Having done a Southern Ocean patrol myself, I feel sorry for the crew of the Japanese warship. Conditions down there, even at the best of times, suck beyond the telling of it.
I'm not at all happy of the concept of "Japanese Warships". The last time we had these DownUnder there was all Hell to pay. It's about time to sink a few more of these, to remind them of their manners.
Good on Greenpeace for standing up to these Japanese bullies. They have no business in our Southern oceans, which are whale sanctuaries.
Greenpeace really needs to invest in a warship if they are going to be credible in saving the whales. Surely Sean Penn, Susan Sarandon and other hollyweirds will contribute.
It would be a beautiful thing !
This sounds like a job for the United Nations...ajudicating disputes between nations.
Where is the KOFIMAN???
Here is another wonderful opportunity for the UN to screw up another operation and make it FUBAR!
Cool idea. Can we use a few Marines at the rodeo to rid ourselves of the animal rights protesters? Better yet, can we make PETA roping an event?
How can a country lay claim to an Ocean. I thought there was a 12 mile limit amd the rest was international.
That being said the Japanese are known to overfish any sea however, if Greenpeace attacks them or rams their ship they should have a right to protection.
That being said why doesnt Japan and all the other countries of the world stop the pirates from Samalia who would board a passenger ship at sea.
Well put and right on target.
I haven't used a whale oil lamp in quite a while now (like forever) what else is a whale used for these days? Why are they still caught?
Send in the French. They can't protect themselves from anyone with any intent, but they have a history of destroying unarmed ships (not that I didn't agree with them).
Hmmmm......
Sink the witnesses?
(works for me)
Fishermen here have always said that the Japanese have been illegally fishing our waters and there is nothing being done about it as they go back over the line when a complaint goes out.
I don't think it is right that our Fishermen have to follow Fed. mandates and others don't.
King V (the son) is attending Marine Biology seminars at OSU and so allot of education is coming my way.
Being good stewards is ok by me.
Not agreeing that GreenPeace is wonderful but just saying nothing wrong with being good stewards of our resources.
A sinking would be awesome!
Someone is going to go swimming........soon..
Greenpeace and the other loony "Conservation" group have their ships in the area - making asses of themselves - doing battle with each other in addition to harassing the Japanese fishing fleet..
It would be nice to see "Captain Paul Watson", founder of the self appointed terrorists of the sea organization Sea Shepherd Conserservation Society.... sent to swimming with his beloved fish.
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http://www.guardian.co.uk/conservation/story/0,13369,167650
7,00.html
Greenpeace fights sea battle with rival anti-whaling ship
· Groups accuse each other of attempting to ram boats
· Report of Japanese warship sailing to area
John Vidal, environment editor
Monday January 2, 2006
The Guardian
A battle for what is being called "the high moral wave" was last night being fought off the wild coast of Antarctica as the world's two leading international marine protection groups fought each other over which would stop the Japanese whaling fleet.
With an international crew of volunteers, a helicopter and a deep war chest, Greenpeace International has sent two boats, the Arctic Sunrise and the faster Esperanza, to the Southern Ocean to stop the Japanese whaling fleet as it tries to catch 900 minke, blue and other whales for "scientific research".
Last night the group, which located and gave chase to the Japanese fleet before Christmas, claimed to have the whalers on the run in mountainous seas peppered with icebergs. "The fleet seems to be running in circles, stopping and going in different directions. It's the sixth day in a row that we have seen no whales transferred to the factory ship. It's unlikely that whaling is being undertaken," said a spokesman.
The animal rights protector Captain Paul Watson, who co-founded Greenpeace in the 1970s and later set up the more radical Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, was also in pursuit of the fleet yesterday in his ship, the Farley Mowat. Capt Watson, who accuses Greenpeace of being "the Avon ladies of the environment" and of being more interested in publicity than in enforcing international law, intercepted the Nisshin Maru factory ship on Christmas Day. Each environmental group now accuses the other of endangering lives by trying to ram its vessels.
Sea Shepherd had requested the presence of the Australian navy to monitor events in the Southern Ocean, but Australia's environment minister, Ian Campbell, said that Sea Shepherd's threats to attack the fleet "risk setting back the cause of whale conservation many years".
Capt Watson said yesterday: "Stop threatening us, Mr Campbell, and charge us if you believe we are acting unlawfully. Stop posing for the Japanese [who] are in blatant violation of international conservation laws."
Despite a short truce at Christmas in which the captains swapped greetings, Capt Watson and Greenpeace were at daggers drawn again yesterday with Sea Shepherd accusing the larger group of refusing to say where the Japanese fleet was.
"Greenpeace has misled Sea Shepherd and betrayed us. The Japanese fleet does not give a damn about protests. [Greenpeace] just take pictures and hang banners. We are down here to enforce international conservation law and to stop the illegal whaling operations."
Greenpeace retorted: "Greenpeace distance themselves from Sea Shepherd because of their inability to commit to non-violent tactics. But we'll do what we can to put bodies between harpoons and whales and protect the whales non-violently," said its spokesman Danny Kennedy. Capt Watson yesterday warned Greenpeace that Japan had dispatched a warship to the Southern Ocean to protect its whaling fleet and arrest the conservationists for piracy. This could not be confirmed.
Last night, the three conservation ships were reportedly trying to spot the Japanese harpoon vessels. "They are sweeping along the [Antarctic] coast corridor with radar and helicopter reconnaissance flights with the objective of ferreting out the positions of the illegal harpoon vessels," said a spokesman for Greenpeace.
Backstory
The bad blood between Greenpeace and Sea Shepherd goes back to 1979, when Captain Paul Watson, membership number 008, left the Greenpeace Foundation he helped set up in Canada in 1972. In 1978, he formed the Sea Shepherd society. While Greenpeace adopted an ethic of non-violence, Capt Watson, 55, believes in confrontation and has been accused of piracy and terrorism.
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Go HERE:
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/466/story.cfm?c_id=1501010&ObjectID=10362089
To see and read about Capt. Watson -- a self important self described PIRATE...
Semper Fi