Conservation vs Animal Welfare

Had a really interesting conversation with a couple of people at the Vigor xmas party about the difference between conservation and animal welfare.  Didn't realise that these two groups often have very different views on environmental issues.  Conservationists take a much more rational and objective view on what policies should be implemented on issues regarding endangered species where as animal welfare groups take a much more emotional view.

So a good example of an issue which brings out very different views is whaling in the southern ocean.  The Japanese have been much maligned for their whaling activities by many animal welfare groups.  What many people don't realize, myself included until tonight, is that the Japanese are whaling for Minke whales which are not endangered.  Minke whale populations are currently estimated at around 700,000.  Japan have been hunting around 1100 Minke whales per year which would be 0.2% of the total population.   So in fact Japanese whaling appears to have a lesser impact than snapper fishing in Victoria.

Now I'm not necessarily in favour of Japanese whaling but you have to wonder what the motives of some of the animal welfare groups really are.  I'm sure there are plenty of other whale species which are endangered that deserve the same amount of attention that the Minke whales get.  And I'm sure the conservationists would agree.