Activists pursue Japanese whalers by helicopter

[StarfarerBill]

Source: Associated Press

SYDNEY – Japanese whalers and conservationists squared off Thursday for more hostilities in the Antarctic, a day after the hunters crushed one of the activists' boats in a clash each side blamed on the other but all agreed endangered lives.

Sea Shepherd Conservation Society searched Antarctic waters by helicopter for a key Japanese whaling ship on Thursday, renewing its attempts to find and harass the whalers into giving up their hunt, the group's founder Paul Watson said.

The escalating Antarctic confrontations were broadly condemned, but no plan was immediately hatched to prevent future confrontations. Legal uncertainties about jurisdiction and the remoteness of the area make policing the international waters at the bottom of the world extremely difficult, experts say.

Japan kills about 1,200 whales a year in Antarctica under what it says is a scientific program allowed by the International Whaling Commission despite a broader moratorium on killing the mammals. Critics say the program is a front for illegal commercial whaling, and Sea Shepherd sends ships to Antarctica each season to try to stop the hunt — an effort portrayed on the Animal Planet TV series "Whale Wars."

Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100107/ap_on_re_as/as_antarctica_whaling

[thunder rising]

1. The Japanese research question, how many whales can be killed and cleaned in a week?

Borrowed from other posting.

[Ignis]

13. Missed that in the other thread: It's a keeper

:thumbsup:

[Joanne98]

2. YAY

[RedCloud]

3. Hooray for Bob Barker!

[hughee99]

4. What happens if the whaler "intentionally rams" the helicopter? n/t

:hide:

[Mnpaul]

7. Try to use their water cannons on the helicopter

It would be fun to see all that water blown back in their face.

[tammywammy]

11. Last year they hit the helicopter with the LRAD and after it landed a bit with the water cannon

Not enough to destroy it, but I wouldn't put it past the whalers.

[debbierlus]

5. Heros - every one of them!

[GliderGuider]

6. Do it for the whales, Paul!

:toast:

[sui generis]

8. I love it - the SSCS "detractors" who think everyone should just hold hands and

sing kumbaya -- If the the whale hunters are going to hamstring us with our own feeble decency, then we've brought a lace kerchief to this gun fight.

Condemn it all you want - post mortem armchair scorekeeping is NOT quarterbacking for the whales. Everyone has an opinion, but only two groups of people are actively doing anything about it in situ: the whale hunters and the SSCS.

Everyone else is just a commentator.

[xchrom]

9. + 1 brazillion! Nt

[Gregorian]

10. I love these guys! And thank you Bob Barker.

It so hard for me to believe this is happening. Like some little piece of reality in an insane world. That it is allowed to continue unstopped by some military force. Amazing.

I wish there were more things like this in this world. People stopping the massive suffering of animals in stock yards. It really does verge on being illegal. But I love it. It's good.

[tomm2thumbs]

12. Hey, don't those whales carry mad cow disease?

I can only wonder what the Japanese would think about devouring whale meat if they heard that