Sea Shepherd Activists Confront Japanese Whaling Vessel Nisshin Maru Near Antarctica

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — Anti-whaling activists claimed Tuesday that they have effectively ended this year's Japanese hunt following a late-night altercation near Antarctica, but the whalers said their season will continue.

The activists said they finally found the main factory ship after playing cat-and-mouse with the whalers for the past two weeks. The Sea Shepherd ship Bob Barker confronted the whaling ship Nisshin Maru at midnight Monday about 60 miles (97 kilometers) from the Antarctic coastline.

The activists said they used laser beams and flares to disrupt the ship. The whalers said they used small vessels and ropes to prevent the Bob Barker from getting close.

Sea Shepherd President Paul Watson says the Nisshin Maru will be prevented from further whaling with the Bob Barker disrupting it.

"They won't get more than 30 percent of their quota," Watson said.

But the whalers — the Institute for Cetacean Research — say their season, which typically runs through the end of March, will continue as planned. Institute spokesman Glenn Inwood said the activists aren't achieving anything.

"Sea Shepherd has shut nothing down," he said.

Japan's whaling fleet has a quota of about 1,000 whales a year. The International Whaling Commission allows Japan to hunt the whales as long as they are caught for research and not for commercial purposes. Whale meat not used for study is sold as food in Japan, which critics say is the real reason for the hunt.

Watson said the group's primary tactic in the past was to use its ships to block the slipways on the whaling vessels, preventing them from loading whales. He said this year, the whaling ships have tried to sail away — but that has also prevented them from catching whales.

Inwood said the Japanese government would release catch figures about a month after the season ends.

In a written statement, the institute condemned what it said were the activists' "violent actions against the integrity and safety of Japan's whale research vessels and crews."

In February, the Washington state-based Sea Shepherd group won a legal battle when a federal judge denied a request by the whalers for a preliminary injunction ordering the activists to stop their ocean confrontations.

Comments

[landslowrance]

01:08 PM on 03/10/2012

The tsunami was payback from the sea for killing it's whales. Karma

[Ieyasu Tokugawa]

08:22 PM on 03/10/2012

I'd like to think that there's some karma headed your way for that comment.

[landslowrance]

09:00 PM on 03/10/2012

Oh Please, really!!!

[BNB]

03:38 PM on 03/11/2012

And the Japanese thugs used Tsunami Relief funds to continue killing whales. Karma will be even worst next time around. Wait until your next crisis, we'll remember how you spent our money.

[ArrowHead83]

12:27 PM on 03/17/2012

Charming.

[AG creative]

01:33 AM on 03/10/2012

Cool. I like it when people ruin others peoples plans.

[Issaquah79]

11:54 PM on 03/08/2012

Less than a third of their quota and now the Japanese have gone back home. It was 266 whales too many but I thank Sea Shepherd more weren't murdered. They are amazing wildlife warriors.

http://www.radioaustralianews.net.au/stories/201203/3449811.htm?desktop

[Kamen Gullberg]

11:38 PM on 03/09/2012

Yes they are. :)

[ArrowHead83]

10:44 AM on 03/17/2012

You can’t murder an animal. It’s an animal, not a human.

Also, no, just no.

[TarzanaGirl]

09:37 PM on 03/08/2012

These HEARTLESS whalers are no better than the Somali pirates. They are all criminals!!!!

[Artemesian]

08:21 AM on 03/08/2012

I just have the feeling that it's all about certain countries not wanting to be told what to do. I have read that most people in Japan don't eat the whale meat and it is being stockpiled. People no longer seem to consider it a delicacy as they once did. Plus, I have read that Iceland ships all their whale meat to Japan too! Where is it all going? If there's a wealth of research already about the whales, why do we need more? Even FDA-required animal tests have a limit at some point, unless there are reports of adverse reactions. The only adverse reaction I can think of is people don't like whale meat any more and don't like the harvesting process.

Whales are not domesticated animals and are endangered or nearly so - all cultures in the world have domesticated animals they raise for food. It used to be the fashion to pursue birds into extinction for their beautiful feathers to decorate women's hats - thank goodness we don't do that anymore and we've moved forward. We should also move forward from the archaic practices of whaling, an annual dolphin cull (I'm being kind with that description) and bludgeoning seals for their pelts and because these animals also eat fish.

If the fish in fish and chips became endangered, I am sure people would find an alternative or stop eating it.

[mgparrothead007]

10:33 PM on 03/07/2012

Go get the whale. As long as you use the whole thing. The Alskans Pray after they kill it and use 100% of the whale.

[PapaPac]

09:34 PM on 03/07/2012

I wouldn't have a problem with Japans whaling if they did it like the N. American Inuit. 20 ft row boat, hand thrown harpoon, Give the whale a chance. Also does anybody no what the "research" is the Japanese are doing, and do they know that taste testing is not research?

[Ieyasu Tokugawa]

10:02 PM on 03/07/2012

PapaPac, I see where you're going with that "traditional methods" point, but it should be noted that modern whale harvesting methods (ie penthrite grenade-tipped harpoons) offer a very quick (if not instantaneous) kill and result in minimal suffering for the beast. So while the Inuits and others enganged in whaling may prefer their traditional methods, Japan's choice of harvest technique is based upon scientific and humane concerns.

As for the research, the results of it are freely available on the internet. It includes a number of areas of study, including gathering data on whale stock levels with a view to re-commencing a sustinable and regulated commercial harvest. Of course, the overwhelming body of scientific evidence shows that such harvests are sustainable, but this is being ignored by those who are ideologically or sentimentally opposed to whaling.

Lastly, you seem concerned that the whale meat is consumed following the research. But don't be - because the provison in the ICRW charter under which Japan conducts its cetacean harvests and research also requires that the by-product (ie meat) is utilised (ie eaten). So if Japan did not put the meat to use, it would actually be in violation of IWC regulations. But as it is, Japan is in complete compliance with all IWC rules and regulations.

Hope this helps!

[RhynoH]

10:44 PM on 03/07/2012

There have been several episodes where the whale, after being harpooned, thrashed around still very much alive, and had to then be shot. Yes, very humane.

This isn't for research...

[PapaPac]

12:01 AM on 03/08/2012

You seem to be a real supporter of the whaling. Why? Is the meat that good? It isn't because you need that source of meat. What is it? And please don't insult any of our intelligence with claims of vital research being conducted.

[Cheyla]

10:13 PM on 03/07/2012

How is hand throwing a harpoon giving the whale a chance? Does the whale have harpoons also?

[coolhand66]

08:18 PM on 03/07/2012

Sea Shepherd keep up the good job you are doing...

[underdoneone]

12:28 AM on 03/08/2012

The Sea Sheperd and Bob Barker are pretty close to commiting piracy on the high seas. I'm not for killing whales but the stuff THEY pull are putting lives in danger, such as fouling their props and leaving them helpless . If a storm came up the Japanese ships would be in serious trouble.

[pfreddie88]

11:32 AM on 03/08/2012

The whaling ships are always very close to each other, and there are five of them. I don't see this as a possibility.

[coolhand66]

11:34 AM on 03/08/2012

yes you are right. but piracy is one big word. know one was trying to stop them from killing whales to sell for money. we have been over fishing for years, so much that stocks are crashing.

[DevRock]

05:18 PM on 03/07/2012

The Japanese ships should be torpedoed. Period.

[Ieyasu Tokugawa]

05:58 PM on 03/07/2012

But they're not doing anything wrong - it's all legal and sustainable.

Sea Shepherd on the other hand, they break all sorts of laws and perpetrate acts of violence and terrorism on civilians, just like Al Qaeda. Shouldn't they be the ones being torpedoed? Or do you support terrorism?

[Cheyla]

10:14 PM on 03/07/2012

What law has Sea Shepherd broken? If they have broken a law, then seems like there would be a court case??

[BNB]

06:04 PM on 03/09/2012

If the Japanese are doing nothing wrong, then why did the Nisshin Maru make an abrupt turn before entering Chile's waters? If they are doing nothing wrong, then why would hundreds of volunteers from countries all around the world be battling them on the high seas?

Is killing endangered species thousands of miles from home, in an internationally recognized sanctuary, in defiance of a moratorium on commercial whaling not wrong?

It seems that the Japanese are doing quite a few things wrong according to most of the world. And the only countries that support Japan are countries whose votes they bought in the IWC in their efforts to corrupt the organization.

[coolhand66]

08:14 PM on 03/07/2012

Nisshin Maru first

[Cheyla]

10:15 PM on 03/07/2012

. . .and most evil vessel in the world.

[Cody Wandel]

04:47 PM on 03/07/2012

Message for ddpalmerr.
In all your snarky comments, you've never explained why it matters to you so very much that people kill whales. You spend a huge amount of time in comments sections, making personal attacks and calling everyone a liar. Why do you put so much energy into this? Why are people concerned for whales such rotten scum to you? Why be so nasty and offensive? Do you think talking to people like that will convert them to your views? In the time I have been a member of Huffpost, you are definitely the meanest, most aggressive, and most personal attacking comment leaving person I have encountered. Just trying to understand.

[Ieyasu Tokugawa]

06:01 PM on 03/07/2012

Sorry to interject, but really? Based on what I've read here from Mr Palmer, I don't see any meanness or aggression. Sure, he promotes a different view point from the one you have. But read the comments and look at all the people saying things like "nuke Japan", "torpedo the whalers", "I hate Japan and everything it stands for" etc etc. Aren't they the nasty and aggressive ones?

And when you look at the wider whaling debate, it's Sea Shepherd that uses violence and terrorism - ramming ships, throwing acid, trying to blind whalers with lasers, etc etc. That's pretty nasty and aggressive I'd have thought. What do you think about their actions? And would it be OK if it were done to you?

Just trying to understand.

[Cody Wandel]

06:23 PM on 03/07/2012

Let me start by saying I'm half Japanese and I don't like the foolish things people say about Japanese people.
Let me also say that I'm not talking about tactics by anti whalers, I'm not talking about what other people say about the Japanese, etc. etc. And I'm not going to answer if I thought it would be OK if done to me because that's not what I'm talking about in my post.
I've had several encounters with this person in which he has called me a liar repeatedly, and several of his posts to me were removed for personal attacks, so I never got to see them. What did I say that sparked it? I said that the whalers should just be honest about being interested in eating the meat. That's all. I didn't say they should stop or that what people were doing to them was justified and he jumped down my throat. I clicked on his name, and read through his posts, and I stand by my assessment that he is very rude and nasty. I've had several encounters with him, in which he has said nasty things, and I saw he was posting again, and am curious as to where his anger comes from.

[BNB]

11:38 AM on 03/08/2012

So some laser lights and rotten butter make Sea Shepherds terrorists?

But the Japanese whalers throwing sharp grappling hooks, nearly impaling and killing volunteers, and then trying to stab the Sea Shepherd crew with sharpened bamboo poles, this is of course perfectly fine!!! Yeah.

The Japanese ships also try and prop foul the Sea Shepherd boats, they try and damage the Sea Shepherd helicopters, the Japanese ships have rammed and sunk Sea Shepherd boats as well.

The Japanese have been FAR more violent, using deadly weapons and causing millions in damage. By your own logic, the Japanese crew would be ACTUAL terrorists and violent criminals.

But hey man, don't let the truth get in your way.

[ddpalmerr]

12:46 PM on 03/08/2012

Well tell the truth and I won't call you a liar. See how simple that is.

I know most of them wouldn't be converted if whatever god they believe in came down and told them they were wrong. But there are the silent masses that rarely if ever post and aren't entrenched in their position. They deserve the real facts, not the lies and half truths of the SSCS and their supporters.

There are people who I have discussed whaling with here that are against it because they are vegans, which is a choice I can respect, but those people also are against the SSCS because of their violence and lies. A firmly held belief that I don't agree with is not the problem, it is basing the belief on lies.

[Cody Wandel]

02:40 PM on 03/08/2012

There's my special friend. I thought it was simple once when I made a pondering statement that it would be nice if the Japanese would just be honest that they also wanted to eat the meat. I made no statement of fact, and yet, you were calling me a liar, so maybe it's not as simple as you say. That's what bothered me enough to reply into the hail storm of being called a liar some more. I'm trying to see how simple it is, my snarky friend, but you aren't making it easy.

[BNB]

10:02 PM on 03/18/2012

If anything, Sea Shepherd isn't violent enough. I find it odd that you would call them "violent."

All things said, they are legally enforcing conservation law against poachers. How would you deal with tiger poachers in India or elephant poachers in Africa?

The UN World Charter for Nature gives Sea Shepherd legal authority to enforce conservation law. Sea Shepherd is NOT a protest organization, they are an enforcement and direct action organization.

I actually applaud Sea Shepherd for being as effective as they are without any real violence.

[Welease Wodewick]

04:04 PM on 03/07/2012

Who do the Japanese think they are kidding?

They need to slaughter 1000 whales every year, for - 'RESEARCH' - and then, very conveniently, sell the - 'RESEARCHED' - meat, on the open market.

GO - Sea Shepherd! Good Luck - and God Speed!

VP

[ArrowHead83]

12:10 PM on 03/17/2012

They’re required by treaty to make use of the meat from the whales they kill for research.

[ecotea]

03:55 PM on 03/07/2012

Sea Shepherd rules

[Ieyasu Tokugawa]

06:02 PM on 03/07/2012

Do they? What if they were throwing acid at you and ramming your vessel in dangerous seas and shining powerful lasers into your eyes? Would they still rule or is that kind of thing only cool when it's done to someone else?

[ssnugsbug]

09:26 PM on 03/07/2012

Most of us with common sense would not hunt any whale down just to eat it or for research. Therefore we would never need to worry about someone sideswiping our ship or throwing acid at us. There are so many other food options that are available. The day of killing whales is long gone. Sorry, but I think it is way wrong and needs to stop. It seems there are many in this world who agree with this opinion.

[RhynoH]

10:48 PM on 03/07/2012

The "acid" is butter than has gone rancid. It's not going to eat through things like some sci-fi movie from outer space!

[AnimuX]

02:54 PM on 03/07/2012

The article contains a common factual error. The International Whaling Commission does NOT "allow" Japan to kill any whales. In fact, since 1986, the IWC has set all commercial whaling quotas to zero and in 1994 the IWC declared the waters of the Southern Ocean to be a whale sanctuary.

Japan defies the IWC decisions and issues itself permits to kill 1,000 whales around Antarctica, abusing a loophole in the International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling. The legality of this move has been challenged before the world court and the IWC has repeatedly called upon Japan to stop killing whales.

Historically, Japan's whalers have violated size limits, species protections, seasonal limits, all manner of quotas, and even facilitated "pirate whaling" (front companies poaching whales and smuggling the unreported meat to Japan). Today, Japan annually kills endangered Fin whales, endangered Sei whales, vulnerable Sperm whales, Bryde's whales (population uncertain), Common Minke whales, Antarctic Minke whales (IUCN data shows this species is also in decline), and up to 20,000 dolphins (including rare beaked whales). Japan also imports the meat of endangered Fin whales from Iceland.

It is factually incorrect to state the IWC allows this hunt or that the IWC awards Japan any quota for whaling. The fact is the IWC has prohibited all commercial whaling and repeatedly condemned Japan's actions.

[Welease Wodewick]

04:06 PM on 03/07/2012

An excellent post.

Thank you, for taking the time, to post the information. It's very distressing to read - but necessary .

VP

[Ieyasu Tokugawa]

06:03 PM on 03/07/2012

Haha no need to thank him. He cuts and pastes that rubbish into every forum he can find. You'll get used to it.

[ArrowHead83]

12:20 PM on 03/17/2012

He neglects to tell you about the rampant corruption Japan is fighting in the IWC, or about how the vast majority of whales they kill are non-endangered, or about how they condemn the vigilante actions of Sea Shepherd.

[Odd Man Out]

02:11 PM on 03/07/2012

Here is a "non violent response".

Japan - you keep up with your "research" whereas you kill 1000 whales a year.
Sea Shepherd - please begin conducting experiments in sinking whaling ships, we will of course limit you to 1000 whaling ships a year.

See, apparently it is not "killing" if you call it "research", so happy hunting Sea Shepherd and Japan.

[Odd Man Out]

02:36 PM on 03/07/2012

Just for the record, that is said "tounge in cheek" and I am poking fun at the use of semantics to justify an action which would otherwise be immoral and/or illegal.

While research has been done, it is abundantly clear that the hunting of the whales in the international sanctuary is whaling and not research. If it truly were research then only a small handful would be taken and the remainder simply observed.

Japan's own website (http://www.whaling.jp/english/intro.html) says the following "Asking Japan to abandon this part of its culture would compare to Australians being asked to stop eating meat pies, Americans being asked to stop eating hamburgers and the English being asked to go without fish and chips."

[ArrowHead83]

12:22 PM on 03/17/2012

500 out of a population of 500,000+ *is* “only a small handful”.

[kahunacook]

01:39 PM on 03/07/2012

"Japan's whaling fleet has a quota of about 1,000 whales a year. The International Whaling Commission allows Japan to hunt the whales as long as they are caught for research and not for commercial purposes. Whale meat not used for study is sold as food in Japan, which critics say is the real reason for the hunt."

So what percentage of the whale is used for this "research?" What are they researching? What percentage of the whale meat is distributed for commercial use? And why does it take 1,000 whales a year for this research? This research explanation seems questionable at best.

[onionboy]

03:31 PM on 03/07/2012

And where are all of the peer-reviewed papers from all of that 'research'? There should be thousands with such a high sample size every year.

[Welease Wodewick]

04:08 PM on 03/07/2012

Good post - thank you

And blessed are the Greeks!

VP :-)

[ddpalmerr]

12:51 PM on 03/08/2012

There are hundreds of papers. They are easily found on the internet.

And thinking that sample size somehow relates to number of papers shows a complete lack of scientific knowledge.