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

[iggyp imc]

are you back on land yet?
hope all is well,

2009/2/10 WietsE <wietse at indymedia.org>

> Hi,
>
> Just checked list archives and looks like not everything came through, so
> here it is again just in case..
>
> 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.
>
>
> --
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