This has been a disasterous year for the Japanese whaling fleet in the Southern Ocean whale sanctuary. The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society has fielded 3 ships taking out of action two harpoon vessels while the Nisshin Maru fled accompanied by one harpoon ship. Now the Nisshin Maru has been found in the Ross Sea.
While the Nisshin Maru fled from Sea Shepherd, no whaling could occur. Sea Shepherd have also intercepted the Sun Laurel refueling vessel and cut off supplies and fuel to the Nisshin Maru and the rest of her whaling fleet. On January 14 the Captain of the Sun Laurel complied with Sea Shepherd's request to remove itself from the Antarctic Treaty zone.
Since December 31st when the whaling fleet arrived and were detected by Sea Shepherd, very few whales have been able to be caught and slaughtered. In 26 days the Nisshin Maru has fled over 4,000 miles.
While both the Bob Barker and Steve Irwin escorted the Sun Laurel out of the treaty zone the Nisshin Maru was able to slow down enough in the Ross Sea for one harpoon ship to engage in its slaughter. When the Steve Irwin found the Nisshin Maru today one whale was on the deck being butchered.
"We finally have this serial killing death ship where we want them, and from here on in, we intend to ride their ass until the end of the whaling season," said Captain Paul Watson from onboard the Steve Irwin. "This whaling fleet belongs to us now - lock, stock, and smoking harpoon gun."
One of the innovative ways Sea Shepherd has used to help it locate the Nisshin Maru this season is through weather balloons launched from the Gojira equipped with remote cameras and radar detectors. They have been effective. However the Gojira developed a problem with their fuel pumps and Captain Locky MacLean returned to Hobart to replace the pumps, passing information on the location of the Nisshin Maru back to the Steve Irwin.
"As in any conflict in a remote area, things do go wrong. I had to send the Gojira back to Hobart for some quick repairs on the new marine diesel engines we installed in November 2010. However, the Gojira will be able to return to the Southern Ocean before the Steve Irwin is forced to return to port to refuel. The Bob Barker has sufficient fuel reserves to stay with the fleet well into March, by which time the Steve Irwin will return with fuel reserves to extend Sea Shepherd's intervention to the end of the whaling season." said Paul Watson in a report on January 23.
The Bob Barker, after trailing the Sun Laurel has also returned to pursue the factory ship and is now some 300 miles away and closing.
The whaling fleet is now in the Ross Sea fleeing eastward through thick ice being purued. "We are well on our way to economically sinking this whaling fleet," said Captain Watson. "We will now chase them through the frozen gates of hell if need be, but we will stop their illegal whaling operations...I am confident of that!" said Captain Paul Watson from the Steve Irwin.
"It is my hope that Operation No Compromise will be the last Sea Shepherd campaign to the Southern Ocean, but if the Japanese fleet does return in December of this year, we intend to be down here once again to greet them. Sea Shepherd will not retreat until the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary is recognized and protected as a Sanctuary in practice, not just in words." said Paul Watson.
Background:
- Indybay IMC: Whaling stymied by Sea Shepherd: First clashes among the Antarctic ice | Video: Dancing with Death Machines at the Bottom of the World
- Wikileaks: Garrett stood his ground on whaling compromise; Sea Shepherd tax status targeted
- Sea Shepherd locates whaling fleet before the slaughter
Sourcse:
- Sea Shepherd, Jan 25, 2011 - Sea Shepherd Successfully finds the Nisshin Maru
- Sea Shepherd, Jan 23, 2011, Report from Captain Paul Watson - Halfway Through Operation No Compromise
- Photos copyright Barbara Veiga / Sea Shepherd
Comments
Some of the most worthwhile people on the planet!
Thanks Paul! Sea Shepherd = some of the most worthwhile people on the planet!
9,000 minke whales killed in 22 years for no useful data
This is amazing! The floating death star has been found...
Hopefully we cans stop this BOGUS Scientific research once and for all...
With well over 9,000 minke whales killed in 22 years and no useful data produced, Japan’s so-called ‘research’ in the Antarctic is an international embarrassment and is driving whales and tuna to extinction.
Japan driving whales and tuna to extinction
The Japanese Whale Research Program under Special Permit in the Antarctic (JARPAII) includes 50 Fin whales (Endangered ESA & IUCN) and 50 Humpback whales (Endangered ESA & vulnerable IUCN) and of course hundreds upon hundreds of Minke whales ("The cockroaches of the sea" said a Japanese official).
Even though they have a special permit for 50 Humpbacks, they seem to be leaving these alone (although this may be hard to prove) for the purposes of political bargaining.
The Japanese Whale Research Program under Special Permit in the North Pacific (JARPNII) deserves a special mention here because it is the hunt that is not as well known as JARPAII. The North Pacific
hunt consists of a much larger variety of endangered whales. They include:
- Sei
- Bryde's
- Sperm
Along with a large haul of "common minke" whales.
So it really does look like important science is being undertaken (NOT) when they are plucking endangered whales out of the oceans - the same whales struggling to get back to pre-whaling industry
numbers which face even more challenges these days due to pollution, shipping ( & ship strikes), sonar tests (noise pollution, some of which can be lethal), loss of breeding grounds, climate change and loss of food sources (humans taking krill now too). And lastly, these science expeditions seemingly keep increasing their quotas of "samples needed" as Japan is longing for the day when they can begin full commerical whaling and until that day, they will continue to commercially whale under JARPAII and JARPNII.
Therefore, Japan is an absolute international disgrace driving whales and tuna to extinction.
The oceans are not Japan’s for the taking
Painting "Research" on the sides of the whaling vessels and continuing the whale slaughter a year after the global commercial whaling moratorium goes into effect, is well - think about it, a pretty slimy way to disrespect and treat with utter contempt the IWC and the entire conservation movement.
Maybe the only difference with the "Research whaling" is that they take some notes and hold up banners saying things like "We're collecting samples".
- Japan has already admitted to member vote buying for the IWC
- Japan has acknowledge and admitted to the whale meat scandal
- Japan admits to breaching blue fin tuna quotas worth millions of dollars
Therefore, Japan has already discredited themselves, so one should never believe a word of the ICR and the fisheries department as it is probably full of untruths.
The International Whaling Commission’s (IWC) scientific committee has rejected this cynical subterfuge several times. In 2007 the full IWC formally asked Japan to stop its lethal research (Resolution 2007-
1). Japan has said no. ...
... Japan is unique but not privileged. It cannot make its own rules and enforce them by violence. The oceans are not Japan’s for the taking. ...
Like Iceland without a brain
Japan is like Iceland without a brain. Nuked out, I'd say.