Steve Irwin Will Chase Japanese Whalers

Paul Watson, founder of Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, said today their organization’s ship, Steve Irwin, would continue pursuing the whalers once the weather improved.

“They are on the run but right now it is very bad weather,” he told reporters by phone from the Steve Irwin, noting that the Japanese fleet had started very early in the whaling season.

“That means we are going to cut into their profits. When they are running they are not killing whales.”

Japanese whalers plan to kill about 900 whales in this years Antarctic hunt.  Although Japan officially stopped whaling under a 1986 global moratorium, the whalers have been catching hundreds of whales each year, which Tokyo says is “for scientific research purposes.” However, most of the meat is sold openly at Japanese supermarkets.

Watson said Sea Shepherd had spotted the Japanese fleet, which he believed had already killed some whales.  They called off an attempt Friday to attack the harpoon ship Yushin Maru 2  about five kilometers from the ship because of dense fog and icy seas. (Source)

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