Japanese Whalers become the Hunted |
 The Vessel Farley Mowat |
The 48-metre 'Farley Mowat' under the command of Paul Watson, the founder of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, and carrying 44 crew left Hobart, Tasmania for Antarctica where her crew will attempt to track down the Japanese whaling fleet.
Watson says he intends to intervene and suspend pirate whaling by the notorious Japanese whaling fleet, and to escort their fleet out of the hunting area.
Japan plans to kill 440 Minke whales in the Southern Ocean Sanctuary - the same number it killed last year - for what it calls scientific research.
The Japanese whaling industry continues to dis-play the most flagrant disregard for the International Whaling Commission (IWC) moratorium on whaling, international laws protecting marine wildlife, and the undermining of two decades of whale conservation.
The Japanese have been hiding behind the guise of "scientific research" for years, yet they openly market whale meat Š they recently dumped 9,000 pounds of whale meat on the Japanese restaurant markets and in the childrenÕs school lunch programs. This is doubly tragic since scientific testing has shown whale meat to be extremely toxic and the cause of brain disorders among children who eat whale meat as part of their diet.
 Japanese Survey/Sample Vessel Kyo Maru No.1 |
Antarctic Minke whales are protected under an international agreement on migratory species, and are listed under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES)
The Farley Mowat left Auckland on December 4 and stopped in Hobart to top up fuel supplies.
Paul Watson says the ship is capable of spending two months at sea and will return to Auckland at the end of its current mission.
{Published from reports by the New Zealand Herald and the Sea Shepherd Society}