Update: Sea Shepherd Now has a Real Whale War on Their Hands
Image Source: Flickr
It has already been a week since the bow of the Ady Gil was destroyed and tension between the Sea Shepherd crew and Japanese whalers is still high; some would even say they’ve escalated since the incident.
The Sea Shepherd crew sent their helicopter out on Thursday to search for one of the main Japanese whaling ships in an attempt to make the whalers give up their hunting. Unfortunately, the attempt did not work. While actions continue to escalate between the conservationists and whalers, nations are still trying to figure what exactly to do about the attack on the Ady Gil.
Right now, the Sea Shepherd crew and Japanese whalers are somewhere in the Antarctic sea. At least several different nations lay claim to regions of the Antarctic sea, and since there are no actual sea police or boundaries established in the area, it can be difficult to determine whose jurisdiction the incident would fall under. At the very least, Australia and New Zealand are both conducting investigations into the crash; most likely because they are also the closest countries to where it happened.
Professor Don Rothwell, of international law at the Australian National University, explained that:
“There is very little ability for a sort of police force to just turn up on the scene to separate the two sides” … “Sea Shepherd is using very strong language, talking about a war with the Japanese. Increasingly, the Japanese have become more aggressive in their responses—we can expect that there will be more clashes.”
Along with escalating attacks, there is also much finger pointing at work. Sea Shepherd claims the Ady Gil was idle when the Shonan Maru No. 2 deliberately rammed it. Japan claims the Ady Gil was moving toward their ship and a miscalculation on their [the Ady Gil’s] part caused the collision. Both sides also captured video footage, but none of the footage seems to completely verify either of their claims.
There is the option that the Sea Shepherd crew could file a lawsuit against the Shonan Maru No. 2’s ship master for negligence in the crash. Unfortunately, the Japanese could press a counterattack against the Ady Gil by charging them with terrorism at sea for attempting to sabotage their propellers and rudder with rope.
Japanese Foreign Ministry spokesman, Yasuhisa Kawamura, claimed that “the series of sabotage acts by the Sea Shepherd were very dangerous and risked the life and safety of the Japanese crew members”. Now, this is very interesting, considering that:
- The Japanese ship was the one that did the ramming and damaged the Ady Gil.
- They are conducting their whale hunts in a protected area.
That’s right: Japan kills more than a thousand whales per year under the guise of “scientific research” in an area that has been dubbed as a sanctuary for whales. All types of commercial whaling were banned from the Southern Ocean Sanctuary by the IWC (International Whaling Commission). The only reason Japan has gotten away with their whaling is simply because they hold permission from the ICR for scientific research, yet there is no evidence of any research ever being conducted on the whales they’ve killed in the Sanctuary.
Captain Paul Watson of the Sea Shepherd crew has absolutely no intention of backing down or stopping the fight now, making his position perfectly clear, stating:
“We now have a real whale war on our hands.”
If you’re wondering about the current state of the Ady Gil, I’m sad to report that the vessel has been lost to Davy Jones’s Locker—in other words, it is likely to be declared a sunken ship. The crew attempted to tow it to a nearby French science base for salvaging or repairs. Unfortunately, the lines snapped and the Ady Gil became quickly submerged in the sea. They have been working hard to make sure that there is no pollution or debris left behind from the ship and will resume their defense of the whales soon.
Currently, the Sea Shepherd crew has 3 main ships: Steve Irwin, Ady Gil, and the recently added Bob Barker. All 3 of these are named after famous people who have either done a great deal to help the environment or those who have made generous donations to the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society. I’ll bet you didn’t know they have quite a lot of support from a good number of Hollywood a-listers, did you? Other well-known celebrities that have made their support of Sea Shepherd clear include: Mick Jagger, Christian Bale, Kelly Slater, Martin Sheen, Daryl Hannah, Sean Penn, Brigitte Bardot, Edward Norton and Pierce Brosnan.
One species of whale that the Japanese have repeatedly hunted in the Southern Ocean Sanctuary is the Fin Whale. Fin Whales are an endangered species, with only a couple thousand left (if that) in the Antarctic region and their biggest nemesis being humans. They are also the second largest living mammal, next to the blue whale. Check out the following sites to find out how you can help Sea Shepherd put a stop to whaling, or how you can help the Fin Whale.
Sea Shepherd Conservation Society
Adopt a Fin Whale (College of the Atlantic)
IFAW’s Fin Whale Page
WWF’s Fin Whale Page
WhaleSightings.com
By Heidi Marshall
I have been with GreenFudge for about a year now, but I've had a passion for Nature my entire life. When I'm not writing articles, you can find me out hiking, gardening, working on green craft projects, or taking photos for my website. You can check out the site at http://arkisaeo.com
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Tags: Ady Gil, Antarctic, crash, dispute, fin whale, Japanese Whaling, Nature, ramming, Sea Shepherd, Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, Shonan Maru, sinking ship, Southern Ocean Sanctuary, Whale Wars
Is Paul Watson in it for the money. It sounds like he does not stop them from killing any whales and the Japanese seem to get there quota every year.
Forgive my mistake. I intended to say hundreds of whales each year, thousands over the years.
We need to always keep in mind that this is a battle against poachers who are breaking
the law, not against the people of Japan. I watched “The Cove,” and was shocked to learn
about the slaughter of dolphins in Japan. As the movie shows, the people who live in that
city, and probably most Japanese people, had no idea that this dolphin slaughter was
going on, just like me, and just as many people in my country have no idea of what US
corporations are involved in.
I remember thinking, tell the mothers of Japan that these dolphin killers are feeding
their children meat tainted by mercury. That will stir things up fast. I have always heard
that Japanese mothers are among the most devoted mothers of the world. The quick
banning of dolphin meat being forced on the school children of Japan certainly proved
that this is the case.
Sadly, the dolphin killing has yet to be banned, although as the Japanese people learn
about what is going on, they are clearly opposed to this dolphin slaughter. I believe that,
if the Japanese people knew the reality of whale hunting, and that the poachers are
obviously killing far more whales than any reasonable person could claim is in the
name of scientific research, they will work to put an end to the poaching.
Japanese people are extremely intelligent, and will understand that this is nothing but a
money making enterprise. Who honestly could believes scientific research requires
the agonizing deaths of thousands of whales each year. Especially when the poachers
can be seen canning and packing the whale meat for sale right on board the mother
ship?
I have always been told the Japanese are an honorable people, and so I sincerely
believe that, once told the facts, they will put an end to greedy poachers, who clearly do
not care that their actions are harming Japan’s reputation worldwide. Why should the
average Japanese people support this, when they profit nothing from it?
Again, I have great respect for the people of Japan and do not want to see the war
against poaching take on a racist tone. It is just unfair to blame the people of Japan.
America has it’s share of corrupt corporations, as do most nations.
I hope all Japanese people who oppose the poaching of whales will work to educate
their fellow Japanese and stop the rich corporations from poaching whales for profit,
just as they stopped the use of dolphin meat in school cafeterias. The people of Japan
can put an end to this very quickly if they choose. I believe they will make the right
choice here.
Thanks for posting the link and sharing the information.
I suppose I should make it clear to anyone else who may read this: Not all Japanese support or like the idea of whaling (as you can see by the previous comment). The actions of a few (whalers) do not represent the feelings of many (Japanese in general).
Keep that in mind if any of you feel the need to lash out or protest this issue, and be sure to direct it to the proper source: the whalers, not all of Japan.
Sea Shepherd Conservation Society was introduced by the Japanses blog.
http://blog.livedoor.jp/dqnplus/archives/1374451.html
I don’t eat whale meat.
Japan should stop whaling.
Thanks
I certainly hope something is done, too. I know they are investigating the situation. Greenpeace has been attempting to talk their way through the Japanese government for years on the issue, and they aren’t too happy with the Sea Shepherd’s actions, which is quite interesting, considering that Captain Paul Watson was one of the early/founding members of the organization.
At any rate, regardless of whether the Ady Gil was moving or not, there is still evidence in both videos that the Shonan Maru was turning towards their ship, that the Shonan Maru crashed into (and by looking from Sea Shepherd’s video, completely ran over and submerged) the ship, and caused unrepairable damage to the ship. For those things alone, Sea Shepherd should be compensated and action should be taken against Japan.
I really hope that this violent disregard for the safety of campaigners aboard the Ady Gil is enough to finally urge the Australian government to take some real action against the illegal whaling. The Japanese have been allowed to get away with this for far too long. Great article.