SOUNDING OFF

Activists on-board the Sea Shepherd conservation vessel, the Steve Irwin, are now returning after 27 days spent in hot (or maybe icy cold) pursuit of a Japanese whaling fleet south-east of Hobart. Braving heavy fog, loose ice and high winds they took advantage of a lucky break in the ice to track down the Nisshin Maru and harpoon vessels Yushin Maru numbers 1 and 2 in the middle of the Ross Sea. After nearly a month trying to avoid the activists, the whalers eventually decided to continue their sick mission despite the presence of the Sea Shepherd. The activists bravely fought the vessels to the end, using their ship to block the three vessels from hauling the harpooned animals aboard. They have now decided to trade their boat in for a bigger ship to take on the Japanese harpoon boats.

As the whalers are unable to do any harpooning whilst being chased, they have been desperately trying to shake their activist tail. So far they have used water cannons, concussion grenades, and have been throwing solid brass and lead balls at Sea Shepherd crew members. They have also threatened them with long range acoustic devices – military class weapons which cause serious disorientation, confusion, vomiting and permanent or temporary deafness. It’s illegal to use military weapons in the demilitarized Antarctic Treaty Zone, but then, technically so is killing whales for research and then selling their carcasses for meat.

With around 300 whales killed so far this year, down from 600 at this time last season, the aim is to stop the whalers bagging the 1000 whales they aim to kill under the legal loophole which permits ‘lethal research’ on marine animals (see SchNEWS 661).