[img]http://img560.imageshack.us/img560/5493/nocompromiselogo.jpg[/img]
[b]December 02[/b]
[release]Whalers leave Japan, but with a much smaller fleet than previous hunts.What a difference a year makes.
Unlike previous December launches, the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society find themselves in the unusual position of waiting for the Japanese whalers to arrive on the scene. “Our vessels are ready to head out but the Japanese fleet has not left Japan yet,” Watson commented to ABC News. “That’s very unusual, we don’t know what they’re up to but we’re ready if they do and we intend to go down to the Southern Ocean and protect as many whales as possible.”
Probably around the very moment Watson was quoted, Greenpeace announced that the Japanese whalers had indeed left port — but with a much smaller fleet. “The whalers ‘are up to their necks in it,’ Greenpeace marine biologist Thilo Maack said. “First, they lose their tanker and refrigerator ship, then their sightings ship. Now they have to satisfy themselves with a halved quota and a drastically shorter hunting season.”
It’s estimated that Japan’s whaling fleet will not be able to start hunting until early January — and may have to return earlier than usual due to a lack of a refueling vessel. “The possibility of Nisshin Maru’s early return is high,” Greenpeace said in a statement. “It is anticipated that the number of whale catches will decline considerably.”
Japan’s target this year for its so-called scientific research programme includes 935 minke and 50 endangered fin whales. [b]The quota also includes 50 humpbacks[/b], but the Japanese Institute of Cetacean Research has yet to hunt them as part of the harvest.[/release]
[url]http://www.ecorazzi.com/2010/12/02/sea-shepherd-launch-operation-no-compromise/[/url]
[b]November 25[/b]
[release]TOKYO, Nov. 25 (UPI) -- The Japanese whaling fleet's annual departure for the Antarctic Ocean has been delayed, likely due to difficulties finding a refueling ship, Greenpeace said.
The country's Fisheries Agency, the Institute of Cetacean Research and whaling company Kyodo Senpaku declined to comment on the fleet's schedule or why the departure has been delayed, the Japan Times reported Thursday.
Wakao Hanaoka of Greenpeace Japan said the delay is probably due to problems securing a refueling ship.
"Kyodo Senpaku lost the refueling ship it had been using, and it is difficult to find a ship owner who will take the risk of being associated with internationally condemned whaling activities," Hanaoka said.
Senpaku may shorten this year's hunt if it can't find a new refueling ship, Hanaoka said.
The whaling fleet normally arrives in the Antarctic Ocean in late November to mid-December and returns in March, arriving back in Japan in April.
As inventories of frozen whale meat have increased in Japan, the country faces increasing international pressure to cut down on whaling.
In April, the International Whaling Commission submitted a proposal for Japan to decrease its Antarctic whaling quota from the current 800 whales to about 200 in 10 years.[/release]
[url]http://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2010/11/25/Japanese-whale-fleet-delays-departure/UPI-28981290706662/[/url]
December 05
[release]A MID-OCEAN collision with the Japanese fleet is definitely not in the script for the new Sea Shepherd stealth vessel taking part in this summer's anti-whaling offensive, its skipper says.
"I have got no intention of colliding with a steel vessel," Captain Locky MacLean said yesterday after the Gojira docked in Hobart for fuel and supplies before heading to meet its sister vessels Steve Irwin and Bob Barker in the Southern Ocean.Gojira, which means Godzilla in Japanese, cruised into Princes Wharf sporting a new black paint job, in keeping with the Sea Shepherd look.
It replaces the Ady Gil, which was sunk after a collision with a Japanese whaling vessel last summer. The collision led to the arrest of its captain, Pete Bethune, in January.
Last month Sea Shepherd leader Paul Watson said it was unlikely Capt MacLean and the Gojira would become involved in any "cowboy" behaviour in the Southern Ocean.
"Keeping the ship in one piece is definitely on my priority list," Capt MacLean said yesterday.
The 30-year-old Canadian has been with Sea Shepherd off and on for 11 years and captained the Steve Irwin last year.
The Sea Shepherd Society has high hopes for its mission, saying it hopes to "stop the whaling industry in its tracks".
Much of this hope rests on the 36m, $1.2 million superfast vessel Gojira, which can go twice as fast as the two other vessels.
Capt MacLean said he and his eight crew would rely on finely tuned tactics and speed to make an impact on the whalers.
The Japanese whaling fleet left its home port three days ago.
Capt MacLean hopes the Gojira will be able to intercept the fleet in the Tasman Sea or long before it gets to whaling grounds near Antarctica.
"This will be the boat that is able to get away from the harpoon ships," he said.
"The whaling fleet over the last couple of years have been using security vessels to tail us but there is no way they will be able to tail this boat - we can just step on the gas and say see you later."
Capt MacLean said the Japanese already appeared to be at a disadvantage this year.
"They seem to have less ships, they left late, they may not have a refuelling vessel so they might have to quit early," he said.
"And we have got the strongest fleet we have ever had so everything seems to have fallen into alignment this year."
The Gojira is expected to leave Hobart in the middle of this week[/release]
[url]http://www.themercury.com.au/article/2010/12/05/191041_todays-news.html[/url]
This year's fleet includes the usual ships and the new Gorjira. (as well as a little bird helicopter)
[img]http://img823.imageshack.us/img823/4038/fleetsteveirwin01.jpg[/img]
[img]http://img689.imageshack.us/img689/5492/fleetbobbarker01.jpg[/img]
[img]http://img52.imageshack.us/img52/5241/fleetgojira01.jpg[/img]
This year will be significant because it is the first time Sea Shepherd has left for the Antarctic before the Japanese. The previous fuel contractor for the whalers scraped their ship and now they cannot get another contract because no one wants to do business with them apparently. So now they're not only behind schedule, but with limited fuel supplies and a lower quota, as well as a considerably smaller fleet due to said fuel limitations. If Sea Shepherd can intercept the Whalers before they get to the whaling grounds, then this may be the first time ever they go back to Japan without a single catch. Considering each whale costs well over a million dollars, this season will take a big hit on the Whalers. This year also sees the end to the Buteric acid attacks that Sea Shepherd was known for. They equipped the Steve Irwin with a water cannon that proves much more useful than the stinky butter. The Japanese defenses also made buteric attacks almost impossible.
It will be interesting to see what shit they pull this year. That's half the reason I follow these nutters, they're entertaining as fuck. The biggest problem here is finding an unbias news source. You either got Sea Shepherd glorifying themselves, or the Japanese condemning them as terrorists. It's not until they do something stupid (it will happen soon enough) that the media starts to stir.
Bets are now open on the Gorjiras life expectancy.
I hope they sink another ship of theirs. Stupid terrorists.
Hippies. Maybe the Japanese will harpoon the captain mistaking him for a whale.
In this battle both sides are at fault
Reminds me of American politics
[quote][img]http://img52.imageshack.us/img52/5241/fleetgojira01.jpg[/img][/quote]
Holy shit. It looks incredible.
I bid £100 on Gojira being split in half and the captain left hung out to dry...
[QUOTE=Kai365;26511564]Holy shit. It looks incredible.[/QUOTE]
Officially the greatest boat ever.
It also must play this as it charges the japanese whalers.
[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XoUbeKKlo8k[/media]
:rock:
I agree with Sea Shepard's cause, however I hope they take a more responsible course of action this time
[QUOTE=carcarcargo;26511750]I agree with Sea Shepard's cause, however I hope they take a more responsible course of action this time[/QUOTE]
Ever sense they got three ships operating, their main course of action is basically escort the factory ship around and physically block the slipway. They don't even throw buteric acid anymore. Last year the Whalers didn't get a single whale on board while the Sea Shepherds were behind them.
I hope the whalers are heavily armed.
Regardless of whether they have a worthy cause or not, their previous methods of operation are ridiculous. It'll be interesting to see what stunts they pull this time.
[QUOTE=Kai365;26511564]Holy shit. It looks incredible.[/QUOTE]
It'll look even better when one of those things gets broken off and it capsizes
Happened to read an interview with Paul Watson in the newspaper. He's very aware he has to keep getting publicity if his actions are to have any effect. Plus they could only afford two of their current ships because Animal Planet is on board. He also explicitly condemned the captain that caused the collision last year.
Whatever side you pick, it'll be entertaining to see how it develops.
[QUOTE=Clavus;26512368]Happened to read an interview with Paul Watson in the newspaper. He's very aware he has to keep getting publicity if his actions are to have any effect. Plus they could only afford two of their current ships because Animal Planet is on board. [b]He also explicitly condemned the captain that caused the collision last year.[/b]
Whatever side you pick, it'll be entertaining to see how it develops.[/QUOTE]
I can explain that bit.
Pete Bethune was the captain of Earthrace, so he became the only person who could drive the Ady Gil. During the collision, they were dead in the water because they were out of gas. As they waited for the Steve Irwin so they could refuel, the Whalers security ship came up and broad sided them. The New Zealand Maritime officials agree with this saying Bethune had the right of way, and the whalers went out of their way to hit the Ady Gil. Blame was put on both parties because they both showed poor seamanship.
Anyways, Bethune, pissed that his ship was gone, demaded Watson let him back on the fleet so he could board the Whaling ship that sunk his boat. Watson wanted him to stay on land and do press conferences. Watson agreed though to let him back on the ship and a few weeks later Bethune boarded the whaling ship in the dead of night on a jetski with a 3 million dollar invoice for his ship and a citizens arrest for the captain. Bethune demanded he be taken back to Japan, which he was. He was held as a terrorist in a federal prison while he awaited trial. At this point Sea Shepherd severed all connection to Bethune as a publicity stunt, Bethune did not know this and thought Sea Shepherd had back stabbed him. Watson claims whatever Bethune told the Japanese judges is what led to him being put on the Interpol blue list(and subsequently listed as armed and dangerous whenever he passes border security). Watson claims he sold him out, and therefore now condemns Bethune. Not only that, but Bethune claimed Watson ordered him to scuttle the ship after it was hit so they could continue the hunt. Bethune clearly agrees with this on camera. So they pretty much got in a cat fight for a few weeks. Bethune quit and has since then started his own organization. the Earthrace Conservation Organization. (lol e.c.o, how original)
Bethune was a badass though.
[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IU5s2hJA95k[/media]
Coolest member of Sea Shepherd in my opinion. I mean he boarded a whaling ship in the dead of night in freezing waters using nothing but a jetski and night vision goggles.
I hope they get run over by another whaling ship.
I'm a member of another forum and one of the guys on there is part of the sea shepherd crew -.-
While the efforts of these people could be called admirable, the methods they've displayed in the past are nothing short of terrorism. They need to tone down their act a bit.
[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qi7KDOAj4Xo[/media]
Why is everyone so against them, as long as they aren't ramming ships any more don't see the problem with what they're doing.
[editline]5th December 2010[/editline]
[QUOTE=Big Dumb American;26513608]While the efforts of these people could be called admirable, the methods they've displayed in the past are nothing short of terrorism. They need to tone down their act a bit.
[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qi7KDOAj4Xo[/media][/QUOTE]
Sadly my country is not worthy of being able to see that video as has been dictated by the glorious vevo.
I can't help but to laugh at the Gojira ship.
Isn't Gojira an overused monster used in Japanese monster movies?
Paul certainly is a crazy motherfucker. How he's evaded long term prison sentences I have no idea. He's openly admitted to scuttling and ramming ships. Back in the day when he got kicked out of Greenpeace and first became Sea Shepherd, his ship had a retractable, sharpened I beam on the side he dubbed "the can opener from hell." and a small cannon. I think the coast guard made him remove them so he never got to use it. He's a crazy, lying bastard, no denying that, can't say I don't agree with his current mission though.
Sea Shepherd would be cooler if they had cannons
[QUOTE=nikomo;26513775]I can't help but to laugh at the Gojira ship.
Isn't Gojira an overused monster used in Japanese monster movies?[/QUOTE]
Godzilla.
[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s5D9OKdDNqs&feature=related[/media]
That's kinda the idea.
[QUOTE=OvB;26513809]Paul certainly is a crazy motherfucker. How he's evaded long term prison sentences I have no idea.[/QUOTE]
I thought that there were no laws in international waters so they could do whatever.
[QUOTE=OvB;26512655]Coolest member of Sea Shepherd in my opinion. I mean he boarded a whaling ship in the dead of night in freezing waters using nothing but a jetski and night vision goggles.[/QUOTE]
I thought he parachuted from the chopper onto the Japanese ship. I remember seeing him jump from the chopper onto the Steve Irwin to see if it could be done anyway.
[QUOTE=RR_Raptor65;26514045]I thought he parachuted from the chopper onto the Japanese ship. I remember seeing him jump from the chopper onto the Steve Irwin to see if it could be done anyway.[/QUOTE]
Though badass, They figured that would be to dangerous because the Harpoon ships are bristled with nets and pointy things.
[editline]5th December 2010[/editline]
[QUOTE=Antonahill;26513986]I thought that there were no laws in international waters so they could do whatever.[/QUOTE]
He's done a lot.
[QUOTE=OvB;26514069]Though badass, They figured that would be to dangerous because the Harpoon ships are bristled with nets and pointy things.[/QUOTE]
Yeah, I missed the part where he actually boarded the ship, but it's still bad ass that he actually managed to land on the Steve Irwin.
[QUOTE=RR_Raptor65;26514116]Yeah, I missed the part where he actually boarded the ship, but it's still bad ass that he actually managed to land on the Steve Irwin.[/QUOTE]
Not everyday you get to parachute onto a moving ship from helicopter in the middle of the Antarctic, thousands of miles away from civilization. Would have been fun. The crew of the Ady Gil also climbed up an iceberg and harvested fresh ice to make water when their tanks ran dry. They had a lot more fun on that boat than the rest of the crew. Until they got cut in half.
[QUOTE=OvB;26514183]Not everyday you get to parachute onto a moving ship from helicopter in the middle of the Antarctic, thousands of miles away from civilization. Would have been fun. [i]The crew of the Ady Gil also climbed up an iceberg and harvested fresh ice to make water when their tanks ran dry. They had a lot more fun on that boat than the rest of the crew. Until they got cut in half.[/i][/QUOTE]
I hope you're talking about the ship. :ohdear:
[QUOTE=Big Dumb American;26514386]I hope you're talking about the ship. :ohdear:[/QUOTE]
Despite their track record, no one has ever died in their hands.
[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xLdUISE3e8c[/media]
That's Pete Bethune, the only person allowed to drive that boat, clearly sitting away from the controls. They were dead in the water.
I hope whales eat all of them
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