Sea Shepherd claims Japanese whalers attacked its vessels

I don't really care too much which side anyone falls on with this issue, personally I wish that Japan didn't whale, specifically so far from home and in a very cheeky way..

However what I think is undeniable is that it certainly earns Japan no friends and is a massive waste of money.

Japan may well be in need of some friends soon and is starting to lose PR battles all over the place..

I think this is an obvious one to give up on.

and accused the Australian government of “broken promises” to monitor whaling operations.

Honestly? The Oz government isn't going to jeopardize what I assume is millions of dollars of trade between the two countries over 'a few whales'. I don't like the whaling either but the only country that can stop Japan whaling is Japan.

Said it once and I'll say it again - without the SS, how many more whales would have been slaughtered? Praise for them.

End the whaling, and Sea Shepherd can stop patrolling, tailing and having to interfere to save whales' lives.

Nicely put Dawn Stakalis! However, nearly all of that information is providided by many other countries through non-lethal research. About the only thing that cannot be determined by non-lethal research is, the whale's diet, but you don't need to kill a thousand whales to find out what they are eating.

The basis of animal research is for the preservation and conservation of the species. However, the basis of Japanese whale research is to prove the animals can be hunted commercially (by Japan only). They are using the IWC rules to hunt whales in an IWC established whale sanctuary to prove the IWC's ban on commercial whaling should be lifted (for Japan). Is it just me or can other people see an abuse of privileges?

Disillusioned , thanks and yes I see an abuse of privilege also.. But if this is all for scientific research then by all means Japan GIVE US SOME DATA!!! Let us see the research results you have collected..

hunt whales off Antarctica under a “scientific research” loophole in the moratorium on whaling

Very poor reporting. There is no loophole. The regulation allowing scientific research was written and approved in 1948, almost 40 years BEFORE the moratorium. Kind of hard to write a loophole 40 years before the fact.

The whalers had also set out to kill 50 humpbacks

No actually they didn't. The humpbacks were removed from the permit before they ever left port. And the Minke quota is actually 850 +/- 10%, to say it is 935 is disingenuous.

Hopefully, the international court will put a stop to this and save the Japanese and Australian tax payers a lot of money.

Perhaps the SS could change their name to Salvation Shepard and save dogs and cats and animals that are becoming instinct or ending up on dinner tables in Indonesia, Korea, China, Thailand, Cambodia etc. Land animals really have nowhere to run when it comes to capture and cruel torture before becoming someones dinner!

If we were talking of birds, we would say they were fouling their own nest.

Research Results

JARPA/JARPA II research results

The JARPA∗ was conducted during the austral summer seasons from 1987/88 to 2004/05. The JARPA had four main objectives: a) estimation of biological parameters to improve the stock management of the Southern Hemisphere minke whale; b) elucidate the role of whales in the Antarctic marine ecosystem; c) elucidation of the effect of environmental change on cetaceans; and d) elucidation of the stock structure of Southern Hemisphere minke whales to improve management. The outcome of JARPA is that we now know more about the status of whale stocks and whale biology than at any time in history and this knowledge continues to increase each year. Following a mid-term review in 1997, the most recent JARPA review by the IWC's Scientific Committee in December 2006 concluded that:

"the dataset provides a valuable resource to allow investigation of some aspects of the role of whales within the marine ecosystem and that this has the potential to make an important conntribution to the Scientific Committee's work in this regard as well as the work of other relevant bodies such as the Convention for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources" and, "the results from the research program have the potential to improve management of minke whales in the Southern Hemisphere"

Based on the results of JARPA, in 2005 Japan began a new and expanded program called JARPA II. JARPA II started with two feasibility surveys in the austral summer seasons of 2005/06 and 2006/07. The first full survey started in the 2007/08 season. The objectives of the JARPA II are the following: a) monitoring the Antarctic ecosystem (whale abundance trends and biological parameters; krill abundance and the feeding ecology of whales; effects of contaminants on cetaceans; cetacean habitat); b) modeling competition among whale species and future management objectives (constructing a model of competition among whale species; new management objectives including the restoration of the cetacean ecosystem); c) elucidation of temporal and spatial changes in stock structure; and d) improving the management procedure for Antarctic minke whale stocks.

But where does Japan actually show the RESULTS from their so called research !! If someone finds recent as of like 2013 testing results please post .. Thanks..

That's quite a nice photo actually.

Kind of hard to write a loophole 40 years before the fact.

Nah, a loophole (an ambiguity or inadequacy in a set of rules) can be written any time. Often the people writing it don't even realise it's there, until someone comes along years later, finds it and gleefully sails a factory ship and fleet of harpoon ships through it.

the Minke quota is actually 850 +/- 10%, to say it is 935 is disingenuous.

Disingenuous?? We can't have folk bandying words like that around! It' was reserved years ago as a description of the act of killing whales for the table and calling it 'research'.

@fxgai,

Although I agree with you with the part of deciding which animal is "right" for consumption, I don't agree with the method used to kill whales and dolphins, especially when they are not supposed to be killed for consumption (they are supposedly being killed for research, remember?).

@arrestpaul,

Not once have I even mentioned Sea Shephard, to whom you so freely refer to as "eco-terrorist SS" (with the obvious intention of spreading some sort of propaganda). And I most certainly do not wish to change people's mind by supporting acts of violence, it is my intention to so by presenting solid arguments in an open and intelligent discussion.

ICJ announced that it will deliver the judgment of whaling dispute on March 31, 2014.

http://www.icj-cij.org/docket/files/148/18094.pdf

THE HAGUE, 4 March 2014. On Monday 31 March 2014, the International Court of Justice (ICJ), the principal judicial organ of the United Nations, will deliver its Judgment in the case concerning Whaling in the Antarctic (Australia v. Japan: New Zealand intervening).

A public sitting will take place at 10 a.m. (The Hague time) at the Peace Palace, The Hague, the seat of the Court, during which the President of the Court, Judge Peter Tomka, will read the Court's Judgment.

All readers back on topic please. Please focus your comments on what is in the story.

it seems people either believe in ecologic care as a priority or not.

I hate whales being killed. The baby whales and mothers go right up to the whaling ships, and harpooning them is like killing infants...the whales go up to the whaling boats in a friendly, innocent and totally naive fashion, and are helpless, easy targets as get stabbed with the thrust of a high powered harpoon, shot like missile, at them. They are subsequently reeled in, and after a struggle to keep alive, if the whales haven't drowned, are shot with rifles. I doubt that is done in hopes of less suffering, the whalers just want the whale to quit struggling and making a nuisance by trying to keep alive.

The west and some of it's little organizations need to dress back for a moment with their sanctimonious attacks on other nations culture and habits. They sift through the world pointing finger and threatening all who do not toe their line, particularly in Africa and Asia. Yet when it comes to matters of the environment and wildlife the problem often stems from the last few hundred years of western stewardship of our planet. When Constantine brought Christianity to Europe almost 2000 years, he begged the people to change their ways, this still has not been done, as they say "take the beam our of your eyes before you touch the speck in mine". The West would do well to start respecting and understanding other cultures while noting they have no God given right to rule.

You can't take a culture as a whole and either approve everything or disapprove everything. I'm just saying that it seems to me that these particular activities should be reconsidered.

And again, just because people have been doing something for a long time, doesn't justify it.

Really Japan?,

And again, just because people have been doing something for a long time, doesn't justify it.

Sure. But this case is just a matter of whether a certain arbitrary type of animal is rightfully considered subject for eating or not.

While some people may see whales as really exceptional magnificent creatures deserving of demi-god status, to others they are just another type of animal.

Given those circumstances, I'd suggest it's the againsts who probably want to reconsider whether it's appropriate to seek to impose their preferences on other people.

At least as far as these Sea Shepherd nutters go, someone should tell them to just knock it off and wait for the ICJ decision to come out. They just seem to be seeking attention to me.

Actually, what is more amazing is that there is never any footage from beginning to end of these "crimes at sea" Come on Eco-shepherd! Show us the proof! I want to see harpoons being launched at you! If someone can show me an un-cut, full footage of interactions between the vessels I would be delighted. Until I see that, and it shows the Japanese attacking the Eco weasels, then I will side with the whaling ships.

Why can't SS and most anti-japan posters wait or respect ICJ verdict? Japan should watch and remember which countries do not abide by the ICJ rules and bash Japan on this,

Really Sea Shepherd? Really now... are you sure it was the whalers that were attacking or was it that, there ship was trying to avoid you while you rammed you ship into their hull. Come on now we all seen this excuse too many times to care. We all know you attack their ships while you go to the press and call foul!

Waaaaah, waaaaaaaaaaaahh!

Shut up, dumb Sea Shepherd cry babies!

They brag about stuff like this when they do it; but complain when the tables are turned. Typical bully mentality.

it seems like every week or two. the SS makes some lame claim in order to get in the news again. so few people really care about this issue anymore that there is scant media coverage, except on JT.

I wonder who has the researcher job? His job must be pretty easy.

Arguments aside, If it's sustainable and it's cheap it's ok, but it seems it's not so why bother with it. The pain and suffering is an issue for all life taken, (I heard plants also suffer) if there are people starving then any food is better than no food. I'm ok with your own back yard but to go so far away in the name of traditional cultural rights seems a bit strange.

@ Mike O'Brien. Well you make statements like you either work for the IWC or the Japanese Whalers.. Either way if this "Raw Data" is available then it like all research should have public access as to the results. Otherwise it is the IWC and the Japanese blowing smoke up the worlds bums one statement at a time...

As far as the Japanese helping the ecosystem of the Cetaceans they have done nothing but DESTROY LIVES AND ENSLAVE THE ONES THEY DIDNT SLAUGHTER.. Japan is after monetary gain and nothing more. If you believe otherwise then maybe you should take the blinders off.... They been doing this crap for many years so where the hell is the RAW RESEARCH.. It's getting down to put up or Shut up for Japanese Whalers. They mislabel dolphin and whale meat as TUNA and then sell to other fishermen.. Yeah a real HONEST bunch there!!

Researchers make their progress known.. They don't hide behind loop holes..

Go Japan!

How embarrassing for Japan! Please show respect for the world community and Mother Earth. Stop killing whales!

Well you make statements like you either work for the IWC or the Japanese Whalers.

Pretty big talk coming from someone copy pasting large swaths of the SS propaganda manual. Why the need to call out Mike O'Brien in such a cheap way? From my reading of this board, he seems to be a pretty regular poster. You on the other hand ...

I don't understand how the Japanese can allow such activities to go on without showing their strong disapproval. They seem to have a very rich and inspiring culture, which respects nature in a very deep level, with all of its national parks, shinto shrines, and beautiful and plentiful city parks.

Whaling goes so much against all of that. They inhumanely slaughter whales and dolphins (while selling their young orphans as slaves to aquariums around the world). And they defend their actions with lame excuses such as: "It's a cultural thing" or "It's legal".

If the Japanese really thought these activities were good and honest, they wouldn't have to try so hard to hide them behind legal loopholes.

The Japanese are very proud of their culture. I can only ask: Are you also proud of this? And if you are, then I can only say:

Shame on you Japan. Shame on you.

And that goes to every single Japanese (and non-Japanese too) that does not openly and strongly show disapproval for these "cultural" or "scientific" killings.

part of the culture is eating whales. they've been doing it for hundreds of years. if you respect the culture then you should respect that too. not just pick and choose what suits you.

I advice sea shephard crew to use paintball markers for self defense it is really usefull

At some point this is going to get really nasty and people are going to die. The solution?

The articles always say "loopholes". I don't know what that means but I don't think Japan's doing anything illegal. Anti-whalers have no legal grounds to lecture how Japan behaves, but white culture imperialism and white supremacy.

Article VIII requires the animals to be processed so far as practicable. Japan doesn't do this; they 'process' most of the animal over the side of the boat and just bring home the bacon.

That is an opinion. 'so far as practicable' does not means so far as cleo thinks is practicable. And from the amount of meat they bring back it seems to me that most of the whale makes it back to Japan.

Japan must stop doing this again and again, at least before International court declares Whale hunt is illegal.

OR they should release their research findings so far( such as how many Sushi's made, how many packages of whale meat export, how much is the revenue etc.) :-) What kind of research these people are doing,God only knows.

Go SS! Go~ Stop the Whale hunt!

On the whaling permit issued by the government there's nothing about +/- 10%. There are precise figures which are the maximum and that's that!

Still waiting for some source for this claim.

Personally, I'm opposed to all activity in the Antarctic except for the work being made by real scientists.

And who gets to decided who is a real scientist?

Keep up the fight Sea Shepherd!!!

Critics disagree. "It is well established in the scientific literature that there are many ways to study whale diet and condition without killing them," Gerber says. Most IWC science committee members, Funahashi adds, "do not see any reason to kill whales."

It's not just the IWC members that feel this way. Many Japanese see no need to hunt whales. They don't eat it and there are thousands of tons of meat rotting in freezers around the country. I'm sure most Japanese would agree that the millions of tax payers money wasted on this farce would be better spent on Tohoku or other infrastructure projects. Yet, they defend it with stating it is a part of Japanese culture. Which part of Japanese culture are they referring to? Being obnoxious and belligerent? Yeah, that works!

you would rather I say that saying the quota is 935 is a lie?

You could say that, but you would be wrong. The quota is, as you say, 850 +/- 10%, ie between 765 and 935. In other words, without SS in the picture, weather permitting and assuming they can find that many, they would keep on killing and butchering until they had the meat from 935 animals stored in their hold.

The claim from the whalers that they are dragging cables with buoys attached 'as a warning to Sea Shepherd to stay away' is disingenuous. OK, it's an outright lie. SS isn't interested in going near the harpoon ships, their concern is to stop the factory ship loading carcasses. Which is why the other whaling vessels are going alll-out to keep the factory ship at a distance. Still, any time the harpoon ships are spending zig-zagging in front of SS ships is time they're not spending killing whales.

The JARPA II submission to the IWC (SC/57/O1) says the sample size of minke whales was set at 850 +-10 %

The IWC says 850±10% Antarctic minke whales

The Hauge Justice Portal says 850 (+ or – 10% allowance) minke whales,

Australia's submission to the ICJ says 850 +/- 10 % Antarctic minke whales

So if you have another source I would be interested in actually seeing it.

As an aside, yesterday the ICJ said they would be deliver their judgement on March 31st.

Personally, I'm opposed to all activity in the Antarctic except for the work being made by real scientists.

And who gets to decided who is a real scientist?

Really Japan? - Not once have I even mentioned Sea Shephard, to whom you so freely refer to as "eco-terrorist SS" (with the obvious intention of spreading some sort of propaganda). And I most certainly do not wish to change people's mind by supporting acts of violence, it is my intention to so by presenting solid arguments in an open and intelligent discussion.

The FBI considers the eco-terrorist SS to be eco-terrorists.

This thread is titled - Sea Shepherd claims Japanese whalers attacked its vessels. Do you support the repeated acts of violence committed by the eco-terrorist SS? Do you openly and strongly disapprove of the use of violence by the eco-terrorist SS?

Any support of the eco-terrorist SS is a support of violence as a means to an end. Even Greenpeace refuses to have anything to do with the eco-terrorist SS because of the eco-terrorist SS repeated acts of violence.

Nations have refused to flag/register eco-terrorist SS vessels because of their violent nature. Nations have rescinded their registry of eco-terrorist SS vessels because of the repeated eco-terrorist SS violence. There are few nations left who will even allow eco-terrorist SS vessels to be registered as that nations vessels because of the repeated acts of violence of the eco-terrorist SS. Only the Netherlands, Australia, and New Zealand encourage the eco-terrorist SS to practice their acts of piracy on the high seas.

If it wasn't required by the IWC to do the research it would just do the whale hurting instead.

Just opinion masquerading as fact.

But the fact remains that the processing IS required by Article VIII.

OK, it's an outright lie

yet you repeat everything that the SS says verbatim.

Mike O'Brien Then go and read the whale hunting permits issued by the gov't, which are also given to the IWC.

Every document I find at the IWC website says 850 +/-10%.

That is why I have asked you to actually provide a source, not just make an assertion.

@Really, Japan

when they are not supposed to be killed for consumption (they are supposedly being killed for research, remember?).

Article VIII requires the meat to processed (remember?).

Japan's Scientific Whaling: An Expensive Proposition By: Dennis Normile 2013-02-06 12:10 Posted In: Asia,People & Events,Environment

Moderator: The URL will suffice.

You could say that, but you would be wrong. The quota is, as you say, 850 +/- 10%, ie between 765 and 935. In other words, without SS in the picture, weather permitting and assuming they can find that many, they would keep on killing and butchering until they had the meat from 935 animals stored in their hold.

Well if the quota is between 765 and 935, then saying it is 935 is a lie. So calling it a lie is the truth.

And your opinion on what would happen without the SSCS in the picture is pure speculation.

There are those that believe without the SSCS in the picture, Japan would reduce their whaling. Just like in the proposal that Japan made to the IWC 3 years ago to cut their quota in half, allow international monitors on all whaling ships, establish a DNA sample database of all whales they catch and institute an internationally run random sampling of whale meat found for sale to check against the DNA database

The claim from the whalers that they are dragging cables with buoys attached 'as a warning to Sea Shepherd to stay away' is disingenuous. OK, it's an outright lie.

Really? So all those videos that the SSCS themselves have released showing them harassing the harpoon ships are faked (by the SSCS)?

Why can't SS and most anti-japan posters wait or respect ICJ verdict?

Because in the meantime whales are being killed in horrible ways.

Why can't the whalers wait or respect the ICJ verdict?

the fact remains that the processing IS required by Article VIII.

Article VIII requires the animals to be processed so far as practicable. Japan doesn't do this; they 'process' most of the animal over the side of the boat and just bring home the bacon.

Really Japan? - And that goes to every single Japanese (and non-Japanese too) that does not openly and strongly show disapproval for these "cultural" or "scientific" killings.

Really, Really Japan?? Is it your intention to change people's minds by supporting the continued acts of violence committed by the eco-terrorist SS? Or do you openly and strongly disapprove of use of violence by the eco-terrorist SS? Is violence your answer?

C'mon, you're "eco-warriors" remember. No room for crying and whinging. Unless you aren't up to the job? In which case why not slink back to hole you came from and spare the rest of us from having to read another word about you. Sorry lot.

Japan’s fisheries agency said its ships were dragging cables with buoys as a warning to Sea Shepherd to stay away.

“The cables were already there and they (Sea Shepherd) approached the cables on their own,” an agency official told AFP

Hahaha. So the whalers were defending themselves by towing a cable with a buoy as a warning to the eco-terrorist SS to stay clear. The eco-terrorist SS deliberately ran into the cable and are now attempting to blame the whalers for the choices the eco-terrorist SS made. What a hoot.

Watson was a much better liar than the current weasel faced captain.

Nah, a loophole (an ambiguity or inadequacy in a set of rules) can be written any time

There is no ambiguity or inadequacy in Artcle VIII, it very plainly and clearly says what it allows. So still no loophole. And permits under Article VIII have been used at least as far back as the 1970's, so it isn't like Japan just dregded it up after the moratorium.

Disingenuous?? We can't have folk bandying words like that around!

So you would rather I say that saying the quota is 935 is a lie? Fine with me.

But where does Japan actually show the RESULTS from their so called research !! If someone finds recent as of like 2013 testing results please post .. Thanks..

Well the raw data has been given to the IWC, so ask them if you want. As for research results, that could takes months if not years to complete and further months before it shows up in a scientific journal.

HongoTAFEinmate

Both as bad as each other. On a band of Eco-terrorists, the other a nation whose "research" claims are little more than a faint to get around international conventions. How about the related parties start manning up about this? Australia and New Zealand shouldn't be having 50 cents each way. It's time to take a stand one way or the other.

Cut off port facilities to both sides. Stop allowing donations to the Interpol fugitive and his merry band of loons. Put your multi-billion dollar trade relations with Japan where your mouth is and take them to the Hague. It's time to put up or shut up. If you don't have the guts just admit that Canberra and Auckland are diplomatic minnows and fall in with the apathy of the big boys.

Problem solved.

And please explain why Auckland would get a mention as it is not where NZ govt is but it is known as the city of sails, so perhaps your comment has some relation to this situation being as how Auckland does have a harbour or ????

Both the Sea Shepherd and the Japanese whalers can sink to the bottom of the Antarctic ocean for all I care. Since I arrived in 2010, every year it's the same old BS from both parties.

Both as bad as each other. On a band of Eco-terrorists, the other a nation whose "research" claims are little more than a faint to get around international conventions. How about the related parties start manning up about this? Australia and New Zealand shouldn't be having 50 cents each way. It's time to take a stand one way or the other.

Cut off port facilities to both sides. Stop allowing donations to the Interpol fugitive and his merry band of loons. Put your multi-billion dollar trade relations with Japan where your mouth is and take them to the Hague. It's time to put up or shut up. If you don't have the guts just admit that Canberra and Auckland are diplomatic minnows and fall in with the apathy of the big boys.

Problem solved.