Feature story - December 21, 2005
In early November, a six-vessel fleet set out from Japan to the Southern Oceans Whale Sanctuary with the sole intention of harpooning nearly 1,000 whales. Days later, two of our ships were on the whalers' heels, to make sure that didn't happen. We caught up with them on December 20, and put our lives on the line to protect endangered whales from being slaughtered.
Greenpeace activists went into action in eight of our rigid
inflatable boats (RIBs). Because the RIBs are easy to maneuver and
can travel at high speeds, they are ideal for getting in the way of
the whalers' harpoons. As the action was in full swing, two
Japanese "catcher" ships arrived on the scene with dead minke
whales hung from their hulls, ready to be transferred to the
fleet's factory ship. Our ship, the Esperanza, attempted to block
access to the stern ramp of the factory ship, prompting one of the
catcher ships to try to push our ship out of the way. Out of the
interest of safety, the Esperanza was forced to pull back.
Meanwhile, the whalers turned high-pressure fire hoses on our
activists in the RIBs and tried to beat them with metal rods and
hooks.
The whalers have no right to be angry with us, since their actions on the
high seas flout international law and world opinion. There has
been a moratorium in place banning commercial whaling for the past
20 years. The Japanese are exploiting a loophole in the ban that
allows whaling for scientific research. Coincidentally, the whales
Japan hunts in the name of "science" end up on supermarket
shelves.
However, it's not just Japan that supports whale slaughter.
Gorton's of Gloucester, Massachusetts - the company that makes the
fish sticks you've been eating since you were a kid - is a
wholly-owned subsidiary of a Japanese whaling company. We're
calling on Gorton's to use its influence with its parent company to
put an end to whaling.
Take Action! Tell Gorton's to reel in its parent
company.
Our confrontation with the whalers is part of the initial phase
of a yearlong expedition to protect our oceans. Throughout the
coming months we will travel across four oceans, exposing
environmental threats like whaling and calling for protected marine
reserves.
Find out more about
this ambitious voyage.
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let the world know what you think of the whalers.
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