Rally against Whaling in Hobart while open seas pursuit continues
by Takver Saturday December 24, 2005 at 05:05 PM

About 100 people attended a rally in Hobart against the Japanese whaling fleet and their slaughter of whales, despite news that one of the Japanese ships, the Kaiko Maru, was no longer docking in Hobart. The crewman with suspected appendicitis was airlifted by helicopter from the ship on Friday night, with the ship returning south. This saved the Government some embarrassment. The Federal Government is negotiating a 'free trade' agreement with Japan and so is keen to avoid a diplomatic conflict on the whaling issue.

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Photo: The Farley Mowat in pursuit of the Whaling Fleet. Copyright © 2005 Sea Shepherd Conservation Society.

Greens Senator Bob Brown said the Government should have siezed the ship. He told the crowd in Hobart:

"What about that ship - aided and abetted by the Howard Government, which should have made sure that the ship was escorted into Hobart and then put out of action, instead of going back to kill our whales in our waters off Antarctica?" he said, according to an ABC report.

Jason Collins for Greenpeace said "It is disappointing we don't have the opportunity to hold that ship here and stop it from returning to the Southern Ocean," he said. "But all the same, we need to take heart from the fact that some people in Hobart deciding to come down here has stopped that ship from coming in."

Calls have been made for the Australian Government to send a navy ship to the area for surveillance. Bob Brown said "Remember, this government has impounded scores of Indonesian fishing boats. It's spent millions chasing pirate ships, like the Portuguese ship brought into Perth during this year. But when it comes to this piracy of whales in our waters, it seems to be sitting on its hands." The Fisheries Agency of Japan said there was no reason for such action.

The Greenpeace ship Esparanza is tailing the Japanese factory ship heading northeast at 14 knots away from the best whale hunting area, while the other Greenpeace ship, the Arctic Sunrise, has lost visual contact. The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society ship, Farley Mowat is also in pursuit of the whaling fleet.

The airlift of the crewman from the Kaiko Maru saved the Government much embarrassment. Outwardly it is opposed to whaling, but it refuses to take any strong diplomatic action against Japan and the Japanese whaling fleet. Minister for Environment, Senator Ian Campbell, was concerned and critical of Greenpeace when the Kyo Maru rammed the Esparanza even though the transgression and violition of shipping rules was committed by the Japanese ship master.

When Captain Paul Watson issued his declaration to disrupt and stop the Japanese whaling operation at the cost of his ship if neccessary, Ian Campbell started praising the "moderates" of Greenpeace while condemning the direct action tactics of the Sea Shepherd Society.

According to the Sydney Morning Herald report, Ian Campbell said the statement was "scary" and passed it on to the Attorney-General, Philip Ruddock, and the Minister for Justice, Chris Ellison. "There appears to be a prima facie case that they may be setting out to break the law," Senator Campbell said."I think there is a very good distance between this, and the generally positive approach by Greenpeace.I think what Greenpeace has been doing is a service to the cause. But if Captain Watson does what he says he will do it will set the cause of whale conservation back for decades."

Meanwhile Campbell, refuses to prosecute Japan. Paul Watson reminds the Australian government of the crimes being committed by Japan:

1. The Japanese are whaling in violation of the International Whaling Commission's global moratorium on commercial whaling. The IWC scientific committee does not recognize this bogus research that the Japanese are using as an excuse.
2. The Japanese are killing whales in the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary.
3. The Japanese are killing whales unlawfully in the Australian Antarctic Territory.
4. The Japanese are targeting fin whales this year and humpback whales next year. These are endangered species, and thus, this is a violation of CITES, the Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna.
5. The Japanese are in violation of IWC regulation 19(a) The IWC regulations in the Schedule to the Convention forbid the use of factory ships to process any protected stock: 19. (a) It is forbidden to use a factory ship or a land station for the purpose of treating any whales which are classified as Protection Stocks in paragraph 10. Paragraph 10(c) provides a definition of Protection Stocks and states that Protection Stocks are listed in the Tables of the Schedule. Table 1 lists all the baleen whales, including minke, fin, and humpback whales and states that all of them are Protection Stocks.
6. In addition, the IWC regulations specifically ban the use of factory ships to process any whales except minke whales: Paragraph 10(d) provides: “(d) Notwithstanding the other provisions of paragraph 10 there shall be a moratorium on the taking, killing or treating of whales, except minke whales, by factory ships or whale catchers attached to factory ships. This moratorium applies to sperm whales, killer whales and baleen whales, except minke whales.” Fin and humpback whales are both baleen whales and are subject to this moratorium.

While many Australians realise something is rotten in Canberra over many social justice issues, Paul Watson on the Farley Mowat asks "Australia may not be Denmark, but something is clearly rotten in Canberra over this issue. What really is going on here Mr. Howard?,”

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