It’s whale huntin’ time again. The Sea Shepherd crew, like previous years, has embarked on ‘Operation No Compromise’ to stop Japanese whalers in the southern oceans.
Captain Paul Watson says he’s taking three vessels: the Steve Ir- win, Bob Barker and the newly acquired interceptor vessel Gojira, which is Japanese for Godzilla. They also have a new helicopter, thanks to a $5 million donation last year. With that cash injec- tion it’s no surprise the Sea Shepherd is undertaking its biggest operation yet. Armed coast guards will be aboard Japanese whaling vessels for the first time in three years to prevent sabotage, say Japanese authorities. More importantly, public perception which dictates economic forces appears to be changing in Japan – there’s no interest in whale meat in the country. The Japan Times says the stockpile of frozen whale meat increased to 5,670 tonnes, ‘the most since at least 1999, across Japan in September, up from last year’s average stockpile of 4,246 tonnes.’ With the Australian government still in proceedings with an International Court of Justice (ICJ) case against Japan, it would seem an inopportune time to invest in Japanese whale meat. Local activist Howie Cooke is one of the crew with the Antarctic Whale Defense Campaign that is now heading south, and we wish him and crew of all vessels a safe return.
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