Japan's whaling season has begun
Whaling boats steam south as Australia braces for their arrival.
By Katherine ButlerThu, Nov 19 2009 at 8:35 PM EST
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Photo: Natura Paparazzo/Flickr Japanese whalers have set out for waters off the Australian Antarctic Territory. Australians await their arrival with trepidation, as this is the third season since Prime Minister Kevin Rudd’s government pledged to end whaling in the Southern Ocean.
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The Japanese Institute of Cetacean Research, which runs the whaling fleet, has confirmed that humpback whales would again be spared from the hunt. This extends a postponement agreed in 2007. Australian Environment Minister Peter Garrett repeated an invitation for the Japanese to join in Australia's $32 million non-lethal whale science program.
The Nisshin Maru is the factory ship of the Japanese Institute of Cetacean Research. Maritime safety and environmental laws have been rewritten to possibly rule the Nisshin Maru out of Antarctic operations within the next few years. Also, a new Japanese government waste-watch committee is focusing on organizations that subsidize whaling.
This year, Greenpeace has opted out against direct action in the Australian Antarctic. Two campaigners, Toro Suzuki and Junichi Sato, face trial for the alleged theft of whale meat in Japan. As reported by the Australian media, the Tokyo Supreme Court denied a special appeal seeking disclosure of evidence of a whale meat embezzlement scandal that was exposed by the two before they were prosecuted.
Luckily, the Sea Shepherd activists are at the helm to protest the whaling activities. The group plans to take two ships into the southern waters. Skipper Pete Bethune, who helms the Ady Gil, says, ''The days of the Japanese being able to hunt whales without scrutiny or disruption in Antarctica are now gone. We are ready for them.''
The Ady Gil is named for a Californian millionaire whose donation enabled the ship to be purchased by the Sea Shepherds. As Gil told The Age, ''It is worth every penny to me even if one beautiful, amazing whale is saved.”
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Comments
Adam
07/05/2010 23:43 PM
I cant beieve that japan did this! They are absoultely disrespectful, they are trying to kill the sea shepherd's. They rammed the ady gil and it got distroyed and left it there to sink. the crew all lived(that i know of) and when the captain of ady gil went to do a citizens arrest on the harpoon ship that rammed him he got aressted and is sitting in top security prision in japan to this day. ugh this pisses me off!!!!!!
Franz Krieger
02/11/2010 13:14 PM
I wish more celebrities would get on board to help fund this action of enforcing international law against whaling.
mikey
01/25/2010 05:35 AM
""I dont believe one word of the so nice called rich people. This Ady Gil only invested his money because he know that this compaign will raise an amazing profit wether with the WHALE WARS.....""
how does the benefactor Ady Gil make a profit???? he only raised and donated several millions of dollars to the cause..... you people do know that 'DONATION' means he does not make a profit??
Pete
01/17/2010 03:26 AM
Reading some of the comments here, being an Australian I thought I would comment.
A recent poll (Last week) noted 94% of Australians are strongly against Japanese Whaling in the Southern Ocean. Also 3 years ago our Prime Minister made an election promise to stop whaling in the Australian Antarctic Territory, Which he has reniged on, However 2010 is an election year, so With luck the Australian People will vote Kevin Rudd out of office for his Election Lie.
This year 75% of the.... More
Peggy A. Hendricks
06/05/2010 19:15 PM
I am not an Aussie, I am US, but I am with you on voting out politians who lie. I wish it was a Presidential Election year here in the US. I didn't vote for Obama the 1st time, and God knows I pray he is ousted or at least stopped with our local and state senate races this year in November. I just recently joined the monthly donation to Sea Shepherd to help its efforts. I am also making certain I check every purchase I make, that it is not from Japan. Hang on my Aussie friends, this will.... More
Rami
12/22/2009 04:55 AM
[Quote] Profit
I dont believe one word of the so nice called rich people. This Ady Gil only invested his money because he know that this compaign will raise an amazing profit wether with the WHALE WARS or it will happen by Donation to SSCS. Dont missunderstand I hope whales will be save in the future but damn ..rich people should stop to make us believe they only do it in the name of the whales. This is an act of manipulation I hate.[/Quote]
This is just my opinion, but your.... More
Rami
12/22/2009 04:51 AM
[Quote] Profit
I dont believe one word of the so nice called rich people. This Ady Gil only invested his money because he know that this compaign will raise an amazing profit wether with the WHALE WARS or it will happen by Donation to SSCS. Dont missunderstand I hope whales will be save in the future but damn ..rich people should stop to make us believe they only do it in the name of the whales. This is an act of manipulation I hate.[/Quote]
This is just my opinion, but your.... More
Haley
12/15/2009 23:22 PM
I Hope The ships and all their crew sink to the bottom of the ocean! I've watched thier harpooning process, and i wonder if they would change their minds if they were chased at 17 knots, not allowed to get a large enough breath to dive, and then be harpooned in the back side. They act as if they don't have feelings, and don't feel pain. I honestly don't know how the Japanese can live with themselvesI can only imagine how much pain they are in. I would rather die be hit by a train! Atlest it's a.... More
Sadhbh
12/13/2009 16:38 PM
If only money and profit didn't exist, then maybe LIFE would be the most important thing on earth
ian
12/10/2009 17:13 PM
I use to think of Australia as a country that loved there nature and would protect it at any cost, both on land and the oceans surounding Australia, but whales are being killed in there back yard!!! and the australian govement does`nt seem to care....the Australian public im sure are outraged at there goverment for not getting more involved to prevent the Japs them from killing whales in Australain waters as the prime minister Kevin Rudd said that he would, I for one have changed my veiw on.... More
gary
12/08/2009 18:22 PM
After watching the whale wars episodes it really hit home to me what a horrible action whaling really is, i felt really angry and disgusted that these japanese people are allowed to murder such a great creature, there lucky i am not in charge of the waters because i would most definitly blow them to xxxx out of it!! I hope they sink this year!!
Korki
12/02/2009 17:11 PM
HAHAHAHAHAHA
Ahhhh but for the assumptions and conclusions that we make about the actions of others, as we sit in our armchairs; unfamiliar with both victory and defeat....you're worthless.
Melvin
11/30/2009 14:02 PM
Some people just really are rich and want to mean something in this campaign fought by the "pirates" we've come to love, in protecting the whales wtf should we care if the Ady Gil get's even richer off this, maybe next year he'll support even more, become the financial support sea shepherd so desperatly needs, that way he could hire my sorry *** and i'd just blow the friggin nishin maru to smithereens. I love Japan and it's wacky ways but i'd pick the wellness of whales over the lives of those.... More
Gaby
11/30/2009 13:24 PM
I dont believe one word of the so nice called rich people. This Ady Gil only invested his money because he know that this compaign will raise an amazing profit wether with the WHALE WARS or it will happen by Donation to SSCS. Dont missunderstand I hope whales will be save in the future but damn ..rich people should stop to make us believe they only do it in the name of the whales. This is an act of manipulation I hate. .
lily j
11/28/2009 22:27 PM
for the health of our oceans and earth ....we have to do all we can to stop people like the Japs from killing these beautiful creatures. we must save the whales . we have seen other species be erraticated from the earth . we must do more.i will continue to raise money to help the sea shepherds
JohnH
11/21/2009 15:13 PM
Better if the Nisshin Maru had been sunk at it's mooring before the filthy floating abbatoir even sailed.
Jim
11/20/2009 13:11 PM
If only Whale Wars had a submarine with real torpedoes!!
