Ady Gil sinks after whaling skirmish

Australian Broadcasting Corporation ^ | January 8, 2010

[myknowledge]

The Sea Shepherd's anti-whaling speedboat Ady Gill has sunk after it was sliced in two by a Japanese whaling vessel during a clash in the Southern Ocean on Wednesday.

Sea Shepherd founder Paul Watson told ABC News Breakfast the Ady Gill went down shortly before 3:30am AEDT while it was being towed to a French research base by the group's Bob Barker boat.

"I think they were towing for about six or seven hours," he said.

"Even the act of towing was taking more water on. The Japanese vessel had cut the vessel completely in half and made it unseaworthy."

Six Sea Shepherd crew members were almost thrown overboard and one crew member suffered broken ribs when the Japanese whaling security ship, the Shonan Maru 2, ploughed through the bow of the high-tech Ady Gill on Wednesday.

Both the Japanese whalers and the Sea Shepherd crew blame each other for the incident, which happened in Antarctic waters.

But Mr Watson has defended his crew and says the risk of dying on the high seas is worth it if it allows the group to save whales.

"My crew are well aware of the risks that we have to take to protect whales down here. I think those risks are worth taking," he said.

"I can tell you now that if the oceans die, civilisations collapse and we all die.

"People die everyday to protect oil wells and real estate and we call them heroes and pin medals on them. I think protecting the diversity of oceans... is a far more noble cause."

'Harassment and attack'

But Glenn Inwood from Japan's Institute of Cetacean Research says Mr Watson has a dangerous attitude.

"Paul Watson has said before that he's willing to give any Japanese vessel what he calls a steel enema by ramming his ship into the stern of any Japanese vessel," Mr Inwood said.

"He also proudly displays the number of vessels he's sunk on the side of the Steve Irwin.

"You can understand why the Japanese have put security vessels down there.

"To say Japan has broken maritime laws can't be justified in this instance when you're under constant harassment and constant attack from these ships."

Mr Inwood says Japan's whaling program is internationally recognised as legal.

"The International Whaling Commission (IWC) have sanctioned it. The New Zealand government recognises its legality, and many members of the IWC do as well," he said.

"Sea Shepherd is trying to prevent Japan from conducting what is a legal operation under the rules of the IWC."

Yesterday Acting Prime Minister Julia Gillard asked the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) to investigate the incident and said the findings would be made public.

She says the Government reserves the right to take international legal action if diplomacy with Japanese officials fails, and has warned that evidence has already been collected to launch such action.

New Zealand is also investigating the incident because the Ady Gil was registered there.

'An act of war'

Mr Watson says an insurance payout on the Ady Gill is unlikely because the incident was a deliberate act.

"It's a $1.5 million loss for our organisation," he said.

"I think the Japanese deliberately took that vessel out; they saw it as a threat and they were under orders to take it out.

"It would be an act of war so there wouldn't be any insurance on it."

Mr Watson says two Japanese harpoon ships were nearby but did not offer any help after the incident.

"They were responsible, they destroyed the vessel ... I think they should have offered some sort of assistance but they refused to acknowledge any distress signal," he said.

Mr Watson says they were able to remove all the fuel from the speedboat to prevent any pollution.

Mr Watson is urging the Federal Government to take a tougher action against Japanese whalers.

"In the six years that we've been doing this, we've never caused an injury to anyone, we've never broken a law... and now they have sunk one of our vessels," he said.

"[Federal Environment Minister] Peter Garrett has become the master of restraint. He made a campaign promise to end whaling; now let's see him [do something]."

Mr Watson says the Government should send a boat to Antarctic waters, where the Sea Shepherd's other boats - the Steve Irwin and Bob Barker - are continuing to pursue Japanese whalers.

Mr Watson says the boats are chasing the Japanese fleet and the whalers have not killed a whale in two days.

Diplomatic approach

Meanwhile, New Zealand officials have met with representatives from the Japanese embassy in Wellington to discuss the situation.

The ABC understands that at the Wellington meeting, Japan said it regarded the incident as "regrettable" but a "low-key event".

This morning a spokesman for the New Zealand Foreign Minister, Murray McCully, said contrary to media reports, Japan had not lodged a stern complaint with the New Zealand Government.

He said Japanese officials agreed with New Zealand that their citizens needed to have better regard for people on the high seas.

The spokesman said legal action over the collision had not been discussed, because it still had not been established who was at fault.

Maritime New Zealand has launched an investigation.

[ransomnote]

You realize, of course, that pregnant women in the US are advised against eating canned tuna ‘too often’ during their pregnancy due to the mercury present, right? I don’t know how well parents in our country limit the use of tuna among our young.
I happen to live in an agricultural area in California where the ground water contains excessive amounts of toxins due to fertilizers and pesticides used on crops. In fact, it’s possible that the US exceeds the Japanese in pesticide use (it was true at one time - I don’t know anymore). Does that make America a barbaric culture?

[Don W]

You're both FULL OF YOURSELVES and wrong. Minke whale

Humpback whale

My info comes from:/www.acsonline.org

Humpback whale: Length and weight; Adult males measure 40-48 feet (12.2m to 14.6m) Adult females measure 45-50 feet (13.7m to 15.2m). They weigh from 25 to 40 tons.

Minke Whale: Adult males average about 8m (26 feet) with a maximum of 9.4m (31feet), while adult females average 8.2m (27 feet) with a maximum of 10.2m (33 feet). Both males and females weigh about 10 tons.

Does MBA mean "Me Big Airhead"?, because EVERY post you have made on this topic has been about as distraught and emotional as a thirteen year old ditzy cheerleader. BTW, it's Masters (degree) IN Business Administration. If you're going to try and scold folks, at least get your terminology correct, PUTZ!

[anglian]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Tomokos_hand.gifhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Minamata_protesters.jpg But that’s ok. When the next outbreak happens they will get to build another museum. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minamata_disease

[kingu]

There are a variety of estimates of Minke whale populations, the best data actually coming from the whaling ‘researchers’ - The lowest ever quoted and taken seriously in modern times is 380,000. The highest is 680,000, and the most accepted estimate is just shy of 500,000.

The Japanese have a strict quota which they've never come close to making, which is 1,000, or less than one half of one percent of the present population. More die of old age each year than ever will be harvested by the current Japanese whaling fleet.

The ‘illegal’ aspect is an international ban on all commercial whaling after the Onasis fleet evaded regulation by maintaining enough shell ownerships that no one was sure WHICH country had control over them; those ships were sold to the Japanese and are the ‘research’ fleet that is hunting whales today.

Much more questionable is the whale hunting near Japanese territorial waters, where whale populations may be in a more threatened state, but in Antarctic waters, the Minke thrive.

I'll grant the point that the entire ‘research’ aspect is a crock, but so is an outright ban. Like any responsible hunter, the Japanese are, at least down there, taking a sustainable catch, and as well, sharing the data about their catch with officials so that an overall image can be made of Minke populations, health, age, and general condition.

A real scientific survey of the Minke is highly unlikely to ever get funding, as there is no evidence that the population is under any threat, though of course, like everything else, global warming is attributed in theories that state that the Minke will suddenly die out as their food source is eliminated by climate change.

So, in short, the Minke is not endangered, the whaling is providing the only current scientific information on the condition of the Minke, and a very low relative to wild population hunting limit each season. For any other creature, this would be called sustainable hunting, and lauded for social and environmental responsibility.

[ColdWater]

You think that's not "endangered"

He is referring to the ones being harvested with populations of 1,000,000. That is NOT endangered. You earn three demerits for taking his post out of context.

[usmcobra]

And for FReepers who think they are God Almighty I implore you to go to Alaska during the Summer and take a boat ride to look at the humpback whales.

Go to Alaska in the winter and watch the Eskimos hunt and kill whales

[Don W]

Sorry coldwater, I forgot to include the arrogant one’s handle

[Balding_Eagle]

Those are just animals too. Cute animals, but animals none-the-less.

God put us on the earth to have dominion over them.

[Electric Graffiti]

Awesome...thanks for the videos. Eco-terrorism should be fought with something stronger than water cannons ;)

If the Japanese intentionally rammed them....good for them. I would have turned the ship around and finished the job.

[maica]

It’s possible that everything in my closet is older than that!
LOL!

[1COUNTER-MORTER-68]

And here is the crap they are feeding the children. Little ones who are the most vulnerable!
~~~
Can I have it then ?,,,

Don’t waste that on Kids !,,,

Maybe a little Agent Orange gravy on the side ?,,,

Hold the onions please...;0)

[Charles Martel]

Time to stop the Hug the Whales nonsense and manage these populations.

I agree with that - just wondering whether this Sea Shepherd bunch had attempted anything other than eco-terrorism to make their point. I also wonder whether the Japanese would be as easily influenced by the "Hug the Whales" stuff as Western cultures seem to be (I'm guessing not).

[anglian]

You heard the saying about a tree falling in the forest. Who will hear when an exploding harpoon hits an endangered whale? No one. But I can post some pics of whales other than minke whales being caught if u like to see? JAPANESE PIRATE WHALING SHIPS
As the IWC enacted regulation regarding whaling a number of unregulated operations acting outside of the laws of member nations became notorious in the mid-late 20th century. For example, a large private whaling fleet was owned (through a variety of holding companies and flags of convenience) by shipping magnate Aristotle Onassis and gained notoriety for ignoring all limits of size and species. When the Peruvian navy finally stopped and seized the Onassis fleet, just as sanctions were to be applied the entire fleet was sold to Japan for $8.5 million. Onassis’ factory ship, the Olympic Challenger, was renamed the Kyokuyo Maru II.[33][34] The Japanese trawler, Shunyo Maru, later became a combined catcher/factory whaling ship, MV Tonna, and was owned by Andrew M. Behr who also owned the infamous pirate whaling ship, Sierra. The Tonna is famous for its demise. In 1978 with full holds the Tonna landed another 50 ton Fin whale. As the whale was being winched aboard for processing the ship listed over, took on water and quickly sank.[35][36] Behr and the Sierra were also linked to Japan’s Taiyo Fisheries Co. through a Canadian subsidiary (Taiyo Canada Ltd.) and with whale product for Japanese markets. The Sierra was severely damaged after being rammed by activist Paul Watson aboard his ship, the Sea Shepherd. The Sierra was later sunk in port by unknown saboteurs with limpet mines. Paul Watson continues to be a controversial figure at odds with whaling and particularly Japan. Taiyo and other Japanese fisheries have also been linked to pirate whaling through subsidiary companies in Taiwan, the Philippines, Spain, South Korea, Chile and Peru.[35][36] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whaling_in_Japan#cite_note-jwa-history-7

[GonzoGOP]

Doesn't the law carry any weight with you?

Be careful with that argument. The UN says the Japanese can hunt whales. Australia, that claims the waters, says they can't, and Australian courts have issued orders for them to stop. The Australian government is unwilling or is unable or their to enforce their court's decisions so the Japanese ignore it.

When the UN says its OK to grab your guns and the US constitution says they can't, but the Obama administration decides not to enforce the US law in deference to UN dictates you may regret your stand.

Oh and just for the record I think that the Japanese were fully justified in running down the Ady Gil that was trying to disable their propellers. If the Australians want to throw the Japanese out that is their business. But a bunch of Americans in a Dutch or New Zealand flagged ship like the Sea Shepards have no standing in the matter. Not unless the Australians have issued a letter of marque. And even in that case it is still legal to fight back.

[tallyhoe]

I am glad the Eco terrorist boat was sunk!!!!!!!!!!

[anglian]

You forgot the sarc. tag?

[imjimbo]

and very rich in omega3’s...

[myknowledge]

Martyrdom ‘for the whales’. It’s just not worth it.

[EricT.]

How far from the coast of Australia were they?

[1COUNTER-MORTER-68]

Most of my guns are near 100 years old!,,,

(GrandPaw Simpson Voice)...;0)