Behind the spin: bearing witness in the Southern Ocean

"The normal whale research program ends around late March, so we still have three to four weeks left and the fleet is going to continue with the work there," Mr Inwood has been saying. He even told Radio New Zealand "we might even start whaling again as soon as today".

"We" doesn't seem to include the whalers themselves.  Yesterday, our campaigner Sakyo spoke to the whaling fleet's expedition leader via radio, and asked him if the fleet were starting whaling again - the answer was no. He added that there was still a lot of work to be done on the ship. They have managed to start the main engine, but the winch is broken down - due oil pressure problems - and the ship has yet to move under her own power.

"Having a laugh"

"It is certainly not in anyone's interest to give any information, or correct information, to Greenpeace. They are not a signatory to anything down there. Maybe the skipper was just having a laugh," - Inwood to Radio New Zealand.

We might not be a signatory to anything down here, but Japan is -  to the Antarctic Treaty.  The Antarctic conditions are no laughing matter. Not only has one person lost their life, but we've got a drifting whaling factory ship, an environmental threat, and dozens of crewmen working in the tough conditions of the Ross Sea. It seems unlikely that the whaling fleet's expedition leader, who is currently trying to deal with a broken-down 8,000-ton ship, has the time and inclination to make up stories "for a laugh", not to mention that the captain of the chaser ship the Yushin Maru told Maritime New Zealand the same thing.

"Absolutely no threat"?

Mr Inwood also likes to say that there is absolutely no threat to the Antarctic environment from the Nisshin Maru. Unfortunately, unlike the Esperanza, none of the Japanese whaling fleet is "ice class" - meaning they are not are built to deal with severe sea ice conditions. 

Not recognising a potential "threat" to the pristine Antarctic environment that could be sparked off by some adverse weather conditions leaves Mr Inwood looking a little short on his understanding of geography, meteorology and physics. There's a reported 1,000 tons of oil on board the stranded factory ship.  Also with the fleet is a fuel tanker, the Oriental Bluebird, flagged to Panama, that has not filed an Environmental Impact Assessment in accordance with the Antarctic Treaty.

Environmental Impact Assessments

Actually, none of the vessels in the whaling fleet have submitted environmental impact assessments (EIA). Because the whaling fleet claims that it is only answerable to the International Whaling Commission, it doesn't follow Antarctic Treaty procedure.  One such procedure is the Madrid Protocol, which subjects all activities taking place in the Treaty area to prior scrutiny for how they might affect the environment here - including through fires like the one on the Nisshin Maru.

Japan is party to both the Antarctic Treaty and the Madrid Protocol, so it seems strange that the Japanese government doesn't require its whaling fleet to submit EIAs. Especially considering that the Oriental Bluebird is not a whaling ship and therefore not even exempt from the Protocol.

We know what we see and hear, and we know what Mr Inwood is reported to have said and put out in his own press releases - we leave you to decide who is bearing witness to the truth.

For an even more detailed look at Glenn Inwood and ICR spin, see Dave & Sara's assessment on the Esperanza weblog.