Japanese open fire on Sea Shepherd crew

[DennisS]

It's an old thread, I thought somebody actually shot at him. This was last years publicity stunt.

I wonder which side will get a LRAD first

 

[cdreamer]

What is an LRAD?

 

[DennisS]

Long Range Acoustical Device-VERY LOUD directed acoustical pulses used to repel pirates

http://blog.wired.com/defense/2007/05/outside_at_the_.html

 

[seaducer]

My .02 psi
If the population of minke whales is such that some can be harvested, and science has yet to prove them to be sentient, what exactly is the reason why we shouldn't harvest a reasonable quota? On the flip side, I completely disagree with the harvesting of endangered fin whales.

Because the act of hunting and killing an animal that size is impossible to do humanely. It does not take a biology degree to understand the suffering these animals go through when being slaughtered, only eyes and the ability to recognize such pain and suffering. IMO it takes someone with no soul (or whatever equivilant you prefer) to inflict that kind of pain and suffering onto any animal that has the ability to feel pain. 100 years ago it may have been necessary for some people to harvest whales in order to survive. Not so today. And with prices close to in some cases $1 million a whale, I think the motive is purely disgusting.

What really caught my attention in the "Whale Wars" programs that aired recently were the attempts by the Sea Shepard crew to foul the propeller of two Japanese ships, thereby disabling them. They used a set of ropes and bouys specifically designed to get stuck on the propellor shaft. In the Southern Ocean going dead in the water can lead to major problems if the weather turns nasty.

IMO that action was criminal. Not even vigilante. Just plain criminal attack, not that much different than trying to ram and sink a ship.

I agree, and that is a big part of the reason why I no longer support SS.

For one thing sinking a ship can be an environmental disaster in it's own right. Disabling a ship at sea is iiresponsible, and to do so in that part of the world is, as you say, criminal.

IMO the SS crew give environmentally aware people a bad name. They are nothing more than terrorists, albiet for a cause I agree with.

If they really want to make a difference, they should simply shadow the Japanese fleet and film in Hi Def and Imax the carnage and the suffering and then release that film into mainstream theaters around the world. No need to interfere at all.

I bet then even the Japanese people themselves will pressure the whalers to stop.

 

[Teamcasa]

All I know about the Sea Sheppard and Paul Watson was gained by reading news paper reports, some blogs and boards. So, when Whale Wars came on I thought it would be good to see just what he does.

I came away with the notion that Paul Watson does want to save the whales (and other causes) and really believes he doing the right thing. He has a handful of faithful followers but relies on the public for support and recruits volunteers to aid in his vision.

However, I also saw that he and his crew have zero ability to safely and efficiently run a ship, much less stem the hunting of whales in the Southern Ocean. I doubt the Japanese fleet pays little more than a passing concerned with the presence of the Steve Irwin.

In addition, after seeing him spin the press on the boarding issue, places in doubt any future press releases from the Sea Sheppard.

I am surprised Watson has not killed anyone on his crew yet and if he keeps acting like he has in the TV show, he most certainly will sometime soon.

Let me say that I believe there is no reason to harvest whales, no matter the species, ocean or circumstance. I also believe the rest of the world will soon stop this meaningless killing sometime soon.

 

[Geoff_H]

In addition, after seeing him spin the press on the boarding issue, places in doubt any future press releases from the Sea Sheppard.

I am surprised Watson has not killed anyone on his crew yet and if he keeps acting like he has in the TV show, he most certainly will sometime soon.

I found I share some common ground with you! Merry Christmas!

 

[Katamuki]

I too saw only one episode of Whale Wars and it was the one where they had one crewmember board the Japanese ship and then tried to foul the anchors. After watching the Captain out-and-out lie about the "hostage" taking there is now way I can believe anything they release to the press from now on. With all the actual piracy and murders going on these days I am sure that the Japanese crew was probably scared as well. The dumb crewman who boarded their boat is lucky he was not killed by the crew in self-defense when he boarded by the ship crew.

 

[Geoff_H]

I too saw only one episode of Whale Wars and it was the one where they had one crewmember board the Japanese ship and then tried to foul the anchors. After watching the Captain out-and-out lie about the "hostage" taking there is now way I can believe anything they release to the press from now on.

I haven't seen this, can you explain a little what went on? It has been patently obvious to me that Watson is a charlatan and fraud (albeit a committed one) so it would be nice to know what the footage showed.

 

[Charlie99]

Watson decided to try to put someone onboard the Japanese vessel to cause an international incident. The pretense he used was for two guys to carry a letter to the Captain of the Japanese ship. The SS guys came alongside in a small boat and jumped over a railing. No Japanese were on that side deck at the time. Some of the crew then came out of the bridge and detained the two SS guys.

Apparently the Japanese were willing to return the guys the next day (or maybe in just a few hours), but would only do it if the Steve Irwin stood off at 10 mile distance and the transfer was done by small boat. SS refused these conditions, and told the press that the two SS guys were being held hostage. The intent was to force the Australian government to contact the Japanese government. Eventually the two SS guys were returned via some Australian CG or customs ship.

-------------

A bit later in the program series there is a non-whaling Japanese vessel that is following the Steve Irwin at the edge of visual and radar range. This frustrates the SS group since they assume that the ship is relaying the Steve Irwin's position to the whaling fleet, thereby avoiding contact. To foil this tracking, the Sea Shepherd group plans a night attack, with the intent of covertly boarding the Japanese vessel and destroying all of their communication gear. The attack didn't take place only because the boat davit hoist failed as they were getting ready to launch the boat. It was very interesting watching Watson manipulate the crew into attempting the attack, even though many thought it was a bad idea. At the same time, Watson worked very hard to avoid directly ordering the attack and therefore being liable for any deaths, injuries, or damage that resulted.

 

[Dave1234]

Just finished reading this thread from start to finish.
I have been entertained in the manner it digressed and came back to life.


I personally oppose whale hunting for the simple reason that I've eaten whale and don't think anyone should be subjected to such a terrible tasting meat. Same goes for Goat, Dog and Mountain Lion.


Cpt Watson, I think P.T. Barnum would have loved this guy.