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.”
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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.
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
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.”
hah, good point. shall we say “dropping” instead?
“….the Japanese had also been THROWING solid lead weights INTO their inflatable boats”.
Wow! The Japanese must have some GREAT throwing arms!
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.
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.