Wow, Mr Anonymous,

It strikes me that you may indeed be a shrill for the Japanese government and a "gun for hire" in their endeavor to return to commercial whaling.

The anti-whaling movement is not averse to aboriginal subsistence whaling and before you raise objection to the word Aboriginal read your dictionary for its definition, it is not degrading in anyway. These are the people who originally settled and adapted to the areas in which they live and have thrived, mainly coastal oriantated. This is also another topic in terms of human rights, but let us stay on point.

I doubt the organizers lied to the authorities, perhaps there is a "turf war" as to who is the authority, therefore someone's ego may have been bruised.

ALL schools were invited to participate, fact. However some were unable due to a short lead time and exams. However there was provision made for individuals who may have wanted to participate. Yes, I called the organizers and asked !!

Sustainable use, this is an interesting phrase that is very Japanese inspired. However the practice is another conundrum. In Antigua and Barbuda, now the proud recipients of what four fisheries facilities, and one under construction in Barbuda leaves it to the coast guard to patrol the water of our EEZ, a huge area some 110,000 plus square km's of sea. Yet, regularly vessels from Guadeloupe arrive and purchase seafood from local fishermen, likely with no export license or account of how much of what has been removed from the ecosystem. Two points, where is the tax revenue that would be due, more importantly from a sustainable use "pov" how the heck can fisheries be managed from an ecosystem approach with no monitoring ?

I have myself brought a policeman to show him fishermen who were harvesting juvanile conch, not his problem he tells me, ok so call the fisheries I suggest, he was unwilling to do so, yet laws were being broken and not enforced by a law enforcement officer !!!!!! Later I saw he was happily receiving a bag of cleaned conch….aah there is the answer, graft !

Further, I agree totally that the use of our natural resources are more important than the whaling issue, especially when one of our key ministers made round the world trips to attend numerous meetings to support the pro-whaling position, promising a land use policy in March'08, we still do not have one and its june '09, thats about 16 months late.

The monitoring of catch is non-existant as the officers in the fisheries department as I understand are not paid or rostered to conduct such activities, those that do, do so in their own time! Further liscenced fishing vessels are not required to do so either.

As to the colonialist stuff, I would suggest that the ex-colonialist put a huge amount of resources at the disposal of this nation in terms of infrastructure, equipment and education in order to give Antigua and Barbuda a fighting chance as an independent nation. Lester Birds education in law was paid for by the UK tax payer and check that result out? OOh his pension !!

As a nation we have NO land use or energy policy, in 2009 and you go on about ecosystem approach as mangroves are torn out to make way for hotels and the like. Where are the nurseries for juvenile lobsters and reef fish gone, Gwassa. Parrot fish, important to reef health and sand for beaches are at best very small and likely taken before they are allowed to breed.

Speaking of mangroves, have you seen what Crabbs power and desalination plant has done to the mangroves in the area, along with a "local" businessman who is busy filling the wetlands to the west of this.....wonder if the DCA has given approval for this, I know that the Environment division has concerns about what is occurring there.

BTW from 1980 to 2000 it is reported that we have lost 48.6% of 1570 hectares of mangrove cover from 1980 to 2000, that’s 600 + hectares (FAO). When was your voice heard ? Some of the biggest loss’s in the whole Caribbean.

But of course like many nations the environment is seen as an externality in any economic analysis, I wonder how we had clean water and air to breath historically before the whole planet became saturated in pollutants that cause severe health problems across national boundaries. Speaking of which I see that the Australian government is considering offering scholarships in the very fields you mention. Now that is an Anti Whaling nation, that has considered its position very carefully, have you read the paper “ A Universal Metaphore”

Of course Antigua ranks around 51 on the United Nations human development index, so in reality there is nothing poor about this country. However in terms of vulnerability we also rank well, higher than most of our Caribbean brethren, however the data is insufficient. Researching this we will find this is mainly due to poor governance and accountability. So when you speak of colonialist stuff, when was the last legal case challenging a government decisions on a development of any kind, I am curious as it speaks to how the citizenry of the country understand the holistic consequences of their governments decisions.

Back to Neo -colonialists, check out our relationship with China, a new Cricket stadium, practically a one time use and India and Stanford showed what could be done with the new 20/20 format of the game. Imagine a Caribbean league with online betting ! BTW, how many locals were engaged in building that stadium...not many, the Chinese fellows were earning 2 to 3 times what they could in China on that project. This is apart from any historical activities in Tibet where the local population can be imprisoned for carrying an image of the Dali Lama their spiritual leader, or the thousands of Buddhist monasteries that were sacked and monks killed, but that was in the fifties so it is irrelevant now!! Neo-colonialists, as you may say.

As you do not support the wanton destruction of our coastline why does it still occur, you seem to be well placed to have affected change in this regard. Or is it that land clearance by indigenous institutions is ok but not by foreign "investors", case in point being around Dry Hill for the Williams sisters tennis resort, wow, when is that going to open.

On this it baffles me that Antigua and Barbuda have yet to ratify the SPAW convention, a Protocol Concerning Specially Protected Areas and Wildlife in the Wider Caribbean Region or the LBS, a Protocol Concerning Pollution from Land-Based Sources and Activities. Actually it makes complete sense, they would be accountable for what is occurring in our nation. God forbid, its a colonialist conspiracy, no really !!!!! At least the dues at the IWC are paid for by some one else.

As to the case in point of the US Virgin islands, perversely it is probably to the benefit of local fishermen that these nature reserves were created as it has allowed the fish populations to thrive and move out to areas less populated in terms of fish, allowing for some fish to be caught instead of none. Along with the tax and tourist dollars that are spent by those wishing to see what lies beneath. Marine reserves are proven to enhance productivity of marine resources.

As to the cultural and culinary preferences of coastal peoples, Japans whaling in the name of science or commerce in Antarctic waters are hardly traditional, over 8000 miles away from their coast and apart from that many of the species they are proposing to hunt are from severely depleted stocks that are yet to recover to required numbers and in the case of the Antarctic Minke whale the IWC states "The Commission is unable to to provide reliable estimates at the present time. A major review is underway by the Scientific Committee", yes the site displays a figure to 1989 and current estimates are not known, that’s twenty years of not knowing! The numbers of recovery have been thrown by the Soviet whaling fleets failing to declare their 100,000 cetacean catch of various species..ooh and with Japanese observers on board! How’s that for accountability.

On the subject of coastal whaling, Japan in particular, the current hunts of small cetaceans that occur are from stocks that have no known populations with any degree of confidence, furthermore being high on the food chain the meat harvested is seriously contaminated with methyl mercury, while occurring naturally the levels are WAY beyond what the government allows in foods, yet they turn a blind eye, along with allowing bad labeling in the supermarket to sell the meat that is a serious health hazard. FACT NOT FICTION. This is due to the industrialization of Japan and the unintended consequences that can occur, research the Minimatta tradgey for more.

It is likely that this too will be blamed on environmentalists, but of course the IWC does not have authority over Small Cetaceans, as you know.

So be it neo-colonialists children or the youth of Japan, they are all bound by the fact that their forefathers, you and I have allowed this to occur. Is there any further information of the "stinky Whale" from the Siberia region BTW. Like the other Aboriginal peoples, the industrialization of the world that YOU and I benefit from has now made the breast milk of the Inuit peoples and other tribes of the Arctic poisonous, the very mothers milk that nature designed for infants to grow healthy and strong, is now poison, because they rely on whale meat for subsistence.

Please consider your argument more thoroughly and become part of the solutions and not remain part of the problem, while you collect your pay check from a nation that has plundered the Oceans in the most heinous manner, to the detriment of many other coastal peoples. As you so rightly say without an ecosystem approach, the very species we want to “save” will perish. My concerns are indeed emotional, as I wonder what the future generations will eat. Like your emotion about colonialist etc. Emotion - a natural instinctive state of mind deriving from one's circumstances, mood, or relationships with others... It is what gets us all out of bed in the morning to do what we do, no bad thing as it also drives reasoning and judgement...so do not degrade it as a weak position as many of you pro whalers do, it is why you do what you do as well.

I look forward to your response to my response to your comments, that is out of context and twisted to suite your agenda... a pay rise! Truly I am intrigued as to what factual evidence you may provide that what the so called colonialist new or old is actually bad for the people of Antigua and Barbuda over what the present governments are doing in terms of ecosystem approaches. Let alone accountability and transparency, but that is endemic the world over, on that I am sure we can agree.

Martin

ALL things are connected, without exception.