‘Whale Wars’ Spin-Off Coming To Animal Planet

All signs pointed to this development earlier this summer and now Animal Planet has gone and made it official: “Whale Wars” is getting a spin-off series.

The cable network, obviously eager to expand one of its longest-running hit series, will focus on the Sea Shepherd’s efforts to to stop an annual whale hunt known as “The Grind” in the Faroes Islands. The Lizard Trading Company, which produces the series for Animal Planet, started filming for the tentatively titled “Faroe Island Project” back on July 15th.

As the press release notes, the Sea Shepherd’s Faroes campaign has gotten off to a rocky start with the detainment of their ship, the Steve Irwin, in the nearby Shetland Islands. A Scottish court is holding the ship due to a claim filed by a Maltese company over a 2010 incident -saying the conservation org caused sustained damage when they freed hundreds of bluefin tuna from the company’s nets off the coast of Libya.

Sea Shepherd say they need $1.4 million to release the Irwin or face its permanent seizure.

“For the last four years, WHALE WARS has been riveting television because of the passion of the Sea Shepherds, the risks they take to save the lives of whales, and the magnificent and dangerous beauty of the Southern Ocean,” notes Marjorie Kaplan, president and general manager of Animal Planet Media. “Now they are once again preparing to put their lives on the line, this time in a lush and unfamiliar corner of northern Europe, where the customs are different and the killing of whales continues. And we plan be there to document every moment.”

The network has yet officially announce a release date or number of episodes for the new spin-off.

This is actually a more heated debate than you might think on Free Republic. A large number of FReepers support the whalers; another large portion the hippies. A vocal third segment would like to see both sunk.

Well put!!! I am the vocal third segment :)

Then again, what would I do on Friday nights without Captain Coco Puffs and the whalers???

Pan I am here for the thread tonight, we shall see how drunk I get via the "Whale Wars drinking game".

I'm having some buddies over tonight so I probably won't die of alcohol poisoning after watching the hippies and whalers go at it.

I think “Kate” here has gone into the hydrophobia stage of rabies. In seeking news of the auction of the Steve Irwin ship, I found this post from Kate who is responding to a commenter in a commercial website:
“To: @Asia Shark”
“Of course all the negative comments u hear come from ignorant whale/dog eating idiots with names like “Asia shark”..Yeah I said that...it’s these peoples disgusting acts that make me, an extremely open minded liberal hate these people, or at least the huge portion of the population that eats things like dog and whale...anyone who can’t see that these illegal whalers, who btw don’t really harpoon these animals for “RESEARCH” but instead for food (which is repulsive and speaks volumes to the lack of morals/respect for life in general these putrid money grubbing bottom feeders have)...should be thrown in the water to be harpooned then shot twelve times until they sufficate on their own blood then be gutted and have there inards thrown in the water for the birds to eat whilst the rest of them is cut up in huge chunks to be sent off so their people who eat them....how could anyone do this without any reguard to the damage there doing to the ecosystem or to the beautiful whales lives there helping slaughter in general...it makes me sick...not to mention that ABOVE ALL ITS ILLEGAL AND CORRUPT what there doing!!! and the negative comments about the enviromentalists!!? Seriously!? I’d expect negative Retarded comments about green peace and activists in general from the likes of FOX NEWS or the likes of but WTF...How could this NOT be news?? If they don’t expose the whale eaters criminal tactics and blatant illegal activity then who will!?? It’s just so repulsive what these gross people are getting away with...I’m HAPPY they accidentally rammed that harpoon vessel!!! I think it’s funny as hell! They deserve at least that much...I just got done watching a documentary on this subject so I’m extremely angry right now...more needs to be done to expose this hideous behavior, and if they don’t tell the media what’s happening while there out there than who will? The work the Steve Irwin crew is doing is noble and above all it’s what’s right...okay I’m done...xoxo”
Posted by: Kate | May 14, 2011 at 05:12 AM

xoxo to you too, Kate.

http://www.petethomasoutdoors.com/2011/05/sea-shepherd-vessel-steve-irwin-tailed-by-somali-pirates.html?cid=6a0120a77b966b970b014e886dc616970d#comment-6a0120a77b966b970b014e886dc616970d

Research is just a front for commercially harvesting the whale meat.

This is true but the IWC (International Whaling Commission) was created so to allow the safe harvesting of whales and prevent driving whales to extintion. Not end all whaling

But the Commision has been taken over by anti whaling fanatics from countries who has never hunted whales and joined solely to elimate whaling of any kind

The Japanese hunt primarily minke whales which are far from endangered. Even the IWC own scientists say a limited harvest wouldn't harm the population. But a slight majority of IWC members refuse to recognise the science and consistently vote down any hunting.

So the Japanese play the "science card" which allows them to legally catch a quota for "research"

It's bad politics all around.

BTW The treaty on whaling ban are purely voluntary, any signee can resign and hunt as many as it wishes.

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