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.
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Call To Action As Whale War Looms. (Read 841 times)
