Sea Shepherd activists 'bugged' whaling ships

[Barrett808]

Source: Kyodo

Anti-whaling activists from the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society have admitted to bugging Japan's whaling fleet with high-tech tracking devices in order to follow them.

Sea Shepherd's vessel the Steve Irwin caught up with the Japanese whaling fleet near the Shackleton Ice Shelf on Saturday, having returned to Antarctic waters from a refueling pit stop in Melbourne.

Sea Shepherd leader Paul Watson said the bugs had been planted on the Japanese harpoon boat Yushin Maru 2 when two of its crew boarded the vessel last month.

"That's why when we left Melbourne it only took us nine days to find them. We went straight towards them," Mr Watson said.

"I think it's really funny. They are probably ripping the ship apart right now trying to find them, but they aren't going to find them."

Read more: http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/02/25/2172145.htm

[mikelgb]

1. nice move sea shepherd I was wondering why your guys went on there

in the first place... it seemed like a death wish

[The Stranger]

2. But if you tell them, won't they sweep their ships and destroy the bugs?

[zonkers]

6. Easier said then done. Besides flying a sweeper dude out to sea,

I think some beacons can be equipped to shut off when being detected.

[formercia]

10. Narrow pulse

Animal tracking beacons transmit a narrow data pulse to maximize battery life. Unless you have a proper receiver, the transmission looks just like a blip of noise. The ships would have to turn off all electrical equipment and go silent. Not an easy thing to do at sea in rough weather. I spent several months in Antarctic waters and calm days were few and far between.

[zonkers]

14. Very very interesting. Fascinating

[formercia]

15. It was part of my skill set.

It's amazing how far you can pick one up considering the low power output. It's not new technology. You can put one in someones boot and track them anywhere on the planet.

They were used a lot in Viet Nam until the NVA got wise and took a beacon that had been planted on them and planted in in a large Cambodian town. The B-52s leveled it.

[Barrett808]

19. Yes, thanks for the info.

I was imagining a complex GPS transceiver, but apparently that's unnecessary for this job. }(

[The Stranger]

16. Gotcha. Go Sea Shepherd!

Fight on, my brothers and sisters!

[fed-up]

3. why the hell can't someone bug the whitehouse??? nt

[Nihil]

18. Not much point ...

... seeing as its position is fairly widely known at any time ...
:P

(These are position location bugs, not audio/visual reporting ones :hi: )

[Kajsa]

4. Alright!

Good for Sea Shepard!

It was a risky move, but it worked.

I too am concerned that disclosing the info
will lead to the Maru's crew finding and destroying the bugs.

[Barrett808]

5. Sea Shepherd Chases Japanese Fleet Out of Australian Waters

Sea Shepherd Chases Japanese Fleet Out of Australian Waters
Sea Shepherd News
News Releases
02/24/200

The Sea Shepherd ship Steve Irwin has successfully chased the Japanese whaling fleet out of the waters of the Australian Antarctic Territory.

For the last 10 days the Japanese fleet was killing whales not far off the coast of the Australian Antarctic Territory. On the morning of February 23rd, Sea Shepherd intercepted the fleet about 80 miles north of the Shackleton Glacier.

Over the last 24 hours the fleet has fled north and they are now above the 200 miles territorial lines that defines the Australian Antarctic Economic Exclusion Zone and the Australian Whale Sanctuary.

No whales have been killed during the last 30 hours.

“It is incredibly satisfying to be moving through these waters seeing Fin whales, Piked whales and Humpback whales spouting and breaching and knowing they are safe from the harpoons as long as we are here,” said Canadian crewmember Shannon Mann, 35 from Calgary, Alberta.

The Sea Shepherd ship Steve Irwin continues to pursue the Japanese fleet with the objective of doing so for the next three weeks.

http://seashepherd.org/news/media_080224_1.html

[GliderGuider]

7. Too sweet!!!!

:thumbsup: :toast: :bounce:

SSCS and Paul Watson, :yourock:

[arikara]

8. k&r!!!

n/t

[Truth2Tell]

9. K&R! nt

[JohnyCanuck]

11. Something you can do from your computer to help the whales

and it will barely take five minutes of your time and none of your money.

Canon is the world’s number one digital camera company, and a major sponsor of wildlife initiatives, environmental groups, and efforts to save endangered species.

The CEO of a company that attracts support to its brand by associating itself with environmental issues ought to oppose lethal research whaling in the Southern Ocean.

Tell Mr. Mitarai, head of Canon Japan, that you want him to express Canon’s disapproval of whaling in the Southern Ocean, and to call upon the government of Japan to use only non-lethal research methods.

Click here to send letter to Canon's CEO:
https://write-a-letter.greenpeace.org/390

It might not seem like much compared to what Paul Watson and Sea Shepherd are doing, but every little bit counts, especially if there are lots and lots of little bits.

[Barrett808]

12. You can also make your tax-deductible donation to Sea Shepherd here:

Sea Shepherd Conservation Society
http://seashepherd.org/donate.html

[bitchkitty]

17. Also, be sure to be

very polite - he'll respond to courtesy more than he will to anger.

[freeplessinseattle]

13. Brilliant! I love it. don't ever give up the fight! eom