Japan. Whaling ship outlawed following Greenpeace action in Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary (Panama)

[Judi Lynn]

Source: BYM News

Japan. Whaling ship outlawed following Greenpeace action in Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary
Tuesday, 28 October 2008

The Oriental Bluebird, re-supply and transport ship of Japan's whaling fleet, has been de-flagged and fined, following a legal ruling by Panamanian authorities. Greenpeace is calling on Japan's government to uphold international law by mothballing the vessel and ending the annual hunt in the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary.

The Oriental Bluebird, used to refuel the Japanese whaling fleet in the Southern Ocean and to ship whale meat back to Japan, was fined the maximum penalty, after being ruled in violation of a number of domestic and international regulations by Panamanian authorities in a process that began in April 2008, relating to its permissible use, the safety of human life and the preservation of the marine environment (1).

This follows action by Greenpeace activists against the Oriental Bluebird in the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary in January 2008 (2) and a concerted campaign by environmental groups in Panama (3). The maximum fine of 10,000 Balboas (US$10,000) was imposed on the owners of the ship, Hiyo Shipping Co. Ltd, in Japan who on October 8th removed its Panamanian registration and flag.

"The Oriental Bluebird has now become an international pariah vessel, and its owners will be urgently looking for a new flag State which will condone its breaches of environmental treaties. It would make a mockery of international law if Japan continued to rely on the services of this vessel," said Sara Holden, Greenpeace International Whales Campaign coordinator. "We are delighted that Panama has found the vessel guilty. Japan must now do the same, not just by mothballing the Oriental Bluebird, but by retiring the entire whaling fleet. The international community has a responsibility to hold Japan to this."



Read more: http://www.bymnews.com/news/newsDetails.php?id=44907

[Judi Lynn]

1. Japanese whaling ship outlawed

Japanese whaling ship outlawed
28 October 2008

Panama — Yet another nail has been put in the coffin of Japan's dying whaling industry. We've managed to get the Oriental Bluebird, re-supply and transport ship of Japan’s whaling fleet, de-flagged and fined, following a legal ruling by Panamanian authorities. We are now calling on Japan to scrap the illegal vessel together with the rest of the whaling fleet.

The Oriental Bluebird, used to refuel the Japanese whaling fleet in the Southern Ocean and to ship whale meat back to Japan, was found to be in violation of a number of domestic and international regulations by Panamanian authorities. On October 8th it was fined the maximum penalty due to violations relating to its permissible use, the safety of human life and the preservation of the marine environment. In human speak, that means that the ship, which was only supposed to be refuelling the fleet (in one of the most fragile and pristine environments in the world) was not supposed to be transporting whale meat.

They should scrap the entire fleet - not just the fridge!

We're proud to chalk up this victory. Last year, we took action against this ship in the high seas to prevent the fleet from refuelling, and joined with other environmental groups in Panama to demand the vessel be de-flagged. We asked why a ship flagged by Panama was allowed to deliver whale meat to Japan, when Panama, as a party to the Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species, is specfically forbidden from any such trade. Panama asked a more basic question: why was it transporting whale meat at all when it only carried permits for refuelling?

More:
http://www.greenpeace.org/international/news/japanese-whaling-ship-outlawed281008

[GliderGuider]

26. If whaling ships are outlawed...

Pretty soon only outlaws will have whaling ships.

[Ferret Annica]

2. Good news, now sink it

and shoot any whalers that are treading water suirviving the sinking. Butchers. Turn around is fair play.

[comtec]

3. Don't SINK IT...

ONE.. it's bad for the ocean, all the crap that'll come out...
TWO.. it's a perfectly good ship, that can be bought by green peace... :)

[Indenturedebtor]

4. No what we should do is just make one area in the world legal for whaling

I propose the coast off of Somalia. :evil:

WTG Greenpeace!

[glitch]

14. I propose the State of Utah. nt

[Thothmes]

5. Lets me see if I understand you correctly

You are recommending the murder of these sailors. That is a very liberal and progressive solution to the problem. Just sink the ships and machine gun the survivors. That drew a prison term for a German Admiral in 1946.

[Nihil]

6. Just consider it "pre-emptive hunting" ...

... no chance of any come-back on that is there?!
:evilgrin:

[Ferret Annica]

7. I consider whales intelligent, and their slaughter criminal as any murder

The Japanese also murder thousands of dolphins every yea too. To do so and then to eat whale and dolphin meat is like the Nazis making lampshades out of Jewish skin.

The countries that ignore the bans on whaling need to see how some people view this, and I am deadly serious here. I would gladly pull the trigger on these bloody hands who kill the hottest blood in the ocean despite their too low numbers, and in spite of their high intelligence which rivals and in some cetacean species surpasses our own.

[Tarc]

8. There is no correlation between killing whales and killing people

Please stop lowering the collective IQ of the DU with this gibberish.

[glitch]

15. Your opinion would be more effective without the insults. IMO. nt

[Nihil]

16. Take a piece of your own advice.

If you left, the collective IQ of DU would benefit immensely
so don't be too quick to order others around.

[Tarc]

17. /yawn

Work on your trolling skills, kiddo.

[Nihil]

19. Seeing as how your sole "contribution" to the thread was unsolicited and pointless snark ...

I think it is obvious who is the troll around here. Kiddo.

[Ferret Annica]

22. I stoutly disagree with you, have an extensive background of knowledge of cetaceans,

And know many Sea Shepard people and have an application in to be crew on a Sea Shepard boat.

Stop being as banal and narrow minded as a FReeper. It is you who stink the place up chuckles, not me.

I don't give a damn whether you like my opinion or not, and it is going to be posted whether you agree with it or not.

And if you want to debate the issue concerning the debate on cetacean intelligence -- seeing how you think you know so all fired much about it, I'd love to dismantle you on the issue. I bet you know squat on the subject.

[Indenturedebtor]

24. Sure if you're starving to death it's a little better to eat the whales

But these aren't chickens we're talking about.. they're highly intelligent and loving mammals that some greedy sacks of shit are driving to extinction for a few extra bucks that they get from shallow sacks of human filth who want to feel special because they're eating an endangered species.

I wouldn't shed a single tear if someone bathed the lot of them in acid.

[Thothmes]

20. self deleted

[Thothmes]

21. Would you also recommend murdering

those folks that kill chimpanzees for food. Chimps are more intelligent than whales.

[Ferret Annica]

23. They are not as smart.

Look at the relative size of the brains of say Tursiops truncatus, the Atlantic bottle nosed dolphin for example. They have thirty percent more cortical surface area -- the thinking part of the neocortex -- then humans, larger brains overall, and there are overwhelming evidence in studies that show them to be competitive with us for overall intelligence and mental ability.

As I just told the snarky one whop insulted, I know this well enough to cite many things that we can fill a thread on should you also wish to get educated on this topic. This species has a language, they speak and hear at different ranges then us, and primarily hear in water and us in air.

An interface language is quite possible to fully develop and if we don't extinct this and other species, it will be someday now computer science and technology overall have developed to the point of being able to provide the tools to create this.

I am a student of John Cunningham Lilly, the man who's studies provided the definitive understanding of many aspects of the brains of whales and dolphins.

It is humans generally who are the limiting factor in understanding how smart and well developed culturally cetaceans are. We are a specio-centric species way to big for our britches.

I don't enjoy wanting to war with the Japanese over this, but they have indicated there is no other choice. To that I say, fine. Have it that way then.

P.S. Humans are a species of chimp. We are animals, primates, and we are anything BUT the pinnacle of creation.

[lonestarnot]

9. woohoo Greenpeace!

K & R

[The Backlash Cometh]

10. Way to go Panama.

[Barrett808]

11. Now, if we could get the Nisshin Maru de-flagged... n/t

[Barrett808]

12. Don't forget: Whale Wars on Animal Planet starts Nov. 7th:

Next Friday!

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

[Kolesar]

13. I am amazed that corporate-television would carry this message

...in a multipart series no less. Sea Shepherd crosses the line to go beyond "nonviolent resistance". I wonder who the sponsors are.

I'll bet the video on the sea in the Southern Ocean will be stunning.

[LeftyMom]

18. It is.

I saw about ten minutes of footage from the show at a Q&A Paul Watson did back in August. The first thing that struck me about the whole thing is that the video is VERY high quality, and the backdrop of the Southern Ocean is definitely dramatic.

[Judi Lynn]

25. Wow! Had no idea this was coming. Thank you so much. n/t

[superduperfarleft]

27. Hopefully the people that are outraged by this

will expand their circle of compassion to ALL animals (cows, chickens, pigs, etc.), as opposed to whichever species is the Cuddly Critter of the Week.

[GliderGuider]

28. Absolutely! Here's the position that pulls it all together:

The Eight Principles of Deep Ecology

1. The well-being and flourishing of human and non-human life on Earth have value in themselves. These values are independent of the usefulness of the non-human world for human purposes.

2. Richness and diversity of life forms contribute to the realization of these values and are also values in themselves.

3. Humans have no right to reduce this richness and diversity except to satisfy vital needs.

4. The flourishing of human life and cultures is compatible with a substantial decrease of the human population. The flourishing of non-human life requires such a decrease.

5. Present human interference with the non-human world is excessive, and the situation is rapidly worsening.

6. Policies must therefore be changed. The changes in policies affect basic economic, technological, and ideological structures. The resulting state of affairs will be deeply different from the present.

7. The ideological change is mainly that of appreciating quality (dwelling in situations of inherent worth) rather than adhering to an increasingly higher standard of living. There will be a profound awareness of the difference between big and great.

8. Those who subscribe to the foregoing points have an obligation directly or indirectly to participate in the attempt to implement the necessary changes.