Sea Shepherd chases Whalers into New Zealand Antarctic Territory

The anti-whaling activists on board the Sea Shepherd ship MV Steve Irwin have been chasing the Japanese Whaling fleet for the last week. Contact has been made with harpoon vessel Yushin Maru 2 and with spotter vessel Kaiko Maru. While the chase continues no whales have been hunted and slaughtered. Over the same period there has been a deafening silence from the Australian and New Zealand Governments on the whaling issue.

"We have chased the whalers for over 800 miles since last Saturday through bad weather and heavy ice conditions," said Captain Paul Watson. "They have fled eastward and they are continuing eastward and we are on their tail and we will keep on their tail." According to Sea Shepherd the whaling fleet is now in the waters of the Ross Dependency.

"What is now good news for the whales in Australian waters is now bad news for the whales in the waters south of New Zealand," said Captain Watson. "They are still targeting endangered and protected whales in the waters of an established international whale sanctuary and thus they are still in violation of international conservation law and acting under the principles of the United Nations World Charter for Nature, we will continue to pursue, harass and intervene against their blatantly illegal lethal assaults on the whales."

Greenpeace decided not to send a ship to the Southern Ocean to protest Japanese commercial whaling this year.

Source:

• Sea Shepherd News, December 27, 2008 - Sea Shepherd Drives Japanese Whalers Out of Australia's Waters

Summary of current Sea Shepherd Campaign

Sea Shepherd first intercepted the Yushin Maru No 2 from the Japanese whaling fleet on December 19th, just over two weeks from when Sea Shepherds sailed out to confront the whalers from the port of Brisbane on 4th December.

For a number of days heavy ice conditions, dense fog and blizzards hindered Sea Shepherd pursuit of the Whaling vessels. Then, in fog conditions, the Sea Shepherd found the whaling spotter vessel Kaiko Maru and the Sea Shepherd crew delivered stink smelly substances onto the deck of the whaling vessel - 10 bottles of rotten butter and 15 bottles of a methyl cellulose and indelible dye mixture. During the manouvres of both ships there was a collision with minor damage to both vessels.