Greenpeace Confronts Whaling Fleet While Australia Dithers
After a ten day search, the Greenpeace ship Esperanza has located and confronted the Japanese whaling fleet near Antarctica.
It was reported today that the Esperanza had actually chased the fleet out of the hunting grounds, but so far this hasn’t been confirmed.
The ship had located the fleet early Saturday morning Australian time, and had immediately begun pursuing the main Japanese ship, Nisshan Maru.
The Japanese Government claims that the hunt is for scientific purposes only, while at other times defending the sale of whale meat for human consumption as part of Japanese culture.
It is planned to hunt 1,000 whales during this hunting season.
In the meantime, the much publicized intention of the Australian Government to send an armed customs vessel, the Oceanic Viking, is still lagging behind schedule, with the vessel having only left Freemantle Harbour in West Australia recently.
Opposition environment spokesman Greg Hunt said The Oceanic Viking had become a “ghost ship” and demanded the Government reveal how long it would take to reach the whaling fleet.
This follows a report last week that permission to carry out aerial surveillance of the operation had only just been applied for, despite being promised some weeks ago.
My View
I’d really like to know whether the Australian government is actually serious in its intentions to take action against the Japanese whaling fleet.
Considering the fact that Australia and Japan are allies, it would inflame the situation to send an armed vessel into the area, even if its stated purpose was to simply observe and take photographs.
On the other hand, one wonders what sort of research the Japanese need to carry out on the whales, especially by killing them.
Selling the meat to the public in Japan surely negates this argument, unless of course the research is actually into the best way to cook the whale meat.
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