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Greenpeace uses “wall of water” to stop illegal Antarctic whaling

Southern Ocean: On Day 20 of its campaign to stop illegal Japanese whaling in Antarctica, Greenpeace today used a “wall of water” to prevent the harpoonist from shooting whales.

Using a water pump mounted on the stern of an inflatable boat, activists sprayed an eight metre wall of water directly in front of the harpoon of the catcher vessel Toshi Maru No.25, blocking the line of sight and preventing the killing of whales.

“For 20 days Greenpeace has taken all peaceful action to stop Japan’s illegal whaling and force them to live up to their international legal obligations. It is high time that the governments of the world took diplomatic action to force Japan to obey international law and stop illegal whaling in Antarctica,” John Bowler, campaigner on board the Greenpeace vessel MV Arctic Sunrise, said today.

Greenpeace has repeatedly called on national governments to demand that the Japanese Government cancel its illegal Antarctic whaling program. However only Britain, the US, Australia and New Zealand have made soft diplomatic moves to pressure Japan to abandon the whaling program.

Japan’s Antarctic whaling programme is in violation of articles 65 and 120 of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Seas, (UNCLOS – adopted in 1982) which requires all states to cooperate with the International Whaling Commission (IWC) in the matter of whale protection. Each year the IWC passes a resolution condemning Japan for whaling in the Sanctuary and calls on it to stop its whaling program.

The Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary was declared in 1994, and the area has been off limits to commercial whaling ever since. However Japan has a target to kill 440 Minke whales inside the Sanctuary this year. The whale meat produced during the hunt will be sold on the open market in Japan.

Greenpeace has been tracking the fleet since December 20, 1999 and has since then successfully disrupted illegal whaling on eight occasions.

The activists currently inside the inflatable are: Curtis Barnett, (Australia) Aaron Barbetti (Australia) Richard Pearson (Australia).

ACTIVISTS BLOCKADE ILLEGAL WHALE HUNT: DAY 10

Greenpeace calls for a peaceful Millennium free of whaling

Film and Photo Available

SOUTHERN OCEAN - 10 Greenpeace activists are today using four inflatable boats to prevent Japanese whale catcher ships from illegally hunting whales inside the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary. For nine days Greenpeace has used a variety of peaceful tactics to disrupt and delay Japanese whaling in the icy waters surrounding Antarctica.

“On the threshold of a new Millennium it shouldn’t be necessary for humans to place themselves between a whale and a harpoon in order to stop the illegal hunting of whales,” John Bowler, Greenpeace campaigner on-board the MV Arctic Sunrise said. “Whaling should be relegated to the past with all the other outdated destructive practices that have damaged the planet over the past 1000 years.

“The dawn of a new century is the right time for nations to truly begin working together to ensure a safe and peaceful future - and they should start by bringing diplomatic pressure to bear on Japan to live up to its existing international commitments and stop illegal whaling,” Bowler said.

By hunting whales in the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary Japan in violation of articles 65 and 120 of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Seas, (UNCLOS – adopted in 1982) which requires all states to cooperate with the International Whaling Commission (IWC) in the matter of whale protection. Every year the IWC passes a resolution condemning Japan for whaling in the Sanctuary and calls on it to stop its so-called “scientific” whaling program.

So far only Britain, the US, Australia and New Zealand have taken soft diplomatic moves to pressure Japan to live up to UNCLOS and abandon its whaling program.

The IWC has also found that the data collected from Japan’s “research” whaling program is not required for whale management, because commercial whaling will never be allowed within the sanctuary. This year Japan intends to hunt 440 Minke whales in the name of “scientific research”, even though the whale meat produced will be sold on the open market in Japan.

The Southern Ocean around Antarctica was formally declared a whale sanctuary in 1994 by the IWC and has been off limits to commercial whaling ever since.

The activists inside the four inflatables are: Daniel Rizzoti (Argentina), Nicolass De Jong (Netherlands), Cristina Bonfiglioli (Brazil), Sue Jolly (Australia), Richard Pearson (Australia), Zeger Zel (Netherlands), Frank Kamp (Netherlands), Namhee Kwon (South Korea), Deb McIntyre (Australia) and Yasuhiro Ito (Japan).