The Japanese Government, owners of Institute of Cetacean Research aka the Japanese whaling fleet, breaks the regulations and the moratorium of the International Whaling Commission are being violated. The Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary is being violated. The Antarctic Treaty territory is being violated. The Australian Antarctic Territory is being violated. The rules of the Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) are being violated.
What part of the word “illegal” do people not understand?
The Sea Shepherd continues to follow the Japanese whaling fleet. Following the collision of the Nisshin Maru and Arctic Sunrise on January 8, the Japanese factory ship fled the scene at high speed. Whaling has recommenced on January 11, with Greenpeace activists disrupting the hunt. Here follows a report from Captain Paul Watson on board the Sea Shepherd Conservation Ship, Farley Mowat steaming toward the location of the Nisshin Maru factory ship.
For Sea Shepherd, fuel is a critical constraint, with perhaps nine days fuel left before the Farley Mowat must run for port. The Japanese fleet are drawing Sea Shepherd (and Greenpeace) further west, between Australia and South Africa, farther away from land-fall. This is a strategy, because the Japanese know their opponents are limited by fuel. – Takver.
Report from Captain Paul Watson Thursday, Jan. 12, 2006 at 6:59 AM
What part of the word “illegal” do people not understand?
Things are heating up in the cold war to save the whales. New Zealand is sending Air Force Orion aircraft to monitor the situation. Japan is threatening to send something called the “Airborne Police” to protect their outlaw whalers. Politicians are fuming and so-called experts are pontificating. Australian politicians are sitting on the fence conflicted between representing the will of their anti-whaling citizens and their allegiance to their corporate buddies in Tokyo.
Lots of talk, lots of posturing, and lots of opinions.
The bottom line – whales are dying! They are being systematically slaughtered by a highly illegal operation.
The regulations and the moratorium of the International Whaling Commission are being violated. The Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary is being violated. The Antarctic Treaty territory is being violated. The Australian Antarctic Territory is being violated. The rules of the Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) are being violated.
This Japanese whaling fleet is a criminal operation, no different than drug traffickers or ivory smugglers. They are despicable poachers.
We are down here because governments are not doing anything to uphold the law against Japanese violations.
When Australian Environment Minister Ian Campbell states that, “Sea Shepherd is setting back the cause of whale conservation ten years,” my response to him was, “Good, ten years ago far fewer whales were killed each year than today. Going back ten years is a positive move.”
When New Zealand Environmental Minister Chris Carter says that Sea Shepherd is acting irresponsibly, my answer to him is we are down here because you have acted irresponsibly in not upholding the laws against Japan.
When Greenpeace criticizes us for our tactics our response to them is, “We’re glad you’re down here. We appreciate everything you are doing to expose Japan’s illegal activities. You have our full support. If you disagree with us, we have no problem with that. You are entitled to your opinion. But we are not down here for Greenpeace nor are we down here for people. Our clients are the whales.”
Farley Mowat pursues
the Japanese supply ship
When critics say we are going to far our answer is that for the whales, things have already gone way too far. These whales are being killed, their living flesh torn from their bodies. They are being electrocuted for up to twenty minutes to kill them as their heads are submerged beneath the sea. Imagine the agony of being drowned and electrocuted at the same time as your body pours hot pulsing blood into a cold sea from a gaping wound, and your body is riddled with burning shrapnel from the grenade tipped projectile that exploded with unimaginable pain, shredding your organs yet not killing you.
We have not injured anyone and we have no intention of injuring anyone. I have been disabling whaling ships for decades without causing a single injury.