Sea Shepherd Chases the Japanese Whalers into Yesterday

[Devil_Fish]

January 22, 2012
Sea Shepherd Chases the Japanese Whalers into Yesterday

Yushin Maru 2The Japanese whaling fleet are not where they should be this time of year.

Last year the fleet was operating in the Ross Sea. This year their “scientific survey” was supposed to take place in the waters south and west of Tasmania, east and south of South Africa.

Every year they alternate. But not this year! Although the whalers attempted to begin their killing operations in the waters southwest of Australia, the Sea Shepherd ships have chased the entire whaling fleet ever eastward. At 1700 hours AEST, the Bob Barker encountered the Yushin Maru No. 3 at 66 Degrees, 22 minutes South and 179 Degrees, 05 minutes West.

From being intercepted 500 miles west of Fremantle, Australia, the Japanese fleet has run over 4,500 nautical miles for the last 30 days, all the way into the Ross Sea, far to the East of Australia. This is an average of 150 miles a day, leaving very little time to kill whales with only one harpoon vessel. The other two harpoon vessels have either been tailing or searching for the Sea Shepherd ships.

“You can say we chased the whale killers into yesterday since we have crossed the International Date Line,” said Captain Paul Watson, of the Sea Shepherd ship Steve Irwin. “This illustrates that they really have no scientific agenda at all since their so-called survey requires them to “sample” whales from the two different areas alternatively each year. This is not about science and it never has been. It’s not even about profit anymore because we have negated their profits. It’s simply about pride. Whaling in the Southern Ocean has become a heavily subsidized welfare project for an archaic industry that has no place in the twenty-first century.”

More: http://www.seashepherd.org/news-and-media/2012/01/22/sea-shepherd-chases-the-japanese-whalers-into-yesterday-1323

[UnrepentantLiberal]

1. Good for them.

Why does a technologically advanced country like Japan feel the need to do this?

[Devil_Fish]

2. Beats me...

It's a slap in the face that they spent tsunami aid money on the whalers. Why did we (the world) bother????

[marasinghe]

3. my guess would be the same as Paul Watson's: it's a pissing contest for them now.

with the Whales paying the price of the ego trip, with their lives.
a Japanese friend says most young people don't even eat the meat; according to her - it tastes oily & rank.

figure it's the old story: when the economy whips your ass in a bar, you kick the stray dog that's lying in the street on your way out.