Japan Abandons Antarctic Whale Hunt After Sea Shepherd Protests
Feb. 18 (Bloomberg) -- Japan ended its annual whale hunt in Antarctica early following clashes between its fleet and protesters, Agriculture Minister Michihiko Kano said.
The government made the decision “to secure the safety of ships and their crew,” Kano said in a press briefing on NHK Television. Tatsuya Nakaoku, an official at Japan’s Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, said Sea Shepherd Conservation Society boats had chased the whaling ships and disrupted the hunt.
http://www.businessweek.com/news/2011-02-18/japan-abandons-antarctic-whale-hunt-after-sea-shepherd-protests.html“This is a great victory for the whales,” said Captain Watson, “but we did not do this alone. Without the support of the people of Australia and New Zealand, we would not have been able to send voyages out for seven seasons from Australian and New Zealand ports. We are grateful to Senator Bob Brown and the Australian Greens Party. We are very grateful to Mr. Bob Barker for giving us the ship that turned the tide in our efforts to force the Japanese fleet from these waters. We are grateful to all our onshore staff and volunteers, supporting members and ship crews. We are grateful to the Chilean Navy and the government of France for their support. It is a very happy day for people everywhere who love whales and our oceans.”
It’s official – the killing of whales in the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary is over for this season and the whalers did not even take 10% of their quota. Sea Shepherd estimates that over 900 whales have been saved this year.
http://www.seashepherd.org/news-and-media/news-110217-1.html
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