We all loved Steve Irwin....well do it for him then.

[anatess]

My 2 cents on the cultural thing.

Jim, I'm kinda with BG on this one. For example, in the Philippines, the culture is such that you can't find a bird flying around outside of the thick forests. Why... because people shoot them on sight. When I was a little kid, my family would go visit the family farm in the mountains of Bohol (we live in the city, an entire day's trip from the farm) every summer. My brother would hike through acres of rice fields to get to the edge of the forest just to find a hawk. And when he sees one and talks excitedly about it, the local farmers would be quick to go to the edge of the forest the next day with their rifles.

It's cultural, you see. People are poor, especially in the farming town that they would shoot anything that has any potential of meat. Extinct or not. The smallest monkey - the Tarsier - is native to Bohol. Good luck finding them. They slipped into endangered species list because Filipinos take them for meat.

This culture needs to change and my family is fairly active in changing it. This is what my family is doing:
Nalusuan Island
My family is native to the town of Cordova. One of my uncles or cousins have been the mayor of that town since the early 70's. The Municipality of Cordova is very active in pursuing conservation efforts by empowering the population to choose responsible harvest practices. It is a mission that involves cultural change. If you look at the tab that says Vision-Mission-Goals, it outlines what we are trying to accomplish at Nalusuan. This is one of many efforts we are trying to accomplish to "change the culture" there.

Nalusuan is home to several species of fish, sea turtles, and birds, including the Philippine Eagle, most of which are on the endangered list. The hotel funds all these efforts. We partner with the Universities to do research etc, to provide sustainable livelihood to the local fishermen and hunters while educating them on conservation and responsible harvest. The message is simple: Just because you see a bird flying doesn't necessarily mean it needs to become a food source. We can farm birds to have a sustainable supply. And we will help you gain the skills to do so.

Okay, I do agree with you that there is a much better way to change Japanese culture than what the Sea Shepherd is doing. We have done it in Nalusuan. It is a success. But, a change in culture is necessary to save the Dolphins.

Little Factoid: Nalusuan means Land of the male genitalia.