For 10 years, Greenpeace has been sending dedicated expeditions to confront whaling in the southern ocean - five expeditions in all.

Every expedition, Greenpeace makes an effort to contact the Japanese government sponsored whalers, and ask them to stop. Only once have the whalers even answered our radio calls (after their ramming of the Arctic Sunrise on the last expedition). They have never taken the initiative to call us. Until this morning.

So, it was a big deal for us to get a call from Hajime Ishikawa, the highest-ranking member of the whaling fleet. It wasn't exactly a friendly ring up just to say hello. Actually, it sounded more like a very carefully prepared statement.

Latter in the day we replied with our own carefully prepared statement. Not exactly a conversation, but a good beginning.

We spent the rest of the day keeping pace with them through rough seas and gale force winds - conditions that prevented both whaling and protests. If weather improves tomorrow, maybe they will go on with their whale hunt. When they do, we will do our best to peacefully intervene.

See a translation of their statement.

And our reply.