I admit to having been a doubter about whether the activities of the Sea Shepherd group would ever achieve success in the efforts to thwart the Japanese catching whales in Antarctic waters but it seems there is a limit to the price the Japanese Government is prepared to pay to have more and more whale meat put into cold storage. It appears that the anti-whaling activists have just made harpooning too difficult and hence too expensive and that the fleet is calling the whole game off.
The Netherlands newspaper De Volkskrant sees it as a victory for the “ecoterrorists” who like to promote their militant image sailing with a pirate flag. And the reason for the Dutch interest? Apparently Sea Shepherd boats sail under the Dutch flag. De Volksrant notes that an Animal Planet film crew happens to be filming on board for a documentary called Whale Wars.
3 Comments
I really hope Japan has finally got the message, but their government will go to peculiar lengths to preserve what they think of as face. In fact, nobody’s saying they’re lousy whalers, we’re just saying that they’re thieves, poachers and wasting good food.
I mean, nobody could be offended by that, could they?
Clytie is right – the Japanese will be concerned about not losing face.
Also I don’t think it is over yet. I expect they will be back again.
They might be back but so will the Sea Sheppards and they will be stronger too(maybe another boat )? They have hit them where it hurts the mo$t $$$$$$$$$$$$$ and the fleet needs new killing boat$ . The poachers have lost again. The Sea Sheppards should plant some tracking devices on the Poachers boats while still in their harbour , so they could track them from home and be there to greet them right at the start and not waste fuel searching for them , while killling the whales starts . Would be good to see them go home empty next year . I think the Sheppards will get a small( $50 )donation towards their fuel bill . With limited funds , I think they have maybe saved Aust. govt some money long term (Courts ) and helped the Whale watching Industry with a extra 800 + Whales swimming in their waters , that would have been cut up the boxed (Research ? ) and stored in large Warehouses , with the other frozen whale meat , that they cannot sell, only the $elect cut$ go to the top of the chain of Faceless Men .