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* Whale wars* Sea Sheperd vs Illegal Japanese whaling.

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Imaufo22

* Whale wars* Sea Sheperd vs Illegal Japanese whaling.

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Posts: 146

(04/16/08 00:17:55)

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Japan Acknowledges Sea Shepherd's Defense of the Whales

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"The Japanese whalers figure that if they keep calling us criminals then people will think we are criminals,"
said Captain Paul Watson. "The truth is that it is the Japanese who are acting illegally by targeting
endangered whales in a whale sanctuary in violation of a global moratorium on commercial whaling."

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The Japanese fleet has returned to port in Tokyo with the remains of 551 whales illegally slaughtered in the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary. Of their self allotted quota of 935 whales, the whalers killed 551. Of their self allotted quota of 50 Fin whales they took zero and of their self allotted quota of 50 Humpback whales they killed absolutely none.

Of a total objective of 1035 whales kills they failed to take 484 whales.

The whalers were hunting in the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary under a research permit issued by the Japanese government.

Australia, which claims sovereignty over the sanctuary, says Japan's whaling is illegal.

The Nisshin Maru, which has a crew of 143 and processes whale meat caught on the expeditions, arrived in Tokyo port at about 7:30 a.m. today. $$$ The whale meat, called ``research byproduct,'' will be sold in supermarkets and restaurants throughout the country. $$$

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"Japan took only 53% of their target," said Captain Paul Watson. "I think it is safe to say that the Sea Shepherd crew seriously affected their profits this season.

My crew and I are elated that 484 whales are now swimming free that would otherwise have been viciously slaughtered. And we are especially pleased that not a single Fin or Humpback died and that is a complete victory."

Japan blamed the failure of its whaling fleet to net little more than half its target catch this year to "relentless interference" from environmentalists and described the situation as "regrettable."

"It is truly regrettable that we could not carry out the project as planned," said Agriculture Deputy Minister Toshiro Shirasu. "Sabotage by activists is a major factor behind our failure to achieve our target," a fisheries agency official said.

"The number of whales taken was low of course because of the sabotage," said Shigeki Takaya, a Fisheries Agency spokesman for whaling. "We're angry that they can carry out such dangerous activities, and it doesn't bother them."

Peter Hammarstedt, the second officer on the Sea Shepherd ship Steve Irwin was amused at that comment.
"Of course it did not bother us that the number of whales killed was low and we are proud that we stopped them from slaughtering the rest, and we intend to return again next season to save more whales. Our crew did a wonderful job this year and we are pleased that we have cost the Japanese whalers so much money and trouble. We hope to hurt them even harder next year," he said.

The Japanese have reported that the Australian government is investigating "crimes" by Sea Shepherd against their whaling activities. If this is so then no one with Sea Shepherd knows anything about it. Sea Shepherd crew have not been questioned nor have police inspected the Steve Irwin.

"The Japanese whalers figure that if they keep calling us criminals then people will think we are criminals," said Captain Paul Watson. "The truth is that it is the Japanese who are acting illegally by targeting endangered whales in a whale sanctuary in violation of a global moratorium on commercial whaling."

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``This blatantly commercial whale hunt must end immediately,'' Greenpeace Japan whales campaigner Junichi Sato said in a statement. The latest catch ``is still over a hundred more than Japan took three years ago, in what is an internationally recognized whale sanctuary.''

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The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society is working to raise the funding to return to the Southern Ocean again in December 2008 for a fifth campaign to oppose illegal Japanese whaling. This season the Japanese killed only 53%. Last year they took only 51% and the year before that Sea Shepherd prevented them from killing 84 whales or 10%.

Since interventions by the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society the Japanese have consistently failed to reach their quotas.

"If we can get the support to secure a 2nd ship, we will be able to keep the Japanese whaling fleet on the run continuously
and if we can do that we can prevent them from taking any a whales at all," said Captain Watson. "My goal is to save 100%
of the whales that the Japanese want to kill in the Southern Whale Sanctuary."

No fin whales were killed even though there was a plan to harpoon 50, the Japanese agency said. Japan abandoned plans to kill 50 humpback whales after pressure from the U.S., Australia and New Zealand.

Sea Shepherd Conservation Society welcomes your support. To learn how to support our conservation work, please visit our donation page.

Japan's cetacean research program, which is designed to prove the whale numbers have revived sufficiently to allow commercial whaling,
has been criticized by governments from Australia to the European Union.

New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark in November last year said Japan's research is a ``deception.''

Two members of Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, an environmentalist group, boarded the Yushin Maru No. 2 support ship in
January and planted tracking devices on the boat.

Tense Standoff

That led to tense standoff involving an Australian coast guard ship sent to monitor the whalers. It ended when the Japanese transferred the environmentalists to the Australians.

The whalers were involved in other skirmishes with Sea Shepherd activists who threw rotten butter onto the decks of the Japanese ships
to make them slippery.

Sea Shepherd Captain Paul Watson at one point claimed he was shot in his bullet-proof vest by the whalers, a claim the Japanese denied.

The Australian Federal Police is investigating the incidents involving the Sea Shepherd in cooperation with Japanese authorities,
Australia's Foreign Minister Stephen Smith and Environment Minister Peter Garrett said in a statement today. They also called for an
end to Japan's whaling near Antarctica.

``It remains Australia's firm view that there is no scientific justification for Japan's whale hunt in the Southern Ocean,'' the statement said.

Greenpeace also disrupted the hunt by tracking the fleet until it temporarily left the Southern Ocean. It also launched speedboats to try to disrupt refueling operations.

Australia dispatched the customs vessel to monitor the whalers in preparation for possible international legal action,
and released photographs of what it said were a minke mother and calf being dragged onto a whaling ship.
Japan said the pictures were ``emotional propaganda'' that may damage ties.

Research whaling is allowed under the terms of a global moratorium on commercial hunts imposed by the
International Whaling Commission in 1986. Japan's fish agency said last week it also plans to hunt 60 minke whales off Japan's
northern coast between April 14 and the end of May this year.

To contact the reporter on this story: Stuart Biggs in Tokyo at sbiggs3@bloomberg.net.

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601101&sid=abVmwe9TpPKc&refer=japan

Last Edited By: Imaufo22 04/16/08 00:55:06. Edited 6 times.

kells008

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Posts: 72

(04/16/08 00:29:45)

""It is truly regrettable that we could not carry out the project as planned," said Agriculture Deputy Minister Toshiro Shirasu. "Sabotage by activists is a major factor behind our failure to achieve our target," a fisheries agency official said.

i feel for them. poor things. only 551 whales. oh well they still have the meat of 22,000 dolphins to enjoy this year, however like most years im sure alot of the meat will be dumped into pet food or included in school lunches.

"Of their self allotted quota of 935 whales, the whalers killed 551. Of their self allotted quota of 50 Fin whales they took zero and of their self allotted quota of 50 Humpback whales they killed absolutely none."

i thought they killed 1 fin? I though the video footage that the oceanic viking relased was of a fin whale?. It was probably a Minke whale. They planned to drop their humpback kill so i would have been suprised if they killed any. Would have been tempting for them im sure.

Imaufo22

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Posts: 147

(04/16/08 00:40:10)

It would have been terrible for them to start killing the humbacks. After having been left alone for so long ( apart from some kills by the Japanese...discovered after DNA tests at restaraunts and fish markets) they have become very trusting of having people and boats around them. As a consequence they support a HUGE whale watching industry in Australia. From the South coast all the way up to Hervey Bay in QLD.

I have a lot of info on this so can post a bit each day...may interest some on here. And may make the sealers a little more disposed to Captain Watson who did a fine job this year.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9u3e6eu-8eg&feature=related

Quite a good video of whales in Hervey Bay...quite a lot of shouting tho. Pretty cool of them to allow us to come so close.
Imagine betraying them and letting someone shoot a harpoon into their backs.

Last Edited By: Imaufo22 04/16/08 00:42:31. Edited 1 times.

kells008

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Posts: 73

(04/16/08 00:47:41)

remember reading an article yesterday.. ill try to find it, on an update on the IWC meetings. It stated that Japan tried to lift the moratorium on commercial whaling but werent successful. Here they are saying its for "scientific "researching yet they are trying to lift the moratorium put in place to ban commerical whaling?. They did however propose a small scale whaling near Japan's waters which i think will be successful, even though its not a complete end to whaling at least it will stop them from whaling in an ocean sanctuary and killing endangered whales hopefully. However Mr Garett and many other countries are opposed to this idea and dont seem to understand what an achievement that would be in itsself, SS have also said they would leave japan alone if such plans were to take place and its not like Garett is gonna get on a boat and sail down to protest, sounds like a win win to me.
If that fails, they are thinking of pulling out of the IWC and starting up their own. that no doubt will recieve more criticism. And australia will propose a world wide sanctuary at the next meeting.
ill try to find the link.

kells008

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Posts: 74

(04/16/08 01:38:59)

http://www.news.com.au/story/0,10117,21832955-401,00.html?from=public_rss

Imaufo22

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Posts: 279

(04/23/08 02:42:47)

Sea Shepherd Supports Teens Against Whaling

Commentary by Captain Paul Watson

Founder and President of Sea Shepherd Conservation Society

One of my most favourite people is heading to Santiago, Chile on June 18th to attend the International Whaling Commission Meeting.

Her name is Skye Bortoli. She is 15 years old and she is the founder of Teens Against Whaling at: www.teensagainstwhaling.com

Ever since I met her in November 2006 in Byron Bay, Australia, Skye has been passionate about protecting whales. In June of 2007, she traveled with her mother, her sister and her friend to Anchorage, Alaska to present her case before the meeting of the International Whaling Commission.

I remember the IWC meetings of the late Seventies and early Eighties when Greenpeace brought a passion to the IWC meetings that inspired great changes. That passion was lost for some time as Greenpeace became more bureaucratic and of course the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society has been banned from the IWC since 1987 as punishment for enforcing the IWC moratorium against the Icelandic whaling fleet.

So it was exciting to see Skye and her little group liven up the dour atmosphere of the meeting at the Captain Cook Hotel. They were the only observers who did not shy away when I was ordered to leave the building and the only ones to question why the most aggressive whale defense organization in the world was barred from entry to the IWC.

Skye went around interviewing everyone and she has become quite an expert on the strengths and weaknesses (mainly weaknesses) of the IWC.

In February 2008 she traveled with the Daily Telegraph from Australia to Japan to present 131,965 signatures on a petition to end whaling to the government.

Skye is returning this year to the IWC meeting in Santiago and this time she is bringing artwork from children all over the world to represent the children's desire to protect the great whales.

Imaufo22

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Posts: 280

(04/23/08 02:51:29)

remember reading an article yesterday.. ill try to find it, on an update on the IWC meetings. It stated that Japan tried to lift the moratorium on commercial whaling but werent successful. Here they are saying its for "scientific "researching yet they are trying to lift the moratorium put in place to ban commerical whaling?.

Read that Kells...the scientific research angle put forward by the Japanese is a sham. There is nothing scientific about it and they rarely publish any scientific data.

Basicly all they are interested in is starting up a commercial hunt for whales.

They do this anyway via the " scientific research" angle which allows some whales to be killed for research purposes.

They want to moratorium on commercial whaling lifted and go to great expense to buy votes from poor nations in the pacific etc. by offerring them aid and free air travel to IWC meetings.

There is a good article about this by 4 corners on ABC TV. The Environment Minister in this article ( Ian Cambell) has now become an advisor for Sea Sheperd.

http://www.abc.net.au/4corners/content/2005/s1417263.htm

Transcript above

Matthew Carney reveals new evidence of Japan’s secret deals to resume commercial whaling.

Matthew Carney reveals new evidence of Japan’s secret deals to resume commercial whaling.

http://www.abc.net.au/4corners/content/2005/s1413252.htm

The Whale Wars

Reporter: Matthew Carney

Broadcast: 18/07/2005

It was billed as a "victory for the whales". Last month's International Whaling Commission meeting in Korea had fended off Japan's push for a return to commercial whaling. A triumphant Australia had led the opposition.

But Japan has warned that it is far from beaten. It insists that it will press ahead with plans to dramatically increase the number and species of whales it kills under the loophole of "scientific research".

And in the fading minutes of the forum, Japanese representatives declared defiantly that they would not back off on commercial whaling. They would be back in greater force next year - with more votes from more pro-whaling countries. "The reversal of history, the turning point, is soon to come," one delegate told the meeting.

The warning underlined Japan's determination to grind out victory in a long-term campaign to return to full commercial whaling - even if that means coping with embarrassing setbacks and international odium along the way.

At the heart of Japan's strategy is its courting of small, impoverished nations - mainly in the Pacific, the Caribbean and Africa - to win their support at the IWC.

For years Japan has been accused by conservationists of bribing these minnow states for their pro-whaling votes. Rarely, however, have these accusations been backed by solid evidence. Japan has denied the charge.

Now Four Corners can reveal the specific detail of some of the favours handed out to countries to sign up for IWC membership and to support Japan.

In one case, an official letter has surfaced to show that Japan has been making payments to the IWC on one country's behalf.

In another case, a former IWC commissioner confirms that Japan has been paying all his country's IWC costs and associated expenses. In yet another, a disgusted politician tells how his country was bought off.
"I don't think the international legal community has yet come up with a term to describe this blatant purchasing of small country governments by Japan," he tells Four Corners.

In this report, filmed in the Pacific, the Caribbean and the lobbies of the IWC meeting in Korea, Four Corners also exposes the farcical rules of the IWC and how it is open to manipulation and abuse.

Matthew Carney reports on "The Whale Wars" - Four Corners, 8.30pm, Monday 18 July, ABC TV.

This program will be repeated about 11pm Wednesday 20 July; also on the ABC2 digital channel at 7pm and 9.45pm Wednesday.

4 Corners wins Eureka Prize

The team who produced "Whale Wars",have won the Peter Hunt Eureka Prize for Environmental Journalism. Reporter Matthew Carney, producer Morag Ramsay and researcher Anne Connolly share the prize.Transcript

Read the transcript of Matthew Carney's report "The Whale Wars".In

terviewhttp://www.abc.net.au/4corners/content/2005/s1413252.htm - Professor Gillian Triggs

Read an edited transcript of an interview with Professor Gillian Triggs, Director for the Institute for Comparative and International Law at the University of Melbourne.Background Resources

For access to key reports, organisations and a background on the HSI Court Case see below.Four ners' Documents

Read the letter sent to the former IWC Commissioner for Grenada confirming that financial contributions were made by the Japanese Government to the Government of Grenada for the International Whaling Commission.

ForumRead the live online discussion that took place after Four Corners' report into whaling, "The Whale Wars". Guests included Nick Gales, Member of the Australian Scientific Delegation to the IWC; Glenn Inwood, Spokesperson for the Institute of Cetacean Research, and Nicola Beynon, Spokesperson for Humane Society International and member of the IWC.

Video

View an edited video of Matthew Carney's interview with Joji Morishita, the Director for International Negotiations, Japan Fisheries Agency.
[Real Broadband] [Real Dialup] [Win Broadband] [Win Dialup]

Feedback

Have your say in the Four Corners guestbook.

Tip Offs

If you have information relevant to this story, we'd like to hear about it

Last Edited By: Imaufo22 04/23/08 02:53:49. Edited 1 times.

kells008

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Posts: 100

(04/23/08 02:58:03)

thanks for the articles. I just re-read that statement i made, and it sounded like i actually believed it was for scientific whaling and was wondering why they tried to life the moratorium. I know its a sham, just meant they dont realise how silly they sound saying its for science yet trying to lift the moratorium on commercial whaling.

They should drop the whole science excuse its an innsult to our intelligence, as if the majority of the world would believe such nonesense

kells008

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Posts: 101

(04/23/08 03:02:06)

the one thing that really annoys me about this whole whaling thing, is the lack of respect the Japanese government have. Its one thing for Canada or any other country to cull animals in their OWN country, where a healthy population exists. Its another for a country, whom because of their power and weath believe they can do anything, to kill whales in an ocean sanctuary, having a disregard for the meaning of sanctuary and killing endangered species despite international outcry.

Imaufo22

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Posts: 281

(04/23/08 03:08:17)

The Japanese have no respect for boundaries. They dont respect the Australian Antartic territory, or the Antartic whale sanctuary even though this is recognised by the IWC and by telling lies to the world ( re scientific research angle) they have no respect for peoples intelligence. They also have no respect for whales by harpooning them then elecrocuting them...they kill indescriminantly ( see mother and calf photo above). They have no respect either for people who protest against their shameful whaling operations and they have no respect for the children to whom they feed whale meat which is laced with mercury. They have no respect for democracy and try to buy votes at IWC meetings. They have no respect for the Australian whale watching industry which rides on the back of healthy and recovering whale populations.

In 1942 they tried to invade Australia. They didnt have much respect back then either.

kells008

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Posts: 102

(04/23/08 03:18:21)

very true. One thing i learned about the canadian seal hunt, is the fact it is well regulated in the sense that veterinarians work with the sealers to improve killing standards year by year, and even if people dont agree about the humaness of the hunt, at least professionals work closley with the sealers.

This is somewhere the japanese can learn i believe. Yes we can argue they use the most up to date technology for killing whales however look at their dolphin hunt, pure brutaility. Last i checked no regulations exsist on how to kill the dolphins. Some are hacked to death, drowned, hung alive, pulled out and dragged to be slaughtered on lshore and others have their throats cut.. dying a painful death.. before this being keep enclosed for up to hours with metal pipes in the water to scare them.

newfie2

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Posts: 1559

(04/23/08 04:16:20)

It's too bad that certain groups and people have taken it upon themselves to ruin the observation of the seal hunt. It's one thing to observe but it all changes when it's turned into a protest and media circus. If scientists, vets, doctors, postal workers, anybody wanted to observe the hunt they could have and there was no restrictions about bringing video or still cameras. A distance was set too insure the safety of the observer and the sealer and it was pretty close. However, like the the Genge-SSCS incident, that was a planned event by SSCS to depict the sealers as the aggressors. It would be interesting to see the video footage that never makes unto You Tube.

No other country allows observers to view the seal hunt, ie Norway, yet we have. When the rules are broken and privileges are taken away because of it then the groups cry again.

Another thing is that Canadian journalists are said to be biased and owned and whatever else. There Canadian journalists that speak out against the hunt. You look at the groups that come here and the journalists they bring with them, you tell me that they are unbiased? They are hand picked by the groups and I'll be a seal's arsehole if they'll bring anyone who's gonna be pro seal hunt.

So why don't these groups use all their money they raise and get together; marine biologists and vets and whoever else that will actually do a study and not use other peoples work, and go to the government and ask to be allowed to conduct studies. Ask to work with DFO and the marine biologists we have here. Come here with a plan to see exactly what is going on out there and create solutions where needed. These groups have the millions to do this. I've always said that a joint study including both sides is needed and once it's completed no one group can say shite about the results beng fixed.

But it won't happen and it's not that it would be turned down by the government. ARA means no animals killed and the idea is to stop all animal killings. There's nothing in between, talk about native subsistence is BS because they want that ended too.

When the groups cried that sealers were skinning live seals they came up with a solution of bleeding the seals to ensure death, the groups then cried out that it was an admission that the seals weren't dead and were skinned alive. When the groups cried that the sealers were clubbing the baby seals the solution was to ban the hakipik, the groups then cried that the hakipik was the better method to kill the seals.

So from that it is very plain to see that there's no study, there's no method or improvements that will ever be good enough. The whole plan is to stop the commercial seal hunt, stop the personal seal hunt and then stop the native seal hunt in that order.

kells008

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Posts: 105

(04/24/08 05:10:51)

i guess the reason these groups dont negotiate is because they see themselves as an animal rights group as opposed to an animal welfare group. Also since their already are veterinarians working with the sealers, they see their job as stopping the hunt. I agree with what you say, in Japan for e.g. instead of protesting the dolphin hunt which isnt going anywhere (besides exposing the issue to japanese people) i believe SS or even GP japan should get together biologists, veterinarians etc as you mentioned to draw up some regulations on how to humanley kill a dolphin, because the hunt is brutual. Sure we would all want the hunt to end period, however that will happen when the Japanese people decide to speak out and take action, in between then collaboration can be the key. However im not too sure the Japanese would want to improve their standards, they dont seem to care.

Its interesting though because with Japanese whaling, SS are willing to negotiate that is stating if Japan switches to small scale whaling near its waters SS would let them be, not even our own government is willing to settle on those terms.

newfie2

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Posts: 1585

(04/24/08 05:30:33)

Kells008 there's a lot that needs to be done indeed for many animals. As long as there's meat eaters then animals will die. Then there's the other issue about using fur. Cull's we've hit on and now thanks to Imaufo we are getting into pest control. We haven't talked about animal research much. All around the world people are using and abusing animals in ways that would turn your stomach. It's time that these animal groups start using the money they collect to do some good for a change and focus on animals that really need help from both abuse and extinction.

When these groups actually clean up their acts and stop using causes as a source of personal income and tell the truth then maybe people will listen and support them. Right now they rely on using the dimwitted to fork over their money and there may be a short supply there. Celebrities are easily swayed since some of them are so lame-brained and border-line real life jokes that nobody really cares what they say and if they got money to give then they'll be used.

Kells008 keep up your research and have an open mind, there's a lot more for us to learn yet.

kells008

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Posts: 108

(04/24/08 05:38:11)

hey newfie.. since we have mostly been discussing the seal issue. can i ask what your opinion is on whaling, if you have one?

kells008

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Posts: 109

(04/24/08 05:51:35)

heres a good parody website having a go at the japanese gov and whaling industry by taking actual posts by the comission and twisting them. http://www.icrwhale.net

One article i really liked:
The Institute of Delicious Whale Research (IDWR) has condemned the Australian media for creating emotional propaganda to mislead the public, citing concerns about their lack of originality.
"A photo released by the Australian Government's illegal and dangerous terrorist pirate ship have carried a headline alleging a mother minke and her calf were taken in the research program."

The Director General of the IDWR, Mr Morisu Minoru said that "the photographs taken by the ship and which major Australian newspapers published today shows two minke whales, but they are not a mother and her calf as claimed by the media. It is clear from the picture that they are only friends, or at worst, distant relatives." "Also, if you look closely, you will see that the are not really dead, but are just resting," he added. "We have discovered through our extremely scientific and world-leading research that these whales are excellent at feigning death."

Mr Minoru also stated that the two whales were later taken on board and offered a "delicious and warm meal and afforded every luxury, including caviar, champagne, and a pipe to smoke."

"Our research program requires random sampling of the Antarctic population, and therefore there will be a range of sizes and flavours. It is necessary to conduct random sampling of the Antarctic minke population to obtain accurate foodological data." "We don't expect the rest of the world to understand our very complicated and expert research," he added.

"The smaller of the two whales in the Australian Customs photograph was 5.3 metres in length, while the larger one was 8.3 metres. Both whales were females, possibly distant cousins, and both were delicious."

"The Government of Australia's photographs and the media reports have created a dangerously explosive emotional propaganda bomb that could cause serious damage to the relationship between our two countries. It is important that the Australian public is not misled into believing the Australian Government's version of our false information," he said.

newfie2

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Posts: 1588

(04/24/08 06:00:28)

Beautiful animals to watch of course, see them all the time in the summer months around here. Labrador has a place called Red Bay and that was where the Basque set up what is called the first industrial factory in North America. They've recorded well over 50,000 whales that were killed and rendered down for the oil. They kept that up for many decades until there weren't many whales left and one whale specie even changed their migratory route to avoid the area.

Do I support whale hunts? No, the whales are too damn big to be killed in a timely fashion. Maybe they do have methods to do it faster but I can't picture a whale dying in only seconds. Other than food I don't see any need to kill them and I'm not talking about food for restaurants either. I'm talking communities where the whale has been on their menu for hundreds of years. That would only apply if the whale specie population wasn't endangered.

I'm sure many whale species need to be left alone to get their numbers up. Not to a point where they can be hunted but to where they can be safe from extinction.

kells008

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Posts: 110

(04/24/08 06:10:39)

i agree, there really is no need to kill them, even for food whale/dolphin meat has been shown to have high levels of toxins therefore not healthy and studies have shown the majority of japanese prefer beef or chicken. Even in small communities where it may continue because of tradition i believe the numbers should be reduced drastically because 22,000 dolphins is crazy.

In terms of humaness i have yet to see a study on the humaness of the harpoon and from videos i have seen it does take a few good minutes however usually a second harpoon is fired if the first doesnt do the trick. Like i have stated before though, the dolphin hunt is brutal and unbearable to watch and the one people who are suppose to care about the dolpins i.e. swim with dolpin centres etc keep the industry alive.

Yes they do need to be kept alone in order to increase numbers therefore its a huge disrespect for the japanese to be killing in a sanctuary, killing endangered species and pregnant females.

Imaufo22

Early days in teh campaign.

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Posts: 305

(04/24/08 06:58:51)

The whale killing is indeeed brutal. The Japs like to use a combo of harpoon/ gun/ frowning and electrocution.

More on this later.

I have followed the last campaign closely.I can show you the news items that I discovered ( as long as I dont hear whinging about cut and paste) day by day. There is a lot of info. I hope you all read the pice I posted from teh ABC about Japanese vote buying/ rigging. That gives u an idea of what we are up against in tackling the Japanese whaling machine.

Anyway it looks as though Newfie might support the whale protest which is good to see. Whales and dolphins are great creatures. A lot of support for the whales in Australia. Perhaps you will get a better idea of the Sea Sheperd society while we are at it.

Sea Shepherd News

12/23/2006

Sea Shepherd Launches Operation Leviathan

Flagship Farley Mowat heading to the Antarctic to defend whales

This Saturday, the 23rd of December [Australian EST(Eastern Summer Time)], the international volunteer crew of the Sea Shepherd flagship Farley Mowat departed from Melbourne. The departure of the ship launches our campaign to intercept Japanese whaling operations in the Antarctic Whale Sanctuary: Operation Leviathan.

The Farley Mowat is expected to arrive in the whaling area during the first week in January where the flagship will rendezvous with the organization's newly acquired second ship, code-named Leviathan. The two ships with over 60 international volunteer crewmembers, a helicopter, and numerous smaller vessels will confront the Japanese whalers on the high seas. The volunteers represent thirteen nations with crewmembers from Australia, Bermuda, Brazil, Canada, Chile, France, Germany, Hungary, Great Britain, Netherlands, New Zealand, South Africa, and the United States.

The Japanese whaling fleet is determined to slaughter more than 1,000 whales in the Antarctic Whale Sanctuary - where it is illegal to kill whales. Japan has doubled its illegal quota of piked (Minke) whales to just over a thousand, and will be targeting endangered fin whales, and for the first time since the early eighties, 50 endangered humpback whales.

"Sea Shepherd is the only organization in the world willing to go to the Antarctic to intercept the Japanese whaling fleet and shut them down," said President and Founder of Sea Shepherd Captain Paul Watson. "This is an international effort to uphold international law against a pirate whaling operation. We are not going south to hang banners or to film and photograph whales dying. We intend to defend the whales."

Australians have come out in force to support Sea Shepherd in the past several months. During our stay in Australia, over 30,000 people have visited the Farley Mowat in both Fremantle and Melbourne. The crew has given numerous tours of the ship and participated at events around the country over the past several months. Thousands of new Oz supporters have joined the Society. Among them, advertising guru John Singleton and Bluetongue Brewery are supporting the campaign through the launch of their website www.whalesafebeer.com. The citizens of Melbourne have been very generous to Sea Shepherd by contributing tons of food, tools, supplies, and donations that are so vital to the campaign. Australian media coverage has been unprecedented as the momentum of the anti-whaling movement is reaching a critical mass. There is no doubt but that Australians love the whales.

A crowd of supporters were on hand to send off the crew of the Farley Mowat. The conservation vessel flew the flag of Fremantle, Western Australia, when the ship departed. The flag had been given to the ship by Fremantle Mayor Peter Tagliaferri with the request that we fly it in the Southern Oceans.

The ship also flew the Bluetongue beer flag in honor of Bluetongue's sponsorship of the expedition. And, of course, the ship flew both the Australian and the Aboriginal flag as a courtesy to a people who are dedicated to shutting down the criminal operations of the Japanese whaling fleet.

http://www.seashepherd.org/news/media_061223_1.html

__________________
People like you and I, though mortal of course like everyone else, do not grow old no matter how long we live...[We] never cease to stand like curious children before the great mystery into which we were born.

- Albert Einstein

kells008

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Posts: 111

(04/24/08 07:04:52)

" hope you all read the pice I posted from teh ABC about Japanese vote buying/ rigging. That gives u an idea of what we are up against in tackling the Japanese whaling machine. "

yep i read it =]. I remember when the Solomon's PM came out to say Japan tried to buy their votes and the Japanese PM; suprise suprise, denied that claim saying the solomones PM probably got confused with an IWC meeting they were invited to. Yep just make the other PM to be an idoit.

Imaufo22

Chasers war on everything

[-]

Posts: 306

(04/24/08 07:05:44)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zduXrLTIc6Q

This is quite funny. These guys got in some trouble during APEC where they dressed up as sheiks and drove into restricted areas while George Dubbya was in town to meet with Pacific leaders.

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