In Reply to: Calif. gray whale shot with machine gun posted by Max Bottomtime on September 12, 2007 at 16:59:33:

Obviously this is a highly charged emotional issue that plays into many cultural and ethical concerns. Remember food doesn't come pre-wrapped in plastic. It starts out as an animal (or plant that can "scream" when you harvest it)

It wasn't a Machine Gun. They didn't just go spraying lead and tag a whale. The last time they (legally) shot a whale, it was with a .50 caliber gun, which used a bullet often used in large machine guns. This time, they used a .460 Weatherby rifle which is often used in very large game hunting. If you are going after large prey, you should at least use the right "tool" for the job. I know thinking like that won't sit very well with many people out there, but if you are going to hunt (rightly or wrongly, legally or illegally - I'm not going there), you might as well use a weapon that will get the job quickly and humanely (again, I'm not going there people!)

Next, from what I have read, the whale had been harpooned several times to attach floats to it then had been shot multiple times (maybe they SHOULD have used a .50 cal rifle on it) then once the whale had been mortally wounded, the Coast Guard, apparently on orders from the National Marine Fisheries Service went in and cut the whale free of the floats, (leaving the harpoons in place) and let the whale "go". It soon expired from its injuries and sank into 500 feet of water. If (read that as when) it floats back to the surface, it is going to be used as evidence for the prosecution of the whalers.