Posted on 01/07/2010 6:52:08 PM PST by 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.
The Ady Gil was the stand on vessel and had a duty to maintain its course and speed. It also had a duty to attempt to avoid a collision without regard to the actions of the Shonen Maru #2.
The Ady Gil increased its speed and maneuvered to close the Shonen Maru #2. When it did so, it gave away its rights as to right-of-way. At that point, being the more maneuverable vessel, the Ady Gil became the burdened vessel and was required to maneuver away from the Shonen Maru #2.
Garde la Foi, mes amis! Nous nous sommes les sauveurs de la République! Maintenant et Toujours!
(Keep the Faith, my friends! We are the saviors of the Republic! Now and Forever!)
LonePalm, le Républicain du verre cassé (The Broken Glass Republican)
This is true. Words of wisdom from a dedicated carnivor.
Hardly....read his/fer posts.....
They are very anti-Jap and less pro-whale...
You are assuming that I eat hamburger?
I don't.
I was gently pointing out that your lamely jejune whale huggers...
heh heh heh...;-) was neither clever or insulting.
;^) sarc/
...oops...I almost forgot that pesky tag again!
Not everyone is like the tropical vegetarians that swarm around this planet. Real men NEED the high iron content flesh of sea mammals.
Hunters are not scum, but poachers are. There is a world-wide whaling ban, with some limited exceptions. The Japanese are taking what they wish to take, international law be damned. The Japanese aren't hunting, they're poaching. I hate poachers.
It is illegal. There has been a worldwide whaling ban FOR ALL WHALE SPECIES in effect since 1982, as instituted by the IWC. If we expect Iran and North Korea to abide by international treaties and UN Resolutions, then we should expect the same from Japan. Start reading before you accuse others of emoting.
USDA does not agree with you. After thousands of years ~ probably tens of thousands of years ~ the people and animals adapted to life in polar regions are also adapted to eating a very high iron diet. This includes seals, reindeer, polar bear, and so on ~ for example: http://www.nutritiondata.com/facts/ethnic-foods/8081/2
Baleen whales feed primarily in far Northern and far Southern waters where krill abound. People in the far North are well adapted to eating whales.
The Japanese have among their number a small percentage of Northern adapted people ~ which is why virtually all Eskimos are easily mistaken for Japanese.
If you want the polar market what you need to do is breed some high iron content cows.
There are exceptions for native subsistance hunting. You may be thinking of the ignorant attempt to prohibit the hunting and consumption of seals by anyone but Danish Eskimos.
So they can be eaten.
Thanks for making my case.
Good for them.
I would plow under or over any kook screwing with my livelihood.
Forgot to mention in my previous post - please do not call the progeny of these creatures "children".
They are calves, just like the progeny of cow, buffalo and elk.
"Children" needs to be reserved as a designation for human offspring.
Better quit calling children “kids” then.
I have to adapt to my environment, they should do the same.
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