Sea Shepherd Hunts Down the Japanese Whalers Before a Single Whale is Killed

Publicado hoje no site da Sea Shepherd! Notícias frescas desde o Oceano Austral(e com fotos!) :)

Sea Shepherd News

Friday, December 31, 2010

Sea Shepherd Hunts Down the Japanese Whalers Before a Single Whale is Killed The Southern Ocean - 148 degrees west 63 degrees south Yushin Maru No. 2 when spotted by the Steve IrwinSea Shepherd Conservation Society’s fleet has found the illegal Japanese whaling vessels on the last day of the calendar year. In the vastness of the Southern Ocean, Sea Shepherd’s ships have now found the Japanese fleet before they even began killing whales.  This is a momentous victory for the whales and precisely how Sea Shepherd’s President and Founder Captain Paul Watson had hoped to ring in the New Year. At around 0900 hours (Australian Eastern Standard Time), Sea Shepherd’s ship the Bob Barker found a harpoon vessel on the edge of the ice at 148 degrees west. The unidentified Japanese vessel attempted to move south to draw the Bob Barker away from the Nisshin Maru. At 1500 Hours AEST, some 60 miles to the North, Sea Shepherd’s flagship vessel the Steve Irwin found the Japanese harpoon vessel Yushin Maru #2sitting in the ice. The Gojira and Sea Shepherd’s helicopter the Nancy Burnet, continue to search for the Nisshin Maru, Japan’s floating abattoir. The Art of Finding the Whalers The Bob Barker in the Southern OceanBy knowing when the Nisshin Maru left Japan and estimating the speed of the ship as it headed south, Captain Watson was able to get a rough idea of the whaling fleet’s daily progress. He decided to take the Steve Irwin to Wellington, New Zealand and then down to Bluff on the southern end of the South Island. The Gojira stayed in Hobart and the Bob Barker moved to the middle and to the south of the Tasman Sea to show the Japanese that we were covering their path should they choose to go through it. Captain Watson figured this would force the whaling fleet to the east to avoid being caught in the middle of the Sea Shepherd fleet in the Tasman Sea. The whalers made an announcement that they would expand their hunting area to make it more difficult for Sea Shepherd to find them but over the last seven campaigns that Sea Shepherd has been harassing them, the illegal Japanese whalers have proven themselves to be nothing short of predictable and Captain Watson decided they were bluffing. When the Tasmanian patrol reported the whalers well to the northeast of New Zealand heading southeast, Captain Watson deduced that they would head for the extreme eastern boundary of the area Japan has designated for their so-called research, an area that extends to 145 degrees west. This would place them at the maximum distance from where the Sea Shepherd ships departed from Tasmania and New Zealand. Captain Watson instructed Captain Locky MacLean to take the Gojira east along the 60-degree line of latitude. Captain Alex Cornelissen of the Bob Barker was instructed to head east along the 64-degree line of latitude, and Captain Watson took theSteve Irwin east along the 62-degree line of latitude. The two harpoon ships were spotted at 148 degrees west line of longitude on December 31st.  The interception of the Japanese whaling fleet took place 1,700 nautical miles southeast of New Zealand and 2,300 nautical miles southwest of Chile. “This is fantastic,” said Steve Irwin’s Chief Cook Laura Dakin of Canberra, Australia, “for the first time in Sea Shepherd’s history, we have located the whalers before they had a chance to kill a single whale.” The Gojira in front of an iceberg The Steve Irwin in the Southern Ocean Operation No Compromise Link: http://www.seashepherd.org/news-and-media/news-101231-1.html

Merry Christmas from the Southern Ocean

Link: http://www.seashepherd.org/news-and-media/editorial-101224-2.html

Friday, December 24, 2010

Merry Christmas from the Southern Ocean Commentary by Captain Paul Watson The Rime of the Ancient Mariner At length did cross an Albatross, Thorough the fog it came; The ship drove fast, loud roared the blast, And southward aye we fled. And now there came both mist and snow, And it grew wondrous cold: And ice, mast-high, came floating by, As green as emerald. -Samuel Taylor Coleridge It is Christmas Day down here in the Southern Ocean, Christmas Eve in North America and Europe.  This is the seventh holiday season that I have spent here at the bottom of our beautiful planet in the Southern Ocean. Christmas for me is becoming more and more associated with icebergs and penguins rather than reindeer and Christmas trees. We have three ships scattered across this blue grey vastness called the Southern Ocean and they are now actively searching for the arrival of the Japanese fleet, anticipated within the next few days.  It is an ocean of immense size, our search area is profoundly expansive, and the whaling fleet is not operating in their usually predictable pattern. They could easily be to the east of us, or they could be to the west. The job of finding them is never easy and especially this year when they have compromised their so-called scientific survey area by announcing they may kill whales anywhere in the Southern Ocean instead of their designated survey zones. What we certainly do know is that this Christmas no whales were killed and that is a very encouraging start to our search. Gauging their speed and their departure time, we estimate it will be another four to five days before they are in any position to kill whales. Captain Paul Watson and crew aboard the Steve Irwin for the 2010-11 Antarctic Whale Defense Campaign, Operation No Compromise It is also very encouraging that we have 88 crew from 22 nations that have chosen to be on a ship in rough, cold waters, in a remote and at times deadly sea, searching for whalers instead of enjoying a Christmas dinner with friends and family, warm and secure on land.  It is these passionate volunteers that make Sea Shepherd an effective organization. We are what we are and we do what we do because of their passion, their dedication, and their commitment. Our ship crews, our onshore support team, and our supporters, are an inspiring trilogy of passion for the whales, and it is inspiring to see and benefit from all of their efforts by people coming from all over the world joining together for this noble endeavor. The Japanese whalers are a stubborn bunch and although massively in debt, the Japanese government continues to subsidize their illegal operations in the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary. It is always amusing to see so-called capitalist countries practice corporate communism by granting welfare to losing enterprises. Will this be their last year? I certainly hope so but if it is not, we must be prepared to return again next year and the year after that if necessary. Our resolve to defend the whales must endure over their resolve to kill them. Today, the ship is rolling and bucking violently under assault by heavy winds from the west. The air is bitingly cold and the salt spray has been whipping our faces mercilessly. As unpleasant as that can be, it is also exhilarating to be down in these harsh but awesomely immense seas with the swells rolling the ship beneath our feet.  The skies are a bleak grey but the accompanying albatrosses with their impressive wingspans glide back and forth before us, as if to herald our progress southward. The crews of the three ships represent a diversity of concerned people from around the world. On board the Gojira we have a member of the Victorian Legislative Council, Nathan Murphy, a sitting member for the state’s Labor Party. The Gojira crew also includes electrician Kevin McQuinty who is the brother of former Western Australia’s Attorney General Jim McQuinty. The rest of the Gojira’s crew, commanded by Locky MacLean from France, are nine men and two women from the United States, Australia, Canada, France, and Great Britain. There are forty crewmembers on the Steve Irwin and the balance of the “Crazy 88” are onboard the Bob Barker under the command of Captain Alex Cornelissen of the Netherlands. Alex is also Sea Shepherd’s Galapagos Director. All three ships have incredible crews combining experience, skills, abilities, and most importantly, a deep passion for defending the whales of the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary.  We have crewmembers from North and South America, Asia, Europe, Africa, and Australia. All six continents are represented as we work to defend the ecological integrity of the seventh continent of Antarctica. I’m proud of every single one of my crewmembers and I am also proud of the fact that these 88 passionate people are backed by hundreds of equally passionate onshore volunteers and thousands of supporting members. The ships cannot operate without crew, the crew cannot operate without onshore support, and the onshore supporters cannot operate without a solid support base. It is this trilogy of our combined ship crew, onshore crew, and supporters that makes what we do possible. Now on Christmas Day of 2010, we are in the Southern Ocean once again, stronger and better organized than ever before and with a single goal - to stop the slaughter of the whales. I can’t think of a better place to be on Christmas Day than where we are right now. I also can’t think of a greater gift to thank all of our supporters with than the lives of the whales that we have already saved and those that are to come.  I am confident that this will be a very dramatic but very successful season for Sea Shepherd Conservation Society. On behalf of my crews on the Steve Irwin, Bob Barker, and Gojira – Merry Christmas and thank you for supporting your ships at sea!

Sea Shepherd News

Link: http://www.seashepherd.org/news-and-media/news-101220-1.html Monday, December 20, 2010

The Town of Bluff Welcomes the Steve Irwin Captain Paul Watson and Mayor of Invercargill Tim ShadboltWhile waiting for the Japanese fleet to arrive in the Southern Ocean, Sea Shepherd’s helicopter the Nancy Burnet developed a potential problem requiring a spare part that the ship did not have onboard. Captain Paul Watson decided that the potential risk to pilot Chris Aultman and any crew flying in the helicopter was not worth taking if there was no need to, and he made the decision to head north to Bluff on the southern end of New Zealand’s South Island. This essential part for the helicopter is being secured immediately and a qualified technician will oversee its installation. In addition to the repair, theSteve Irwin will top-off her fuel tanks and restock with some additional fresh produce. The ship was greeted upon arrival in Bluff by Mayor Tim Shadbolt of Invercargill who also personally donated a large load of fresh produce. Local Sea Shepherd onshore volunteer Grant Meikle, provided transportation and assistance to the crew. By our calculations, and based on the estimated speed of the Japanese fleet and their departure date from Japan, they should still be north of New Zealand and thus we will still anticipate their late arrival into the waters of the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary. They have broken their so-called scientific protocol and expanded their area of operations in order to avoid us so we will spread out our three vessels in order to intercept them. It is always a difficult task to locate the fleet and this year will be even more difficult than most. The Japanese whalers will no doubt spend a great deal of money trying to avoid us and our fleet of three. “All I can say is that the hunt is on and we intend to hunt down the whaling fleet before they can begin their annual orgy of slaughter against these magnificent sentient beings in the international Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary,” said Sea Shepherd’s campaign leader Captain Paul Watson. “Once we get on their tails, we intend to put an end to their criminal operations.” (l to r) Mayor’s assistant, Quartermaster Howie Cooke, Mayor Shadbolt, and Captain Watson Invercargill’s Mayor Tim Shadbolt Captain Paul Watson and Mayor of Invercargill Tim Shadbolt Operation No Compromise

Alto e Avante - aqui lutamos nós pelas baleias!

Para mim, a maior satisfação de estar a bordo de um navio é nunca saber exatamente o destino final. Naturalmente temos uma rota, uma trajetória a percorrer, mas no meio do caminho tantas coisas podem acontecer que é preciso ter a mente aberta para possibilidades distintas. Estamos navegando para intervir as atividades dos baleeiros, e no trajeto temos visto muita vida selvagem. Pássaros como albatross, skua e petrels estão por toda parte e não parecem nem um pouco intimidados com nossa presença em seu habitat.

A rotina a bordo tem sido tranquila comparada com a campanha anterior, quando por esses dias  nós já  tínhamos encontrado o Shonan Maru II nas terras geladas do Pólo Sul. Esse ano os baleeiros tem uma nova estratégia, navegando do Japão até o Ross Sea. Essa decisão acabou deixando espaço para uma certa tensão sobre o que vai acontecer com o futuro da caça baleeira. A frota japonesa está naturalmente perdendo tempo e dinheiro desde o momento que há intervenções da Sea Shepherd; mas o mais interessante é que nesse ano, mesmo sem a ONG ter ainda cruzado com a frota japonesa, nenhuma baleia foi morta.

Eu aguardo por ação. A peleja é longa e dura, mas é preciso ter força e determinação. Alto e avante aqui vamos, deixando de lado nossa vida pessoal e dedicamos nosso tempo e vida pela preservação dessas criaturas magníficas.

Por Barbara Veiga

Maori Ceremony for the Sea Shepherd Crew in Wellington

O Steve Irwin fez uma parada estratégica em Wellington para a compra de combustível e acabou recebendo a bordo maoris que realizaram uma emocionante cerimônia para a tripulação. 

Após o chamado "Powhiri", os tripulantes se direcionaram para o "Floxglove Bar" onde houve um leilão com produtos da Sea Shepherd.

Fotos postadas no site da Sea Shepherd no link:

 http://www.seashepherd.org/news-and-media/news-101214-1.html

Por Barbara Veiga

Steve Irwin arrives in New Zealand

Here we are: New Zealand! The Steve Irwin just arrived in Wellington, where we are staying for few days before heading to the South Pole. The vessel is going to refuel and get the last supplies before taking off to save the whales!

Barbara Veiga

Steve Irwin rumo a Nova Zelândia: Aqui vou eu!

Com o encontro da frota da Sea Shepherd na Tasmania, hoje foi oficialmente decretado o início da Campanha "No Compromise" e eu estou a bordo do Steve Irwin rumo a Nova Zelândia. Começa agora a grande batalha para salvar o maior número de baleias possíveis em seu Santuário no Pólo Sul. 

-Por Barbara Veiga-

Travessia no Gojira - Posição atual da frota da Sea Shepherd: Hobart - Tasmania

-Filmando e fotografando na proa do Gojira com 28 nós de vento-

Acabo de chegar em Hobart, depois dos 5 dias de travessia no fantástico trimarã da Sea Shepherd, o "Gojira". O que mais me deixou impressionada foi a performance do barco, chegando a 25 nós de velocidade. A tripulação conta com 5 sul-africanos, 3 australianos e 2 canadenses. Eu estarei amanhã embarcando no Steve Irwin para a campanha, mas torcendo para que os tripulantes do "Gojira" façam um excelente trabalho na campanha "No Compromise" junto ao "Bob Barker" e o "Steve Irwin".

Bárbara Veiga