus, Nissan , Honda, Mitsubishi and Mazda.

This includes electronics manufacturers like Sony, Casio, Hitachi, Toshiba, JVC, Panasonic, Technics, Pentax, Olympus, Nintendo, Sanyo, Seiko and Kenwood and more.

DanM, Hampton, UK

I am shocked and horrified that Japan is going to go ahead with whaling again this year, and absolutely outraged they are also going to hunt endangered species. The prime minister of Japan needs to learn that this is just not acceptable behaviour anymore and stand up for what is right.

Angela, Cambridge, England

Do not buy Japanise cars!!

S. Radun, Paris, France

Japan disgusts me. We should start hunting them down and turn the Japanese race into an endangered specie!!!! Who on this planet apart from them are going to eat humpback whales? I find it just unacceptible that the humpback whale is a main food source for the Japanese race.

Steve Wood, London, uk

We already have the answer in dealing with the Japanese government. Withdraw ALL our support for Honda, Sony, Mitsubishi, Panasonic, Nissan, Suzuki, Kawasaki, Toyota and the rest and within weeks, the message will be relayed to those who doubt our considerable buying power. Together with our allies all over the globe, we will see that day come round.

John Benn, Newton Abbot, Devon