Whalers warned out of Australian waters

Date
    January 31, 2013 

   

Andrew Darby



A Japanese whaling fleet ship is again being warned out of Australian waters by the Federal Government, aggravating a diplomatic dispute with Tokyo.

Environment Minister Tony Burke said on Thursday night that the government had confirmation the Shonan Maru No. 2 entered Australia's Exclusive Economic Zone near Tasmania's sub-Antarctic Macquarie Island.    

Mr Burke said the government "strongly objected" to the passage of the Shonan Maru No. 2 through Australian waters, where domestic laws ban whaling.   

"Australia has made it clear to Japan on a number of occasions that vessels associated with its whaling program are not welcome in Australia’s Exclusive Economic Zone or Territorial Sea," Mr Burke said.


"Our embassy in Tokyo has conveyed these sentiments directly to the Japanese Government."

Last summer vessels of the Japanese whaling fleet made repeated incursions into Australian waters, off Perth and Macquarie Island.    

Prime Minister Julia Gillard and Attorney General Nicola Roxon said then that Japan was repeatedly asked to desist.

The Shonan Maru No. 2 is in pursuit of the Sea Shepherd long range vessel Bob Barker, which on Tuesday caught up with the key factory ship, Nisshin Maru, far south of Macquarie Island.

The Nisshin Maru later escaped the tail in rough weather by out-running the Bob Barker, according to Sea Shepherd.

But the group's Australian chairman,  Bob Brown, claimed early success in this year's conflict over whaling.

"The fleet is quite scattered, which is very satisfactory as far as Sea Shepherd is concerned," said Dr Brown, the former Australian Greens leader.    

Read more: http://www.theage.com.au/environment/whale-watch/whalers-warned-out-of-australian-waters-20130131-2dnvf.html#ixzz2JaHSkw85

Cant have it both ways. People smugglers killing people. Whalers killing whales.

Save the whales... Stuff the people.

The area in dispute is not recognised by the Japanese and many other nations.....The Japanese have every right to hunt whales in the Southern Ocean and have every right to tell Australia to get stuffed.....These wankers from Sea Shepherd are nothing short of terrorists and should not be supported by our Government.....What next after the whales are "saved"......Our Tuna industry will be next.....Then our beef and poultry.....We will all become vegans if these idiots have there way......I support sustainable fishing and see no problem with Japan hunting whales for food!!!

philperth2010 wrote on Feb 1^st, 2013 at 7:39am:


Our Tuna industry will be next

You do not believe that our tuna fishing shoul be sustainable? The current practices have a big question mark.

Why would anybody  want to kill whales for. The things are still recovering from the centuries of slaughter they have already endured. Why don't the Japs eat each other and leave the bloody planet alone.

Considering that there are millions upon millions of kangaroos in Australia and whales aren't exactly a common animal makes that's a silly observation.

Australia's warned Japan on numerous occasions

Japan gives Australia the finger

Australia says:  ' Oh, ok.  Well, we warned you '

Japan spits back:  ' Shut the bugger up, idiots'

Australia makes a show for the sake of voters that it 'cares' about the whales.  But the US tells Australia, ' Ok. Make a noise.  Japan can do as it likes.  We gave Japan the all clear.  Go on pretending you're going to do something about it Australia.  But of course you won't.  Because the US hasn't given you permission.  Just bread and circuses all 'round.  The Nips like butchery, we all know that.  Bunch of deviates.  But we the US are going to be using the Japs soon, once we're through raping the Med.  So we're letting them kill the whales because gee -- who needs whales.  If we want whales, we'll just knock a few out on our 3D computers '

Andrei.Hicks wrote on Feb 1^st, 2013 at 2:42pm:


What the 12 mile shelf off Australias coast is not Australian waters, this is what this story is talking about, the Japaneese whaling fleet transgressing directly into the waters of the Australian main land and Macquarie Island?

These waters are not in dispute, Australia could justifyably take these ships into custody and in my view should.