Turkish tuna fishermen ram Greenpeace ship (take notes)

MSNBC ^ | 5/30/2008 | AP

[tobyhill]

ANKARA, Turkey - Turkish tuna fishermen rammed their boat into a Greenpeace ship Friday and pelted it with lead fishing weights, the environmental group said. No one was injured.

The fishing vessel was among several that swarmed the Arctic Sunrise, which was carrying activists campaigning against overfishing in the Mediterranean. The boat rammed the Greenpeace ship at high speed, said Yesim Aslan, a spokeswoman for the group.

The barrage of lead weights damaged a helicopter that the activists had used earlier in the day to document the vessels' activities, Aslan said.

[SunkenCiv]

Bluefin tuna are being gobbled up (at huge tulipmania markups) for some popular sushi dish in Japan, and rapidly pushed toward extinction. Of course, it’s not likely that these Turks had just started fishing for tuna yesterday, iow, that this particular fad resulted in thousands of new fishing boats on the Med. :’)

[Vigilanteman]

WOW! Is that real or photoshopped? If real, I had no idea Turkey women were that lovely or allowed to show that much skin.

[sleddogs]

Nice

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1348/1353726191_52e94becde.jpg?v=0

[Dr.Zoidberg]

Too bad the lead wasn’t flying at supersonic speeds.

A good slingshot would have made those lead weights lethal. Maybe these fishermen need to start carrying wrist rockets as a normal part of their kit.

I've hunted small game with a Marksman 3040 shooting .50 caliber lead balls and wouldn't hesitate to use it on a man if necessary. And I'd feel confident I could put him down with a well placed shot to the head.

[randomhero97]

Turkey is a secular nation. Most of the Turks I know don’t really care too much about Muslims or Islam in general. Yes, some of the chicks are really hot. I would definitely like to go back there if I ever get a chance.

[TigersEye]

Greenpeace representative Karli Thomas said. "But the real problem here is being caused by the refusal of governments to take action to regulate a fishery that's fishing itself to death."

Nonsense. Fisherman don't kill their own trade.

[teeman8r]

the waters are vast and plentiful... when the fishing is difficult, fewer will fish and the fish will rebound... it is all cyclical and part of nature... fish away.

teeman

just like the warming models... the area of study is too large for the calculations of tuna running out...

[ASA Vet]

You like camels?
Turn up your volume.

[sleddogs]

LOL

[PAR35]

How did the Turks help in the Korean war?

They distinguished themselves on the field of battle (which is more than can be said for some of the American units.)

[SevenofNine]

That too funny LOL!

[kaboom]

Fisherman don't kill their own trade.

Unfortunately they do. They might change from one species to another, but overfishing is a problem. While some fishermen might self regulate, others are out to for the quick profit without long term consideraion for the trade.

[Roccus]

Let’s just say that when it came to the enemy, the Turks didn’t play nice. (at least that’s what I’ve heard from some KW vets)

[12Gauge687]

That’s what happened with cod and striped bass along the East Coast of the USA for awhile. I think sport fishermen were influential in reducing the commercial fishing season and the size of the fishing boats’ catch.

I’m not certain whether their numbers have recovered but I do know swordfish and Patagonia toothfish (AKA Chilean sea bass, which is really not a bass) numbers were also hit hard by their popularity as restaurant fare.

[VeniVidiVici]

Shame on those Turks for throwing lead weights! A California Condor could have eaten some and died!

[Redbob]

Were the “lead fishing weights” discharged from shotguns, by any chance?

LOL!

[pankot]

Too bad the Turks didn’t throw feces. After all, that’s what the tree-huggers are full of.

[TigersEye]

How long have the Turks been fishing tuna?

[Nachoman]

I wouldn't mind basting that turkey.

[bobbyd]

That is a great pic.