Activists halt Japanese whaling
A government official says Japan has temporarily suspended its Antarctic whaling operations after repeated disruptions by a conservation group.
The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society has been chasing the Japanese whaling fleet for weeks in the icy seas off Antarctica, trying to block Japan’s annual hunts, planned for up to 945 whales.
Fisheries agency official Tatsuya Nakaoku said Tokyo halted the hunt on February 10 “to ensure safety” after persistent disruption by the anti-whaling protesters.
He said the fleet plans to resume hunting when conditions are deemed safe.
The annual whale hunts – for scientific purposes – are allowed by the International Whaling Commission as an exception to the 1986 ban, but opponents say they are a cover for commercial whaling.
So far, the attacks have not caused any injuries or major damage to the whaling vessels, Mr Nakaoku said, but the protesters are throwing rancid butter in bottles and once the protesters got a rope entangled in the propeller on a harpoon vessel, causing it to slow down.
“We have temporarily suspended our research whaling to ensure safety,” he said. The fleet plans to resume hunting when conditions are deemed safe, he added, but declined to say how long the suspension is planned for.
The Sea Shepherd group has been shadowing Japan’s whaling fleet for several years, and its campaign has drawn high-profile donor support in the US and elsewhere and spawned the popular Animal Planet TV series Whale Wars.
Last year, one of the group’s boats sank after colliding with a Japanese vessel. The boat’s captain, New Zealander Peter Bethune, was later arrested when he boarded a whaling ship from a jet-ski, and brought back to Japan for trial. He was convicted of assault, vandalism and three other charges and given a suspended prison term. Bethune has since returned to New Zealand.
Japan’s fisheries agency has called Sea Shepherd a terrorist group for its actions.
Mr Nakaoku said the anti-whaling ships have been chasing the Japanese fleet right behind the lead whaling ship, Nisshin Maru.
“It’s extremely regrettable that our research activity has been obstructed by the acts of sabotage, which could lead to serious injuries or damage,” he said. “We hope to return to normal operation as soon as possible.”
The fleet left Japan late last year, and its ongoing expedition is planned for several more weeks.
Japan has failed to fulfil its catch quota in recent years due to escalating protests by the anti-whaling campaigners. Last year, Japanese whalers ended up catching only about half of their target.
