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Japanese Whalers Flee The Hunting Area. (Read 581 times)
imcrookonit
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Japanese Whalers Flee The Hunting Area.
Feb 15th, 2011 at 2:26pm
 
The Japanese factory ship Nisshin Maru is said to have left its whaling grounds far behind as it tries to shake off a conservationist pursuit, and instead is approaching the Antarctic Peninsula below South America.   Smiley

Since being located in the north-east corner of the Ross Sea last Thursday, the whaling fleet's key vessel has steamed mainly eastward at speed, closely followed by the Sea Shepherd ship Bob Barker.

Today the Sea Shepherd leader, Paul Watson, said the Nisshin Maru was now more than 1000 nautical miles (1830 kilometres) outside Japan's self-declared "research" zone for whaling, and still heading east.


He said the Bob Barker reported their location as near Thurston Island in the Bellingshausen Sea, or about 600 nautical miles from the peninsula.

"They may be thinking they can run the Bob Barker out of fuel," Mr Watson said. "The Bob has more than enough fuel to return back west with them or to carry on east with them."   Smiley

He said the course taken by the Nisshin Maru raised speculation it might steam on past Cape Horn to circumnavigate the Antarctic and reach the far western end of its whaling grounds, below the Indian Ocean.

"If so that will knock a great deal of time out of their killing season," Mr Watson said.   Smiley

Japan's Institute of Cetacean Research refuses to comment on the movements of its ships.

Now half-way through its season, the whaling fleet has been under sustained siege from Sea Shepherd activists this year.

They occupied two of its three harpoon ships for weeks, delayed a refuelling operation, and, according to the ICR, fouled the propellors of one of the harpoon ship Yushin Maru No.3.

This ship was accompanying the Nisshin Maru, but dropped away yesterday, apparently unable to keep up, Sea Shepherd said.

The other two harpoon ships have not been located.
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freediver
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Re: Japanese Whalers Flee The Hunting Area.
Reply #1 - Feb 15th, 2011 at 7:23pm
 
Quote:
and, according to the ICR, fouled the propellors of one of the harpoon ship


They should be shot.
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Re: Japanese Whalers Flee The Hunting Area.
Reply #2 - Feb 15th, 2011 at 7:33pm
 
freediver wrote on Feb 15th, 2011 at 7:23pm:
Quote:
and, according to the ICR, fouled the propellors of one of the harpoon ship


They should be shot.



on heresay?
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freediver
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Re: Japanese Whalers Flee The Hunting Area.
Reply #3 - Feb 15th, 2011 at 7:35pm
 
Next time they try to foul a prop in antarctic waters will do.
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Sir lastnail
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Re: Japanese Whalers Flee The Hunting Area.
Reply #4 - Feb 15th, 2011 at 10:52pm
 
freediver wrote on Feb 15th, 2011 at 7:35pm:
Next time they try to foul a prop in antarctic waters will do.


I'm still waiting for the results of the scientific research. Maybe they won't be able to complete it now Cheesy LOL
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Re: Japanese Whalers Flee The Hunting Area.
Reply #5 - Feb 15th, 2011 at 10:55pm
 
Sir lastnail wrote on Feb 15th, 2011 at 10:52pm:
freediver wrote on Feb 15th, 2011 at 7:35pm:
Next time they try to foul a prop in antarctic waters will do.


I'm still waiting for the results of the scientific research. Maybe they won't be able to complete it now Cheesy LOL




Scientific work to make whale meat more eatable for Japanese pets.
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imcrookonit
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Re: Japanese Whalers Flee The Hunting Area.
Reply #6 - Feb 16th, 2011 at 1:51pm
 
Japan's whaling fleet is believed to be quitting the Antarctic under heavy conservationist and diplomatic pressure, just halfway through its worst season.   Smiley

The Japanese government has decided to cut short the season and the fleet is heading back to port, sources in Tokyo told the International Fund for Animal Welfare.   Smiley

The sudden departure has raised hopes Japan may be moving to end its widely opposed, 23-year-old "scientific research" program, which has killed about 10,000 Antarctic whales.


"Under pressure from all fronts, the Japanese whaling fleet is apparently withdrawing early this season from the internationally recognised sanctuary around Antarctica," said IFAW's global whales campaign director, Patrick Ramage.

"We hope this is a first sign of Japanese government decision makers recognising there is no future for whaling in the 21st century and that responsible whale watching, the only genuinely sustainable use of whales, is now the best way forward for a great nation like Japan," Mr Ramage said.

No immediate official confirmation was available from Japan. But the factory ship, Nisshin Maru, was today steaming towards Drake Passage, below South America, pursued by the Sea Shepherd group's vessel Bob Barker, having left its nominated whaling grounds 2000 nautical miles behind.

The Chilean government said it planned to use naval assets to monitor the approaching factory ship closely.

Chile has permanently banned whaling in its waters, and also forbids the transport of cetacean parts through them, but Nisshin Maru should be able to navigate Drake Passage without entering the Chilean exclusive economic zone.

The whereabouts of the fleet's three harpoon ships is unknown, but they have been unable to kill whales without the Nisshin Maru to process the the mammals.

A smaller whaling fleet came under sustained Sea Shepherd pressure from the delayed outset of its season this year, sharply reducing its capacity to catch a quota of up to 935 minke whales and 50 fins.

The activists located the fleet as soon as it reached the Antarctic, kept two of the three Japanese harpoon ships engaged for weeks, fouled the propellers of one, delayed a fleet refuelling operation and then sent Nisshin Maru on the run.

The whaling industry is also suffering at home in Japan, with revenue falling as whale meat sales plummet, and with key figures in the Fisheries Agency of Japan forced to apologise for running a black market in the meat.

Following the failure of International Whaling Commission peace talks, the main diplomatic game has shifted to Australia's International Court of Justice case against Japan, which is due to be laid out in full in May.

A joint statement by Prime Minister Julia Gillard and New Zealand Prime Minister John Key today reaffirmed their commitment to the case, and to the elimination of whaling in the Southern Ocean.   Smiley

Latin American members of the International Whaling Commission this week issued another joint statement urging Japan to stop scientific whaling in Antarctic waters and to respect sanctuaries for the species.
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imcrookonit
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Re: Japanese Whalers Flee The Hunting Area.
Reply #7 - Feb 16th, 2011 at 2:07pm
 
Yabba, Dabba, Do.  Lets hope the whalers don't come back next year.  Lets hope they finally have got the message.   Smiley
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