Japan whalers, Greenpeace in ocean stand-off

[Judi Lynn]

Japan whalers, Greenpeace in ocean stand-off
Reuters

Dec 21, 2005 — By Michelle Nichols

CANBERRA (Reuters) - A Japanese whaling fleet and Greenpeace environmental activists are involved in a stand-off in the remote Southern Ocean near the coast of Antarctica with the two sides accusing each other of ramming their vessels.

Greenpeace said that after a month-long search it had tracked down six Japanese ships — which set out on November 8 to conduct what Tokyo says is a scientific whaling program — several thousand kilometers (miles) south of Perth.

Two Greenpeace ships Esperanza and Arctic Sunrise launched inflatable boats on Wednesday to harass Japanese "catcher boats," positioning between the whale and harpoon gun.

Then several more "catcher boats," which had been whaling further away, returned with their load to the mother ship where the whales are cut up
(snip/...)

http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory?id=1431261

[HysteryDiagnosis]

1. What they do for those who haven't seen them in action....

[sasha031]

2. this makes me so sick and sad

I don't think this world will ever evolve, bless greenpeace for caring so much.

[HysteryDiagnosis]

3. They live their conscience.... amazing people.... a guardian of

the natural world, and probably on "the list". (Wiretaps)

[Judi Lynn]

4. Without a doubt. Brave, good people. Unselfish. n/t

[sasha031]

6. slaughtering of beautiful animals

I don't understand how humans can be so blind and cruel.

[sasha031]

5. Oh yes

all environmental and animals rights groups are on the list

[JohnyCanuck]

7. Japanese are harpooning them and the USN is bombarding them with sonar

equivalent to the sound of a Saturn V rocket at liftoff. Just got the following email in my inbox this evening from the Natural Resources Defense Council, www.nrdc.org

Dear NRDC Earth Activist,

We need your immediate help to defend whales around the world from the Navy's use of ear-splitting mid-frequency sonar.

NRDC has just filed suit in federal court to force the Navy to begin taking humane precautions that would spare countless whales and other marine mammals from being maimed, deafened or killed during routine training.

You can help stop the Navy's needless killing of whales by CLICKING HERE and making a donation to support this historic court fight.

Hundreds of whales have already died after getting blasted by mid-frequency military sonar. And scientists suspect that many more are being injured and killed without our ever knowing.

Mid-frequency sonar is designed to detect enemy submarines by flooding tens or even hundreds of square miles of ocean with sound waves. Warships carrying sonar blast the ocean with a noise level up to 245 decibels -- billions of times more intense than the level known to disturb whales.

That intensity of sound is roughly comparable to a Saturn V rocket at blast-off. Some beached whales have been found bleeding around their brains and ears after sonar training exercises.

But the Navy refuses to take common-sense precautions during sonar exercises that would prevent whales and dolphins from stranding, suffering and dying!

The mounting death toll is not only preventable, it is illegal. The Navy is violating the Marine Mammal Protection Act and other environmental laws by refusing to adequately protect whales during training and testing.

I'm sure you agree that whales should not have to die for naval practice. And the Navy should not get away with breaking our environmental laws.

But it has become clear that our military will go right on conducting business as usual unless NRDC intervenes to stop them. Please CLICK HERE and lend your immediate financial support so that NRDC can go to court and stop the Navy from needlessly injuring and killing whales in the course of routine training.

Let me know you'll stand with us at this decisive moment in the fight to protect our planet's whales. Thank you.

Sincerely,
John Adams' signature
John H. Adams
President
Natural Resources Defense Council

http://www.savebiogems.org/whales/

[DELUSIONAL]

8. Whales are so loaded with toxic chemicals

that in the end those eating whale meat will probably die horrible deaths -- or perhaps that should be the response to whale eaters???

BAsed on recent reports of toxicology on Orca whales in the Arctic circle. Nope I don't have a link -- but it was on several news reports -- and here at DU.

[tatertop]

9. Leave those whales alone!

[NervousRex]

10. Type IX U-Boot

will take care of those fucking whalers..:grr: :grr: :grr: :grr:

[Barrett808]

11. Watch video from yesterday here:

http://www.greenpeace.org/international

Click on "See video".