The Japanese whalers are sots ...they use a loophole for 'research' to commercially hunt (if it was research the quota would be far less than a hundred- in some years the quota for 'research' is 300 plus) and sell the meet. The factory ship is a floating meat processing plant, not a 'scientific' vessel. It is a farce.
HOWEVER the SeaSheperd kooks are terrorists! Rather than mounting a legal offense they instead engage in tactics that can lead to damaged property, injury and/or even death in a region that is exceedingly inhospitable ifsomething goes wrong. These nutjobs play chicken in an environment that is unforgiving, and engage in tactics such as ramming ships, chemical assaults and lately the use of lasers that can damage retinas. Sooner or later someone will die ...a given.
Thus, even though I do not support the Japanese 'research' (ha ...that would be like the Chinese commencing on 'Tiger Research,' where they kill 150 tigers each year to 'check stomach contents' ...then lo and behold sell the pelts and the bones for multi millions ....), but allthe same the SeaShepherd kooks are terrorists.
The problem is that from a legal perspective neither of the two seem to be touchable! The Japanese hide behnd their research spiel, while the terrorists seem impervious to a whole hock of legalities that have been thrown their way without any sticking. The best solution might be if they all sink each other.
so what if they are using a loophole? There’s nothing wrong with killing an animal for food or research.