Japanese whalers go with no guard

[Coventina]

Source: The Australian

THE Japanese Government has decided against sending coastguard officers or a vessel to protect whaling crews in the Antarctic this summer, another signal Tokyo and Canberra are working to ease the most serious dispute between the two nations.

A Japan Fisheries Agency official confirmed yesterday that, unlike last summer, there would be no coastguard officers aboard the southern whaling fleet when it leaves Shimonoseki port, probably this weekend.

(snip)

The Rudd Government, which angered the Japanese last summer by sending a coastguard vessel to gather evidence against the whalers for a possible international legal action, has decided against despatching another ship.

Environment Minister Peter Garrett has refused to confirm that decision or to rule out prosecution of the Japanese hunters, whose so-called scientific whaling in the Antarctic and the northern Pacific are sponsored by the Japanese Government and funded by whalemeat sales and taxpayer subsidies.



Read more: http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,24652727-2703,00.html

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Good ole Peter Garrett!

:loveya:

[Haole Girl]

1. This infuriates me

If you want to help, here is a start:

http://www.seashepherd.org

http://www.greenpeace.org/usa

[I Have A Dream]

2. Me too.

x(

[Coventina]

3. This is actually good news. Japan is "standing down" by not putting

their coast guard officers on the whaling ship.

I don't agree with Australia not sending their own coast guard to monitor the whaling activity, but it sounds like they are keeping all their options open.

[Proud-D]

4. The Seashepherds are great

but Greenpeace is a joke when it comes to this issue. They do great things on other issues but when it comes to the whales they are nothing but spectators standing on the sidelines.

[Haole Girl]

5. Really? I thought they made some headway recently

Guess, it wasn't as productive as I thought. They are great at attracting attention to a problem- you've gotta give 'em that!

[Proud-D]

7. Its the holyer then thou attitude that Greenpeace

has toward the Seashepherds that pisses me off. They refuse to help out the Seashepherds out on the field in anyway and lob insults their way. Which is funny since the leader of the Seashepherds founded Greenpeace.

[Haole Girl]

8. I did not realize that was the case

Seems like if the two organizations joined forces they could accomplish more.

[Proud-D]

9. You can see this rivalry between Greenpeace and

the Seashepherds yourself. There is a new TV show on the Animal Planet channel called Whale Wars. New episodes every friday. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UbROlabBfUU
The bickering between the two groups will make you sick.

[Gullvann]

10. Perhaps because, Greenpeace also want to save people's

lives, not only the whales. Watson and his merry band of eco-pirates do not share such concerns...

On edit: But, then again Jack O'Neill always tended to be slightly reckless :-)

[Chulanowa]

13. So far as I'm aware, the only lives Watson has jeopardized...

Has been his own and those of volunteers who know what they're getting into. He talks a lot of ramming ships and such, but it's bluff and bluster. He knows if he takes it that far, he's screwed and the whalers come out on top.

[BrklynLiberal]

11. and that is why Capt Watson split from Greenpeace and formed the Sea Shepherd.

There is a series on Animal Planet every Friday night at 10PM EST about the Sea Shepherd..

[Number9Dream]

6. Will this save any whales?

Guess this sounds like positive news, but will it save any whales? I don't see how, but even if it saves one whale that's great.

The news from October that Chile had created a whale sanctuary was great news.

http://www.montereyherald.com/ci_10726511?nclick_check=1

snip> President Michelle Bachelet on Wednesday signed into law a measure that bans all whale hunting off Chile's 3,400-mile (5,500-kilometer) coast.
The law bans whale hunting both for commercial and scientific purposes.

To thank the Chilean Government:

http://www.chileangovernment.gov.cl/index.php?option=com_contact&Itemid=3

[Barrett808]

12. WHALE WARS episode 2, tonight on Animal Planet!

http://animal.discovery.com/tv/whale-wars