AFP Pounces on Steve Irwin, Hobart
Late yesterday afternoon the anti-whaling ship, Steve Irwin, was pounced on by the Australian Federal Police with a shipwide search and seizure of it’s log book and video footage after their most recent whale war voyage – Operation Musashi. The question is whether this was instigated by complaints from the Japanese Government? Does the recent video footage captured of inhumane whale slaughter pose a potential threat to our international relations with Japan?
To summarise the words of Tasmanian crewmember Andrew Perry, the Steve Irwin’s helecopter allowed unprecedented explicit footage of a whale kill. The video depicts the explosive harpoon strike on the whale, after which it was pulled alongside the Japanese vessel, followed by seven shots from a shotgun. After which the whale thrashed and screamed. The video, by the way, was shot for a show called Animal Planet to highlight the barbaric whale slaughter being perpetrated in our Southern Oceans by Japan.
Captain Paul Watson, the driving force behind the Steve Irwin and the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, beckons the law to bring it on in a public arena. Let’s discuss this whaling problem out in the open. Unfortunately if it wasn’t for this organisation’s ongoing vigil South of Tasmania we wouldn’t have any idea what has been happening. The Australian Government have historically been too weak to put their foot down because Japan is a large trading partner. My question: at what price do we trade our soul for money?
The work of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society is dangerous and runs entirely on volunteer time and donations. Our Federal Police should have better things to do than to sieze evidence of Japanese barbarism. Are the Japanese performing legitimate scientific experiments? OK, then why the vast numbers of whale kills? And why the factory boxing of meat for wholesale in Japanese supermarkets? It’s a dirty business committed inside our territorial waters and the Australian Navy, regardless of trading partnerships, should impound and sink infringing vessels the first time every time.
Support the fight against whaling in our Southern Ocean Sanctuary. Shame AFP shame. Here are some whale faces to consider, if you’re curious.
February 21st, 2009 at 1:51 pm
I’ve read through this (also looked at the interesting Sea Shepherd site) and I’ve got quite a few thoughts on this topic.
One of the overall thoughts and feelings I have is that it is a complex scenario (far more complicated than it first seems!) The economics vs. the ‘morally right’ thing to do – and how far people, human beings, are prepared to go for such a cause. How many people care about this enough to actually do something?
I definitely agree with this statement: ‘…..dirty business committed inside our territorial waters and the Australian Navy, regardless of trading partnerships, should impound and sink infringing vessels the first time every time.’
That also brings in to play the what is ‘territorial waters’ discussion too (this is what the Japanese authorities would be arguing). You’re right: Why does the Australian Navy – indeed the Government – not stick up for itself on this matter?
February 21st, 2009 at 2:46 pm
It’s one of those areas where there is a lot of domestic pressure on our politicians but they always promise but then refuse to do anything for fear of losing economic trading partners (aka money)…
At the same time we chase poachers of the Pategonian Toothfish in those very same waters and impound their boats etcetera. The guys on the Steve Irwin are trying to pressure the gov’t here to finally take this to the international court.
They need to define science, too. If you weigh something in the food industry are you actually scientifically experimenting? They weigh product for sale weight at the supermarket. They take around 500 whales for scientific research every year and expanding… so ummm are whales considered by Japanese to be super human space creatures?
It begs one to wonder…
February 21st, 2009 at 2:49 pm
And why even have a sanctuary if it can be fished by anyone who disagrees with “national maritime boundaries” under a flag of pseudo science…??? I don’t think anyone really believes that science rubbish, it’s just a loophole they are screwing with.