Sea Shepherd Ship Holed during Collision with Whaling Ship

Please keep up every effort to stop the Whaling vessels from killing these great animals. Many people like myself are fully behind people like you and your fantastic team - you may be a long way away but many people are wishing you every success for the whales. Thank you for standing up to be counted on behalf of the defenceless whales.

Yes. Killing the whales is violence.

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02/12/2007

Who Rammed Whom?

On Monday, February 12, 2007, the Japanese whaling ship Kaiko Maru was intercepted by the Sea Shepherd ship Robert Hunter as it was chasing a pod of whales. The Robert Hunter intervened by crossing in front of the Kaiko Maru, which allowed the whales to escape.

The Kaiko Maru then came alongside the Robert Hunter and swerved into the starboard side of the Sea Shepherd ship to push it into some ice.

The Robert Hunter’s hull was penetrated and a large hole ripped open into the forward compartment area above the main deck. The shoving of the Robert Hunter against the ice caused damage below the water line on the port side of the engine room compartment.

Both ships then moved into the ice and then began to work their way out of the floe when, suddenly, the Kaiko Maru backed up and rammed into the stern port side of the Robert Hunter. This collision penetrated the hull and opened a one-meter gash in the bulwarks above the main deck.

After striking the Robert Hunter twice, the Kaiko Maru then issued a Maritime Distress signal. Both the Robert Hunter and the Farley Mowat responded to the distress request but the Kaiko Maru would not respond. New Zealand Search and Rescue informed both Sea Shepherd ships that the Kaiko Maru reported they were in “grave and imminent danger”

Captain Paul Watson assured New Zealand Search that they were not threatening the whaler, and that it was the whaling ship that had inflicted damage.

The Institute for Cetacean Research, the Japanese government agency that owns and operates the whaling ships, has accused the Robert Hunter of ramming the Kaiko Maru.
Sea Shepherd believes that the public relations firm employed by the Japanese whalers is spinning this story to make it appear that the whalers are the victims.

So who rammed whom?

The collisions were fully documented by the film crew onboard the Robert Hunter. This evidence clearly shows what occurred.

Furthermore, Sea Shepherd has no problem with admitting to ramming a whaling ship involved with illegal whaling, if we had in fact done so. We have always accepted responsibility for our actions. In this case, Sea Shepherd categorically refutes the Japanese accusations that they were rammed.

The Farley Mowat and the Robert Hunter are focusing their attentions specifically on the Nisshin Maru, the factory ship of the whaling fleet.

In the situation involving the Kaiko Maru, it was the whaling ship that was the aggressor.
The Kaiko Maru was free to leave unhindered by Sea Shepherd.

The Sea Shepherd ships are presently in pursuit of the Nisshin Maru.

I don't really like the Sea Shepherd, I'll point out first. However, you don't have to be biased to notice that this group has been having lots of stressful and high publicity events in the past week, because the situation with the pair getting lost in the inflatable boat after throwing stuff at the Nishiin maru was a big international story. Given that they are now pirates, couldn't another government just send in their navy and take in their boat? It seems like, tactically, they could be blowing all the funding that their supporters must be giving them to pay for all the gas, and then there would be no ship to harrass whalers next year.

The real pirates here are the Japanese whaling vessels who illegally hunt endangered whales in violation of the UN treaty. In this case the Sea Shepards actions are 'preventing a greater crime from occurring' and thus their maritime conduct of blocking whaling vessels is justified..

NO military fleet can legally interfere with the Sea Shepards actions, which are basically preventing poaching from occurring. No other regulatory vessels are currently enforcing the UN bans on whaling, so open ocean = open season on endangered whales. In this case the Sea Shepard is fullfilling a need to protect the whales on open seas when no other vessel will even try. Similar to the US, Japan only follows UN treaties when convienient..

[ This text via The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society ]

"Appeals by many governments, including the New Zealand & 16 other governments have failed to convince the Japanese authorities to take action to stop the illegal whaling currently taking place in Antarctic waters. Just what is illegal ?; The regulations and the moratorium of the International Whaling Commission, The Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary, The Antarctic Treaty territory, The Australian Antarctic Territory, The rules of the Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) are being violated. Japan claims it is being carried out for "scientific purposes". That claim has been rejected by the International Whaling Commission and many world governments. The science is a sham; there is no other reason for it than to supply whale meat to the Japanese people and for commercial interests to make huge profits."

read on @;
http://www.stopwhaling.co.nz/

What does Japan do to get out of IWC regulations? Again, like the US, Japan seeks to buy the votes of less fortunate nations to support Japanese whaling..

"The latest coup by Japan to gain an all-important foothold in the International Whaling Commission (IWC) is to garner enough supporters to swing the balance of votes in Japan's favor. After Kameya complained that the IWC had become an anti-whaling establishment he announced that Japan was starting a program to use its Official Development Assistance (ODA) to assist developing countries to join the IWC. Japan's vote-buying strategy at the IWC is not new and has already yielded 7 countries which vote in its favor and take their cues from Japan during IWC meetings.

So far, six Caribbean nations and the Solomon Islands have been bought out. Japan is eyeing 13 new countries (including "sustainable use" partner Zimbabwe) which would give it enough leverage at the IWC to resume large scale commercial whaling within the next couple of years. It is not clear what actions anti-whaling nations and advocates will take to combat Japan's threat to make a farce of the IWC."

read on @;
http://www.zmag.org/japanwatch/9912-whaling.html

Am glad that the Sea Shepard has returned to protesting commercial whaling operations. Japan's commercial fleet of whaling ships is a far cry from indigenous peoples keeping traditions of food sovereignty alive. Best wishes of support for a speedy recovery for the damaged boat..

On that note we need to be reminded that whaling by the Makah peoples is also effected by commercial whaling..

"On May 17, 1999 the Makah conducted the first successful whale hunt in more than 70 years. The Makah were forced to cease whaling practices in the 1920s due to the scarcity of gray whales caused by the commercial whaling industry.

The resumption of whaling had a profound effect on life in this small reservation. Suddenly Neah Bay was the focus of attention from around the world. Reporters from all over the Northwest were sent to Neah Bay to cover this historic event, and the controversy surrounding it.

Animal rights’ activists opposed the hunt. The border of the reservation was constantly guarded and clashes between protestors and the Makah were common in the weeks leading up to the hunt.

Despite all the opposition, the whaling crew continued to practice the skills they needed to ensure their safety and a successful hunt. None had ever hunted quarry so large and they all knew the world was watching.

There were, however, certain regulations set forth by the International Whaling Commission which deviated from the traditional methods of Makah whalers in the past. Whereas the traditional hunt involves using only harpoon strikes and a final strike with a special "killing lance", the new method required a quicker and thus, more humane kill. Working with a veterinarian, the Makah used both a traditional harpooner and a rifleman. The rifleman uses a specially designed large caliber rifle which, soon after the harpoon hits its mark, delivers the fatal blow. None of the spiritual, physical, and mental preparations needed to harvest a whale are interrupted by the substitution and implementation of this technique."

read on @;
http://www.makah.com/whalingrecent.html

"The whale was then prayed over, as were the whalers. Prayers were offered to thank the whale for giving its life to sustain that of the Makah and to free its spirit for passage to the other side.

After proper respect was paid, the whalers began carving and distributing the meat and blubber to the people to taste for the first time what had been a staple for their ancestors for thousands of years. The whale was butchered through the night and the meat and blubber was either frozen, smoked or stewed."

Keep in mind that the first paragraph states that scarcity of gray whales since the 1920's was caused by commercial hunting. The recovery of the whales is a direct result of treaties like the IWC bans on commercial whaling. Myself and others were disappointed by the decision of the Sea Shepard crew to oppose the Makah hunts instead of focusing needed energy on the illegal commercial whale hunts that both violate international treaty and also deprive the oceans of whales in great numbers..

Then there's the US Navy and their extremely low frequency (ELF) sonar testing underwater that ruptures the eardrums of cetaceans..

"The X-ray studies showed bleeding around the inner ears, along with trauma to the auditory system and parts of the brain and throat sensitive to intense pressures. In one animal, the ligament that holds an eardrum-like membrane taut had ruptured, evidence of having been exposed to a powerful physical force. Other studies found that all but one of the animals had been healthy (the dolphin was diseased, and its demise has not been linked to the Navy), and the report ruled out other causes of injury, such as physical strikes by ships or underwater seismic events.

"There's no question that these tactical mid-range sonars were the sound source that caused the trauma," said Roger Gentry, who heads the acoustical research team for the National Marine Fisheries Service, an agency of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration."

read on @;
http://www.commondreams.org/headlines01/1231-02.htm

The Navy is probably still conducting these ELF sonar tests without approval of the public. The repaired Sea Shepard could challenge the Navy based upon their sonar ELF frequencies placing the whales in danger and thus violating the ESA. US military offenses are getting us nowhere fast, so why not try working for peace??

It was very frustrating watching tonight's show. Watching 3 whales being loaded as well as another whale killed and loaded makes me wonder why the Sea Shepard doesn't come up with new tactics to help the whales. Why couldn't a crew member also ride in the helicopter to throw canisters on the Japanese ships from the air? The crew doesn't appear to do be able to complete many throws from the Sea Shepard to the Japanese ships The Sea Shepard also needs to get a stronger engine to help it move quicker upon their ships. I feel like time and $$ is being wasted to film the crew sitting around with their mouths open and crying. They need to be more aggressive !!