Whale wars: campaigners take on Japanese fleets

Campaigners from Sea Shepherd are fighting a lone and often dangerous battle at sea to disrupt whaling by Japanese fleets who continue to hunt the endangered mammal.

‘It takes a pirate to catch a pirate’ so says Sea Shepherd captain Paul Watson.

Captain Watson and his crew are fighting an annual battle against the Japanese whaling fleet who they say are driving many whale species towards extinction.

Although commercial whaling was banned in the 1980s, Japan is allowed to hunt in the name of research. This year it killed 850 whales for ‘scientific research on the health and migration patterns of whales.’

Anti-whaling groups like Sea Shepherd say this is unnecessary and merely a disguise for commercial whaling. They point to the fact that the meat that is brought back to Japan will end up in restaurants.

Sea wars

With three ships of their own Sea Shepherd attempt to disrupt the Japanese’s annual hunt as much as possible engaging in what they call, ‘non-violent direct action’. Frequently though the protests have ended up becoming quite confrontational.

Both sides have suffered damage to their ships through collisions. The anti-whalers have thrown bottles filled with rancid butter and the Japanese have responded with water cannons and concussion grenades.

Surprisingly, apart from some minor injuries, no-one from either side has been seriously hurt. Despite the risks crew members remain unrepentant.

"I won’t do anything to endanger life but I will damage property," said crew member and operations manager Steve Roest.

"I don’t believe cutting a line or hitting a ship is violence. It is criminal damage but you can only be violent against another form of life.

"What we do is try and get in the way as much as possible. We call ourselves pirates with compassion," he said.

Greenpeace

However, not everyone is supportive of Sea Shepherd’s confrontational approach.

Sea Shepherd captain Paul Watson was a co-founder of Greenpeace in the early 1970s but left to form his own organisation believing a tougher approach was needed to stop the whalers.

Mr Roest is adamant their methods are the only way to stop Japan’s whaling fleet from operating.

"Greenpeace are getting away from their direct action roots nowadays. Our disruption saw them [the Japanese whaling fleet] lose $70m during last winter’s hunt," said Mr Roest.

He believes if they can continue to prevent the Japanese fleet owners making money out of whaling then they can close the industry down for good.