Sea Shepherd tracks down whaling fleet    


SEA Shepherd activists have engaged Japanese whaling ships within days of reaching the Antarctic, raising the group's hopes that it will be able to prevent a substantial kill this year.  

The anti-whaling activists found two harpoon ships from the four-vessel whaling fleet on the edge of the Antarctic pack ice, about 1700 nautical miles south-east of New Zealand, Sea Shepherd leader Paul Watson said last night.

The fleet left Japan early last month and appears to have steamed for the far-eastern section of its ''research area'', which this year extends to waters south of Australia.


Captain Watson said he took a gamble that the fleet would head for the most difficult point for Sea Shepherd to reach and it had paid off.

The group's fast interceptor boat, Gojira, and its helicopter were last night searching for the factory ship, Nisshin Maru, which normally steams within about 30 nautical miles of the chaser ships.

''We're hopeful that we may be able to actually stop them whaling this year,'' Captain Watson said. ''We've got the strongest fleet we've ever had, and we can stay on the their tail.''  

He said ice conditions were unusually heavy, with many submerged icebergs potentially threatening the ships.

The whalers appear to have taken defensive measures already, erecting a mesh of anti-boarding nets around a chaser ship, according to an image filed by Sea Shepherd last night.

According to a research plan filed with the International Whaling Commission, the whalers intend to run a shorter, three-month, season with a fleet reduced from six to four, but still maintain a target of up to 935 minke whales and 50 fin whales.

Australia has joined New Zealand, the Netherlands and the US in calling for calm in this year's anti-whaling confrontations, which last January led to the sinking of the Sea Shepherd vessel Ady Gil.

''We are deeply concerned that confrontations in the Southern Ocean will eventually lead to injury or loss of life among both whaling crews and protesters, many of whom are nationals of our countries,'' the four countries said in a recent statement.

Prime Minister Julia Gillard this week reiterated Australia's opposition to whaling ''in every circumstance''.  

Its far more riveting to watch Sea Shepard & Co 'go the biff' with the Nipponese Whalers, than watching the boring Sydney to Hobart, these days.
"Ramming Speed" ("Du Haast Mein").

I didn't know that 'we' had an "anti-whaling movement" other than Sea Shepard & Co ?
I don't think the Greens have it covered - they are far too 'political' to be effective Conservationists. 

If I had a chance, I would grease myself up on Turkish Yak butter and pound upon a drum "Boom ...Boom ...Boom ...Boom" = Ramming Speed !!! This would be done upon a vessel that made old Soviet Ice-Breakers look like out-dated Greek Triremes. The ship would be painted all white with a pair of giant angry eyes and a sharp teethed smirk of revenge. I wouldn't call it Sea Shepard ...more like Moby "efin Big" Dick !

...it would make Prime Time viewing for sure !!! 

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Whaling is banned in Australia and our government campaigns on our behalf to ban it internationally (or at least pretends to).

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If they aren't doing anything wrong, why interfere?

It's time people had another think about whaling. Sea Shepherd will force them to do that, and they will decide that the Japanese are right.