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Greenpeace activists clash with Japanese whaling fleet in Southern
Ocean
by Wikinews Australia 4:13pm Thu Dec 22 '05 a


Environmental activist group Greenpeace have attempted to disrupt
Japan's Southern Ocean scientific whaling fleet. After searching for
the whaling fleet for nearly a month, the Greenpeace ships, MY
Esperanza and MY Arctic Sunrise, are floating alongside the Japanese
mothership in Australia's Antarctic territorial waters, directly south
of Tasmania.


You can edit the original of this article he

http://en.wikinews.org/wiki/Greenpea...Southern_Ocean

December 22, 2005

Environmental activist group Greenpeace have attempted to disrupt
Japan's Southern Ocean scientific whaling fleet. After searching for
the whaling fleet for nearly a month, the Greenpeace ships, MY
Esperanza and MY Arctic Sunrise, are floating alongside the Japanese
mothership in Australia's Antarctic territorial waters, directly south
of Tasmania.

The Japanese whaling fleet has an expected catch of over 900 minke
whales â?? more than double its previous catch. The fleet - owned by
Kyodo Senpaku and part-owned by Nissui, Japan's second-largest marine
products firm - is also targeting endangered fin whales for what they
claim is a scientific program. Fin whales are the second largest
creatures on earth.

Greenpeace say they have asked the whalers to stop whaling immediately
and return to Japan, but have recieved no response from the vessels. In
inflatables carrying banners which read "defend the whales" and "stop
the whaling," crew from the two ships declared their intention to stop
the hunt.

Leader of the Greenpeace expedition, Shane Rattenbury said their eight
small boats have begun to "interfere" with the whaling process.

"We positioned our two ships to the stern of the Japanese mother ship
in order to prevent the whale being transferred on to the ship and we
were successful in stopping that process for about 45-minutes," said Mr
Rattenbury, describing a capture boat ramming the Greenpeace ship in an
attempt to push it clear.

He said the Japanese boat fought back with water cannons and one of
several Greenpeace inflatables capsized in the wash. All crew were
retrieved without injury.

"We're going to do everything we can over the coming weeks to interfere
with the whaling process, and stop the whales being killed," he said,
"our small boats will be putting themselves between the harthingy and
the whale.

In a radio call to the whaling vessels, from the bridge of the Arctic
Sunrise, Yuko Hirono, of Greenpeace Japan called upon the whalers to
stop killing whales "and leave the internationally recognised Southern
Ocean Whale Sanctuary." Japan's scientific whaling has been the subject
of repeated criticism by the International Whaling Commission.

The Japanese Institute of Cetacean Research, claim the amount of
scientific data gathered by Japan's research program (JARPAII) is
extensive and that Japan's whale research programs are conducted in
accordance with the International Convention for the Regulation of
Whaling. The Institute of Cetacean Research say their research does not
involve illegal whaling.

Greenpeace say over the next 2 years 40 more fin whales will be added
to the annual kill, along with 50 humpback whales.

"This whale hunt is unnecessary, unjustified, and unwanted," said
Rattenbury. "Once the whales have been measured and weighed by the
'scientists' the butchers get to work and the whales are cut up and
boxed for market. This is all about money and not science."

The area in which the Japanese fleet is hunting has been designated as
the Antarctic Whale Sanctuary, in an effort to allow whale populations
to recover after stocks were depleted during the commercial whaling of
the last century.

Seventy crew and campaigners from 19 countries are on board the two
Greenpeace vessels, including the UK, Netherlands, Canada, Australia,
Ghana, Russia, Norway, Denmark, USA, France, Italy, Japan, Ireland,
India, New Zealand, Spain, Sweden, Austria and Argentina.

Japan's whaling program is expected to kill nearly one thousand whales
this season.

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From the Messageboards at Matilda

************************************************** *********************

the Greenpeace bit was mentioned on the beeb. please remember-
this is a shortwave group. while GP is a worthy enterprise, i'm
sure there are other groups this could be posted to. i'm sure
you understand, there is too much off topic crap posted here already.
best of the Holidays to you and yours...

Drifter...

*on*the*fringe*of*Pittsburgh*

"Drifter" wrote in message
...
while GP is a worthy enterprise

That's debatable.

while GP is a worthy enterprise

That's debatable

If it saves a whale from unnecessary and unjust death, it is.

BJ

Hi Drifter

Whales transmit

Mr Howard - When will you act to protect whales?

Southern Ocean/Sydney Thursday, 22 December, 2005 : Greenpeace
activists again took to the water today, - this time putting themselves
between the harpoons and the whales.
"We've been able to protect some whales from being killed, and slowing
the hunt down significantly. One of our activists managed to climb onto
a whale carcass, trying to slow down the transfer process.
Unfortunately the whalers were determined and have killed more than
four whales today."
In Sydney today, the environment group called on John Howard to
demonstrate that the government is 'vehemently opposed to whaling', by
ensuring a Japanese whaling ship due into Hobart on Saturday does not
rejoin the whaling fleet.
"If the Australian government were doing all it could to stop the
senseless Japanese whaling, Greenpeace would not have to be out in the
Antarctic getting battered by water cannons," said Greenpeace CEO Steve
Shallhorn.
"It is a bit rich for John Howard to criticise the activities of
Greenpeace, and look good in the eyes of the Australian public with
empty words of opposition," said Shallhorn. "The vast majority of
Australians who are sickened by the annual whale hunt expect the
government to stop shielding behind failed diplomacy."
"With the Australian government an international pariah on climate
change, you would think they would go beyond empty rhetoric, and redeem
themselves by taking firm action to end whaling."
"The whaling vessel Kaiko Maru will arrive in Hobart on Saturday
December 24, to deliver a sick crew member to hospital. We call on the
Australian government to do all it can to ensure that this whaling
vessel does not return to the killing grounds."
"Greenpeace in Japan has let the whaling company Kyodo Senpaku know
that we are aware of the arrival of their whaling ship in Hobart, and
that we will not interfere with the medical evacuation of the crew
member," said Shallhorn, "But we want to see the ship stopped from
rejoining the whale hunt."
This year the Fisheries Agency of Japan has more than doubled its
planned catch of minke whales to 935 and added 10 endangered fin
whales. Over the next 2 years 40 more fin whales will be added to the
annual kill along with 50 humpback