[IMC-UK-Features] RE: Feature Proposal: The Whale Wars – Sea Shepherd Returns From Antarctica

[Animal Rep]

Also for the animal liberation topic page please :)> Date: Tue, 10 Feb 2009 14:12:02 +0000> From: wietse at indymedia.org> To: imc-uk-features at lists.indymedia.org> Subject: [IMC-UK-Features] Feature Proposal: The Whale Wars – Sea Shepherd Returns From Antarctica> > Hiya,> > I've just written a feature about the whaling conflict in Antarctica and> I'd like to propose to publish it on UK, world and Ocean Defence pages:> > https://we.riseup.net/imc-uk/sea-shepherd-operation-musashi-feature> > Cheers, Wietse> > ---->> > The Whale Wars – Sea Shepherd Returns From Antarctica> > The flagship of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, the M/Y Steve> Irwin, is heading back from the Antarctic Whale Sanctuary where it has> been on patrol to enforce international conservation regulations in> protection of the area’s great whales. Since its departure from Brisbane,> Australia on December 4th, the ship and its crew have been involved in> various confrontations with a Japanese Whaling Fleet, which continues to> operate a commercial whale hunt in the area illegally.> > On December 26th, the Steve Irwin confronted the Japanese vessel Kaiko> Maru. The ships collided and Sea Shepherd crew deployed butyric acid on> its decks. From 1st February the whaling operation was shut down for 8> days straight with both sides of the conflict accusing each other of> dangerous manoeuvres and tactics. On February 6th, the Steve Irwin> collided with a harpoon ship twice, when it tried to block the ship from> offloading a dead whale onto the factory ship Nisshin Maru. As part of an> international crew of volunteers, 3 activists from the UK worked onboard> the Sea Shepherd vessel during the campaign which was dubbed operation> Musashi.> > Video: Sea Shepherd collides with whaling harpoon ship (Indybay)> > On The Newswire: Sea Shepherd Forced To Leave Killing Grounds In> Antarctica | Ramming the Japanese whaling ship, onboard the Steve Irwin |> Sea Shepherd blames acoustic weapon attack for Ramming Whaling ship |> Japanese Whalers Playing Dangerous Games in the Ross Sea | Sound weapons> used against protestors | Whalers harassed by Sea Shepherd in Australian> Antarctic waters | Whalers flee Sea Shepherd in Southern Ocean Whale> Sanctuary> > Previous Features: Japan issues arrest warrant for Nottingham activist |> Arrests As International Whaling Commission Fails To Protect Whales |> Nottingham Activist Returns From Whale Saving Mission In Antartica | Sea> Shepherd activists injured as Japanese military open fire | Activists Held> Hostage By Japanese Whalers In Southern Ocean | Whalers use Public> Relations to twist the truth> > Links: Sea Shepherd Conservation Society | Institute For Cetacean Research> (Japanese pro-whaling PR) | Ocean Defence Topic page> > On December 19th, only 9 days after the Steve Irwin had left Hobart,> Tasmania it was able to locate one of the ships of the Japanese Whaling> Fleet. The Yushin Maru No.2, one of the Japanese harpoon ships, suffered> ice damage to its propeller while being pursued by the Steve Irwin that> day. In dense fog the harpoon ship was forced to flee into icy waters. The> incident and the damage which resulted from it took the harpoon vessel out> of operation between December 20th and February 5th, for a total of 46> days.> > On December 26th, the Steve Irwin confronted the Japanese spotter vessel> Kaiko Maru. The ships collided and Sea Shepherd crew deployed butyric acid> on its decks. During manoeuvres by both ships a collision occurred causing> minor damage to both ships, and no injuries, in Antarctic waters within> the Australian Economic Exclusion Zone and Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary,> north of the Mawson Peninsula. Australian citizen Jeff Hansen from Perth,> Western Australia, delivered a message over the radio in Japanese calling> on the Japanese whaling ship to cease whaling operations and leave> Australian territorial waters.> > The Kaiko Maru had been undertaking a detour in the ice pack area after> completing the day’s research activities, according to the Institute Of> Cetacean Research (ICA). The Steve Irwin pursued and came alongside the> Kaiko Maru for anti-whaling activists to throw 10 bottles of butyric acid> (rotten butter) and 15 bottles of a methyl cellulose and indelible dye> mixture.> > From 1st February the whaling operation was shut down for 8 days straight> as Sea Shepherd persued the factory ship Nisshin Maru. On February 4th,> Sea Shepherd reported that the three harpoon vessels of the fleet attacked> the Steve Irwin. All three harpoon ships moved in to flank the Steve Irwin> as the Sea Shepherd ship continued to chase the factory ship Nisshin Maru.> “The Yushin Maru #2 initiated the attack by cutting dangerously close> across the bow of the Steve Irwin from port to starboard in seas that were> far from calm. The other two harpoon vessels Yushin Maru #1 and Yushin> Maru #3 made the same dangerous maneuvers.” stated a press release by Sea> Shepherd. “It has given us some very dramatic footage for the next season> of Whale Wars,” said Captain Paul Watson.> > “If their intention was to intimidate us, it did not work. When it comes> to playing chicken on the high seas, we have much more experience than the> whalers.”> > On February 6th, the Steve Irwin collided with a harpoon ship twice, when> they tried to block it from offloading a dead whale onto the factory ship> Nisshin Maru. No injuries occurred during the collision. The Japanese> Whaling fleet decided to stop running from Sea Shepherd and recommenced> whale slaughtering which has provoked confrontations between the whalers> and Sea Shepherd activists.> > According to Captain Paul Watson: “We told them to not continue their> illegal whaling operations and that we would be blocking the stern slipway> of the factory ship. They decided to test our resolve and apparently> expected us to retreat when they charged in ahead of us to make the> transfer.”> > With the Japanese Whaling Fleet using three harpoon boats, Sea Shepherd> does not have the resources to prevent the harpooning of whales. Once> harpooned, the whales need to be transferred to the rear slipway of the> factory ship, the Nisshin Maru. Sea Shepherd have endeavoured to block the> transferring of dead whales by placing their boat, the Steve Irwin, right> behind the Nisshin Maru. Both collisions ocurred in this situation with> the Japanese attempting to force Sea Shepherd from blocking access to the> Nisshin Maru slipway, while pounding the activists with hire pressure> water jets, Longe Range acoustic Devices (LRD) which can daze or confuse> people within its range, and metal objects.> > Sea Shepherd says they pursued the Japanese whaling fleet for over 2000> miles between December 18th and January 7th disrupting their whaling> operations for 19 days. "The Steve Irwin returned and relocated the> whaling fleet shutting down operations of the fleet for an additional 8> days. We can claim 27 days that we physically prevented the whalers from> killing whales."> > “Many less whales have been killed and more whaling profits lost. The> whaling fleet will not meet its quota for the fourth year in a row.”> > The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society was founded in 1977 by Paul Watson> who is one of the three founding members of Greenpeace. Watson had come to> feel that the tactics employed by that organisation were inadequate. While> Greenpeace have a policy of avoiding harm to whaling vessels, Sea Shepherd> have a deliberate policy of sinking or sabotaging vessels engaged in> illegal whaling.> > This confrontational approach has been controversial. Greenpeace refuse to> work with them and the FBI dub them ‘eco-terrorists’. Nevertheless, their> uncompromising position has found them many supporters, including several> high-profile figures. In 2007 the MV Robert Hunter (named after Canadian> Robert Hunter, co-founder of the Greenpeace Foundation) was renamed Steve> Irwin after the TV naturalist. Irwin had considered joining the vessel on> an upcoming voyage to Antarctica shortly before his untimely death, and> the decision to rename the vessel was endorsed by his widow Terri Irwin.> > Although it is most famous for its work defending whales, Sea Shepherd’s> remit is much broader, incorporating campaigns against poaching, longline> fishing, shark finning, seal hunting, unlawful habitat destruction and> climate change. Their confrontation with shark poachers in Guatemala is a> key element of the film Sharkwater, recently released in cinemas in the> UK.> > > --> Indymedia United Kollektives editorial mid-column features> http://lists.indymedia.org/mailman/listinfo/imc-uk-features
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