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Friday 6 January - The action in the Southern Ocean continues as activists follow the trail of blood left by a harpooned minke whale being taken for processing.
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"The Esperanza crew saw at least 4 more dead whales being transferred from the two catchers today," added Shane.
On December 21, the longest day of the year in the Southern Ocean, after a month at sea we found the Japanese whaling fleet. For the first few days it was all hands on deck and all inflatables in the water as we blocked the harpooner's line of sight and defended whales and as we slowed the transfer of whales from the catchers to the fleets factory ship the Nisshin Maru.
Mikey, an Australian activist, earned himself the reputation of "whale rider" as he heroically clung to a dead whale, brandishing a "Stop Whaling" banner while being blasted with firehoses. "I must admit the look of dismay I had on my face when I looked up at the whaling crew and they were looking down with smugness and laughter," he wrote in our weblog.
The crews sent stunning photographs and video footage to the world. Some of that footage was analysed by the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW). IFAW scientist and whale expert Vassili Papastavrou, who watched the footage, said: "We were told by Greenpeace this whale took 10 minutes to die. This is how a whale was killed when the boats were being observed, so what happens when they're not being seen?"
Then, in an unprecedented move, the whaling fleet fled. We have been to the Southern Ocean seven times to halt whaling in the past, and this was the first time that we kept a fleet on the run for several days. But this is also the first time that we have had our fastest ship, the Esperanza, in the Southern Ocean.
The Japanese ships fled almost 2,000 nautical miles (3,700km) over the past 11 days, putting a temporary stop to their whaling operations. The fleet may now be under even more pressure to meet their quota. Shane said, "We lost track of the fleet for about 24 hours after they refuelled, but we are back in place ready to ensure they don't meet their new whaling quota of 935 minke and 10 fin whales."
Stay tuned to the weblog for the latest updates.
On December 21, the longest day of the year in the Southern Ocean, after a month at sea we found the Japanese whaling fleet. For the first few days it was all hands on deck and all inflatables in the water as we blocked the harpooner's line of sight and defended whales and as we slowed the transfer of whales from the catchers to the fleets factory ship the Nisshin Maru.
Mikey, an Australian activist, earned himself the reputation of "whale rider" as he heroically clung to a dead whale, brandishing a "Stop Whaling" banner while being blasted with firehoses. "I must admit the look of dismay I had on my face when I looked up at the whaling crew and they were looking down with smugness and laughter," he wrote in our weblog.
The crews sent stunning photographs and video footage to the world. Some of that footage was analysed by the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW). IFAW scientist and whale expert Vassili Papastavrou, who watched the footage, said: "We were told by Greenpeace this whale took 10 minutes to die. This is how a whale was killed when the boats were being observed, so what happens when they're not being seen?"
Then, in an unprecedented move, the whaling fleet fled. We have been to the Southern Ocean seven times to halt whaling in the past, and this was the first time that we kept a fleet on the run for several days. But this is also the first time that we have had our fastest ship, the Esperanza, in the Southern Ocean.
The Japanese ships fled almost 2,000 nautical miles (3,700km) over the past 11 days, putting a temporary stop to their whaling operations. The fleet may now be under even more pressure to meet their quota. Shane said, "We lost track of the fleet for about 24 hours after they refuelled, but we are back in place ready to ensure they don't meet their new whaling quota of 935 minke and 10 fin whales."
Stay tuned to the weblog for the latest updates.
