Whales on this beaching feeling

Ethan Switch - Thursday, 26 March 2009 - 20:52:47 - print it raw

Off the coast and back again; a telling tale of whales and premature farewells. No sooner than finding the cool waters again off Hamelin Bay, thanks to the large effort of volunteers helping them back, a gam of whales find their bellies sandy once more only a day later. This time on the grains roughing the coast off Flinders Bay. Choppers above not a strong enough ushering force with the pod hitting the reverb for the repeat beaching.

Such an encore presentation before the lights are totally out moves the game into watching the news of the weeks before.

Earlier in the month, no less than a 200 odd sum pod of whales beaching the sands off King Island, Tasmania. Rolling back into the deep blue, a few of their number again for the encore showing with the rider left over. Dying there in view of the public, a less eaten demise than their kind found off the Bali shores.

Kicking off the year, Iceland's current fisheries ministry clomp up the orders of whale by a magnitude of six. Backhanding the take over government with an order of dead whale on its doorstep. "In my opinion, it's extremely foolish of the minister, and I can promise you that if my party can form this interim government then we will at least discuss it and find out what we can do about it," said Arni Finnsson from the Iceland Nature Conservation Association. Make lemonade sherbet out of lemons.

Japan not missing out, but falling short of their own, line up orders with Norway to import more blubber to chunder. But with the global decline in wanting to gnaw away at a big blue, creativity sparks a frying pan as variations on the theme serve new ways, like whale pepper steak and whale schnitzel, to tread the line of pescetarianism.

Whales—ever present on the ingredients list for countries such as Japan, Norway and Iceland—are sending a clear enough signal with their repeat beachings. The majestic aquatic mammals are looking to hit evolution hard and leap across the primordial high jump to become terrestrial mammals. Skipping millions of years of genetic tweaking in order to find solace and escape from the hungry clutches of scientific food runs.

Another week and it's got them reeling.