Whale war subsides as Sea Shepherd leaves Japanese fleet, heads home

It was fun while it lasted, wasn't it?

The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society's effort to harass and minimize Japan's whale hunt in the Antarctic has come to an end, as the activists have exhausted their fuel and drained their resources.

But it was an entertaining month-long, two-part episode. Tales of hurling rotten butter at the savage whale killers, if that's how you regard them. Blasting water cannons at the criminal eco-terrorists, if that's how you regard the activists.

There were vessel collisions, and the Japanese even lost a crewman overboard in a nonrelated incident.

Now Sea Shepherd's vessel, the Steve Irwin, is leaving antarctic waters and leaving the whalers to hunt minkes unopposed.

But Capt. Paul Watson boasts of having shut down whaling operations for one month and promises an even greater disruption effort next year, with a larger, faster vessel.

"We need to block those deadly harpoons, and we need to outrun these hunter killer ships and to do that, I need a ship that is as fast as they are, and I intend to get one and I intend to return next year," Watson said. "We will never stop intervening against their illegal whaling operations, and we will never stop harassing them, blockading them and costing them money.

"I intend to be their ongoing nightmare every year until they stop their horrific and unlawful slaughter of the great whales in the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary."

And there are many who'll be pulling for Watson, just as some will be critical of the way he conducts business on the high seas. One thing's for sure, it's a compelling story.

-- Pete Thomas

Top photo: Sea Shepherd crew in an inflatable boat harass Japanese factory whaling ship, the Nisshin Maru. Credit: Josh Gunn / Sea Shepherd

Bottom photo: Japanese whalers respond to exploding bottles of rotten butter, hurled by Sea Shepherd crew members from vessel Steve Irwin. Credit: Adam Lau / Sea Shepherd

Comments

[Pie!]

I have to agree that the crew of the Steve Irwin/Sea Sheperd people look completely unprofessional & ill-trained to deal with any actual serious situations. It's like a Boy Scout Troop marching through an actual minefield without understanding how lucky they are that someone didn't get blown to paste, eaten by a whale & then have emotional breakdowns.

If some group of vegan hippies start throwing chucking glass bottles at other human beings, I think the other vessel has every right to take a sniper rifle & put bullets in their heads. The only thing saving them from this is the fact that it would create an international martyr for their stupid cause.

Also one last thing, for the idiots that say "This planet isn't just for humans, its about having biodiversity and all life"....I'm sorry, but wtf is this planet for if the only creatures around to enjoy can't even form rational consciousness. The earth is not a living creature, it is a giant ball of liquid magma floating around in space, that just happens to be lucky enough to have creatures which developed consciousness, humans. We are important, we are what seperates this thing from other floating blobs of mass in this endless universe. The earth itself doesn't have feelings, it doesn't cry when someone throws a glass a bottle. If humans died, 99% of traces of are activity would be gone in a few centuries anyway. Your entire movement is counterproductive to the happiness of human beings of every race. Please die

[Anonymous]

If you guys ever had whale meat then you'd know its quite delicious. And if these whales are so smart then they should have learned ways to defend themselves.

Man - 1
Whales - 0

I'm Japanese btw and I love my whale steaks, whale burgers, whale sashimi, mmm delicious... The amount of fat content in the meat and the stripping is just perfect. The meat is surprisingly tender and full of flavour. Still it's not something I'd eat every day, too fattening.

[the shihad]

ok if you watch the first show it is not just buytaric acid it is a mixture of the butter and the acid and it is a low concentrate of buytaric acid it is non toxic just makes the ship stink and taint the meat so everyone should just shut up

[DAVE]

remote control machinery can deliver powerful acid to the hulls of these whaling ships before they leave port, sinking them and ending the industry plain and simple without any threat to the humans or whales involved in these struggles

technology is a beautiful thing when it comes to facilitating goals of property damage

if watson wants some blue prints just have him email me

[Nicole]

I am a little torn on the entire subject and have a few questions/comments. Paul and his crew spend several weeks at sea following and interfering with the factory ship and the harpoon ships. But eventually they must had back home to refuel and stock up again. So who protects the whales while they are doing that? Would it not be a fair assumption to think that the Japanese are simply laughing at Paul and his crew because when they leave to go home and refuel, the Japanese just pick up where they left off and probably kill twice as many whales to make up for lost time. Just a thought. Secondly, I am all for trying to save an endangered species etc. But are these whales endangered? When was the last "count" done? Do we know exactly how many of each kind of whale there are right now? We as americans slaughter all kinds of animals on a daily basis for food consumption. We kill cows,pigs, chickens, deer and the list goes on. Should we start saving the cows now? Or maybe all the helpless little pigs. Now I know that we specifically breed these animals for our consumption so we are essentially controlling the population, however we also kill many fish for our consumptin and crab. Is anyone keeping track of the Tuna population? I dont know the mating habits of whales or how many baby whales are born each year but shouldnt the whale industry be the same as anything else we kill for consumption? They should only be allowed so many per year? And hasnt that already been established. I am not saying I agree or disagree with any of this. I am simply trying to understand what the actual fight is. My final question is this. If this area of the Southern Ocean is in fact a documented "whale sanctuary" then where is the law in this, why is some guy with a boat half the size of its enemy fighting this battle? Why doesnt the government step in and forbid them from whaling in this area? I am sure there are many more whales in other oceans outside of the sanctuary. Again, I am not for or against whaling simmply because I dont know enough about this to make an educated opinion. I am simply trying to understand. It seems to me to be quite a losing battle out there at sea all by their little selves. I cant help but think they would be better served fighting the battle hear on dry ground and going directly to the source or trying to get the government involved. As much as they think they are saving whales, they arent. They just kill more when they leave and now the past episode I watched they are killing whales right in front of the SS.

[george]

my name is george and i would like to help anyway that i can. i would like to know how to get in the crew to help out even if it just cleaning te ship. i would also like it if you can keep me update of what is happening. my email is animetion619@yahoo.com

[Mark]

It seems to me the whalers need to give Paul Watson some pay back by ramming his ship and throwing acid on his ship and crew. I'm no fan of whaling but Watson is a terrorist and should be treated like one.

[Infil]

Fred posted up the MSDS for Butyric Acid. Informative. I imagine a harpoon in the back is much more dangerous,maybe the 6 or 7 rifle shots to the head following the harpoon might be slightly more debilitating no? Possibly the use of an LRAD on an aircraft, that is Aircraft, not UAV.

I see SSCS targeting ships and equipment primarily. Seems the japanese are targeting people. a 985 whale quota doesnt seem like a pretty extreme amount of research? It would seem that a few decades ago, some guy with a mustache was considered a war criminal for performing "research" on certain ethnic groups in europe? What was his name? OH right, Hitler. Or do you tend to believe the holocaust is propaganda and was perfectly ok as well?

I'd love to see SCCS step it up a notch. Stink bombs and cellulose can make things stinky and slippery. Flashbangs are explosives.

[Darrell]

As I read thru some of these comments I find it sad that so many of them tend to go with the ole "Well we are the smarter of the two so we win. We should not care about whales. OR It does not matter you animal huggers." The cold blooded killing is one thing, but the effect it has on the planet is something else. We are starting to see all these squid attacks on humans. Well, what is one of the main meals of a whale? Not to mention every time we as humans think we know it all we realize we don't know squat and have screwed it all up. We over kill and or kill out of fear, and it seems we fear a heck of a lot. Yet we do not seem to fear what we should fear the most and that is killing off animals that keep a balance for the rest of us. Before you are so quick to just brush this all off as unimportant remember things have a way of turning around and biting us in the butt. Beyond that, what did they ever do to YOU?

[Edwin D Gill]

Watson and his lackeys are terrorists. The should all be imprisoned in Gitmo. I'd volunteer to waterboard them.

[cristian]

let whales live !!!, they help heal the planet !!!, and the japanese eat whale meat in sandwiches ill !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[JoAnn]

Although the captain and crew of the Sea Shepherd seem to be outsmarted at every turn by the Japanese whalers, I do applaud them for their earnest dedication. No, they're not really stopping whaling. However, they're out there DOING something about a cause they care a great deal about. How many of us are willing to set aside time in our daily lives for a cause that we consider important? Heck, most of us can't even be bothered to recycle our garbage.

PS - Capt. Bruce, it's not easy to read when you TYPE IN ALL CAPITALS LETTERS AND LET YOUR SENTENCES RUN ON AND ON AND ON AND ON.

[Anne]

Although I did LOL when Paul almost shot the flare into the helicopter, I think they do the best they can with what they have. Honestly, with better funding, a better ship, a PAID crew (how many volunteers are there that WANT to do this AND are TRAINED for it.), better equipment they could be way more effective. I don't know why they are not better funded, esp. by Steve Irwin supporters.

I do not think humans have a track record of living harmoniously with Earth, and we are all so freaking smart that we're destroying the very planet we live on, smarting ourselves right into extinction.

Who has gone out there and counted how many Whales there really are, I've seen numbers from 200,000-750,000 for Minkes? Who is it that actually counted them ? Really, 550,000 more or less is a rather significant discrepancy.

We all know the Japanese boats say research and it's NOT research, so why are they pretending to be doing research ? Call it what it is, McWhale, Whale Filet, Sushi Ship...if the Japanese feel good about this being so legal, then call a spade a spade.

I think if the SS crew was well funded, had some sleek glossy ships, trained crew, maybe a captain who didn't look so befuddled all the time, some Scientists and a lawyer aboard, some sexy blondes & handsome guys, even a trained spokesperson for heaven's sake, people would take them quite serious....but since they are what they are it's easy to ridicule them.

Imagine charismatic Steve Irwin as captain!

[Nick]

I'm not sure I understand why we don't just vaporize the Japanese whaling fleet. I guess it's been a couple of generations since Nagasaki and Hiroshima, and it seems like this new generation has forgotten that you can't just thumb your nose at the world and be evil. Their ships are clearly labeled "research", so why not use them for a Crossroads Baker type experiment, maybe with a 1 MT fusion bomb courtesy of a B2? I think their nation could use a reminder of how the US deals with evil.

[von]

Go Sea Shepherd - keep up the good works!!!! I am sickened that more people haven't helped them and their cause... The japanese crews make me so angry!!! I can't believe they used the Lrad on the helicopter are you kidding me... I am going to make sure I don't buy any japan products!! I pray some rich - I'll say again I pray some rich people help support Sea Shepard and give them a bigger boat that is ice breaking proof and can handle the ice storms plusssss... also give them helmets so they are protected by the Lrad... Seriously how sick are they to use it on a helicopter that does no harm to them... They are sissy's for doing that and also throwing bolts at the smaller boats... when you are killing whales like the way they do what do they expect??? Does the sea shepherd push their luck - of course they do but to me all bets are off when they tried to kill the helicopter people by using the L rad on them... they are gross people for sure... I pray the sea shepherd gets TONS of money to help their cause... I wish their were other people who had ships to go out to sea and help them...

[Funny As Ever]

Whale Wars is one of the funniest reality shows on TV. The crew appears to be like a bunch of rodeo clowns. They get pummeled, beat-up, and say lots of goofy things like "Whaling Stops Today". Actually calling them rodeo clowns is a disservice to real rodeo clowns who actually perform a worthwhile task and accomplish something. And rodeo clowns don't whine. "They are throwning things at us, boo-hoo". They are a sad commentary on actually trying to do something useful. No wonder Watson was tossed out of Greenpeace.

Hey, I can't see wait to see who get's hurt, lost, beat-up, or whines next week! Keep the shows coming.

- FAE

[andyfairna]

I am saddened that the Steve Irwin is out for the season. Man does not deserve to be on this planet. We are rapists and anything we do we do in excess of what the planet will support. To hell with the Japanese whalers.

[Gen]

Okay so I have read everything you have written. All of you. This is nuts. Almost none have any idea what you are talking about. Paul Watson helped start Greenpeace then Sea Shepherd. He isn't a novice at this. He and his crew do what they believe is right. I don't know the Japanese side because they don't talk about it at all. Yes some of the things Watson does are extreme but he and his crew are people who believe that human life is no more important than an animals. Did you know that on ship(i dont know about off ship) they are true vegans? They actually will turn down food if it has additives in it that are from any kind of animal. There are 2 sides to every story, Watson has finally found a way to tell his. The Japanese have chosen not to tell theres. To me that says a lot. Watson crew are everyday people who take time off of work and school to do what they believe is right. How many of you can say the same thing?

[Dave Snyder]

I don't have a problem with anyone trying to save some whales. I do have a problem with people taking the law into their own hands, especially as a Television Show seeming to parade around their dangerous expeditions. I really hope the Japanese invest in a giant non-lethal action packed ship-sized tazer gun. Otherwise I might have to go start my own show where we go boating, to save the japanese lives being put at risk by terrorists. Maybe we will throw some unlit Molotov cocktails. "We aren't lighting them, we are just trying to scare them a bit"..... and if Serge my engineer was smoking a cigarette too close to one being thrown... Wooops! Isn't that funny?? Love those ratings.

[Sarah]

I think it is unfair that the governments wont enfore the ban on whaling. Thank God that the Sea Shepards are out there. Even though I can not afford to send thousands of dollars or donate time as crew I continue to support thir efforts by bringing up the subject at work, gorcery store lines, the park, etc....I want to educate the public about what is really going on! I have written letters to politicians and animal rights organizations to voice my opinion. I hope more people are doing the same

[Captain Bill]

I have an Idea.......How about you all get a REAL JOB! I hope you all learn something about how to crew a ship. For god sake! All you did was endanger yourselves and anyone that came within 10NM of that dumb boat of yours. The enterainment value of seeing how dumb your crew is, was the only thing keeping me watching! Please do something else with your life rather than trying to captain a 100 ton vessle with, oh yeah, actual people's lives in your hands. Moron!

[Don]

No matter what you think, they are killing whale for personal gain. Why doesn't the government put a stop to the whaling.

[SRA Woods]

Capt. Dave - well put. I applaud your rational logic and understanding. Its unfortunate that there aren't more like-minded individuals in this world such as yourself.

To "Capt" Irwin - you are a disgrace to all true Captains of this world - military or civilian. Who the hell granted you the authority to declare martial law and take matters into your own hands? Do us all a favor and remove yourself from society before your hands get stained from the blood of innocents.

To all of you tree hugging hippies living in your "environmentally friendly" homes - get a grip on reality and be a bit more productive within society instead of hiding behind your JAPANESE ENGINEERED computer screens and disrespecting other human beings. Just because the remaining 99% of society chooses to not share your twisted views of this so called destructive and horrible life, doesn't give you the right to go around stirring up the hornets nest and putting innocent lives at risk.

Animal Planet - Please note the discontinued support of a former avid viewer. This series promotes nonfactual, misguided, biased opinions regarding certain important issues and I'll be damned if I ever support this type of behavior. You should be ashamed.

[Satan]

How many whales has the navy beached with their sonar? Let's see Captain KillMyCrew try and board a Cruiser or even a Cutter (lol). His bullet proof vest barely stopped a fake bullet, let's see if it'll stop a real .50 cal. It would save more lives in the long run. BTW: the first mate makes Gilligan look like the professor IMHO .

[Hart]

Only in a world this sick could a person view the destruction of poaching equipment as "violence".