Feature story - January 30, 2008
Greenpeace is saddened by reports from the Australian Customs vessel, the Oceanic Viking, that the Fisheries Agency of Japan's whaling fleet has killed at least five whales in the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary.
Minke whale is transfered onto the Nisshin Maru factory ship of the Japanese whaling fleet.
Once more, Japanese taxpayers must be wondering why they are
funding this scandalous fake research operation which produces no
real science, whale meat that no one wants to eat, and brings their
country into international disrepute.
For fourteen days, the Greenpeace ship Esperanza chased the
whaling fleet's factory ship, the Nisshin Maru, over a distance of
4,300 nautical miles. Without the factory ship, the remaining
hunter vessels where unable to operate - bringing the entire
whaling programme to a halt.
It is estimated that the whalers needed to catch approximately
nine minke whales each day, and an endangered fin whale every other
day in order to reach their self-imposed quota of nearly 1,000
whales. During the two weeks Greenpeace spent with the fleet more
than 100 whales were saved.
While the Esperanza has all but exhausted its fuel supplies and
is returning to port, media coverage and public discussion on the
whaling issue has reached unprecedented levels in Japan, where
Prime Minister Fukuda has been forced to discuss the whaling issue
in Parliament.
The campaign is now moving from the high seas to Japan,
harnessing the power of people around the world: in the last week,
42,000 concerned camera owners from around have responded to
Greenpeace's call to email Fujio Mitarai, CEO of Canon Japan - a
company known for its support of conservation issues - calling on
him to speak out against whaling. Mr Fujio Mitarai is also the head
of the influential Nippon Keidanren (Japanese Business
Federation).
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