The Japan Whaling Association (JWA) today called on the Australian and New Zealand governments to close their ports to a Dutch vessel committing criminal acts in the Antarctic.
The President of the JWA, Mr Keiichi Nakajima, said the Dutch vessel committing terror on the Antarctic high seas is running low on fuel and is apparently heading to either New Zealand or Australia to refuel.
“The request for port entry from the Sea Shepherd-Animal Planet crew on board the Dutch vessel must be rejected,” he said, “otherwise these countries will be complicit in any further attacks.”
“We know there are different views on whaling around the world. But the actions of the Sea Shepherd crew committing violence under the Dutch flag are no longer a whaling issue, but an issue of human life and safety at sea.”
“We can never accept people resorting to violence and intimidation to get across their point,” Mr Nakajima said.
“This ship proudly says it is from the Netherlands. They display the Rotterdam home port on the stern of the Steve Irwin. The Sea Shepherd-Animal Planet crew aboard the Dutch vessel has no qualms about using the Dutch registry to facilitate their eco-terrorism at sea.”
Last season, this Dutch vessel tried to disable the propellers of Japan’s research vessels. If they were successful, the vessel would become a “dead ship”, and would be in danger of overturning in rough seas. The Dutch maritime and legal authorities must live up to their international obligations to maintain safety at sea.
“The Sea Shepherd terror acts are far beyond mere protest.”
“The International Whaling Commission has unanimously condemned the actions by the Sea Shepherd-Animal Planet crew and Australia and New Zealand put their names to the statement. To secure safety at sea for all, we urge both governments to reject Sea Shepherd’s request to berth in Australia or New Zealand,” Mr Nakajima said.
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This is a media release from the JWA .
Photograph via the Institute of Cetacean Research, Tokyo.
See blog post of December 27 on the activities of the Steve Irwin in the Southern Ocean here: http://jennifermarohasy.com/blog/2008/12/%e2%80%98steve-irwin%e2%80%99-attacks-japanese-whalers/
Jennifer Marohasy BSc PhD is a critical thinker with expertise in the scientific method.
“If they were successful, the vessel would become a “dead ship”, and would be in danger of overturning in rough seas.”
Unfortunately if they run out of fuel they will also be a “dead ship”. Damned if we do, damned if we don’t.
BTW – I don’t condone their actions.
Might become another case of the”Flying Dutchman”, forever doomed to sail the seas……..
Aside from that muse, the Steve Irwin is engaged in violence – and this whatever moral position its owners and users believe they have, is forever gone by the use of violence to achieve a political end.
Some caustic Dutch descriptions of these clowns come to mind but intemperate language, even in Dutch, would be quite uncivil if posted here.
Listen up. Sea Shepherd has done nothing violent. No terror. The only ones committing violence, terrorist behavior and causing agonal deaths by murder is the goddamn Japanese. They are illegally whaling in a sanctuary, in violation of the UN Charter for Nature, in violation of an Australian decree that they cannot even be IN the southern sanctuary, and in violation of the IWC moratorium on commercial whaling. The IWC has no police force. Australia’s current government got themselves voted in because they promised to stop the Japanese from whaling. What have they done? NOTHING. They would not let Sea Shepherd take bullet proof vests with them, out there, alone with the murders. Why? They didn’t want to offend the Japanese.
In 31 years Sea Shepherd has never hurt a person or animal. Who’s really the terrorist?
I would love to see the Cetacean Death Star sink to the bottom of the ocean where it belongs. This is the 21st century and there is no reason to whale. The guise of ‘research’ is so blatantly lame that if it wasn’t such a offensive, outright, fabricated, insulting lie, it would be hysterical.
Out of billions of people on this planet, only 40 are on the seas trying to protect the Great Whales. Paul Watson is making a difference. I only wish that he could have refueled at sea. Whales are going to suffer, choke on their own blood and be pulled by the killer ships to see if they can drown them.
There is no humane way to kill a whale at sea. Sir David Attenborough
Whales are sentient, they are warm blooded, they bear live young, they nurse their young, they maintain family groups, they breathe air… they have syntax in their songs… that’s language. They have feelings, projections, compassion, fairness, and a host of other characteristics just like the human animal.
They should never suffer at the hands of evil men again. Not Japan, Norway, Iceland, St. Vincent and the Grenadines (who have no indigenous population, but have a quota and are know to be the most brutal whalers on earth) the Makah, or anyone else.
Why not kill criminals and eat them instead? They serve no purpose, have committed heinous crimes, take up space and cost money.
I always admired Steve Irwin. I thought he did as much as anyone for endangered species.
I couldn’t see him being involved in anything like this. I can’t, he used publicity in positive ways.
But here is the rub for everyone both sides are research vessels. None are innocent
You either support whaling or you don’t. I don’t because it’s not cultural for me. We have discussed culture issues ad nauseum on this blog. I don’t think the Japanese would starve without the whales and good aussie bred Jap Ox would be better for them.
Steve Irwin would have been too busy actually making positive achievements. Might be why Bob moved out, don’t know.
Steve would have gone to Japan to educate and amuse.
Leave the dutch out of it, every ship has a home port.
Anyway it’s summer, we have cricket, flies and green peace making pests out ofn themsleves in the southern ocean. Yawn it’s gettin boring, what is it about the southern ocean that visitors got to go and get into trouble.
Heres an idea, next year the Sea shepherd and the Japanese whaling fleet can play in the winter and the 30 foot swell.
Um… Interesting post there Im…. Judging by it, I suspect you are completely brainwashed by environmentalist propaganda.
So, some home truths for you mate.
Whales are animals, just like Cows are animals. Cows display all the traits you trotted out for whales, except they moo…. Birds have structure to their songs too, doesn’t stop me from eating chicken though….. You may think Whales are sacred… Hindus think Cows are sacred…. However whales and cows are food and are eaten.
There is nothing wrong with eating meat. Humans are meant to eat meat. There is nothing wrong with taking Minke whales in a managed fishery in order to obtain whale meat and other products, just as there is nothing wrong in harvesting any other fishery sustainably….
On the subject of evil…. what you are implying is evil, advocating violence against people in order to protect animals. That is genuine evil…. anti human.
I have never forgiven Environmentalists after watching a documentary which had a group of park rangers, grouped around, examining the body of an African poacher that they had just hunted down and shot, because he was “poaching” Elephants on a game reserve….. Specially after I had previously watched another documentary that showed the damage Elephants caused to crops and how dangerous they could be for villagers on the outskirts of these reserves.
Reminded me of the stories of the European Kings of old and how they would hang any who poached deer on their private game reserves….. The elite always have some justification to oppress others.
Somehow I doubt the Japanese will be as powerless and defenceless as that poor African was…. The “Steve Irwin” had better watch out. Protecting Humans from extremist aggression at sea is wholly justifiable.
Sea Shepherd does not take violent action, never has and never will. They have on board rancid butter which they throw by hand onto the Japanese Whaling Ships. The whaling ships are armed with granade harpoons, machine guns and explosive devices with shrapnell in which they use on the unarmed vessell the Steve Irwin.
Yes, Sea Shepherd has rammed and sunk ships with no loss of life on either side. Countries should be honoured to have them in their port. If Ireland was closer I would make sure my government treated them as the Kings they are.
Susan Anthony
“Whales are sentient, they are warm blooded, they bear live young, they nurse their young, they maintain family groups, they breathe air… they have syntax in their songs… that’s language. They have feelings, projections, compassion, fairness, and a host of other characteristics just like the human animal.”
And they taste very good as well, especially grilled.
Re IM’s comment(s).
It seems to me that you betray your real interests – namely that using any animal for food is wrong.
I say that because, as pointed out by others above, all of the things you mention about whales – that they “have feelings, projections, compassion, fairness, and a host of other characteristics just like the human animal”… apply to other animals. Very many have each and every one of these characteristics. All have at least some of them.
It follows that your treatment of whales as special (i.e. not to be eaten etc) is inconsistent with your argument. If they ought to be treated as special because they exhibit certain characteristics, then why not treat all animals which possess those characteristics as special also. It seems to follow from what you have told us, that you would stop us from eating other animals as well.
That is a point of view that I disagree with, but nevertheless it is a view which some people sincerely hold. If that is what you think then why not say so?
If it is not what you think, then precisely how do you reserve special treatment for some and not others? Are some species simply more special than others?
Of course, there is much that is troubling about the way in which whales (and other animals) are actually killed. But that is a separate argument. I only observe that to call the killing of an animal ‘murder’ is to turn a whole raft of criminal law on it’s head. That’s ok too – provided that you give reasons as to why we might want to change concepts of law which have been developed across many cultures over thousands of years.
Oh, and by the way, have you ever killed a carrot?
“If Ireland was closer I would make sure my government”
Say no more!
Thank you supporters of Sea Shepherd on this blog. You saved me writing a lot of what needed to be said. Namely, the Sea Shepherd does not commit “violence” against people. It targets property, property that is used to hunt an animal that is protected under a moratorium, for crying out loud. I could not support Sea Shepherd if they were aiming to hurt people, but I frankly hope they sink every damn whaling vessel in the world.
Next, all animals are sacred, I agree. Cows included. And the way we farm animals is another fight worth fighting. However, on the subject of whales, here’s the big difference — their populations are down to the last 1 to 3%, with several species either extinct or on the verge on extinction. The same is true of many other marine species. In fact (and I mean FACT — do your research), we have harvested and hunted so much of the ocean’s bounty that a mere 10% is left of what existed just 100 years ago.
Get this, people — the oceans are on the brink of collapse. They will die in our lifetimes if we don’t fight against our own greed and unsustainable practices. They need a chance to recover desperately. Since it doesn’t look like common sense will prevail, thank god there’s a group like the Sea Shepherd to at least try to do something about it.
Better to die on your feet than to keep your heads stuck in the sand.
“Next, all animals are sacred, I agree. Cows included.”
Jabba will think of you tonight as he cuts himself a fat beef steak for the barbecue, and prepares to assassinate the potatoes and vegetables with boiling water.
Susan said (inter alia) –
“I frankly hope they sink every damn whaling vessel in the world” and, “it targets property”.
You make the point that because the whalers are doing something with which you disagree, it is OK for the Steve Irwin to target property.
I will leave aside the obvious point that anyone who attacks another vessel at sea by way of collision etc etc by definition puts lives at risk and so is in fact attacking people.
I am more interested in the notion that “…all animals are sacred”…
Does that mean that we should not engage in programs to wipe out malaria by destroying the mosquito vector? Do we let the ants go to it when they invade the cupboards looking for the sugar etc etc? Do you mean (please say it straight out if you do) that we should not eat animals? No chicken dinners? No steak sandwiches? No oysters natural with a touch of lemon and pepper? No fire-baked kangaroo? No witchety grubs? No fish?
And should we let the Crown of Thorns Starfish devour the reef? No insect repellant? Leave the fruit fly to get on with the job of infesting our fruit crops? Leave the locusts alone to strip bare the crops and fields and parks and gardens?
And if animals are sacred, why not vegetables? and bananas? and pineapples?
I take your point in relation to overhunting of whales…continuing to hunt an animal until it is extinct is a peculiarly arrogant manifestation of human behaviour. Unbelievably stupid!
But the argument in relation to extinction probably does not apply to Minke whales, and perhaps some others. But I suspect that you would be against all whale hunting whatever the numbers?
But I don’t think that a crime should be met with another crime. The proper way to deal with any illegal activity is to pursue it in the courts. The Australian Government keeps making noises about doing so (sending a ship to ‘gather evidence’ against Japanese whaling, and so on), but absolutely nothing has yet come of it in spite of grandiloquent posturing before the election just a year ago. The correct course of action is to pursue the politicians unrelentingly and require them to make good on their election promises.
The law protects us all. Just because I think differently to you does not entitle me to force the issue against you. I might be wrong. Or, again, you could force your issue against me. That way leads directly to anarchy. If you want the Japanese and other whalers to be subject to the law, then you must demonstrate that you also are subject to the law.
And if the laws are no good? Well again, pursue the politicians unrelentingly until the proper laws are passed.
Sea Shepherd has always been open about the tactics it uses, so to now defend it as non violent, appears to defeat such tactics. A classic case of “readers making up facts and figures when they need to, and to deliver them confidently as advised by Paul Watson in his book “Earthforce!”.
Perhaps we could learn from Greenpeace, http://www.greenpeace.org/usa/news/paul-watson-sea-shepherd-and that lists the following actions by Sea Shepherd:
in 1986, Sea Shepherd carried out an action against the Icelandic whaling station in Hvalfjoerdur and sank two Icelandic whaling vessels in Reykjavik harbor by opening their sea valves;
in December 1992, Sea Shepherd sank the vessel Nybroena in port;
Sea Shepherd claimed to have sank the Taiwanese drift net ship Jiang Hai in port in Taiwan and to have rammed and disabled four other Asian drift net ships;
a Canadian court ordered Watson and his former ship, the Cleveland Armory, to pay a total of $35,000 for ramming a Cuban fishing vessel off the coast of Newfoundland in June 1993;
in January 1994 the group severely damaged the whaling ship Senet in the Norwegian port of Gressvik.
the sooner that the japanese just ram him back and sink his ship the better.
plain and simple paul watson is a nutcase and a criminal and a pirate.
to say he isn’t any of things is not only being disingenious but also ignores watsons own comments.
when the farley mowat was boarded and seized by canada, watson claimed that the canadian authorities unauthorized boarding of the vessel was an act of piracy. yet, his crew does the exact same thing last year in the southern ocean. two of his crew boarded the japanese ship in order to plant gps tracking devices. they were caught and held on board the japanese vessel.
in 2002 watson attempted to run over a small 13 ft. fishing boat with the farley mowat in costa rica. he was charged with attempted murder. he posted bail and fled the charges. this despite his claim that “Going to jail is simply the price of doing business as an activist,”. afraid to face the music is my only conclusion.
watson also is part of a group called “heart of wood” and claims to have invented tree spiking. this has resulted in serious injuries to loggers felling trees and people milling them.
to say that he or his actions have never harmed anyone is pure bull. just because he has not been convicted doesn’t make him any less of a criminal.
and i haven’t even mentioned his cement filled bow for ramming boats or his “can opener” which he uses as a weapon in his terror tactics. if by chance his “can opener” does happen to rip a hole into one of the ships that he rams and leads to a sinking resulting in loss of life, then what? just a pat on the back, or just the cost of doing business?
paul watson is a criminal. his actions have lead directly to serious injuries to people, and substantial losses of property to others.
these are facts. not only does paul watson not deny them he actually has the audacity to hold his head up and freely admits them.
to allow him to refuel in either australia or new zealand would ignore this type of behavior and can not be tolerated.
I will commit $1000 a year to anyone who will outfit a vessel and draw attention to Watson the food fascist by taking on the ability to ram back.
Seeing as we’re busy outfitting agents of our own prejudice an’all. If we genuinely believe in the ordered and sustainable use of animal resources and believe as I do that Watson’s antics are self promotional fund raising gimmicks that rely on muddying facts and currying plain old nasty prejudice are bad for genuine environmental progress then why shouldn’t we be entitled to sink them?
Good to read that the Sea Shepherd supporters are still illiterate twits who can’t tell sustainable from unsustainable extinct from thriving and STILL can’t or won’t do squat about collapsing fisheries.
Why exactly is it that Sea Schlepper types are incapable of doing there own research?
Obviously there’s more attention demonizing “foreigners” than fish finger scoffing middle class housewives.
If any Australian Port refuels him or if Rotterdam continues to allow him registry why should I not be entitled to take “direct action” against businesses or interests in those towns?
Then where does it end?
Sea Shepherd groupies can’t think past their noses. They’re too busy sucking back the Kool-Aid.
Could someone please explain to the whale wallies and the food fetishists that a dead whale is not a sentient being, just as the piece of steak on my plate is not sentient, and nor is the carrot, recently torn from its mother earth.
If whales are so clever then how come they have not organised a collective response to human predation? Or exhibited any form of co-operation with humans the way horses, cattle, sheep, pigs, dogs, cats, birds, dolphins and orcas have done for centuries? Probably because they are too busy fending off the orcas and sharks that consume a large portion of their young each year.
And if you think an instant unconsciousness from a grenade explosion in your head is a cruel death then best take a look at the distress caused by sharks and Orcas when they consume baby whales. The mums don’t handle it too well either. The whale wankers consistently portray the unconscious and often post mortem tritches of harvested whales as evidence that they are conscious and suffering a slow painful death. Tell that to a chook with its head cut off. The body might be running all about the yard but the brain is sitting on the block, quite dead.
If it is entirely “natural” for Orcas, Sharks and Giant Squid to eat baby whales then why is it not equally natural for humans to eat surplus males and post fertile female whales? At least they will die in a more “humane” way than what nature has in store for them, just as sheep and cattle live a more contented life and enjoy a quicker death than nature has ever afforded them.
I fully support the Sea Shepherd and EVERYTHING THEY DO. I just wish the had 2 tug boats with it. so they could mussel the Japs around.
I still do not see how anyone could murder such a magnificent creature, so sad 🙁
Oh dear Icefool, back to the housewives are we? You really are a pathetic misogynist. Nice to see the violence perpetuated here by the same old losers. Ooh, Sea Shepherd are engaging in violent tactics against a cause I support – let’s kill ’em. Pffttt!!! Hey Motty’s trotting out the orcas and baby whales again. Nothing changes here does it??? Same old school with the same little stoopid bully boys. YAWN
I just want to see Watson in a Japanese jail surrounded by big, tattoo covered Yakuza types with a jar of lubricant each, and where the only meal served each day is whale meat. The more he holds off eating it the better he will look to the long-termers.
Still no sign of that Japanese owned whaling ship registered in Bangladesh? Or the one from Somalia? Or one from any number of nations with desperately poor communities? If it is OK for scum like Watson to use flags of convenience then why not the Japanese? What could be more noble than the gift of food aid to starving people? Especially if it involves the establishment of a new industry?
I can’t believe the idiocy on this site. Piracy has long been considered criminal and the sinking of a pirate ship considered a victory over evil. Sink the Sea Shepherd. Use the harpoonbs on the pirates.
Agreed pwc. I cant believe the idiocy on his site either but folk like you just keep it rolling along.
Yep, it is high time the world saw some footage of long lines of hungry people waiting their turn for some vacpac whale meat. Nothing improves one’s outlook on life like an overdue dose of protein and what better use for an abundant, sustainably managed, natural resource.
It would also increase the total volumes back to the levels where economies of scale kick in. And the sight of all those NGO wankers squirming would be priceless.
My chief concern (aside from the obvious ones posted here, which I agree with bi-laterally) is for the safety of the starey-eyed young people who are recruited to volunteer for service on the MV Steve Ervin. I’ve watched several episodes this season and came to the opinion that it is a ship of fools in a seamship sense. Nothing seems to be rehersed, training is obviously absent and strategies and tactics are spontaneous and crude. The atmosphere on the bridge is a democracy of morons particularly during engagements when the captain often leaves the bridge to go sulk in his cabin leaving a helmsman to complete half baked, partially completed maneuvers without a clue for what to do next. Mission aside, even if I thought these people were possibly going to save all mankind, I’d bet against them on competence alone. Thirty days is long enough to at least have some ideas about how to get where you are going–35 years you should have been there.
People have to remember what is hapening here. Are the Japanese seeking out and attacking the Steve Irwin? No they are not. Is the Steve Irwin seeking out and attacking the Japanese fleet? Yes they are. That is all that is at issue here. All the other stuff only serves to distract from the root offense here. The Steve Irwin seeks to cause property damage and make working on the deck of the ships highly dangerous by throwing chemicals on them. They have also deliberately rammed the Japanese. At this point the Japanese would be fully withing their rights to use lethal force to defend themselves. The crew of the Steve Irwin is very lucky they have not chosen to do so. Paul shows very little regard for the safety of his crew of his ship. This I also find criminal. The kids that make up his crew are still incredibly naive and I can excuse them for their stupidity but not Mr. Watson. Even some of them care enough about their own safety to find some of his actions/decisions questionable. I’m all for protecting endangered species of all kinds but NOT at the cost of human lives. The safety of the people on that ship and those on the Japanese ships MUST come first. Let’s be honest here. If they tried to pull this crap on American ships the crew would have been sitting in American courts facing criminal charges. The world community has given the Sea Shepherds a pass for far too long. In order for our society to function laws must be enforced. The Sea Shepherds have done much to hurt the cause they are trying to champion.
Whales are dying people, forget about watch the captain did. What is being done to protect whales from the so-called Japanese Researchers. Come ON! While you are there with your comment, dead whales are ending in the plates of Japanese. Japan is not suffering from a hunger crisis so lets stop this action by the hisshu pishu or whatever sishu it is. Killers are what they are!
Whatever “violent” actions the Steve Irwin commits pale in comparison to the Japanese killing of whales.
Which is worse, property damage (the sea shepherds are opposed to harming humans) or the massace of hundreds of whales and future generations being deprived of ever seeing the beauty of whales because they are extinct.
The truth of the matter is that the Japanese are breaking the law by whaling in the Australian Antarctic Whale Sanctuary and the Australian government should be sending customs vessels out there to arrest or sink the Japanese fleet. But because of trade relations they wont. All the Sea Shepherds are doing is enforcing international law.
As far as Greenpeaces condemnation of the Sea Shephards goes, ofcourse they also want people to think the Steve Irwin is a pack of dangerous radicals. They are competing essentially for the same funding. If people realise that as far as stopping whale hunting goes the SS are far more effective than GP they will lose funding. Up until a year ago not a single whale had been killed when the sea shepherds were there, instead of the countless amount that had been killed infront of GP.
You could argue for or against their tactics forever, but the truth is what the sea shepherds do WORKS.
I Just watched whale wars on Natgeo last night and the captain getting shot and bullet lodged in bullet prof vest was the biggest joke I have ever seen it is obvious that it was a set up.
Iam no fan of jap whalers or japs in general but after watching that show I am a less fan of the people that are on the steve irwin.
I think that show has done more harm to your cause guys than help.
Firstly, I think Japanese whalers should be shot! Steve Irwin should go into Japanese port and attach limpet mines to all Japanese whaling vessels – that’s how strong I feel about the whole thing! But of course these actions are not practical.
The only way to stop this is to close the “loophole” allowing the whaling to take place. I’m afraid it’s down to negotiations and democracy. If enough countries lobby the Japanese, maybe we can stop it.
Still, think Hiroshima 2 might be a good idea considering the shark finning, dolphin slaughter, manta murder……
Firstly I would like to say that I am a New Zealander.I am disgusted at my countries brown nosing stance towards these Japanese whalers.The government here,are far more concerned about keeping trade ties with Japan then protecting our side of the world!.
The actions against the Ady Gil,the other day were most definately an act of Terror.If you doubt this in any way,please watch all three Videos on you tube.
The Japanese Whalers are continuing something of which is banned,and doing so under the false pretence of ‘Scientific Research’.Even if you dont care at all about animals,this should anger your average human being.
As far as comparing Whales to domestic farm animals(or vegetables) is somewhat shocking.Yes men slaughter these creatures.Before they do so They help them breed,give them food/water etc.Whales are solely left to their own devices,all man does is Slaughter them.How can anyone draw a comparison here??
If Governments refuse to enforce Treaties/Laws , then civilians are forced to respond.I say go Sea Shepherd,and anyone that takes a pro-active stance against the Whalers/Terrorists!
I totally agree with the above two posts.It disgusts me that the Japanese are that arrogant,that they continue to something that is outlawed.
Imagine if they were trying to do the same with oil?????
I agree that if were up to me(which of course it is not),that the Enola gay would be doing glory laps around Tokyo right now,using the rising sun as a huge Bullseye!!!.