A Sad Good-bye to Collette

Commentary by Captain Paul Watson
Founder and President of Sea Shepherd Conservation Society

Collette has been deliberately killed by Australian government bureaucrats.
The whale known as Colin was found to be female after her death and has been renamed Collette.

Upon hearing about the whale known as Colin, the orphaned baby humpback whale lost in Sydney Harbour, I issued the following statement:

Statement from Captain Paul Watson

We view the life of every Humpback whale as valuable and if anything can be done to save the life of this young baby Humpback than we encourage and support every effort to ensure that he survives.
I would propose finding a small cove, inlet or bay to keep Colin safe and then attempting to feed Colin with a mixture of krill and small fish. Finding whale milk is difficult if not impossible. If Colin is old enough to be weaned then this could work.
It is of course an awesome task to care for and provide life saving care to a whale. It truly is a whale of a task but we can’t be faulted for trying, just for refusing to try.
Australians have an opportunity to demonstrate that they do not just talk about saving whales but that they are prepared to do whatever it takes to protect them, including this little orphan.
The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society wishes to work with the governments both Federal and State, the media, other groups and concerned Australian citizens to mobilize an effort to save Colin.
We can do this!

Captain Paul Watson



Sea Shepherd Australia Director Jeff Hansen began to mobilize a coordinated rescue effort with the Australia Zoo and the government of New South Wales as soon as he heard about the unfortunate whale.

Unfortunately the bureaucrats could not be bothered. They refused to allow us to help Collette and they refused to attempt to feed her or to let anyone else try. They took the easy way out and simply killed her.
Killing is usually the first response of government bureaucrats when a wild species is in trouble. They dismissed our help, they dismissed our suggestions and they dismissed our pleas to spare the life of this baby Humpback.
As I said before Collette was killed, we could not be faulted for trying to save her life but the bureaucrats can be faulted for not even trying.
The “mercy” killing did not go very well. Whales cannot be killed easily as the Japanese whalers have demonstrated for decades. With Collette, first they put a noose and straps around her and then a veterinarian jumped in the water and stuck a syringe near the dorsal fin to sedate her. This was done twice. They then tied her to an inflatable boat and began moving Collette towards the beach.
As they approached the beach, Collette thrashed about with her head and tail coming right out of the water, completely arching her back. She was panicking and in extreme stress. She struggled all the way to the beach, a condemned prisoner on the way to execution by lethal injection.
The energy she expended in her struggles illustrated that she was not as weak as the “experts” had determined. This young whale wanted to live.
On the beach, a tent was erected around her to keep the public from witnessing the execution. They then injected the poison and killed her.
Witness Cherie Curchod said she saw the whale thrashing around near a jetty below her home after she was given more than six injections.
Ms. Curchod said the whale was then tied up and dragged across the bay at Bonnie Doon, to The Basin at Pittwater before she “actively started trying to get away''.

"Then they dragged it to a closed tent and all the while they dragged it, it was flapping it's tail, blowing out of it's head and moving and trying to get away,'' she said.

"It was so upsetting because euthanasia is meant to be an easy death and that whale did not have an easy death at all.''

But National Parks and Wildlife Services spokesman John Dengate said the whale's death was the "best possible result'' in the circumstances.

"That was the best way it could have been done,'' he told reporters. "You put the animal out of its misery.''

He said the calf had been treated with dignity and respect by leading veterinarians but the process of putting down a large mammal was ....distressing and harrowing''.

"To an untrained person, it might not look like the most fantastic thing, but you can't get a better result than that,'' he said.

It is amazing that Dengate would make a statement like “you can’t get a better result than that (death).

There was a better result possible and that was life. We were simply not allowed to provide that chance. An injunction against the execution was secured but the whale was killed before it was served. It was like a sad scene from a movie where the stay of execution for an innocent man is delivered five minutes after his death. And then they loaded her still warm body onto a truck to be taken to the Taronga Zoo for an autopsy and no doubt for research purposes, a chance to dissect a whale.

Sea Shepherd’s offer to help was rejected out of hand. Sea Shepherd Australia director Jeff Hansen pleaded with them to allow the time to attempt to feed her. Sea World in San Diego had fed a young Grey whale years ago named J.J. and had developed a formula. Jeff told them that a formula could be made available within a day. He told them that there was already a milk formula developed by Wombaroo and already tested on baby humpbacks and it was described on their website at http://www.wombaroo.com.au/about_us.htm
Through Tom Baldwin in the Sea Shepherd Melbourne office we contacted Vanessa Pierce in Sydney who was working with Wambaroo. Through Aaron Barnes of Sea Shepherd in Sydney we had a reputable celebrity vet from Bourkes backyard (a big TV show) who had reared and worked with dolphins, his name is Dr Robert Zammit http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Zammit). Dr. Zammit was willing and able to help feed the calf. Jeff Hansen also spoke with Allan Short on Steve Irwin’s Whale One and Murray Munro from Wildlife Warriors. Allan had also spoken with Jim Antrim from Sea World California and had the exact formula that was used for JJ, the grey whale.

We had the people lined up. We had the formula to feed Collette. We were mobilized and ready to go but the bureaucrats would not stay the execution. They would not give Collette a chance. They just wanted the “problem” to go away.

A carcass of a large female Humpback was found the same day not far away, and DNA testing will be done to determine if this was the mother and if so it would explain how Collette came to be a lost orphan in Sydney harbour.

The death of this whale underscores the tragedy that happens every year when the Japanese drive exploding harpoons into the backs of defenseless whales in the Antarctic Whale Sanctuary where many mother whales are killed and their calves abandoned to die a lonely death far from human eyes under the shadow of the slowly drifting icebergs.

This tragedy also underlies the political reality that the Rudd government has abandoned their efforts to defend the whales from the lethal harpoons of the illegal Japanese whaling fleet. The appeasement of the Japanese government in the name of not upsetting trade will condemn hundreds of whales to an agonizing death once again at the end of the year.

We wish that we still had Senator Ian Campbell championing the whales as the Minister of Environment instead of a man who did more as a rock star than he has done as a politician.

Memo to Peter Garrett

Peter, did you check your balls at the door when you were elected? Why not do one or two of the things you promised to? Now you’re murdering kangaroos, kissing the ass of the Japanese whalers, backing pulp mills, logging and dredging operations. What the hell happened man? Spitting on the burning bed ain’t gonna put out the fire! When you played on the logging road at Clayoquot I loved you man. When you spoke out in song and music for the Earth, we adored you. But now, well now, you’re just another lying craven politician with a self serving agenda. Redeem yourself while you still can – speak out like you used to – hell all they can do is fire you but better to be a hero to the people than a pawn to special interests.

Let’s save the whales!

We could not save Collette, but down off the coast of Antarctica in the Ross Sea, the Japanese intend to slaughter over a thousand whales beginning in January. It is there where we can make a difference without bureaucrats to hinder our efforts.

Last year we saved over 500 whales. We intend to save even more this year.

OPERATION MUSASHI

Captain Watson´s commentary

Can a small handful of volunteers bring down the largest whaling fleet in the world?

The answer is yes!

We have the powerful Japanese whaling fleet on the ropes and all we need to do is deliver the knock-out punch.

The Japanese pirate whalers are hurting bad. They are over fifty million dollars in debt and we have stopped them from getting their full kill quota for three years in a row.

Our first campaign in 2005/2006 saw us chase the fleet for 3,500 miles westward along the Antarctic coast. Although handicapped by a slower vessel we confronted them three times and we kept them on the run. We sideswiped their supply ship and forced them to return to Japan and by the end of the season, the whalers were 83 whales short of their quota. We had cut their kill numbers by 10%.

We knew that we would need a faster ship if we were to return in 2006/2007. We also had the problem that our ship the Farley Mowat was placed under arrest in South Africa because of pressure from the Japanese and Canadian governments.

Thus began the impossible mission of Operation Leviathan. As I searched the globe for a faster ship, Captain Alex Cornelissen deftly managed to cut the Farley Mowat out of Cape Town harbour by departing covertly at 0300 Hours in the morning, following a freighter out in the dark with all lights shut off. They then successfully eluded the South African navy escaping into the Indian Ocean.

Following that daring escape the Farley Mowat weathered extremely severe weather until reaching the friendly port of Freemantle in Western Australia where the ship and crew were welcomed as heroes and Mayor Peter Tagliaferri presented us with the honour of having Fremantle declared our honourary home port.

Meanwhile I had inspected a ship in Malta but it was to expensive to purchase. By June I had located a 2^nd ship in Trinidad and after spending two months working to purchase the vessel we were forced to drop the acquisition due to illegalities with the ship's owner.

With the next whaling season rapidly approaching, we finally found the perfect ship in Edinburgh, Scotland in October. It was the Westra, the retired Scottish fisheries patrol vessel. We bought it during the first week of November thanks to a bank loan from a very loyal and generous supporter. By mid-November the ship was in drydock and by December 5^th, the Westra now renamed the Robert Hunter was heading south down the length of the entire Atlantic Ocean through the Straits of Magellan reaching the Ross Sea by January 19^th, 2007.

I took the Farley Mowat out of Melbourne and met the Robert Hunter in the Ross Sea where our crew constructed a helicopter deck on the Robert Hunter in only two days.

It was not easy. The Japanese government has pressured the Canadian government to pull our flag. We re-registered with Belize but within 9 days, the Belizean flag was pulled but not before we were able to depart from TasmaniaAntarctica. We entered the Antarctic Whale Sanctuary as an unregistered pirate ship. southward towards the coast of

Together the two ships hunted down and engaged the Japanese fleet twice. Then an accident occurred on the Japanese factory ship Nisshin Maru - a fire that killed one of their crew and crippled the ship.

The Japanese whaling fleet was forced to retreat back to Japan with less than half their kill quota. More than 500 whales were spared.

The Japanese government was furious and forced the British registrar to pull the Red Duster from the Robert Hunter leaving us flagless.

We quickly re-registered our two ships under the Dutch flag, a nation not vulnerable to being dictated to by Japan or any other pirate whaling nation.

In June 2007, I entrusted Captain Cornelissen to take the Farley Mowat to the Galapagos and then onto Iceland for Operation Ragnarok, the campaign to intervene against illegal Icelandic whaling operations.

The Robert Hunter remained in Melbourne to prepare for a return to the Whale Sanctuary in December.

Once again we had the Herculean task of raising the funds for the next campaign.

By the time the Farley Mowat reached the Galapagos, Iceland decided to cancel it's whaling operations and the Farley Mowat turned it's attention to confiscating illegal long lines, intervening against shark poachers and stopping plans by a company called Planktos to dump iron dust into the ocean off the Galapagos.

That summer we investigated and seized 45,000 shark fins and over 100,000 sea cucumbers from poachers and smugglers in Ecuador.

I was awarded the Amazon Peace Prize by the President of Ecuador and a contract was placed on the heads of Sea Shepherd Galapagos Director Sean O'Hearn and myself by the sharkfin mafia of Manta, Ecuador.

Sean was forced to resign at the assistance of his wife and one of our police officer supporters sent me a bullet proof vest.

By the end of the year, Planktos had been stopped. Captain Alex Cornelissen took up the position of Sea Shepherd director for the Galapagos and I was ready to take the helm of the Robert Hunter for the return voyage to Antarctica in a campaign we named Operation Migaloo.

In a move that the late Robert Hunter would have approved of, I renamed the ship the Steve Irwin to reflect the passion of Australians in opposing illegal whaling and to focus on the symbol of the whales of Australia – Migaloo, the beloved white Humpback whale who the Japanese said they would harpoon if they got the chance.

We headed southward on December 5^th after Teri Irwin officially launched the ship under Steve's name. Onboard was a film crew from Animal Planet to begin work on a series to be called Whale Wars.

It was a long, dangerous, and successful pursuit as the Steve Irwin covered over 22,000 miles in three legs chasing the Japanese whaling fleet across the vast expanse of the remote and unpredictable Southern Ocean. We boarded a harpoon vessel creating an international incident that captured headlines around the world. Most importantly we shut down whaling operations to the point that once again the whalers failed to take their kill quota.

Of their quota of 50 Humpbacks they did not take one. Of their quota of Fin whales they did not take a single one. Of their quota of Piked whales they took 582. We saved the lives of 522 Piked whales and a total of 622 whales of all three species.

It was an economic and public relations disaster for the Japanese whaling fleet and their frustration was demonstrated when they threw concussion grenades and shot at our crew, one of the bullets striking me in the chest and a concussion grenade throwing cameraman Ashley Dunn to the deck injuring his thigh.

Fortunately my bullet proof vest stopped the bullet and there were no serious injuries from the confrontation.

We discovered that we could find them and shut down their operations. Our only handicap was the need to refuel. It takes about 10 days to return to port, a few days to refuel and re-provision and another 10 days to return to the fleet. That was when the whales 583 whales died.

If we could secure another ship we could shut them down 100%.

And that is our impossible mission for the present. We can and we will return to the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary in December with the Steve Irwin. The task now is to find and secure a 2^nd fast ship to relieve the Steve Irwin when it is forced to return to port to refuel.

Towards that end we are working to raise more funds to purchase a 2^nd ship. We also need to raise funds to fuel, outfit and provision two ships.

We won't have any problem crewing the ships. We are being overwhelmed by applications. This is a relief because now we will be able to crew the ship from a pool of many individuals of many skills and abilities. Our last campaign was slightly handicapped by a few quitters and a few faint hearted types who did not seem to understand that to be a Sea Shepherd crewmember requires a rare type of passion and courage. If someone is not willing to risk their life for the defense of a whale they don't belong on our crew. And if they don't understand why we would ask that question they don't belong on our crew.

I personally believe that taking risks to protect endangered species is far more noble and worthwhile than risking one's life to protect real estate, money and oil wells and they pin medals on people who do that.

We fight for life, for diversity and for the future of humanity and all living things and in my opinion that is the ultimate justification for sailing into harm's way.

Which brings us to Operation Musashi.

Miyamoto Musashi is a legend in Japan and I chose the name because Musashi wrote of the strategy of the twofold way of pen and sword. In other words Musashi knew that in addition to aggressive intervention, it was necessary to communicate and educate.

Last year for the first time ever in Japan, the issue of illegal Japanese whaling made the headlines. The reason is that our dramatic and aggressive tactics were news and this enabled us to tag messages to the news stories about the slaughter of the whales.

This has brought us support in Japan from Japanese people who oppose the whale killing policies of their government.

Our interventions are the sword of direct action and the media is the pen and thus our approach is exactly what Musashi had in mind.

A few years ago, everyone told us that fighting the Japanese whaling fleet was a losing cause – the ruthless crimes in the Southern Ocean were being committed by a Yakusa controlled union crewing large ruthless killing machines. The Nisshin Maru was the formidable Cetacean Death Star. The murdering crimes of the whalers were taking place over vast stretches of iceberg studded, frigid, storm tossed hostile seas. We didn't have the money. We didn't have the ships. In other words only a fool would think of venturing into those hostile waters without adequate resources on a Quixotean exercise in futility.

But I remember what my friend Martin Sheen once said to me. "Losing causes are the only causes worth fighting for."

And enough people have called me a fool to the point that I have no problem believing them and thus striking out on the path of the fool like Don Quixote on a hopeless mission to protect innocence and life was, well to be frank, it was very appealing.

And now our hopeless, impossible mission has made such an impact that I now believe we can win this war to drive the criminal whalers out of the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary.

There is no question that we have the moral high ground. The Japanese whalers are targeting endangered and defenseless whale in a whale sanctuary in violation of international law and the moratorium in commercial whaling. They are sadistic killers involved with the Japanese Yakusa in an industry that has no honour and of no necessity to the welfare of the Japanese people.

We are going forth to defend and protect life. We have never injured anyone. We are so non-violent that our ships are vegan vessel. We have never been convicted of a felony crime anywhere in the world. We are volunteers risking our lives to protect life.

The Japanese government can call us eco-terrorists and pirates until Mount Fuji erodes away but the fact remains that we fight for life and they kill for profit.

In this case the good pirates wear black and our Jolly Roger is a symbol of hope for the whales and for the protection of our oceans. We are pirates of compassion and life in a battle to subdue and defeat the pirates of greed and death.

Woody Allen once said that 90% of success was just showing up. In this case he is absolutely right. We just need to continue showing up on the tail of the Japanese fleet, harassing them and intervening against their killing. We need to wear them down by forcing them to endure financial losses every year until they are so far in debt they will have to submit.

We can and we will destroy the Cetacean Death Star. We intend to sink the Japanese whaling fleet – economically. Without hurting a single person we can drive their operation into bankruptcy and we can end the killing.

Your investment in our operations have and will continue to show results.

What is the life of a whale worth to you?

Your trust and support for my crew and I will be repaid with the gift of life for the whales and a gift of promise to the future survival of our oceans.

More information at www.seashepherd.org

GREAT NEWS: Sea Shepherd Onshore Volunteering

Sea Shepherd is best known for their volunteer crews who sail the high seas on board our conservation vessels to protect marine wildlife, and now we need assistance in many ways.

Sea Shepherd campaigns are only possible because of the day-to-day efforts of our many volunteers. Sea Shepherd is always in need of outreach volunteers, fundraisers, donated supplies, information distribution, research work, etc., etc...

Here are a few ideas that will really make a difference:

• OUTREACH -- We can provide you with SSCS newsletters (log) and master copies of information sheets which you can copy to your heart’s content to use in any of the following ways:

* Tabling at a Local Event, Expo or Making Your Own Information
Table:

Help create awareness of the problems facing our world -- including the destruction and exploitation of marine wildlife worldwide. We provide the materials, you set up a decorative display at an already-arranged event or find a location in your town where you can set up an information table. Hand out information and talk to people about Sea Shepherd — focus on getting new members to join!

* Hold a Benefit for SSSC at a Local Pub, Restaurant, Community Meeting Place:

Use your creative energies to put together a small concert or theme event for the benefit of your favorite charity (SSCS!). If you know musicians or entertainers (comedians, magicians, or other performers) you can easily put together a fun night. You could collect a door charge for SSCS and have an information table inside the event.

* Cultivate Public Awareness:

Participate in protests/demonstrations led and/or organized by Sea Shepherd! Let us know if you are available to meet at a public place or government building to display signs, get petitions signed and get the word out!

"Use your creativity to reach out to the public - create billboards and/or signs to educate the public!"

* Have a Sea Shepherd Party:

Invite everyone you know to join you for a House Party featuring videos of exciting Sea Shepherd footage saving marine life on the high seas! Plan ahead: Get newsletters from the office, information sheets and buy or borrow a videotape to show on your VCR. (If you have a birthday to celebrate, you could ask for donations in lieu of gifts...)

* Distribute information:

Copy and distribute Sea Shepherd info to anyone and everyone that may be interested in helping to protect marine wildlife. Please stress to them that a donation of any kind sent to our main address (P.O. Box 2616, Friday Harbor, WA 98250) would be very helpful, and that for donations of US$25.00 or more they will receive our newsletter and be eligible to crew on our ships SSCS accepts credit cards. SSCS also offers a recurring gift donation plan called the Direct Action Crew - donors can make a monthly or quarterly donation via their MasterCard, Visa, or American Express and from the U.S. or Canada they may use their checking account. See the form on the backside of the Donation Form, which is stapled into the middle of each newsletter.

• BECOME A SSCS NEWSLETTER “BULK DISTRIBUTOR”:

Help distribute our bi-annual newsletter, the Sea Shepherd Log! Each time we print it, we will send you whatever quantity you think you can hand out to potential supporters or place in a prominent public setting(i.e., library, coffee house, book store, scuba or marine shop, etc...).

• CULTIVATE MEDIA AWARENESS:

In the never-ending quest to wake up and shake up people into realizing there is wildlife in peril, it helps to get as much media coverage as possible. Send a letter or call your local TV and radio stations, newspapers and magazines telling them about the work that SSCS has been doing for 25+ years. Aside from being a story with a good cause, the footage and photographs are dynamic and exciting, and make for a great show or article. We get many new members from every article, TV show, news coverage and documentary that airs about SSCS. *You can give the media our main telephone numbers (360-370-5650) and we will be happy to provide them with images or video.

• WISH LIST DONATIONS:

Keep an eye on our “Wish List” to see what items are needed both on the ship and in the office. Feel free to call the office any time for an updated list. If you are asking someone else to donate an item, be sure to mention that in the United States, Sea Shepherd is what is called a 501(c)(3) non-profit, which means that cash and material donations are tax-deductible. When we receive a material gift, the donor can provide proof of the “fair market value” for which we can issue a receipt.

• OFFICE VOLUNTEERS:

The Society is seeking responsible volunteers with strong communication, general clerical and organizational skills for office work at our HQ, satellite offices, or even from their own home. Volunteers will participate in a variety of projects and general office activities. Please call the office at 360-370-5650 or email volunteer@seashepherd.org to see how you can help in the offices or from your home.

• VOLUNTEER CREWMEMBERS:

SSCS is constantly looking for crewmembers to work aboard our vessels that sail international waters to investigate, document and enforce marine conservation-related laws, regulations and treaties, as well as for other creative conservation work. Crewmembers are chosen by skills, dedication and commitment, and also by the time that they have available. Wherever our ships are docked there is a necessity for people to help maintain and clean the vessels. So, if our ship comes into a port near you, we may need your help. To volunteer to crew on our ships, visit our crewing page and download a printable application.


MORE IDEAS...AND NOT JUST FOR STUDENTS!

1. Set up a fund-raiser at your school or in your town (bake sale, lemonade sale, car wash).

2. Write a letter to the editor of your local newspaper or write a report about Sea Shepherd. Conservation Society to help your community, class and teacher learn about an organization of “regular citizens” just like yourself who decided to stop talking about problems and do something active to make a difference!

3. Start a club at school or with your friends -- continue in your efforts to tell more people about what is happening to our world and start taking care of it now.

* Plan letter-writing meetings -- Once you learn about some way that marine life is being harmed, learn as many facts as you can, gather all of the addresses of government officials who could help stop the abuse and get everyone to write intelligent, polite and direct letters. In the U.S., write your Senators and Representatives -- to find out whom to write, call 202-224-3121 for Senate Information and 202-225-3121 for House of Representatives information.

* Plan events similar to the ones mentioned above (fundraising, dances, parties or video-watching).

Thank you for all of your efforts to support Sea Shepherd!

http://seashepherd.org/volunteer/volunteer_onshore.html


Onshore Volunteer Coordinator
Sea Shepherd Conservation Society
PO Box 2616
Friday Harbor, WA 98250 USA
Fax: +1-360-370-5651

E-mail: volunteer@seashepherd.org

THE SONG OF MIGALOO

MIGALOO THE WHITE WHALE
Migaloo, said to be between 13-15 meters long, (42-49 feet) Famous Albino Whale of the South Pacific is once again in danger and Australia, one of the worlds most popular vacation spots, famous for the Great Barrier Reef , and best of all, avid whale watchers, are rightfully upset when whalers venture near Australian waters.
Japan, who stake claims to legally kill whales, supposedly are using a loophole in the International Whaling Commission (IWC) laws to hunt over 1,000 whales each year in the southern hemisphere, allegedly for scientific research, and they will target humpbacks for the first time. Heading to Antartica, the Tokyo whalers have been given a quota of 50 humpbacks whales, along with 50 fin whales and 900 minke whales this year, (pregnant females included), minkes are the usual preference of the Japanese whalers.
The whales who live in the Antarctica, migrate through the channel into the Great Barrier Reef to mate and bear their young. The Aussies enjoy watching the mother whales and their calfs frolic in the waters, from a distance as close as standing on the beach, or while sitting on their deck at a barbie, or even a view from the docks, and of course their yachts. Their boats will gather round a pod and watch the whales as they make their way along the Australian coast, the Aussies aren't the only ones having fun, the whales dont seem to mind the attention, as they show off for the tourists, sometimes for hours as they frockic in the harbours.

The Australians respect these majestic creatures, they do all they can to preserve nature in all its form, including the Great Barrier Reef itself, the migration of the sea turtles, and every year, thousands of people line against the coastal lines, keeping an eye out on the horizon for the one they call Migaloo.

Migaloo is actually an indigenous name, its an Aboriginal word meaning, white fella, and every year, the media will report on Migaloo, and they let everyone know when Migaloo is swimming by their town. He's been called the Moby Dick of the seas, the Great White Whale. And every year, the Aussies fear, will this year be the year that the Japanese kill their favorite whale. With Migaloo accustomed to human attention on yachts and sail boats, it makes Migaloo an easy target for the Japanese.

Japan hasn't ruled out the hunting of the Great White Whale, and abruptly said "No Comment" in a press conference when asked if the whalers intended to hunt the white humpback Migaloo, in their list of humpback whales.
For the record, Migaloo, as any Aussie will tell you, is the most angelic of all sea creatures. When she is present in the water, she actually emits a glow that lightens the water around her by her snow white features, and when she breaks the surface of the water, and emerges into the brightly lit sunfilled Australian skies, all in eyesight, stand in awe, stand at attention, and their breath is caught, by her remarkable beauty.
The Sea Shepard Conservation Society took matters in their own hands last year, and decided to protect the helpless whales from whalers, and threatened to ram into the Tokyo fishing vessel with their ship, which had a bulldozer sized harpoon. This year the Tokyo Whalers are calling the Conservationists environmental terrorists, and they asked New Zealand and Australia to protect their whalers, to which the conservationists were appalled, saying Its the WHALES who need the PROTECTING!!
The Captain of the Sea Shepherd, (The Conservationists Ship), Paul Watson stands firm in his position, as far as he's concerned, the Tokyo Whalers are in violation of the anti-whaling laws in Australian waters and he's confident the law is on his side. The Japanese have doubled their security and are prepared to defend themselves against the anti-whalers, who have no intentions on backing down.

The Japanese have widely been accused of using a loophole to hunt whales in international waters, claiming they are hunting whales for research, and yet Japan kills over 1000 whales in the South Pacific Region each year in the name of said research. Thats not including the whaling going on in the Atlantic side. What gets the Conservationists blood boiling, are the lack of results produced for such an abundance of research? One whale alone is a massive amount of a creature, what type of research would require the use of over 1000 whales per year? The accusations stem from such grounds, and many endangered animal protecting agencies will tell you, Japan is using the loophole called research, as excuse to perform commercial fishing in international waters. That's the opinion of the conservationists, not the one writing this article, before you post your comment below. (For the record, Japan isn't the only country who hunts whales, and other creatures such as sea horses, and unique reef fish are also targeted.)
Australians do an incredible amount of research themselves, and have had many remarkable advances in medical research, including vaccines for specific types of cancer, some of which have hit the market, and some of which will be released within one to two years from now, plus, they also do research on whales. The Australian Conservationists will proudly tell you, that not one single spot on a whales head would be harmed during any research done by an Australian on a whale, infact, they do research on the creatures from afar, and its proven affective, lets explore that just a little.

Whales are the biggest creatures in the sea, but remarkably, they truly have no method in protecting themselves. Its not like they have razor teeth and burly strong jaws like a shark, or a killer whale (Killer whales are actually members of the dolphin family, and are not whales, and killer whales are actually a whale's worst predator).
Whales are gentle creatures, and have come to be more understood by the Australians as the migration process along their coastline has enabled Australians to study the whales, to the point that last month the Aussies made a break through in decoding whale communications with each other. The Aussies discovered that all the beautiful sounds, after recording thousands of songs, up to 4000 recordings, and studying pod after pod of whale families, that the whales are indeed, families. They argue, they play, they complain, the kids whine, the parents reprimand. It's like an annoying family road trip, with the kids saying, are we there yet?, and most importantly the whales care for each other. The Australians take the welfare of their whales very seriously. They are avid whale watchers, and can't comprehend why anyone would want kill off a species that is so gentle and majestic.
I only wonder if the Australians could put Migaloo on the endangered species list, as the only one of its kind, the only recorded White Humpback Whale. I wonder, if that in itself, would prevent any country from putting Migaloo on the hunting list.

WHALING WALL

The International Whaling Commission (IWC) has been holding its annual meeting in Santiago.
The main issue has been whether pro- and anti-whaling countries can resolve their differences. They agreed to spend a year looking for a compromise deal.
BBC environment correspondent Richard Black has been sampling opinions on the peace initiative.

Jose Truda Palazzo
Alternate (deputy) Whaling Commissioner, Brazil

It could work if there were some commitment from the whaling countries; but what we are seeing is there is absolutely none. They show that they have no interest in diplomatic and civilised dialogue or compromise.
Having come to this meeting for 25 years, the hope I had on Monday is almost gone.

Jeannine Rambally
Whaling Commissioner, St Lucia

There isn't much harmony. People are not bending.

We have to respect different cultures. I shouldn't go to England and say "you shouldn't eat bangers and mash". There are some whales that shouldn't be harvested because they are endangered; but if it can be done sustainably, I don't see anything wrong with it.

Bo Fernholm

Whaling Commissioner, Sweden

Sometimes you feel the more extreme countries are happy with the situation, and that it's us in the middle who should be unhappy.
Marine resources can be used sustainably. The IWC should have a role ensuring there is sustainable use of what can be used sustainably, and that is not many species today.

Mona George-Dill
President, East Caribbean Coalition for Environmental Awareness

If we put our minds together as human beings to make the compromise process work, it can work. But if we're each of us going to stick out for our own positions, then it won't work.
It's my opinion that some of the commissioners have a lot to lose personally (from compromise).

Calestous Juma
Harvard University; IWC special adviser

The whaling convention was created for one purpose - to allocate catches. New issues have come up, to do with conservation and other uses of marine resources, that need different treatment.
What is needed is mutual recognition of divergence of objectives; and that is not happening yet.

Andy Ottaway
Campaigns Director, Campaign Whale

A deal wouldn't address the tens of thousands of dolphins and porpoises that are being slaughtered each year in Japanese waters.
They've slaughtered about 350,000 porpoises since 1986 - that's two every hour for the 22 years of the commercial whaling ban. This extermination must be a priority for the IWC.

Miguel Marenco
Central American Council for Sustainable Fisheries Development

If this negotiation fails I believe pro-use countries will decide a new way. You cannot stop small coastal whaling; it is part of the world's culture.
Australians eat kangaroo, Koreans eat dog, Nicaraguans eat turtle. What we teach our communities is how to do it sustainably.

Paul Spong
Director, OrcaLab, Canada

I think it's basically a fantasy world; I just can't see the sides coming together.
But it's vital that this issue goes away somehow. Huge resources are being devoted to what is, on the bottom line, in a planetary context, a trivial issue. We have to sort out the real problem we face, which is climate change.

IWC - WHALE MEET ENDS WITH PEACE

The annual meeting of the International Whaling Commission (IWC) has ended with member governments agreeing to try and resolve their differences.- The next year will see intensive dialogue between pro- and anti-whaling countries, and could lead to a package deal next year. But there is still significant water between the camps on key issues. The meeting also decided to embark on a research programme into theimpact of climate change on whales. The only vote of the meeting saw Greenland's bid to add humpback whales to the annual hunt by its indigenous Inuit communities defeated. IWC chairman William Hogarth, the US commissioner, was cautiously optimistic that the peace talks might bear fruit.

"I was basically very happy with the meeting, although I don't think it's going to be easy, there are definitely some big issues such as the lethal take of whales and scientific research whaling," he told BBC News.

"The number of whales being killed is increasing; and I think the way we ought to be looking at this, from the point of view of countries that are anti-whaling, is how can we reduce that number?" All members of the commission, ranging from the strongest whaling nations including Japan to the most vociferous opponents such as the UK and Australia, have endorsed the idea of seeking compromise, although some were pessimistic about its prospects when talking on the meeting's fringes. The most fundamental demand of anti-whaling nations would be that Japan halts its scientific whaling programme in the Antarctic, and perhaps agrees to close the provision for scientific hunting completely. "I don't think we can give (it) up, and we have a very basic position that we have to guard," said Japan's alternate (deputy) IWC commissioner Joji Morishita. "But I keep saying that we can still talk to each other; we have differences of opinion, differences of position, but that does not mean we cannot talk to each other." For their part, Japan and the other active hunting nations - Norway and Iceland - would probably have as their most fundamental demand that the global moratorium on commercial whaling is at least partially lifted to allow hunting in coastal waters.



STUCK FAST

Environmental and animal welfare groups are divided on the merits of the peace plan. Some agree with Dr Hogarth's view that it might lead to a fall in the number of whales killed, while others say there should be no compromise, and are angry with anti-whaling governments including the US for pursuing the initiative. "It's not just the interests of the American people that are being abandoned, but also the future of the world's whales," said DJ Schubert of the Animal Welfare Institute. But Wendy Elliott of WWF's global species programme said a dialogue was worthwhile. "We cannot continue in the scenario that we have at the moment; we need to see a resolution to this impasse," she said. Conservation groups were also pleased with the decision to set up an initiative on climate change and cetaceans. Changes to sea ice in the polar regions has the potential to impact some species severely. Several groups also presented studies concluding that the argument that whales need to be hunted in order to increase the availability of fish for human consumption - which circulates among some of the pro-whaling bloc - is simply wrong. "We've shown that even in those areas where whales do eat commercial fish species, the whales are a minor factor in rises and falls of fish stocks, and the dynamics of those systems can be much better explained by looking at interactions between fish species themselves," said Ms Elliott. Officials from IWC member governments will now embark on a series of discussions leading to the next full meeting in Portugal in a year's time.

I´M A DIVER
Source: BBC NEWS