Sea Shepherd: Australian Government too timid on Whaling

The problem for Captain Watson and the Steve Irwin will be locating the fleet in the millions of miles of ocean.

The Steve Irwin was tracked for two weeks by the Fukuyoshi Maru No. 68, which only left them at the 200 mile Australian territorial limit. It is believed this ship has Japanese coast guard officers on board, and the ship is used to communicate the location of the Steve Irwin to the whaling fleet.

Paul Watson told reporters he is keen to go back out and disrupt whaling again this season. Next season he has indicated Sea Shepherd may use two ships to track and disrupt the whaling fleet in a tag team effort. He also accused the Australian Government of hypocrisy and timidity in challenging Japanese whaling, citing the rigid enforcement of fisheries poaching by Uruguay flagged vessels while the Japanese whaling was allowed to continue unmolested, the essential difference being the respective economic power of the countries involved.

Australian Federal Police will be interviewing Benjamin Potts and Giles Lane on their boarding of the Yushin Maru No 2 to give a letter to the Captain of the ship. They were held hostage for 3 days and returned through the intermediary efforts of the Australian Patrol Ship Oceanic Viking.

The Japanese Government would like the two men charged. But the Federal Police at this stage are only undertaking "preliminary inquiries into the events that occurred in the Southern Ocean in accordance with Australian legislations and Australia's obligation under international law," an AFP spokeswoman said. Paul Watson would like nothing more than there to be a show trial, especially as under Australian law whaling in the Whale Sanctuary has been found to be illegal by the Federal Court earlier in January.

Benjamin Potts and Giles Lane, who both volunteered to board the Japanese ship at the direction of Captain Watson, are keen to continue with the Steve Irwin when it returns to the Southern Ocean to harass the whaling fleet.

On Sunday evening the Esperanza sailed into Hobart to cheering crowds. Greenpeace have said this ship will not be returning to the whaling grounds this season. Greenpeace believe more focus needs to be applied within Japan for internal pressure on the Japanese Government to stop whaling.

The Australian Patrol Ship Oceanic Viking is believed to be following the Whaling fleet documenting its activities in preperation for possible legal challenges under various international laws and treaties. Paul Watson criticised this approach likening it to filming a bank robbery in progress rather than catching and prosecuting the offenders.

The whaling issue in Japan is now receiving substantial media coverage showing whaling in a negative light with the Prime Minister appealing for calm. This has been a breakthrough of sorts.

Photos of the Steve Irwin arriving in Melbourne
http://flickr.com/photos/takver/sets/72157603838887735/