Feature story - December 21, 2005
Our two ships, the Esperanza and the Arctic Sunrise, today confronted the Fisheries Agency of Japan whaling fleet and called on it to "Leave the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary immediately." In inflatables carrying banners which read "defend the whales" and "stop the bloody whaling," crew from the two ships declared their intention to stop the hunt.
Greenpeace is confronting whalers in the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary.
"This whale hunt is unnecessary, unjustified, and unwanted," said Expedition leader Shane Rattenbury. In a radio call to the whaling vessels, from the bridge of the Arctic Sunrise, Yuko Hirono, of Greenpeace Japan called upon the whalers to stop killing whales "and leave the internationally recognised Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary."
Flying in the face of international protest and repeated calls from the International Whaling Commission (IWC) to stop its annual 'scientific' whale hunt, this year FAJ has more than double its planned catch of minke whales to 935 and added 10 endangered fin whales. Over the next 2 years 40 more fin whales will be added to the annual kill along with 50 humpback whales. Fin whales are the second largest creatures on earth, after blue whales.
"No one is fooled by the giant new "RESEARCH" sign which has been painted on the side of the fleet's factory ship, the Nisshin Maru. Once the whales are have been measured and weighed by the 'scientists' the butchers get to work and the whales are cut up and boxed for market," said Rattenbury. "This is all about money and not science."
We are using every available means to bring the hunt to an early end and make it the last time the Sanctuary is breached by the whalers.
"In a world were international public opinion is ignored and where high-level diplomatic pressure has failed, Greenpeace hopes that consumers can once and for all demonstrate that there is no profit in whaling," said Rattenbury.