Japanese 'fired' (acoustics weapon) on Sea Shepherd chopper, inflatables [View All]

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Source: Perth Now

February 05, 2009

ANTI-WHALING protesters in the Southern Ocean claim they have been "attacked'' by Japanese whalers who fired a 'long range accoustical device' at them. The military-grade noise weapon can cause deafness and vomiting. According to Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, three Japanese whalers converged on the anti-whaling ship Steve Irwin, which launched two inflatables to prevent an attack on a fin whale just after midday. The Sea Shepherd vessel also launched its helicopter to film the whale "blocking'' operation. According to the Sea Shepherd, the Japanese, frustrated after five consecutive days of disruption by conservationists, reacted violently.

This is how Sea Shepherd related the conflict:

"A Fin whale was spotted at 12.11 hours. The Steve Irwin launched two fast inflatable boats to head off any attempt to harpoon the whale. "The helicopter was launched to film the blocking action. All three harpoon vessels, the Yushin Maru #1, Yushin Maru #2 and Yushin Maru #3 attacked the Steve Irwin in dangerous passes to foul the Steve Irwin’s propeller. "At 12.20pm the Yushin Maru #1 was a quarter mile away on the port side and heading directly towards the Steve Irwin.

"A 2nd harpoon vessel the Yushin Maru #2 was moving in a full speed from the Starboard side. The Yushin Maru # 3 approached rapidly from the stern. "At 12.30pm, the Nisshin Maru aimed the Long Range Acoustical Device (LRAD) at helicopter pilot Chris Aultman of California and Discovery Animal Planet cameraman Ashley Dunn of Tasmania. “At first it was just a loud noise,” said Chris Aultman, “then they turned up the volume and we could feel it in our legs and chest.” Aultman retreated out of range of the device but was shocked they used it. “It was extremely irresponsible for the whalers to aim that device at the helicopter,” said Steve Irwin Captain Paul Watson. “They were doing nothing but filming and presented absolutely no threat to the ships. They demonstrated absolutely no regard for human life.” " At this point the harpoon vessels turned on their LRAD and aimed at the small boats and the Steve Irwin. "This sonic attack was followed by the Nisshin Maru turning into the Steve Irwin and attempting to actually ram the Sea Shepherd vessel at full speed.''

Captain Watson ordered the small boats to act like fighter planes in a dog fight. “You’ve got to keep those hunter killer boats off our bow. If they cripple us down here we will be helpless,” he said. The small boats retaliated by threatening to foul the props of the harpoon vessel. Steve Roest of the United Kingdom was injured when he became disoriented, dizzy and was knocked down cutting open his head.

Ship’s doctor David Miller from Perth sutured the wound with five stitches. Captain Watson received rope burns when he fired a speed line in front of the Yushin Maru #1 to force them to retreat from an attempt to cross the bow with a fouling line. The whalers jammed the Steve Irwin’s radio’s and navigational instruments and kept a steady bombardment of the Sea Shepherd crew with the LRAD’s.

Captain Watson spent four hours undertaking zigzag and circular maneuver to avoid the prop fouling. “The attacks by the three ships became so aggressive we had to fire flares and speed lines over their head to force them to back off,” Capt Watson said. The small boats also retaliated with rotten butter bombs. The Steve Irwin retrieved both boats and the helicopter by going in tight circles with the three harpoon vessels circling on the outside blasting the crew with LRAD’s and towing fouling lines.“

The crew are tired and a little dizzy from the LRADs” said Dr Miller, “But everyone is in good spirits and Steve Roest is resting comfortably. Capt. Watson described the LRAD equipment as a ``military-grade weapon''. ``It is being used against civilians in the Antarctic treaty zone, and that is highly illegal,'' he said.
After clashing with the Japanese whalers late last year, Sea Shepherd activists recently returned to the Southern Ocean after refuelling. The Japanese fleet plans to kill about 1,000 whales this summer, using a loophole in a 1986 global whaling moratorium that allows ``lethal research'' on the marine mammals.




Read more: http://www.news.com.au/perthnow/story/0,21598,25012851-948,00.html