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Sea Shepherd News
Saturday, December 27, 2008
Sea Shepherd Drives Japanese Whalers
Out of Australia's Waters
The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society's ship Steve
Irwin has driven the Japanese whaling fleet out of the
Australian Economic Exclusion Zone.
"We have chased the whalers for over 800 miles since
last Saturday through bad weather and heavy ice
conditions," said Captain Paul Watson. "They have fled
eastward and they are continuing eastward and we are
on their tail and we will keep on their tail."
Since finding the Japanese whaling fleet on December
20th, the Steve Irwin has had close encounters with the
harpoon vessel Yushin Maru #2 and the spotting vessel
Kaiko Maru and has observed and tracked the Nisshin
Maru from the air.
The Steve Irwin has not been able to close with the
main body of the fleet because they keep moving
eastward. They have not been whaling since Sea
Shepherd located them and they are not whaling now.
They continue to flee.
The good news is that they are no longer whaling in
Australian waters and they only managed to hunt in the
waters of the Australian Antarctic Territory for about a
week before being forced to flee the Australian EEZ.
They are now in the waters of the Ross Dependency
and the Steve Irwin is in pursuit.
"What is now good news for the whales in Australian
waters is now bad news for the whales in the waters
south of New Zealand," said Captain Watson. "They
are still targeting endangered and protected whales in the
waters of an established international whale sanctuary
and thus they are still in violation of international
conservation law and acting under the principles of the
United Nations World Charter for Nature, we will
continue to pursue, harass and intervene against their
blatantly illegal lethal assaults on the whales."
The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society's ship Steve
Irwin has fuel and provisions to chase the whalers well
into the middle of January before having to return to
New Zealand to refuel. If forced to return to refuel, the
Steve Irwin will do so and then will immediately return
to the whaling area to continue to pursue, harass and
intervene against illegal Japanese whaling activities."
The Steve Irwin has a crew of 40 international
volunteers plus an Animal Planet film crew onboard
producing the 2nd year of the series Whale Wars.
Last year the Sea Shepherd crew pursued the Japanese
whaling fleet from early December until mid-March.
That intervention cost the whalers over $70 million in
lost profits and saved almost 500 whales.
P.O. Box 2616, Friday Harbor, WA 98250
(USA) Tel: 360-370-5650 Â Fax: 360-370-5651
All contents copyright ©2008 Sea Shepherd Conservation Society
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Monday, 29 December 2008 | 02:33 PM
Whalers claim Sea Shepherd is not stopping whale cull
29th December 2008, 11:00 WST
The body responsible for the Japanese whaling fleet's annual whale cull
has described the conservation group Sea Shepherd as "mere sand fly bite"
and say this season's slaughter of whales has not been slowed by the
presence of anti-whaling activists.
The comments by the Institute of Cetacean Research follow claims by Sea
Shepherd that the Japanese whaling fleet is on the run and have been
prevented from killing whales.
Captain of the Sea Shepherd's vessel Steve Irwin, Paul Watson said his
ship was in pursuit of the factory ship Nisshin Maru and while the factory
ship was on the move the fleet could not kill whales.
He said the Nisshin Maru was sailing well east of its normal hunting
grounds and was in New Zealand territorial waters in the Ross Sea.
"We have been pursuing them for nine days and in that time they haven't
been able to kill any whales. We have chased them over 1000 miles (1600
kilometres). We are now in the Ross Sea," Capt Watson said.
"If we keep the Nisshin Maru on the run it shuts down their whole
operation."
Capt Watson said the fleet would probably have killed around 30 whales
before Sea Shepherd found them a week after the start of the season. Since
then the fleet had been unable to take any whales, he said.
Spokesperson for the ICR Glenn Inwood said the fleet was sailing to the
Ross Sea to undertake "lethal whale research" and intended to take its
quota of 850 minke whales this season.
"The Sea Shepherd are 150 kilometres behind. How is that having the fleet
on the run? There is more than one vessel in the fleet and research is
continuing," Mr Inwood said.
He said the slaughter of whales using harpoons that exploded inside the
whale's head was "humane" and the cull "sustainable."
"Public opinion in Australia does not matter," Mr Inwood said.
He said the ICR did not recognise Australia's nor New Zealand's claims to
any territorial waters off Antarctica.
Capt Watson said Sea Shepherd would not stop its frontline campaign to
save around 1000 whales from slaughter this season.
"We will need to refuel sometime in January and when we leave the area the
fleet will be able to kill whales but we will be coming back," Capt Watson
said.
PERTH
JANE HAMMOND
"The West Australian" is a trademark of West Australian Newspapers Limited
2008. All Rights Reserved
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