Anti-whalers in clash with Japanese

Anti-whaling campaigners and the crew of a Japanese whaling ship have had a violent clash at sea, with the activists hurling containers of rotten butter and paint and getting sticks and teargas in return.

Sea Shepherd's Steve Irwin vessel was shadowing the Yushin Maru 2 in the Antarctic Ocean when the confrontation occurred on Sunday.

The Japanese Fisheries Agency says the activists threw more than 40 bottles of rotten butter and paint at the whaling ship.

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Steve Irwin captain Paul Watson told the ABC that the Japanese returned fire with concussion grenades and teargas.

"They have been using concussion grenades on us," Mr Watson said.

"Today they used, also for the first time, teargas which they have in these large canisters on backpacks."

It was the latest incident in the long-running battle between the activists and Japanese.

Two weeks ago three Australians illegally boarded the Shonan Maru 2 off the West Australian coast in an effort to disrupt the Japanese whalers.

"We're chasing the Japanese whaling fleet. They're running and it's a constant confrontation," Mr Watson said.

He said the Australian and New Zealand governments should have ships in the area to monitor the situation.

"But our objective is to save as many whales as we possibly can and their objective is to kill as many whales as they possibly can," Mr Watson said.

Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/environment/whale-watch/antiwhalers-in-clash-with-japanese-20120122-1qc19.html#ixzz1kHfjyNPt

Can We Save the Whales by Putting a Price On Them?

ScienceDaily (Jan. 11, 2012) — Every year, a group of anti-whaling nonprofit organizations that includes Greenpeace, Sea Shepherd, and the World Wildlife Fund spend, by conservative estimates, some $25 million on a variety of activities intended to end commercial whaling. And every year, commercial whaling not only continues, but grows.

Under the current, largely unregulated system, the number of whales harvested annually has doubled since the early 1990s, to about two thousand per year. Further, many populations of large whales have been severely depleted and continue to be threatened by commercial whaling.While protests, education, lobbying and dangerous confrontations on the high seas have saved some whales, the whaling industry shows no sign of shutting down -- or slowing down.Now, an economist and two marine scientists writing in the January 12 issue of the journal Nature suggest a new strategy that they believe could save whales by putting a price on them.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120111133948.htm

Greens whale patrol bill ready

The Greens expect a proposed bill requiring Australia to send a patrol boat to the Southern Ocean to monitor the activities of Japanese whalers could be passed by Federal Parliament in the next two months.

Party leader Bob Brown said today the Greens bill required the support of the Coalition and independent MPs in the lower house to pass, before being rubber stamped by the Greens in the Senate.

"If the opposition takes the bill, and I am very happy to talk about amendments or changes that they may wish to make; it certainly will pass the Senate," Senator Brown told reporters in Hobart.

"It will take a couple of independents to ensure that it passes the house and we'd be well able to have this legislation go through in the months of February or March."

Senator Brown said if the bill was passed it would be too late to have any effect on this year's whale hunt by the Japanese.

"But it would ensure that there was a patrol boat with the authority of Australia in our Antarctic waters, if the Japanese come south again next season ... to engage in the slaughter of hundreds of these warm blooded mammals that Australians want to see protected."

The federal government has already ruled out Senator Brown's proposal, saying it had previously sent a boat to the area to gather evidence for its application to the International Court of Justice against Japanese whalers.

"We don't need to do it again," Attorney-General Nicola Roxon said this week.

Coalition leader Tony Abbott has suggested a patrol boat be sent to the area.

Environment spokesman Greg Hunt said this week the opposition would consider supporting the Greens bill, although it had yet to see the detail.

Senator Brown also today called on the government to take out an injunction in the international court to stop the whale hunt, while the court considers Australia's application that was lodged in 2010.

Japan is due to respond in March this year and it is likely the court won't hand down a decision until 2015.

"It's really important here that Australia assert itself," he said.

Senator Brown pointed to the Japanese whaler Yushin Maru No.3, which has been tailing the anti-whaling Sea Shepherd Conservation Society vessel Bob Barker and traversing waters off Macquarie Island in Australia's Antarctic world heritage area.

Prime Minister Julia Gillard said yesterday she had been advised the Yushin Maru would leave the waters overnight.

It was still there this morning but was expected to depart during the day.

"The latest information I have from Sea Shepherd is that the Japanese ship is finally leaving the vicinity," Senator Brown said.

"It should have gone a long time ago.

"It should never have been invading Australia's territorial waters.

"It's illegal that it did that and charges should be laid against the captain of that ship who knowingly entered Australian waters in breach of Australian law."

He wants the government to request through Interpol copies of the ship's logs and video equipment to support any future court action against the captain.

Senator Brown said if the government could call on Sea Shepherd to obey the law during its anti-whaling activities, then that stance should apply to the Japanese captain.

He also repeated his view that the bill for the pick-up by customs of three Australian protesters detained on the Japanese hunt-security vessel Shonan Maru No.2 this week should be paid by Japan.

Ms Gillard has said the bill to taxpayers will be in the hundreds of thousands of dollars.

The Greens leader gave a copy of the minor party's proposed legislation to the opposition today and will also send details to independent MPs.

Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/environment/whale-watch/greens-whale-patrol-bill-ready-20120112-1pww3.html#ixzz1jRG9TbBX

HUNGER STRIKE: Desperate measures for detained Sea Shepherd whale protesters

THE three Australian activists being held on a Japanese whaling security vessel are on a hunger strike, with an environmental group saying this was the plan all along.

Geoffrey Tuxworth from Perth, Simon Peterffy from Bunbury and Glen Pendlebury from Fremantle, all from the group Forest Rescue Australia, boarded the Shonan Maru No. 2 on Sunday off the south-west coast of Western Australia.

They have been detained by the Japanese vessel's crew and could be taken to Tokyo to face piracy and trespass charges, sparking a diplomatic incident.

Forest Rescue Australia spokesman Rowan Davidson told AAP the three men were now on a hunger strike.

"That was the plan all along, that they would go on board and be on a hunger strike," Mr Davidson said.

"What is making it difficult is that Simon has high cholesterol and does not have his medication with him.

"Glen also has ADHD and didn't bring his medication with him either."

Mr Davidson said the trio had hoped the Japanese vessel would return the men to Australian shores.

Meanwhile, Errol Tuxworth said his son Geoffrey, 47, had called his parents on Saturday and told them he and two other men were going out to sea to protest against whaling.

However, Mr Tuxworth said he had no idea his son planned to protest by boarding the vessel.

He is pleading with the Government to help rescue his son but says he has received very little communication.

"We've been trying to talk to the Government but we can't really do anything more for him," he said.

Mr Tuxworth said he knew his son had his mobile phone with him when he went out to sea.

"We tried to ring him but he didn't answer," Mr Tuxworth said.

"But it wasn't switched off, so I think they must have taken it off him."

Meanwhile, a group of about 45 people gathered at the Japanese consulate in Perth to support the three detained men.

Mr Davidson said there was a strong police presence there and no one from the consulate addressed the crowd.

Continued:  http://www.news.com.au/national/sea-shepherd-protesters-may-be-tried-in-japan-after-boarding-whaling-vessel-being-detained/story-e6frfkvr-1226239481962

Sea Shepherd accuses govt of demonisation

Anti-whaling group Sea Shepherd has accused Prime Minister Julia Gillard of trying to demonise its work and says a costly mission to rescue three protesters on a Japanese ship is unnecessary.

Customs is sending a boat, Ocean Protector, to pick up Geoffrey Tuxworth, 47, Simon Peterffy, 44, and Glen Pendlebury, 27, who boarded the Shona Maru II off the coast of Bunbury on Saturday night.

Ms Gillard has said the mission is expected to cost taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars.

But Sea Shepherd president Paul Watson says a vessel from his group is nearby and could easily pick the men up at little or no cost.

"All they have to do is transfer them over to our boat, we're only 15 miles from the Shona Maru II - a simple, low-cost solution," Mr Watson told the Seven Network.

"There's no need to be sending this Customs vessel.

"I think that the prime minister and attorney-general are just trying to demonise us."

Mr Watson said the federal government had not spoken to the Sea Shepherd organisation and had no idea why it had decided to send the Customs vessel.

The three men, part of the Forest Rescue organisation, had boarded the Shona Maru II as part of ongoing protests against Japanese whaling in the Southern Ocean.

Meanwhile, it was reported on Wednesday that Japanese whalers had entered Australian territorial waters, inside a 12-mile limit around sub-Antarctic Macquarie Island.

http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-national/sea-shepherd-accuses-govt-of-demonisation-20120111-1pu2t.html

Sea Shepherd finds whalers

Anti-whaling activists have found the Japanese whaling fleet in Antarctic waters due south of Hobart after a pursuit across the ocean.

The fleet was first spotted by Sea Shepherd on Christmas Eve to the south-west of Western Australia.

It has since steamed at speed towards the other end of its expected whaling grounds, covering more than 1500 nautical miles.

Sea Shepherd said its long-range ship Bob Barker was today closing in on the Nisshin Maru, just to the north of the French Antarctic base, Dumont d'Urville, when the activists' ship was spotted by the harpoon ship Yushin Maru No.3.

"It appears that the Yushin Maru No.3 has not begun whaling activities, as its harpoon is still covered," Sea Shepherd leader Paul Watson said.

He said the Bob Barker was heading east in pursuit of the Nisshin Maru, followed at close range by the Yushin Maru No.3.

"Sea Shepherd can confirm that the Japanese whaling fleet is now in Australian Antarctic Territorial waters," Mr Watson said.

"Because the Nisshin Maru and the harpoon vessels have been moving continuously since first located by Sea Shepherd, they do not appear to have had any time to kill whales," he said.

"They know that if they slow down or stop, the Bob Barker will close the gap and will be on them."

Meanwhile, he said the storm-damaged Brigitte Bardot and its escort, the Steve Irwin, were still being tailed by the whalers' security ship, Shonan Maru No.2, deep inside the Australian 200-nautical mile Exclusive Economic Zone, south-west of Perth.

After being slowed by heavy weather, the Sea Shepherd vessels expect to arrive in Fremantle late tomorrow morning.

The Steve Irwin plans to refuel quickly and return to assist the Bob Barker in intervening against any whaling.

Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/environment/whale-watch/sea-shepherd-finds-whalers-20120104-1pkka.html#ixzz1iaFlJtxP

Sea Shepherd ship severely damaged by rogue wave

Steve Irwin responding to distress call from the Brigitte Bardot

January 2012. While fighting heavy seas in pursuit of the Japanese whaling fleet, the Sea Shepherd scout vessel Brigitte Bardot was struck by a rogue wave that has cracked the hull and severely damaged one of the pontoons on the vessel.

Captain Paul Watson, founder of Sea Shepherd, is onboard the Sea Shepherd flagship Steve Irwin. Captain Shepherd reported that they are fighting heavy seas to reach the position of the Brigitte Bardot some 240 miles to the southeast. It was expected to take twenty hours to reach the damaged vessel. The Brigitte Bardot was some 1500 miles southwest of Fremantle, Western Australia.

Brigitte Bardot Captain Jonathan Miles Renecle of South Africa was pursuing the Japanese factory ship Nisshin Maru in six metre swells when the wave slammed into the port side of the vessel cracking the hull. The crack has been getting wider as the seas continue to pound the vessel. Captain Renecle is confident that the ship will stay afloat until the Steve Irwin arrives. The Brigitte Bardot has a crew of ten: three British, three American, one Australian, one Canadian, one Belgian and one South African.

The Sea Shepherd ship Bob Barker will continue in pursuit of the whaling fleet. The Steve Irwin will assist the Brigitte Bardot, first to see to the safety of the crew, and then to escort the vessel to Fremantle for repairs.

"This is disappointing but these are hostile seas and we have always been prepared for situations like this," Said Captain Paul Watson from the Steve Irwin. "Right now the safety of my crew on the Brigitte Bardot is our priority and we intend to reach the crew and then do what we can to save our ship."

The Steve Irwin and the Brigitte Bardot are now struggling slowly northward through another storm.

“We are watching the Brigitte Bardot very closely,” said Captain Paul Watson. “The seas are getting rougher and the winds are increasing and there is a great deal of pressure being put on the damaged pontoon of the Brigitte Bardot. It looks like we will have to struggle through these conditions for another 24 hours.”

Read more at:  http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/brigitte-bardot.html

Anti-whalers' ships struggle to safety

Two Sea Shepherd ships are struggling northward in the Southern Ocean through another storm, the anti-whaling group says.

The scout ship Brigitte Bardot was struck by a rogue wave that cracked the main hull and severely damaged one of its pontoons on Wednesday.

The Sea Shepherd's flagship, Steve Irwin, went to help and had to abandon the pursuit of the Japanese whaling fleet. It is escorting the Brigitte Bardot to Fremantle for repairs.

"We are watching the Brigitte Bardot very closely," the group's leader, Paul Watson, said on Saturday.

"The seas are getting rougher and the winds are increasing and there is a great deal of pressure being put on the damaged pontoon of the Brigitte Bardot. It looks like we will have to struggle through these conditions for another 24 hours."

The crew of the Brigitte Bardot are wearing their survival suits, Mr Watson said.

The Japanese government security ship Shonan Maru #2 continues to tail the Steve Irwin and the Brigitte Bardot.

The Sea Shepherd ship Bob Barker is still pursuing the Japanese whaling fleet. Last season it shut down the whaling operations on its own.

"This is not going to be a successful year for the whalers," said Bob Barker first officer Peter Hammarstedt of Sweden.

"They have never arrived so late before and they have spent more money for security to protect the whalers from Sea Shepherd than they will ever gain this year from profits from whaling. We continue to pursue them as they continue to run eastward to avoid us. We will not let up on them until they leave the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary."

This is the eighth year that Sea Shepherd has pursued the Japanese whalers in the Southern Ocean.

"Our objective from the beginning was to sink the Japanese whaling fleet economically, to bankrupt them. We have succeeded in doing so," Mr Watson said.

"Now the task is to defeat them politically. We are under no illusion that this will be easy. The whalers survive because of massive Japanese government subsidies and much of this subsidy was allocated from the tsunami earthquake defence fund."

http://www.smh.com.au/environment/whale-watch/antiwhalers-ships-struggle-to-safety-20120101-1pgtb.html

Drones used to track Japan whaling fleet

Anti-whaling activists' drone tracks Japan fleet

Anti-whaling activists intercepted Japan's harpoon fleet far north of Antarctic waters on Sunday, they said, with the help of a military-style drone.


Sea Shepherd Conservation Society spokesman Paul Watson said the unmanned long-range drone, launched from the anti-whaling ship the Steve Irwin, had located the Japanese fleet and relayed the coordinates back to the activists.

Watson said Sea Shepherd, a militant activist group which regularly shadows and harasses the Japanese whalers, had caught up with the fleet at 37 degrees south, 1,000 miles (1,600 kilometres) above Antarctic waters.

No whales had been killed so far, he added.

"This is going to be a long hard pursuit from here to the coast of Antarctica," said Watson.

"But thanks to these drones, we now have an advantage we have never had before -- eyes in the sky."

Three Japanese security vessels were tailing the Steve Irwin to prevent it from following the Nisshin Maru factory ship, Watson said.

But he said the activists had established the upper hand with their two drones, donated by Moran Office of Maritime and Port Security (MOMPS), a private US firm.

Fitted with cameras and detection equipment, the drones have previously been used to combat bluefin tuna poaching off Libya.

Unmanned aircraft are most notably used by US forces in Pakistan and Afghanistan.

The Sea Shepherd drones were developed by New Jersey-based MOMPS, which is described as working to enforce international maritime and fisheries rules and "helping to prevent acts of terrorism and piracy worldwide".

Watson said: "We can cover hundreds of miles with these drones and they have proven to be valuable assets for this campaign."

While the Steve Irwin was being tailed by the harpooners' security detail he said Sea Shepherd's other vessels the Bob Barker and Brigitte Bardot -- which can travel faster than the whalers -- were free to chase the Japanese south.

Commercial whaling is banned under an international treaty but Japan has since 1987 used a loophole to carry out "lethal research" in the name of science -- a practice condemned by environmentalists and anti-whaling nations.

Australia, New Zealand, the United States and the Netherlands issued a joint statement earlier this month expressing their "disappointment" at the annual hunt and warning against violent encounters.

Confrontations with the increasingly sophisticated Sea Shepherd group have escalated in recent years, with one clash sinking an activist powerboat and a protester arrested for boarding a Japanese ship.

Sea Shepherd harassment saw the Japanese cut their hunt short last season, and they are now suing the activists in Washington seeking an injunction against what they say is a "life-threatening" campaign.

Japan's coastguard has deployed an unspecified number of vessels to protect the whaling ships, and Tokyo has confirmed it will use some of the public funds earmarked for tsunami reconstruction to boost security for the hunt.

http://uk.news.yahoo.com/anti-whaling-activists-drone-track-japan-fleet-011629785.html

Nisshin Maru on the move

The Japanese whaling factory ship Nisshin Maru has left port today in what Sea Shepherd believes is the departure of the whaling fleet for the Antarctic.

Nisshin Maru loaded fuel and headed out from its dock in Innoshima, southern Japan, in the late morning, watching Sea Shepherd activists said.

No confirmation of its destination was available from Japanese authorities, who do not comment on the fleet's movements.

However the departure closely follows an announcement by the Japan Coast Guard that its officers would accompany the fleet to protect the whalers, forced out of the Southern Ocean by the activists last summer.

"We have decided to beef up security as never before," a Coast Guard official told Kyodo News.

He refrained from specifics, including how many guardsmen would be aboard the vessels or what kind of equipment they might carry.

In previous years the fleet has left in November.

Greenpeace International whales campaigner John Frizell said the relatively late sailing could mean the whalers would not reach their hunting grounds far south of Australia until the new year.

Sea Shepherd's fleet is also making final preparations, with the ships Steve Irwin and Brigitte Bardot in Fremantle and the Bob Barker in Hobart.

The federal Environment Minister, Tony Burke, has repeated that there are "no plans" to send a government vessel to monitor the conflict, which this year is likely to occur in Australia's search and rescue zone.

However Mr Burke refused to finally rule out the use of a ship such as Customs' Southern Ocean patrol vessel, Ocean Protector.

http://www.smh.com.au/environment/whale-watch/nisshin-maru-on-the-move-20111206-1ogm4.html

Sea Shepherd clashes with Japanese whalers

Anti-whaling activists say they have already clashed with Japanese whalers in the icy seas off Antarctica.


The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society says its vessels found the first of the Japanese ships yesterday morning on the edge of the ice at 148 degrees west, 1700 nautical miles (1350 kilometres) south-west of New Zealand.

A few hours later, the Japanese whalers had shot water cannon at them, Sea Shepherd said.

Advertisement: Story continues below Sea Shepherd says it is chasing the Japanese fleet, hoping to interrupt its annual whale hunt which kills up to 1000 whales a year.

The two sides have clashed violently in the past.

Last year, a Sea Shepherd boat skippered by New Zealander Peter Bethune was sunk after its bow was sheared off in a collision with a whaling ship.

On this campaign, the whalers had been discovered before they had begun killing the mammals, Sea Shepherd leader Paul Watson said in a statement on Saturday.

Mr Watson said the Sea Shepherd ship Bob Barker had found a harpoon vessel on the edge of the ice at 11am (0900 AEDT) on Friday while the society's flagship Steve Irwin discovered another harpooner six hours later.

He said Sea Shepherd was still searching, by ship and helicopter, for what he called "Japan's floating abattoir", the Nisshin Maru.

Mr Watson gave no indication of what tactics he has planned to interrupt the Japanese whale hunt.

Japan says it is killing whales only for research.

On Saturday, news agency Associated Press said it was talking to Mr Watson by telephone from his ship when he said the whalers suddenly began blasting one of his group's inflatable boats with a water cannon.

"They just turned their cannons on our Zodiac," AP quoted him as saying.

"Right at this moment."
New Zealand-based Glenn Inwood, spokesman for Japan's Tokyo-based Institute of Cetacean Research, which sponsors the whale hunt, said he had no comment.


http://www.smh.com.au/environment/whale-watch/sea-shepherd-clashes-with-japanese-whalers-20110101-19cfb.html

Sea Shepherd clashes with Japanese whalers

Anti-whaling activists say they have already clashed with Japanese whalers in the icy seas off Antarctica.


The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society says its vessels found the first of the Japanese ships yesterday morning on the edge of the ice at 148 degrees west, 1700 nautical miles (1350 kilometres) south-west of New Zealand.

A few hours later, the Japanese whalers had shot water cannon at them, Sea Shepherd said.

Advertisement: Story continues below Sea Shepherd says it is chasing the Japanese fleet, hoping to interrupt its annual whale hunt which kills up to 1000 whales a year.

The two sides have clashed violently in the past.

Last year, a Sea Shepherd boat skippered by New Zealander Peter Bethune was sunk after its bow was sheared off in a collision with a whaling ship.

On this campaign, the whalers had been discovered before they had begun killing the mammals, Sea Shepherd leader Paul Watson said in a statement on Saturday.

Mr Watson said the Sea Shepherd ship Bob Barker had found a harpoon vessel on the edge of the ice at 11am (0900 AEDT) on Friday while the society's flagship Steve Irwin discovered another harpooner six hours later.

He said Sea Shepherd was still searching, by ship and helicopter, for what he called "Japan's floating abattoir", the Nisshin Maru.

Mr Watson gave no indication of what tactics he has planned to interrupt the Japanese whale hunt.

Japan says it is killing whales only for research.

On Saturday, news agency Associated Press said it was talking to Mr Watson by telephone from his ship when he said the whalers suddenly began blasting one of his group's inflatable boats with a water cannon.

"They just turned their cannons on our Zodiac," AP quoted him as saying.

"Right at this moment."
New Zealand-based Glenn Inwood, spokesman for Japan's Tokyo-based Institute of Cetacean Research, which sponsors the whale hunt, said he had no comment.


http://www.smh.com.au/environment/whale-watch/sea-shepherd-clashes-with-japanese-whalers-20110101-19cfb.html

Sea Shepherd unveils new vessel to target illegal whaling

Replacement after previous ship was deliberately rammed

November 2010: Sea Shepherd's latest addition to its fleet was unveiled at a Hollywood fundraiser earlier this month.

It will take part in the upcoming Antarctic whale defence campaign, Operation No Compromise.

The 12-year-old, 115ft, stabilized monohull vessel will be a fast interceptor, replacing the Ady Gil, the vessel that the Japanese whaling vessel Shonan Maru No. 2 rammed and destroyed at the beginning of the year.

This expedition will be Sea Shepherd's seventh campaign to oppose the illegal activities of the Japanese whaling fleet in the Southern Ocean. During the past six campaigns, the organisation says it saved the lives of nearly 2,000 whales, as well as exposing illegal Japanese whaling.

Last season, we were able to save more whales than the Japanese whalers were able to kill. Five hundred and twenty-eight whales lives were saved as a result of Sea Shepherd's efforts.

'Each year we become stronger and more effective'

‘Each year, because of our supporters, we have become stronger and more effective,' said a spokesman. ‘Through patience, determination and persistence, we are driving the Japanese whaling fleet into debt and closer to the day they will retreat from the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary.

‘We are confident that we will see our most effective campaign ever with Operation No Compromise. Our ships, the Steve Irwin and the Bob Barker, are currently being prepared for the campaign. We have recruited the best crew we can assemble. Our only challenge now is to raise the funds for the Ocean Adventurer.

‘With three ships, we will once again be able to track and intervene against the poachers in the Southern Ocean for the entire season. Our goal is to save more whales this coming season than we did during the last season and to shut down whaling in the Southern Ocean permanently.'

http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/sea-shepherd-boat.html

Sea Shepherd unveils new vessel to target illegal whaling

Replacement after previous ship was deliberately rammed

November 2010: Sea Shepherd's latest addition to its fleet was unveiled at a Hollywood fundraiser earlier this month.

It will take part in the upcoming Antarctic whale defence campaign, Operation No Compromise.

The 12-year-old, 115ft, stabilized monohull vessel will be a fast interceptor, replacing the Ady Gil, the vessel that the Japanese whaling vessel Shonan Maru No. 2 rammed and destroyed at the beginning of the year.

This expedition will be Sea Shepherd's seventh campaign to oppose the illegal activities of the Japanese whaling fleet in the Southern Ocean. During the past six campaigns, the organisation says it saved the lives of nearly 2,000 whales, as well as exposing illegal Japanese whaling.

Last season, we were able to save more whales than the Japanese whalers were able to kill. Five hundred and twenty-eight whales lives were saved as a result of Sea Shepherd's efforts.

'Each year we become stronger and more effective'

‘Each year, because of our supporters, we have become stronger and more effective,' said a spokesman. ‘Through patience, determination and persistence, we are driving the Japanese whaling fleet into debt and closer to the day they will retreat from the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary.

‘We are confident that we will see our most effective campaign ever with Operation No Compromise. Our ships, the Steve Irwin and the Bob Barker, are currently being prepared for the campaign. We have recruited the best crew we can assemble. Our only challenge now is to raise the funds for the Ocean Adventurer.

‘With three ships, we will once again be able to track and intervene against the poachers in the Southern Ocean for the entire season. Our goal is to save more whales this coming season than we did during the last season and to shut down whaling in the Southern Ocean permanently.'

http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/sea-shepherd-boat.html

Reports of Japan Bribing International Whaling Commission (Via Matt Williams)

Investigation Supports Longtime Sea Shepherd Reports of Japan Bribing International Whaling Commission
BY Ariel SchwartzTue Jun 22, 2010

Japan is so desperate to preserve its whaling industry that the country has resorted to bribing small nations with cash and prostitutes, according to a recent investigation from The Sunday Times of London. Undercover reporters from the newspaper disguised themselves as representatives of a Swiss billionaire seeking anti-whaling votes at the next International Whaling Commission's meeting, set to take place later this month in Morocco. The reporters found six countries (St Kitts and Nevis, the Marshall Islands, Kiribati, Grenada, Republic of Guinea, and Ivory Coast) willing to part with their votes--as long as the undercover reporters could give them more than what Japan was already offering.

The investigation also caught delegates revealing on camera that Japan offers call girls to visiting fisheries ministers and civil servants. A fisheries representative from Guinea admitted that Japan offered officials at least $1,000 in spending money per day during IWC event, and a fisheries official from the Marshall Islands told undercover reporters, "We support Japan because of what they give us."

None of this comes as a surprise to Captain Paul Watson, founder and president of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society. "I've posted about this on our Web site for years. It's no secret," he tells FastCompany.com. "Japan has been bullying and bribing to get their way."

Watson believes that the IWC, which is supposed to oversee whale conservation, is irrelevant because it has been so tainted by scandal. While Sea Shepherd is officially banned from IWC meetings, Watson recounts one incident in 1997 when the organization was allowed to attend an IWC reception. "I walked in and the entire Japanese, Icelandic, and Norwegian delegations walked out. Other countries did too. They followed like puppy dogs after the Japanese. It was the greatest compliment I ever received."

So if the IWC can't change Japan's whaling culture, what can? Unsurprisingly, Watson believes that Sea Shepherd can help sink the whaling industry. Many environmental groups disagree--Greenpeace, for example, believes Sea Shepherd's actions (sinking whaling boats and destroying equipment) are too violent. But Japan will do almost anything to keep its valuable whaling industry alive. Direct intervention may be the most effective solution--and it makes for good television, too.
http://www.fastcompany.com/1662729/investigation-reveals-that-japan-bribes-countries-for-votes-on-the-international-whaling-com