Sea Shepherd set to unleash Godzilla on Japanese whalers

The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society will turn Godzilla loose on the Japanese whaling fleet this season in an effort to step up its Southern Ocean harassment campaign.

The swift and ominous-looking interceptor vessel has the moniker Gojira and was named after the ferocious monster in the legendary Japanese film, known in English as Godzilla.

The 115-foot boat launched Monday in Fremantle, Australia, and has joined the Steve Irwin and Bob Barker in Hobart. Later this week the three boats will begin the journey to Antarctic waters, where their crews will await the arrival of the Japanese whaling fleet.

Japan also will reportedly step things up. For the first time in three years the whaling ships will carry armed members of the Japan Coast Guard to help prevent sabotage by the activists, according to the Japan Times.

These seasonal confrontations have become increasingly tense, with high-seas collisions underscoring the danger and controversial nature of some of the methods used by Sea Shepherd, which has been criticized for risking human lives in its effort to save minke whales, which are not an endangered species.

Last season Sea Shepherd scuttled its interceptor vessel, the Ady Gil, after claiming it had been rammed and irreparably damaged by the crew of a Japanese vessel. New Zealand investigators found both crews to have been at fault.

Japan annually targets about 900 whales -- mostly minkes but also a handful of endangered fin whales -- during a three-month Southern Ocean season that generally begins in early December.

Japan gets around an International Whaling Commission ban against commercial whaling by using a "research" loophole and designating the hunts -- long considered an important part of Japanese culture and tradition -- as scientific missions.

However, pressure to persuade Japan to curtail its effort has been mounting. The IWC last spring submitted a proposal calling for Japan to reduce its quota to about 200 over a 10-year period. Australia has been trying to use an international court to halt whaling in the Antarctic, where the slaughter of whales occurs within a designated sanctuary.

Last season the Japanese fleet killed 506 minke whales and one fin whale. Officials with Japan's Fisheries Agency and the Institute of Cetacean Research regard Sea Shepherd as a terrorist organization and have acknowledged its harassment has obstructed the hunting objective.

Though the whaling missions are said to be scientific, whale meat is sold commercially throughout Japan.

Gojira, which can easily out-run the larger ships of the Japanese fleet, will be used to help locate the factory ship, which processes whales killed by crews aboard harpoon boats, and to thwart the delivery of harpooned whales to the factory ship.

"The factory ship is the one we're after and if we can find it, we can shut down whaling," Sea Shepherd spokesman Jeff Hansen told reporters in Australia. "We can save 10 to 12 whales a day by blocking the slipway on the factory ship, so really this vessel is going to play a huge part in shutting down the Japanese whaling fleet for the entire summer."

This will be Sea Shepherd's seventh campaign against Japanese whaling in the Antarctic during the Southern Hemisphere summer, and the fourth season with an Animal Planet crew aboard, filming for its popular "Whale Wars" series.

-- Image of Gojira is by Alexis Bachofen © Eye in the Sky

Comments

[matthew perrotti]

keep it up the good work Sea Shepherd, I'm so happy to see people willing to step it up and bring it to these murdering bastards.

[seashepardrokz]

I fully support Sea Shepard and their tactics, they are enough to make them stop for a little while, but just one time they should take a boat out there and fire at the factory ships until it sinks. but make sure there is not much gas in it.

Go Sea Shepard!!!

[OneCoolTuna]

I am against whaling. But have you seen this show?? The Sea Shepard's are a bunch of untrained tree hugger's on the water. They are likely to kill themselves or sink on their own. The Capt. is not very smart and is only interested in getting more money and press. The Japaneses won't have to do anything to these nuts they will do it to themselves. With all the money spent on these trips they could have paid them not to fish.. Save the whales and stop the nut cases..

[Harold]

I'm against whaling, but a crew of vigilantes have no authority to be confronting a Japanese fleet of ships. Whatever misfortune comes their way, they are asking for it. And to make matters worse, one of the ships is named after that arrogant Bob Barker.

[Cameron]

Watch the video. The Ady Gil was moving and was heading directly into the larger ships path and had previously attempted to throw ropes in their propellers AND throw acid on the deck. Had I been on the deck of the Shan Maru and acid had landed on me I would have shot the people aboard the Ady Gil for assaulting me. And I would have been within my legal rights as they are acting in the same manner as pirates therefore it is viable to believe that my life is in danger. You people can get angry all you want to about the whaling, but the truth is that the Japanese actually showed quite a bit of restraint during that incident.

[christine]

Minke Whales ARE endangered. Do your research. And I don't see any of you (that are negative) people risking your lives for any living creature. If I'm wrong, please correct me. Of Course they throw rotten butter...it's what has been determined to be legal by the Dutch. To say Sea Shepherds should be sent down to Davie Jones Locker is really, really incredibly awful. Who do you think you are? How dare you for saying such an awful, retarded thing. Rest in Peace Ady Gil. Pete Bethune is hero to all sea creatures and love to ye and yours.

[Brianna (Because Im not afraid)]

Comments are moderated? Gee what ever happen to freedom of speech? I dont care who is killing off the worlds endangered species, japanese, africans, americans, it doesnt matter what matters is that all you simple minded people who think "who cares" realizes that from the most simple of one celled organisms to the apex preditors, they are all part of a balance, a yin and yang, a positive and negative, etc. if you disrupt the balance by eliminating anything you may not see it but your children will feel the effects or even their children.
Now as far as the Ady Gill, Pete, you lost your boat, your maritime baby and myb son and I am deeply sad for you. What you did after the fact was completely constituted and within your rights, your lit a fire inside of me I cant explain. New Zealand: SHAME ON YOU!!! "both parties at fault" seriously? Whose pockets got filled on that one? What dirty filthy low lifes do you have making decisions in that beautiful little rock you dont deserve to live on? Why is it that Australia and even America turned a blind eye? Sure we all saw it on the news but our governments didnt spring into action! WHY!!???!! Do we need to remind those pompus politicians who REALLY run a democracy? Why do we sit by and think because its all over the news and papers its actually getting handled? I wrote to Obama, asked him why the captain of the whaling ship wasnt prosecuted!!! Its all over the internet plain as day Pete did nothing wrong! What does it take to get people interested? D E M O C R A C Y!!!! hello worl wake up and get involved cuz the japs are just the begining, $$$$$$$ money money money $$$$$$ is running our countries!

[Karla G]

The Japanese whalers are the thugs. When they rammed the Ady Gil, they were trying to kill all aboard. They should be prosecuted in the world court for attempted murder on the high seas. Everybody knows the Japanese are engaged in commercial whaling. The pretense of calling it "scientific research" is laughable. But they're not laughing now. The Sea Shepherds cut their catch by almost half last year. They will cut it still further this year. Go get 'em, Sea Shepherds!

[Les Jarrald]

All those pathetic comments made against Sea Shepherd are obviously made by small minded buffoons who understand nothing about whales or the devastating effect whaling has had on their numbers. There are many interesting books available on the subject which I would suggest Tonnessen & Johnsen, The History of Modern Whaling. This book show the full extent to which greedy men are willing to go to fill their pocket. If I were younger I would happily join these hero's in harassing the Japanese who again selfishly harass and kill harmless and beautiful whales. The whalers are the terrorists who terrorise the whales. Sea Shepherd and other conservationists who fight to protect them deserve much more support not those pathetic words offered by many of you.

[Roland]

I cannot wait for the Japanese to start firing a few live rounds at these hooligans...Paul Watson is a fat stupid walrus and should be harvested for his blubber, that or just die in a fire...incompetent fool that he is.

[Sara Keltie]

@Hilarity, fabulous idea. Perhaps we could urge governments of the world to place a moratorium on commercial whaling? Perhaps they could establish a Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary? Perhaps an Australian Federal Court Order could be issued ordering whaling ships out of Australian territorial waters? Oh wait- all if that has been done! But good idea, let's just make contact. Let's insult people who are willing to actually do something to uphold international law and instead let's all write letters!
Nothing ever protected an ecosystem like a well written letter!

[hilarity]

Haha, this is hilarious.. You guys make me crack up... if you are so opposed to this "research".. Do something about it. Contact the people that can get this loophole closed... I think Whale wars is the funniest thing on tv... "Oh noes! They're killing the whales... I know, lets throw some rancid ass butter at their ships; that'll make them stop!!!1one

[Intelligent Human]

I just wish the Japanese would get some cannons and send these THUGS to the bottom of Davey Jones' locker. They're nothing but terrorists, and losers in real life. Jeeze, sad that they take up oxygen.

[MrNiceGuy]

I wonder if they will manage to destroy this one by pulling into the path of a whaling ship.

[eat me!]

sea shepperds look and act like a bunch of fairy's! the show is funny! everybody danceing around like fairy's with peter pan at the helm! lmao!! there soo concernd about whales when realy it's about the cash they get donated to them. was funny when that other plywood boat got smashed! best show ever!!! whale meat sucks anyway who would want to eat it?

[Sink the Poachers]

The Japanese serial killers are lucky, they shoot poachers on site in Africa. Maybe the terrorist thug Japanese are too afraid of getting owned by SSCS again this year, or maybe they're just afraid of setting their own ships on fire again this year. Either way, they're sick cowards who belong in prison for crimes against nature.

[T. Harvie]

As far as im conserned Sea Shepherd hasnt been violent enough. Everybody knows that whales and other animals are under threat of extinction but we keep on eating and living and breeding as much as ever without any thought to the consquences of our actions. These people who cling on to their wallets and traditions like little babies to their bottles and blankets need to be knocked off their high horses and taught that they are not the only living things on this planet.

[Ima Mai]

hideyoshi toyotomi= paid for pro-whaling troll, perhaps even Glen Inwood himself. He goes around all the sites SS bashing and and posts his disgraceful pro whaling garbage for all to read.

Go Sea Shepherd ( !!!)....send those illegal Japanese commercial whalers home empty handed and broke...

If anyone would like to help out, you can buy a 10 dollar food voucher from city organics in Hobart, to help supply the Sea Shepherd ships with fresh organic food. The crew will go and pick it up when they are ready to depart Hobart.

http://online.cityorganics.com.au/lines/voucher-for-sea-shepherd-10-chunk

[Robert Marangoni]

I fully support Paul Watson and his efforts to stop Japan from whaling. I have been a dedicated fan of the Sea Sheperd team since the show first came out and I will be donating this year items on the wish list to further the teams ability to carry out the task of ceasing whaling of all kinds all over the globe. The Sea Sheperd Team has the advantage of the truth on thier side along with the fact that Japan has traded respect for nature for "Profit"! It will be thier undoing! The light that Paul Watson has turned on after a lifetime devoted to protecting nature is on Japan...You should leave while you can and don't look back.

Robert

[Maureen McGill]

@Hideyoshi Toyotomi
Because this isn't about killing people it's about saving intelligent sentient and very gentle creatures called whales. The only thugs here are the whalers.

[Kate Parker]

Just stop killing the whales that you don't need for anything and it will all stop.

There are so many things for Japan to be proud of, Toyota Prius for ONE!

Whale and Dolphin meat is hardly a delicacy when there are such high levels of mecury (which cause all sorts of birth defects). These level are there due to overfishing and our globally polluted waters.

The Earth needs to realise there is not much time and we humans will all go to the bottom, unfortunately we are looking to take as many species with us as possible.

We are siblings who all need to grow up and look at the bigger picture.

[Mike]

Hideyoshi, I've watched the whale wars series for the last 2 seasons, and although I don't agree with some of the tactics Sea Shepherd uses, they are certainly not terrorist. I'd love to know what "scientific research" is being done on 900 minke whales and other whales each year, that is NECESSARY. The reality is, this research is done, mostly for economic purposes for the Japanese fishermen and/or their corporate heads. I've also seen how the Japanese "defend" themselves by ramming boats, quite aggressively mind you. And despite the Ady Gill being deemed that both sides were at fault, it looked pretty clear that they were taken out by the Maru #2? was it? They had more than enough time to avoid a boat that was out of fuel and drifting in the water. Granted, they did not know they were out of fuel, but the Maru certainly made a direct line right at them.

[Devon]

The Japanese whaling fleet is still in japan. There may be no whaling in the Antarctic this year.

[Hideyoshi Toyotomi]

Why doesn't Japan dispatch a destroyer instead of a few armed coast guardsmen? The violent thugs of Sea Shepherd ought to be sent to the bottom.