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Sea Shepherd claims 2012 Japanese whale hunt over

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Sea Shepherd: 2012 Japanese whale hunt over

3News NZ

The Sea Shepherd anti-whaling ship, Bob Barker, colliding with a Japanese whaling ship (AAP file)

The Sea Shepherd anti-whaling ship, Bob Barker, colliding with a Japanese whaling ship (AAP file)

By Nick Perry

Anti-whaling activists claimed today that they have effectively ended this year's Japanese hunt following a late-night altercation near Antarctica, but the whalers said their season will continue.

The activists said they finally found the main factory ship after playing cat-and-mouse with the whalers for the past two weeks. The Sea Shepherd ship Bob Barker confronted the whaling ship Nisshin Maru at midnight Monday about 97km from the Antarctic coastline.

The activists said they used laser beams and flares to disrupt the ship. The whalers said they used small vessels and ropes to prevent the Bob Barker from getting close.

Sea Shepherd President Paul Watson says the Nisshin Maru will be prevented from further whaling with the Bob Barker disrupting it.

"They won't get more than 30 percent of their quota," Watson said.

But the whalers - the Institute for Cetacean Research - say their season, which typically runs through the end of March, will continue as planned. Institute spokesman Glenn Inwood said the activists aren't achieving anything.

"Sea Shepherd has shut nothing down," he said.

Japan's whaling fleet has a quota of about 1,000 whales a year. The International Whaling Commission allows Japan to hunt the whales as long as they are caught for research and not for commercial purposes. Whale meat not used for study is sold as food in Japan, which critics say is the real reason for the hunt.

Watson said the group's primary tactic in the past was to use its ships to block the slipways on the whaling vessels, preventing them from loading whales. He said this year, the whaling ships have tried to sail away - but that has also prevented them from catching whales.

Inwood said the Japanese government would release catch figures about a month after the season ends.

In a written statement, the institute condemned what it said were the activists' "violent actions against the integrity and safety of Japan's whale research vessels and crews".

In February, the Washington state-based Sea Shepherd group won a legal battle when a federal judge denied a request by the whalers for a preliminary injunction ordering the activists to stop their ocean confrontations.

AP

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Comments

4/01/2013 9:00:12 p.m.

Ash Sherman wrote:

Thank you Sea Shepard crew for risking your lives, for one of the earths most amazing mammals! Keep it up!

9/12/2012 3:54:31 p.m.

Joy-65yrold retired medic wrote:

May the Sea Sheppards keep up the good work. Japan uses research as an excuse. Paul and crewss keep fighting. Many.support your efforts

23/11/2012 9:24:11 p.m.

Boitumelo Seepamore wrote:

I think the International whaling commission has to be more realistic when comes to this Japanese whaling research. since from previous researches what is worthy information collected or found in those researches? if the research doesn't benefit the globe the research has to be prohibited & treated as illegal whaling.

10/11/2012 5:21:04 p.m.

sandeep kumar wrote:

sea shepherd you are doing fine job thankyouu for you step to converse whale, seals making a eco friendly nature.

10/11/2012 6:50:05 a.m.

Rafaytul Haque Ayon wrote:

Love you all... all the members of SEA SHEPHERD thanks for saving the whales... And promise you all that if I got any chance to be a volunteer of SEA SHEPHERD i will be there.... <3

16/08/2012 8:52:08 p.m.

Praveen wrote:

Good job!!!! stop nissan maru

16/08/2012 7:01:09 p.m.

subhankar wrote:

Sea shepherd doing great job for human kind..UN should take action to stop this hunting.

11/08/2012 6:15:11 a.m.

Scott wrote:

In response to Jake,( or should i say joke), I love how morons start out by saying how much they love whales so that they try to make themselves sound better. Then they they start with their bs diatribe about things they know nothing about. Jake says he can go on about Paul Watson all day, do you actually know Paul? I seriously doubt it. As for falling for bs, It is yours that people need to watch out for. Go do something constructive with your life if you can. Keep up the good work Paul and your dedicated crew.

4/08/2012 10:32:02 a.m.

xXDarkShivaXx wrote:

Here's a question. WHAT exactly are the japanese 'reseaching' that they have too kill nearly 1000 whales for yearly? Better yet, if it really is for 'research' why isn't there more limitations on it? Like not killing females of juvinales. But no, they just harpoon any whale they see, even going as far to get after the baby whales just to get at the mothers protecting them. That is move down by poachers, not 'researchers'.

23/07/2012 9:38:19 a.m.

Terri wrote:

Lets just say it.....Paul Watson and his crew have shown each year how the Japanese are getting away with killing up to 1000 whales for "RESEARCH" when we all know that is a cock and bull story. I think just as we kill cattle to eat, a few whales would be fine. but to have the Japanese say it is just for research is a LIE and they should be banned for this reason alone.