It's on! Sea Shepherd has Japanese whalers on the run

[Mr.X]

...as much as I disagree with whaling in any form, I have to say that if I were a whale and realized I was being "championed" by such as group of inept sailors as those, I'd consider throwing myself on a harpoon. I find it hard to believe that any master of a vessel would put his charges into the danger I see on that program.
Mike

Just some history - in the early days of Greenpeace, Watson and his mates would take a Zodiac and drive it between the pursued whale and the hunter boat. This very dangerous tactic dissuaded the Russian harpooner from taking a shot. Sometimes it got very close & dangerous as the fired harpoon whizzed inches from their heads.
However, it did save some whales and their strategy did pay off as economics, and harassment shut down an ailing Russian whaling industry.

They crew on the Zodiac also remarked that the pursued whales knew to use the Zodiac as a defense shield when hunted. Of course, the whales when initially chased would try to "sound" , but this escape tactic only worked for so long as the newly surfaced - oxygen depleted whale would be spotted by helicopter which radioed a position to a fast harpoon boat. In short, very little chance of escape for the fleeing whale.

In summary, the crews of early Greenpeace were willing to put it on the line. Watson had that impetus on the leadership. Having attended some of these early meetings - I can tell you that the crew cared about the welfare of the people, the environment and the marine animals that they worked so hard to save. Just some facts from someone who knows a bit about the history.

X

 

[crabby cappy]

I am not for seek and destroy the world. Going to Sea World made me sad, but I would not think of harming the trainers. The show whale wars is only showing one side. What also is sad is what people think of the fishermen is different then how they think of farmers or loggers. I do not think farm raised shrimp is better than wild caught Thailand has lost 60 % of thier mangroves. I disagree with the amount of imports they let in the US. People should eat more local foods. I can not support terrorism of any kind and is suprised that Aminal Planet has showned it. If you could spend a little time reading the history of Capt. Watson it might change how you watch the show. Here is a link but there is many more.

http://www.discoverthenetworks.org/individualProfile.asp?indid=1217

 

[cdreamer]

The Death of a Whaler
Yesterday at 6:46pm
Monday, January 05, 2009

I never met Hajime Shirasaki. I'm sure that if I had met him, we would not have agreed on much. He was a whaler and I detest whalers and I'm sure he detested us for our efforts to protect his victims.

But Hajime Shirasaki was also a human being with a family and friends who will miss him. And for that we sympathize with his family for their loss.

Hajime died yesterday. His body was claimed by the Great Southern Ocean and chances are it will not be recovered. To fall off a ship in these waters in the night means death and every sailor knows it. The water temperature is zero degrees Celsius. Death comes quick in these seas. Still, to watch your ship sail on as you lay helpless and freezing in its wake is a terrifying experience.

Hajime was a young man of 30. Why he decided to join the crew of a whaling ship is unknown to us but it was a decision that he made.

Apparently Hajime, an engine room oiler on the Kyoshin Maru No. 2 a scouting ship for the Japanese whaling fleet, went outside at night by himself dressed only in coveralls. He never came back inside.

There are three possibilities. He accidentally fell overboard. He was pushed or he committed suicide. We will probably never know. What we do know is that he is the third fatality suffered by the Japanese whaling fleet since 2007.

A crewmember of the Nisshin Maru died in a fire in January 2007 and a second crewmember on the Nisshin Maru died in the summer of 2007 in an industrial accident onboard the factory ship. He was crushed in the conveyor that loaded the whale meat into the hold.

The Japanese whaling industry has been screaming about Sea Shepherd being a threat to safety at sea. Yet in the five voyages that Sea Shepherd has made to oppose illegal Japanese whaling, not a single Japanese whaler has been injured and Sea Shepherd has not had any crew injured. We have an unblemished safety record. It appears to me that the whaling industry should improve their safety measures instead of scape-goating us for their lack of responsibility. The truth is that Sea Shepherd does not pose a threat to the crew on the whaling vessels. The whaling industry kills whales and whalers. It is an industry of death.

The crew of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society ship Steve Irwin send their condolences to the family of Hajime Shirasaki. His death is a tragedy. And the slaughter of the whales is also a great tragedy. How many more whales and humans have to die before Japan abolishes this brutal and barbaric annual slaughter of the whales in the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary?

Commentary by Captain Paul Watson

 

[Teamcasa]

The Death of a Whaler
Yesterday at 6:46pm
Monday, January 05, 2009

I never met Hajime Shirasaki. I'm sure that if I had met him, we would not have agreed on much. He was a whaler and I detest whalers and I'm sure he detested us for our efforts to protect his victims.

But Hajime Shirasaki was also a human being with a family and friends who will miss him. And for that we sympathize with his family for their loss.

Hajime died yesterday. His body was claimed by the Great Southern Ocean and chances are it will not be recovered. To fall off a ship in these waters in the night means death and every sailor knows it. The water temperature is zero degrees Celsius. Death comes quick in these seas. Still, to watch your ship sail on as you lay helpless and freezing in its wake is a terrifying experience.

Hajime was a young man of 30. Why he decided to join the crew of a whaling ship is unknown to us but it was a decision that he made.

Apparently Hajime, an engine room oiler on the Kyoshin Maru No. 2 a scouting ship for the Japanese whaling fleet, went outside at night by himself dressed only in coveralls. He never came back inside.

There are three possibilities. He accidentally fell overboard. He was pushed or he committed suicide. We will probably never know. What we do know is that he is the third fatality suffered by the Japanese whaling fleet since 2007.

A crewmember of the Nisshin Maru died in a fire in January 2007 and a second crewmember on the Nisshin Maru died in the summer of 2007 in an industrial accident onboard the factory ship. He was crushed in the conveyor that loaded the whale meat into the hold.

The Japanese whaling industry has been screaming about Sea Shepherd being a threat to safety at sea. Yet in the five voyages that Sea Shepherd has made to oppose illegal Japanese whaling, not a single Japanese whaler has been injured and Sea Shepherd has not had any crew injured. We have an unblemished safety record. It appears to me that the whaling industry should improve their safety measures instead of scape-goating us for their lack of responsibility. The truth is that Sea Shepherd does not pose a threat to the crew on the whaling vessels. The whaling industry kills whales and whalers. It is an industry of death.

The crew of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society ship Steve Irwin send their condolences to the family of Hajime Shirasaki. His death is a tragedy. And the slaughter of the whales is also a great tragedy. How many more whales and humans have to die before Japan abolishes this brutal and barbaric annual slaughter of the whales in the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary?

Commentary by Captain Paul Watson

Funny, Just on the TV program two members of the crew were injured. So much for his credibility.

 

[seaducer]

Funny, Just on the TV program two members of the crew were injured. So much for his credibility.

I wish they would take that program off the air. Paul Watson and his crew are simply doing more damage to the environmental efforts everytime they are broadcast on TV lieing, acting like idiots, and otherwise attempting to satisfy their captain's martyr complex.

As much as I detest whaling, I simply cannot get behind this motley crew for their tactics. They will turn away people who might otherwise help pressure Japan into a moratorium. If Watson really wants to help whales, he can sell the Steve Irwin, get a smaller faster boat, and run around filming the slaughter on HD cameras. Then he can buy some advertising time on TV in various countries showing 30 second clips of tortured whales. Before you know it there would be enormous pressure on Japan to stop the madness.

There is a right way and a wrong way to get your message out. Watson is proving himself to be just another terrorist thug, and these people do far more harm than good to their causes.

Before I knew better I sent Sea Shepard some money. They sent me back a Tshirt with the names of the vessels they have "rammed" and "sunk". It is just a matter of time before this idiot kills someone.

 

[Oceana Diver]

The government should help patrol the waters. Having laws that are not enforced is a waste of a law.

What government would that be?

And even if there is government jurisdiction, there isn't necessarily funding to pay for ships, fuel, supplies and manpower to patrol that country's waters.

 

[Teamcasa]

And even if there is government jurisdiction, there isn't necessarily funding to pay for ships, fuel, supplies and manpower to patrol that country's waters.

Clearly the whales need the help. If the people (of our's or other countries) decided to make it a priority, the funding would happen. I'd vote for it.

 

[seaducer]

Clearly the whales need the help. If the people (of our's or other countries) decided to make it a priority, the funding would happen. I'd vote for it.

For one thing, having vessels in your territorial waters violating your laws (this does not apply to the Southern Ocean, nobody owns Antarctica) then it behooves the government to sick it's navy on those vessels. If the country does not have the resources it should ask for help from it's allies. The US for example has naval vessels all over the planet, and this would be a great exercise, all a nation need do is request assistance and I am sure the Secretary of the Navy would comply, and I am sure whatever surface commanders on site would enjoy the practice of interdiction.

There is an alliance of sorts of nations who cooperatively run the research stations on Antarctica, perhaps these nations can get together and have some sort of say as to what happens in the surrounding waters. It is my understanding that Japan is one of these nations, but you don't always have to have 100% agreement, a majority would do.

Whales do migrate through International waters where no one can claim jurisdiction, so who polices those areas? The UN? I don't know...

But I still say that the best way to stop whaling is political pressure. And that comes from people. Tape the carnage and show it to the masses.

 

[Mr.X]

I appreciate the dialog. As mentioned, the conservation / policing of the Antarctic sanctuary is low priority for most navies and governments. Additionally, it's a vast expanse of ocean and at times treacherous. Under the loophole of the IWC conventions the Japanese fishing/whaling fleet has the right to conduct "research" in specific zones. Since the IWC is a voluntary organization (with little in the way of enforcement) I could go out as a sovereign state and do my own research too. No one would be there to take me on. I could pillage.

This is what Sea Shepherds are trying to prevent - the pillaging. When TV ads, print media, protests on the doorsteps of government agencies do not elicit change - you have to advance to another level. No one really wants a confrontation on the open seas as it is dicey, expensive and a tremendous amount of waste. That being said, when a bully and liar (Japanese fishing industry) goes out and does the wrong thing who is there to tell them to stop? Whales are not fast reproducers. Within the blink of an eye they can disappear. This is what happened before the moratorium. You do have to act in haste, or they disappear.

I've had dealings with the Japanese reps. I can tell you one thing from direct experience - they don't give a crap about your thoughts, or concerns. They may be polite about it, but they don't give a whiff about what others think..unless you boycott their seafood which is distributed through a gazillion exporters. Sealord: FAQs

Here's a pdf on how they constantly restructure. Very slippery. http://www.icrwhale.org/eng/060324news.pdf

X

 

[cdreamer]

Japanese whalers booted out of Indonesia!


A Great Victory for the Whales in Indonesia - Sea Shepherd