By Jenny Suo
Japan's whaling fleet has returned from the Antarctic Ocean with their smallest catch in years.
They're blaming the numbers, in part, on interference from Sea Shepherd – and the anti-whaling group says it's thrilled.
The Japanese whaling fleet set out for the Southern Ocean with a permit to kill over 1,000 protected and endangered whales – but they've come back with just over 500.
Although the weather conditions were partly to blame, whalers believe the interference from Sea Shepherd has greatly affected numbers.
"The reason for the reduced catch this year can be put down to the 31 days harassment from the Sea Shepherd terrorist group," says Glen Inwood, Japanese whaling spokesman.
Sea Shepherd is pleased with the news, saying its hard work is paying off.
“We essentially have a role of policing the ocean from people who are poaching whales, sharks, dolphins, any marine mammal – because there is a tragedy of the comments and the whales are part of it,” says Bill Watson, director of Sea Shepherd.
Messy interactions between both parties have caught the attention of the public in recent months, including a collision between Sea Shepherd's Ady Gil and the Shonan Maru 2.
Whalers say it's this kind of violent interference that slowed their operations.
“When you have force or violence from an organised group for an intention to intimidate the government to take a particular course of action for ideological reasons – that is the definition of terrorism,” says Mr Inwood.
Meanwhile, a new pacific whale sanctuary has been announced today in Auckland, the 11th in the Pacific.
“The Japanese whalers should not be whaling in South Ocean whale sanctuary at all, almost 80 percent of the world’s whales visit the sanctuary each year, and that's why international community decided to protect that area,” says Karen Sack of PEW Environment Group.
The International Whaling Commission will meet in June to consider a proposal to allow Japan, Norway and Iceland to commercially hunt whales in exchange for a reduction in the numbers killed.
Sea Shepherd says that's not enough and it will continue to take direct action until all whaling is stopped.
3 News