whaling

Sea Shepherd Press Release Jan 7th 2012 Early this morning The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society assisted Forest Rescue Australia in a complex and daring move to board the Shonan Maru #2 in waters off Bunbury, Western Australia

Media reports from Japan this week highlight that the Japanese Fisheries Agency is likely to send the whaling fleet to the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary near Antarctica later this year. A US$27 million boost to security for the whaling fleet is likely, despite the country still reeling from it's triple disaster of earthquake, tsunami and nuclear meltdown. The injection of more Government money into the program is likely to be controversial locally when many people are still homeless as a result of the disasters and when many rebuilding programs still require funding.

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.

For the first time in seven years of campaigning in the southern ocean Sea Shepherd have been able to locate 2 harpoon vessels in the whaling fleet before whaling was able to begin.

The Sea Shepherd vessels Bob Barker located on New Year's Eve 2010 an unidentified harpoon vessel on the edge of the Antarctic ice at 148 degrees west. Shortly after the Sea Shepherd flagship, the Steve Irwin, found the Japanese harpoon vessel Yushin Maru #2 sitting in the ice some 60 miles to the north.

Update: 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