Outrage over Japan's plan to slaughter humpback whales

msolga, seems the whalers have ceased thier hunt due to a storm that began Sunday. Lets hope the whale gods keep smiling.

Greenpeace, Japanese whaler play cat and mouse in South Pacific
Tuesday, December 27, 2005 at 07:24 EST

SYDNEY ?- A Japanese whaling fleet suspended its work for the second day Monday in stormy conditions as environmental group Greenpeace defended its tactics in disrupting the controversial hunt.

The whalers and two Greenpeace ships have been playing cat and mouse in the icy Southern Ocean for almost a week. The environmental group said it had received a statement from Japanese whaling authorities accusing it of breaching maritime safety laws.

The captain of Greenpeace's Arctic Sunrise, Arne Sorensen, said the complaint from Japan's of Institute of Cetacean Research related to a minor collision last Wednesday between a Japanese vessel trying to unload a dead whale and a Greenpeace ship blocking access to the fleet's factory ship.

"I hope they go ahead and complain because we will simply lodge a counter-complaint about the behavior of the captain of the factory ship," Sorensen said by satellite phone. "He's been trying to create collisions with our ships."

Sorensen said no whaling was being carried out as both the protest vessels and the whaling fleet rode out a powerful storm that began Sunday.

"There's a slight possibility that they'll be able to resume whaling tomorrow afternoon and if they do, we'll be there to stop them," he said.

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From the Melborne Indymedia, December 23 - photos of the Esperanza confronting a Japanese whaling ship.

http://www.melbourne.indymedia.org/news/2005/12/102465.php

Makes me proud I gave them some cash!!

Anon

Thanks, Stradee.

12/27/2005

Captain Paul Watson Responds to the Director-General of the Japanese Institute of Cetacean Research

On December 27th, Hiroshi Hatanaka the Director General of the Institute for Cetacean Research (should be called the "Institute of Commerce") sent an open letter to Greenpeace Japan. In the letter he accused Greenpeace and the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society of piracy and made hysterical accusations of eco-terrorism.

Of course, it is now routine for every ecologically-destructive industry in the world to label their critics as eco-terrorists so that comment is easily dismissed. Sea Shepherd Conservation Society has never been convicted of any felony crime, and from what I understand eco-terrorism is a felony. Hatanaka may have his opinions but his opinions have no basis in fact.

If I am an eco-terrorist then why was I not arrested for such in New Zealand, Australia, the United States, or Canada? Why is my ship flying the flag of Canada? Why am I traveling freely on my Canadian passport as a resident of the United States?

Mr. Hatanaka should investigate the facts before he makes accusations that he cannot substantiate.

Hatanaka threatens us with piracy charges yet there has been no attempt to board and loot any Japanese whaling vessel that I am aware of.

The true meaning of "eco-terrorism" is terrorism against the environment. This is exactly what Japan is doing. The Japanese whale extermination plan labeled JARPA II will slaughter 17,000 piked whales, 800 fin whales, and 800 humpback whales over the next few years. This is eco-terrorism. .. <cont>

http://www.seashepherd.org/news/media_051227_1.html

Absolute crap-spin Msolga. The "eco terrorists" are pretty obvious in this case and it isn't the whalers.

These people have a screw loose somewhere. A couple aces short of a full deck. A gun with one in the chamber and an empty clip.

I suggested it earlier and there was not much interest, but now ....

Can I PLEASE start a collection to buy an old Russian submarine so we can sail out and put these f@*kers on the bottom of the ocean...

purely for scientific research on how long they can tread water.

Honest question, truly!

Is there anything sacred to you?

Anon

I'm not sure I understand your question. I'm defending a people's sacred right to hunt and fish, and you're taking the position that it is OK to attack their ships.

Is nothing sacred to YOU? I would say the only people that could claim a whale as a sacred animal would be those who hunted it and used it for sustenance.

You're a frog supporter right? France's last great military "triumph" was to almost sink the Rainbow Warrior. The fact the U.S. could have accomplished the same with a Cub Scout troop and some snap & pops is beside the point.

Anybody remember Humphrey? Here was a whale who had a problem. A terrible sense of direction, perhaps a brain disorder, who knows? The idjit animal rights types spent millions trying to herd this wayward whale out of San Francisco Bay. Here was a perfect cull opportunity, to rid the pod of weakness and perhaps disease, but no, they just had to rescue him instead of harvest.

Humphrey returned a year later and did the same thing again.

What kind of frog??

Question:

Do we have the right to hunt something to extinction??

Anon

He was fine, he is fine, he continues to be fine.

Anon

whales demonstrate intelligence, and as Humprey sailed up the Sacto River, he was studied and evaluated . Since then hes been tagged by Satellite and as of 2004 he was travelling along with a pod.

My support for sustainable harvest has never been in doubt. The kind of irresponsible hunting you bring up is not something I condone.

At the same time, if I were stuck on an island, and there was only one dumb, flightless bird left, I'd probably eat it.

CJ cant wait tille theres a Bald Eagle season.
The Jarpa dudes are going to hunt some species next year that are on the ragged edge of extinction, for what? sushi?.

Famerman, you're smarter than that (eagle season). Comon.

I don't support hunting of endangered species, unless one of the critters has become a danger to man.

Then you can't support the hunting of the Humpbacks!

Anon

CJ,

By the way, as an aside. There was a post earlier about how the Japanese intend to put whalemeat on the school lunch menu. The larger fish such as Tuna, Swordfish, two I can't remember, and whalemeat contain astronomical amounts of mercury. Only the larger fish have the deadly concentrations because of the time it takes to accumulate. If I were a Japanese parent, I would have second thoughts about mercury poisoning my child. Have you studied the effects of mercury poisoning in children??

Anon

The Japanese will eat ANYTHING.

I'm quite certain poisoning their children isn't what they intended.

Sea Shepherds are also against the killing of harp seals. The argument has been made that harp seal populations havent been hurt by killing pups. However Environmneta Canada has found that harp seals have kept predation of cod fry by eating the predators.
An eacological balance cannot be posited by an opinion on a bulletin board CJ. The killing of minkes and finbacks will have an effect on a natural balance that we probably are not yet aware. But the killing of Hump)backs is an inexcusible move. The humpback is threatened almost all over. It and the "right" are at a point where their genetic makeup is being compromised by too few individuals(The genetic diversity is shrinking and mating is less frequent)
The japanese started on minkes because theres a buzillion of them, then they went for a modification to "increase" their research take. Then theyve planned to go for finbacks and then Humpbacks).

Im glad to see Greenpeace getting its backbone back. Maybe Ill send them a couple bucks too( like Sea Shepherds

I'm quite positive I recall hearing that humpbacks were going to be taked off the list, but apparently I either remembered this incorrectly, or something happened to prevent the occurrence (like international outcry from animal lovers - agh!).

IMO - everyone should spend a year on a fully functional farm, and learn how to properly shoot a weapon and hunt for their sustenance in the wild. I think you'd have a lot more respect and understanding for all things if you did.