Whalers Fend Off Sea Shepherd with Hi-Tech Acoustic Weapons
Sea Shepherd, the controversial direct-action anti-whaling group featured on Animal Planet’s Whale Wars, is currently facing retaliation from the Japanese whaling ships in the form of what Sea Shepherd calls a “military grade weapon system that sends out mid to high frequency sound waves designed to disorient and possibly incapacitate personnel.”
If their description is accurate, the Japanese are acting out of accordance with international law by deploying military weapons in the Antarctic Treaty Zone. But breaking international law wouldn’t be anything new for the whalers, who by some interpretations should not even be in the Antarctic at all.
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Sea Shepherd found the Japanese whaling fleet for the second time this seaon earlier today. The group’s ship, called the Steve Irwin, had to return to dock for refueling and had not engaged with the Japanese in over a month.
“We are 7 miles from the fleet and approaching. We see the Nisshin Maru and two harpoon vessels the Yushin Maru #1 and the Yushin Maru #2,” said Captain Paul Watson earlier today. “They appear to be whaling and are not moving. If we don’t catch up with them before they begin to move, we are close enough now that we will not lose the Nisshin Maru.”
Sea Shepherd believes that three ships in the Japanese whaling fleet are equipped with Long Range Acoustical Devices (LRAD).
In adition to the acoustic attacks, Captain Paul Watson said that one Sea Shepherd crew member was injurred after being fired upon with a water cannon and that the Japanese had also been throwing solid lead weights into their inflatable boats, presumably in an attempt to sink them.
Photo Credit: Sea Shepherd
Sea Shepherd must lodge a criminal complaint with the World Court against the whalers for attempting to sink their activist with intent to murder judging from the sea and weather conditions that makes survival in the seas to be minimal.
Sea Shepherd must launch demonstrations/pickets at both the British and Japanese embassy for an indictment of the criminal complaint to be addressed and prosecuted in court.
Sea Shepherd must gather all evidence and videos/photographs of the injuries and make duplicate copies to be kept under lock/safe to avoid sabotage by any person/authority that can and will be used to destroy the evidence.
Gimmie a break!! I’m not pro-whaling by any means, in fact I don’t think whales should be hunted at all. That being said, these are the same idiots that sent two activists to jump on a Japanese whaler and once they illegally boarded the Japanese boat, sent press releases that the Japanese were holding the activists hostage. Their actions and out right lies makes me seriously doubt that Sea Shepard’s captain claims such as the one where he was shot in the chest by the Japanese but saved because he was wearing a bullet proof vest. Apparently the Japanese are great shots, I mean to fire a single shot from hundreds of yards, on moving ships, on open seas no less and hit their target right in the chest. Also does the captain always wear a bullet proof vest? If so why doesn’t the rest of the crew have bullet proof vest.
Lies and propaganda works against their cause which is a good one. Unfortunately, International laws allows the Japanese fleet’s activities. Seems like the best way to go about this is by trying to change that laws. Until that happens, as noble as the crew of the Sea Shepard thinks they are, they don’t have the law on their side and quite frankly they’re endangering human lives regardless of whether it makes for a good TV show.
“….the Japanese had also been THROWING solid lead weights INTO their inflatable boats”.
Wow! The Japanese must have some GREAT throwing arms!
hah, good point. shall we say “dropping” instead?
I can’t wait till the Japanese fleet actually sink those idiots. Then the rest of us sane persons will yell at top of our lungs, “Yea, another stupid activist dead!! WhooHooo.”
The Sea Shepherd extremists are like a nightmare relationship with a girl that constantly provokes, assaults and hits you … but if you finally fight back in defense, she is the “innocent little victim” and you’re the monster that just “randomly attacks innocent woman” because that’s how evil you are.
I found myself watching the discovery show regarding the group and their antics. While I really don’t see the need for whaling there are a couple million Indians that do not share my affinity for a good steak. They take people like me and push them to the side of the whalers. First mate Brown, I believe his name is, does nothing but talk about his willingness to die for the cause over and over again. Then , in the heat of “battle”, he breaks his thumb and and expects the whole ship to stop what they are doing to find him a doctor. I pray that this captain does not continue these actions, he is going to get one of these misled kids hurt or killed. The rag-tag group of stoners and misfits does not win in the end, unlike the movies. The captain went on the record as saying he “would like to put their mother ship on the bottom”. That would justify any and all defense measures for me if I were a Japanese Capt. Then he says he was shot in the chest but did not even feel it because of his flak jacket, come-on! Anyone who has been shot will tell you they still remember to this very day the moment of impact, even with a military grate thick jacket on. The sad part is that they are so blinded by the cause that they do not even think their lies through. Then, the Japanese vessel says that a crewman was injured by the glass bottles they were throwing, the captain dismisses this and say they saw all of the shots land….WTF! you should look at the tape before you make a that statement, it clearly shows bottles disappearing over the rail and onto the deck out of sight. When you lie you damage your credibility. I hope for the whales sake that their survival does not rest in these peoples hands. The biggest threat to the Sea shepards is themselves, the sea is unforgiving of any miscalculation or incompetence and that is all I saw on the several episodes I watched.
Captain Paul Wilson and 1st Mate Peter Brown are idiots. They endanger the lives of their foolishly misguided crew needlessly. Wilson almost sank his ship twice on one outing and Brown did sink a zodiak. I consider them to be pirates and would just as soon see the Japanese sink them. These idiots are a disgrace to the Steve Erwin name and any intelligent person. At least they have been exposed as the idiots that they are.
The good thing about the show is it served as a clear signal not to donate to their “mission”.
I saw that CRAP, boring series of the “Sea Shepherd” on TV. I hope that these PIRATES will sink by one day. This is done for publicity only and their illegal activities should be stop legally or by the force.
I can’t wait till the Japanese fleet actually sink those idiots. Then the rest of us sane persons will yell at top of our lungs, “Yea, another stupid activist dead!! WhooHooo.”
I agree with you a 100% the Japanese should take legal action against these idiots and if they do not learn, than shut them down. They do NOT have ANY Right to interrupt with Japanese activities.