The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society (SSCS) is accusing the Japanese government of filing a "frivolous lawsuit" against the organization in an attempt to stop their activities in the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary. The lawsuit, which was filed in a US court, aims to prevent SSCS from intervening in Japanese whaling operations.
Japan plans to harvest close to 1,000 whales
The lawsuit is the latest attempt by Japan to halt what the country calls "illegal activity" by the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society. Japan's whaling fleet, left Japan on Dec. 07 to resume whaling operations in the Southern Ocean. Japan hopes to procure 900 minke and 50 fin whales this season having cut short its whaling season last year.
Japan says it hunts whales legally under an International Whaling Commission (IWC) loophole, which allows the harvesting of marine mammals for scientific research. Sea Shepherd and many other environmentalist groups, have long contested that the scientific label is merely a front for a centuries-old tradition which Japan refuses to stop. The country gets to keep and sell the whale meat it garners from the Southern Ocean.
The lawsuit filed by Japan says Captain Paul Watson founder and President of SSCS, "Seems like a frivolous lawsuit to me.” Watson in a press release, cites the plethora of evidence that Sea Shepherd has on film including, "Images of the Japanese whalers destroying one of our ships, ramming our ships, running over our crew, firing upon us, throwing concussion grenades, deploying acoustical weapons, hitting us with water cannons and bamboo spears and they are suing us because they are accusing us of violence towards them."
Watson adds that Sea Shepherd has "Not caused a single injury, nor have we been charged with a crime or even reprimanded by anyone for our actions."
Sea Shepherd overcomes previous hurdles
The Japanese Ministry of Fisheries declared its intentions this year to step up security for its whaling fleet by employing the Japanese coastguard to accompany its ships. Having invested an extra $27 million into protection measures for its fleet, Japan is facing public scrutiny after an admission by its government that it is using funds earmarked for earthquake and tsunami reconstruction, to subsidize the fleet's operations.
The new lawsuit filed against Sea Shepherd, is one of several hurdles the organization has faced recently. Chris Aultman, the popular helicopter pilot seen on the Animal Planet's, Whale Wars series, was recently denied a visa by Australian authorities, preventing him from joining the SSCS crew. Australian Greens Leader Bob Brown, took up the cause and visas were finally granted to Aultman and another crew member.
Meanwhile, the Sea Shepherd's three ships, the Bob Barker, the Steve Irwin and the Brigitte Bardot will set sail for Operation Divine Wind in less than a week. Two will depart from Albany in Western Australia and one from Hobart. Watson says, "Sea Shepherd will never abandon the whales of the Southern Ocean no matter how heavy handed the Japanese whalers become. The only way they will stop us is to kill us and they may be just desperate enough to do just that.”
Elizabeth Batt - Elizabeth Batt is a former large animal nurse, certified NREMT, lover of equines and conservationist.
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