Japanese whaling fleet endures rising tide of opposition
Could it be karma, bad luck, or merely unfortunate circumstances that have victimized the Japanese whaling fleet in the Antarctic region?
The three-vessel fleet, which has been hounded relentlessly by a crew aboard a Sea Shepherd Society ship, has already lost a crewman, who fell overboard and is presumed drowned.
More recently, one of its damaged ships, the Yushin Maru #2, has been ordered to leave the Port of Surabaya, East Java, in Indonesia before making repairs to its propeller. Australia and New Zealand do not allow the ships in their ports because large-scale commercial whaling has been condemned internationally.
Now, it seems, neither will Indonesia, which received communiques from Australia asking that it deny the whaling ships any services.
Among them, according to Sea Shepherd, was this one from Mayor Peter Tagliaferri of Fremantle, to Port officials and Mayor Banbang Dwi Hartono of Surabaya:
"The city of Fremantle does not support the illegal slaughter of whales and has constantly conveyed this through diplomatic processes to the Japanese government.
"I believe the Yushin Maru #2 is seeking propeller repairs in your port as a result of ice damage.
"The city of Fremantle would not support this vessel to enter our fishing boat harbour to seek repairs to continue an illegal activity.
"I, as Mayor of the City of Fremantle, urge you to also not allow this vessel to be repaired in your port and as a result the Yushin Maru #2 will not be able to rejoin the illegal whaling."
So for now there are only two viable whaling ships pursuing a seasonal quota of 935 minke whales and 50 fin whales. The way things are going, it appears they'll fall substantially short.
-- Pete Thomas
Photo, top: A minke whale is processed aboard a Japanese factory whaling ship in 1995. Credit: Greenpeace. Bottom: A minke roams the Southern California coast. Credit: Eric Martin / For the Los Angeles Times
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Jon K.
It's religeon.
Not sience.
Who are your majesty?
Posted by: peacock | January 20, 2009 at 02:13 AM
Hi,
I'm Dave Walsh, from Greenpeace. Just to let you know, the whaling fleet has seven vessels:
Nishin Maru - factory ship
3xharpoon vessels
2x spotter vessels
1xrefuelling/transport ship (Hiyo Maru)
Thanks!
Posted by: Dave Walsh | January 20, 2009 at 04:18 AM
I'm sorry to say, yes, I owned a ford in the 90's. It would over-heat in the summer and the engine would shut off. It was a piece of ..... Last time I buy an American car. (Unless it is a Japanese car made in the US)
Where is the research that says whales are intelligent? I agree they are majestic, but intelligent? Please, go hug a tree, don't smoke them.
Let the Japanese do their "research" in peace. We have bigger fish to fry... like our economy.
Posted by: confucius | January 20, 2009 at 02:11 PM
Jon K.
Whale doesn't have greater intelligence. A-, let me see, what is the definition of "intelligence"? Please define and show the evidence. It is connected to the conclusion.
Just in case, anyway, I can show the fact of whale's brain partly.
The book "Embracing the earth's wild resorces" which has written by Eugene Lapointe, chairman, IWMC World Conservation Trust, and former secretary-general to CITES.
http://www.iwmc.org/bookstore/embracing-the-earth/index.htm
Quote)A sperm whale has the biggest brain in mammals. The weight is around 9kg. But intelligence is not unproportional to the weight of brain. Mainly, a toothed whale is same intelligence level as a weasel, a baleen whale is same intelligence level as a chicken. There are two reasons that whale's intelligens level is low in contrast to their weight of brain. First, their brain cortex is not developed so much. Second, the REM(repid eye movement) sleep and the eye movement can't be find that is unique feature found in most of animals which live on land.(Unquote
Posted by: S | January 20, 2009 at 04:06 PM
i don't believe in whaling because whales when they die naturally? they support over 300 species in the ocean because they are a part of the whale fall community. Also on one hand it is true why do we eat beef or fish? well do you see any beef or fish or chicken being endangered? no . they most likely will in the near future but killin a whale is wrong because they are beautiful creatures so if you think about these" fishermen 's lives" or what will they eat? think again they have fish still chicken anything whales aren't important to eat. please go look@ that woman eating a whale burger honestly i do not believe for a moment that Japan is doing this for scientific purposes , i wish they had some dignity and admitted that it's for commercial purposes. even if whaling isn't illegal its right down to it because more or less 18 countires oppose whaling and want an international whaling ban on Japan and Iceland.
:) no offense to anyone who loves to eat endangered whales. <3,
Posted by: shay | January 26, 2009 at 07:15 PM
thanks Indonesia. lets save something
Posted by: kenn c | January 27, 2009 at 10:51 AM
I find it funny that the Sea Sheapard "interferred" with the rescue efforts of Japanees whalers... when in fact they had called them in both english and japaneese ASKING them if they needed HELP and they refused help from "eco-terrrorists"
And oddly enough I don't remember any life saving efforts by the japaneese whalers last year... I remember a hostage situation.
Posted by: Travis McCrea | January 29, 2009 at 09:10 AM
S,
Why don't you identify yourself? Why not admit that you are most likely a shill for the whaling industry? Why not face the fact that whales are not fish, and are more intelligent and worthy of heightened respect? Larger animals do not reproduce as quickly and are inherently more susceptible to being harmed by hunting. Don't give us your "well you eat other animals so why not whales" straw man argument. Do two wrongs make a right? The slaughter of wild animals for human profit has a historical and atavistic curve toward our own oblivion. The seas are in under a man made assault on their riches, whaling is just one of the more egregious insults to a nature we hardly understand. The Japanese can survive without their seven whaling ships. I've already given up my red meat, how about you give something up?
Posted by: Allan Peterson | January 29, 2009 at 12:52 PM