Call to action as whale war looms

    DUNCAN ABEY and ZARA DAWTREY
   
    December 01, 2013
    The Murcury.

THE Greens spokesman on whaling, Senator Peter Whish-Wilson, has called on the Japanese fleet to "bugger off" from the Southern Ocean, saying the environmental organisation Sea Shepherd would again have to do the Government's work this summer.

Speaking aboard the Bob Barker in Hobart yesterday, Senator Whish-Wilson said the Coalition must divert its purpose-built patrol vessel, the Ocean Protector, from its asylum-seeker patrol role in the north of Australia to the Antarctic to lead the whale-protection effort.

"I agree with Environment Minister Greg Hunt that previous Australian governments have not done enough to stop whaling in our southern waters, and that when the Japanese conduct whaling in our waters they impinge upon our sovereignty," Senator Whish-Wilson said.

"Frankly, the Japanese fleet need to do the right thing, bugger off and leave our whales alone."      ;)

The Bob Barker, docked in Hobart as its crew gear up for another confrontation with Japan's whaling fleet, made headlines earlier this year when it was rammed repeatedly by the Nisshin Maru factory ship.

The Bob Barker suffered the worst of the damage in the collision, according to its manager Andrea Gordon, and at one stage almost capsized.

"The Bob Barker is about 500 tonnes and that ship is 5000 tonnes and their bow went over the top deck on our ship," Ms Gordon said.

"Getting run over by such a big ship is a very scary experience but we stayed focused on the mission. We stopped them refuelling. Had they refuelled they would've kept killing whales but because of us they returned home."   :)      

Ms Gordon said the crew of 33 was glad to be back in Hobart, which they regard as their unofficial home port and the source of community support.

The flagship was built in 1950 and operated as a Norwegian whaling ship before being purchased by Sea Shepherd in 2009 with significant help from TV game show host Bob Barker.

"He made a contribution so we could purchase this ship," Ms Gordon said.

"All the Sea Shepherd ships work as a really good team. The ships really are the only navy the whales have protecting them in the Southern Ocean from the illegal Japanese whalers."

Ms Gordon said the high seas drama of earlier this year had done nothing to dampen the crew's fighting spirit, describing 2013 as the conservation group's most successful year. It claimed to have saved 932 whales, sending the Japanese whaling fleet home early.      :)

The Bob Barker is expected to be in town for a week.

wrote on Dec 1^st, 2013 at 7:15am:

THE Greens spokesman on whaling, Senator Peter Whish-Wilson, has called on the Japanese fleet to "bugger off" from the Southern Ocean, saying the environmental organisation Sea Shepherd would again have to do the Government's work this summer.

I am sure the Japanese are terrified.. ::)

time to send Rhiannon over there she will scare the pants off them, ;D ;D

Thank you once again, to the good people of the sea shepherd.  Out there helping to protect our whales.  Well said, senator Peter Whish Wilson.      [smiley=thumbsup.gif]    

cods wrote on Dec 1^st, 2013 at 7:33am:

wrote on Dec 1st, 2013 at 7:15am: THE Greens spokesman on whaling, Senator Peter Whish-Wilson, has called on the Japanese fleet to "bugger off" from the Southern Ocean, saying the environmental organisation Sea Shepherd would again have to do the Government's work this summer. I am sure the Japanese are terrified.. ::) time to send Rhiannon over there she will scare the pants off them, ;D ;D

Yep, maybe if the Japanese whalers sail into Russian jurisdiction, Greenpeace will crap out and run for their lives now......

wrote on Dec 1^st, 2013 at 9:11am:

Thank you once again, to the good people of the sea shepherd.  Out there helping to protect our whales.  Well said, senator Peter Whish Wilson.      [smiley=thumbsup.gif]

A gulag awaits......

The Coalition position on whaling.....Australian Customs will monitor the whaling operations in the Southern Ocean???


Quote:

http://www.liberal.org.au/latest-news/2013/02/01/government-ignored-warnings-whaling The Government ignored three written warnings from the Coalition to send a Customs vessel to the Southern Ocean to monitor this year’s whaling season. One of the Japanese whaling fleet has now been detected in Australian waters. The Shonan Maru No.2 entered Australia’s Exclusive Economic Zone near Macquarie Island. While we welcome the Government lodging a complaint with the Japanese Government, it all comes far too late. This Government has been all talk, but no action when it comes to stopping whaling. The Government has consistently turned a blind eye to the whaling operations by refusing to send a vessel to monitor the activities in the Southern Ocean. The Coalition wrote three times to the Prime Minister in December and January requesting that the Government take early action to deal with the potential for conflict on the high seas and to independently monitor the whaling operations. As is clear from recent years, tensions can run high between whalers and protestors and there is a real risk of conflict or collision causing injury, death or a major environmental spill in the event of a sinking. We are now seeing a game of cat and mouse between the anti-whaling protesters, the Sea Shepherd, which tracked one of the Japanese vessels earlier this week and the whaling fleet. The Government knew this would occur, but it sat on its hands and failed to act.

wrote on Dec 1^st, 2013 at 9:11am:

Thank you once again, to the good people of the sea shepherd.  Out there helping to protect our whales.  Well said, senator Peter Whish Wilson.      [smiley=thumbsup.gif]

what is peter wishy what.. doing about the a.holes who now want to cull sharks.. because guess what..

they are eating people .. >:( >:(

how dare they SHAME SHARKS SHAME.

who would have thought all that ending of recreation fishing would create a feast for sharks in shore..who would have thought ::) ::)..

and we know that sharks do not know the difference between fish and humans dont we.??.... look i have never heard of them eating a greeny.. [smiley=thumbsup.gif]

so alls good there...

what happens when the food runs out for whales....will we feed them all our left over greenies??????? [smiley=vrolijk_1.gif]