Sea Shepherd Drives Japanese Whalers Out of Australia's Waters

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Sea Shepherd News

 

 

Saturday, December 27, 2008

 

 

Sea Shepherd Drives Japanese Whalers Out of Australia's Waters

The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society's ship Steve Irwin has driven the Japanese

whaling fleet out of the Australian Economic Exclusion Zone.

" We have chased the whalers for over 800 miles since last Saturday through bad

weather and heavy ice conditions, " said Captain Paul Watson. " They have fled

eastward and they are continuing eastward and we are on their tail and we will

keep on their tail. "

Since finding the Japanese whaling fleet on December 20th, the Steve Irwin has

had close encounters with the harpoon vessel Yushin Maru #2 and the spotting

vessel Kaiko Maru and has observed and tracked the Nisshin Maru from the air.

The Steve Irwin has not been able to close with the main body of the fleet

because they keep moving eastward. They have not been whaling since Sea Shepherd

located them and they are not whaling now. They continue to flee.

The good news is that they are no longer whaling in Australian waters and they

only managed to hunt in the waters of the Australian Antarctic Territory for

about a week before being forced to flee the Australian EEZ.

They are now in the waters of the Ross Dependency and the Steve Irwin is in

pursuit.

" What is now good news for the whales in Australian waters is now bad news for

the whales in the waters south of New Zealand, " said Captain Watson. " They are

still targeting endangered and protected whales in the waters of an established

international whale sanctuary and thus they are still in violation of

international conservation law and acting under the principles of the United

Nations World Charter for Nature, we will continue to pursue, harass and

intervene against their blatantly illegal lethal assaults on the whales. " The Sea

Shepherd Conservation Society's ship Steve Irwin has fuel and provisions to

chase the whalers well into the middle of January before having to return to New

Zealand to refuel. If forced to return to refuel, the Steve Irwin will do so and

then will immediately return to the whaling area to continue to pursue, harass

and intervene against illegal Japanese whaling activities. "

The Steve Irwin has a crew of 40 international volunteers plus an Animal Planet

film crew onboard producing the 2nd year of the series Whale Wars.

Last year the Sea Shepherd crew pursued the Japanese whaling fleet from early

December until mid-March. That intervention cost the whalers over $70 million in

lost profits and saved almost 500 whales.

 

http://www.seashepherd.org/news- and-media/ news-081227- 1.html

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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