Whale battle underway

[denem]

Source: stuff.co.nz

Anti-whaling campaigners the Sea Shepherd have clashed with a Japanese ship in the Southern Ocean...

Sea Shepherd's Steve Irwin ship, which left Australia earlier this month to disrupt whaling in the Southern Ocean, has had a Japanese security ship Shonan Maru No 2 tracking it for nine days.

In a statement Sea Shepherd said it entered French Antarctic territorial waters at Dumont D'Urville in an attempt to lose Shonan Maru. The Japanese entered too.

Last evening the Steve Irwin helicopter flew back to film the Shonan Maru No. 2.

In response, the crew of the Japanese ship activated their Long Range Acoustical Device (LRAD) at the Sea Shepherd helicopter. LRAD is a military class weapon.


Read more: http://www.stuff.co.nz/world/australia/3174779/Whale-battle-underway

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'Security ship'? Read light warship. An emergency protest has been lodged with the French.

[Goldstein1984]

1. The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society

is a worthy cause if you are looking for another one to support.

They fight the good fight, and be happy to see them become more aggressive.

Japan's bogus research is nothing but a sham to keep an anachronistic and barbaric practice alive.

The annual dolphin slaughter in Taiji, Japan is another example of how corporate interests rule Japan as much as they do the U.S.

[harmonicon]

2. having opened this based on headline alone...

I am a little disappointed that it doesn't involve Whales wearing special lazer cannons fighting on the high seas.

[denem]

3. The Steve Irvin are using Lazer Cannon

to counter enemy fire. The Japanese are using water cannon in an apparent attempt to sink or disable the ship.

[Kolesar]

6. Is that too much to ask for people??? eom

[Devil_Fish]

4. Godspeed Capt. Wattson. This action by the Japanese is an act of war. NT

[Kolesar]

5. Shonan Maru is a warship. They tried to kill the Sea Shepherd's helicopter pilot

...by aiming the sonic LRAD at him in the air.

[denem]

7. In French Territorial Waters

not good at all.

[denem]

8. The Japanese are using water cannon on the Steve Irwin

What will they do if they sink it? The stakes are getting higher.

[The Stranger]

9. Hope the Japanese ship sinks.

And her captain's bones rest on the bottom of the sea.

[Kolesar]

10. Whalers, activists play out a dangerous game

http://www.theage.com.au/environment/whalers-activists-play-out-a-dangerous-game-20091218-l5vb.html?autostart=1

Captain Watson said ''We trailed a line from the stern, they had to back off, and we were able to get the helicopter into its hangar without damage.''

An ICR statement said a high-powered green laser device was shot at their ship from the Steve Irwin, and condemned Sea Shepherd's ''dangerous and violent acts''.

Captain Watson said the Photonic Disruptor, which its makers describe as a tactical laser, was meant to deter the Shonan Maru No.2 from getting too close.

A second Sea Shepherd ship, Ady Gil, remains in Hobart, where its skipper, Pete Bethune, said he was awaiting New Zealand Government clearance to go to the Antarctic.

Last night the Steve Irwin took refuge at the French Antarctic base of Dumont D'Urville, due south of Hobart, where the activists sought aid from the French Government, Captain Watson said. The Shonan Maru No.2 stood offshore.

[GliderGuider]

11. Once more unto the breach, dear friends

I think the bard might have put it like this:

Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more;
Or close the wall up with our whaling dead.
In death there's nothing so becomes a fish
As modest stillness and humility:

I see them stand like wolves upon the slipway,
Straining upon the ropes. The game's afoot:
Follow your spirit, and upon this charge
Cry 'God for Humpbacks, England, and Saint George!'

Godspeed, Captain Watson, Godspeed.

[Kolesar]

12. Japanese whaling ship 'aggressively' tracking Sea Shepherd anti whaling ship

http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/japan-whaling629.html#cr

18/12/2009 11:44:18
The Shonan Maru No 2 in pursuit of the MY Steve Irwin. The Helicopter crew races to take down their blades and secure the helicopter for storage before the Shonan Maru No 2 gets closer. Photo credit: Michael Williams/Sea Shepherd
Steve Irwin being targeted by Japanese whalers

December 2009. Southern Ocean- Sea Shepherd’s ship Steve Irwin is ten days at sea after departing Fremantle, Australia, and has had a Japanese tail ship for nine of those days, the Shonan Maru No. 2. This Japanese security ship is reporting the Steve Irwin’s location, preventing them from closing in on the whaling fleet.

Sea Shepherd entered French Antarctic territorial waters after receiving permission from the French Base at Dumont D’Urville in an attempt to lose the tail ship. The Shonan Maru No. 2 followed the Steve Irwin into French waters without permission in pursuit. The French Base confirms that the Japanese ship neither requested nor received permission to enter French waters.
...more...

[Kolesar]

13. Let Your Voice Be Heard

http://animal.discovery.com/tv/whale-wars/voice/

Everyone has an opinion about the issues — and a voice. Want yours to be heard by the right people? Here's how:

Write a letter, send an e-mail or place a phone call to one or more of the following representatives and non-profit organizations. State what's on your mind. If you're expressing an opinion, use facts to back it up. And remember, stay calm and courteous, as this increases your chances of being heard.

Please note that this list is for informational purposes only. Animal Planet does not necessarily endorse the organizations listed.

...long list...

I wrote the the Japanese Prime Minister today

http://www.kantei.go.jp/foreign/forms/comment.html

[time_has_come]

14. Unfortunate that we can't believe anything Sea Shepherd tells us...

...sure, the Japanese are lying through their teeth. Research? Please.

That just makes it more of a tragedy that "Captain" Watson long ago decided dishonesty in his spin was acceptable.

Anyone see that recent video? The one that prompted Sea Shepherd to loudly cry that the Japanese had rammed them? The one that clearly shows the truth as the other way around?

I don't know what's going on with Sea Shepherd anymore. I think its leadership is dubious, at best.