Sea Sheppard Captain shot by Japanese Whalers

Sea Sheppard Captain shot by Japanese Whalers

au.news.yahoo.com

Japan has dismissed as a lie claims by the captain of an anti-whaling ship he was shot at during the latest confrontation with a whaling vessel in the Southern Ocean.

Paul Watson, captain of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society protest ship the Steve Irwin, said he felt a thud and found a bullet lodged in his bulletproof vest during a clash between the two vessels.

(visit the link for the full news article)

I'm not 100% sure i know the maritime laws right, but this could blow up into an international incident if the claims are found to be true.

The Japanese 'research' ships know the opposition they will face when they enter the southern oceans, and they know the international pressure on them to discontinue their actions, so shooting the captain of a protestor's ship probably isn't the best way to go about doing their dirty jobs quietly.

au.news.yahoo.com
(visit the link for the full news article)

[edit on 7-3-2008 by fooffstarr]

Although what the Japanese did was against the law, the protesters are hardly innocent. Don't get me wrong, I support Sea Shepherd in every respect, but they've also illegally boarded other vessels, sunk ships in the past by ramming them, and have thrown chemicals onto the deck of the other ship.
But shooting at the protesters does seem a touch extreme. If someone was seriously hurt or killed no doubt it would have created an international incident, probably involving the Australian customs boats which have all sorts of big guns hidden below decks.
Lucky the captain was wearing a bullet proof vest . . . but that begs the question, why was he wearing the vest? Were they expecting the Japanese to shoot at them?

well he claimed the Japanese had already thrown flashbangs at them

Japanese didn't use flashbangs, they fired flareguns at sea shepperd ship after the shepperds threw chemicals onto the whaler ships deck. So in any case the sheppers initiated the incident... If someone attacks my ship with chemicals i would also resort to extreme measures.

I don't support whaling at all, but the sheperds should stay away from the whaler ships as they are dangerously close to commiting piracy already...

These Japanese whalers are just trying to do their jobs. And they are constantly being harrassed, and attacked with acid and what-not. The whalers are being terrorized! However, I find this story hard to believe. They want us to believe that the whalers shot at their Captain, and that he was saved by a bullet-proof vest? I don't buy it. I wish these "protesters" would find something better to do.

Originally posted by Hellmutt
I wish these "protesters" would find something better to do.

I wholeheartedly agree. Or at the very least they should find a better way to achieve their goals. Like lobbying politicians. Seriously, how effective are these stupid pranks they pull off harassing others?

[
But shooting at the protesters does seem a touch extreme. If someone was seriously hurt or killed no doubt it would have created an international incident, probably involving the Australian customs boats which have all sorts of big guns hidden below decks.
Lucky the captain was wearing a bullet proof vest . . . but that begs the question, why was he wearing the vest? Were they expecting the Japanese to shoot at them?

It was a big thing down here sending the customs boat......... and it left late by 2 weeks i think.....

Main thing... it was disarmed....
knowing the Japanese put armed Coastal Patrol officers on the "research boats"
.... 4 per boat I believe.
My info comes from ABC Radio and over the past month.

Its worth taking a look at their website..........( I am not subscribed in
any way to this site)

www.seashepherd.org...



Cheers

Mungo...............................(Aussie)

[

[b. Seriously, how effective are these stupid pranks they pull off harassing others?


Very ....apparently
Not only that, a online petition had 10's of thousands of names denouncing whaling in the exclusion zone. only the Japanese didn't recognise it. ( the exclusion zone)

However, it became apparent that Japanese Whaling for SCIENTIFIC PURPOSESSCIENTIFIC PURPOSES was unacceptable to the Japanese public.
They had no idea 1000 to 1500 whales were approved to be harvested by their government purely for their eyes..... not their flesh.. which I might add is most quickly harvested by an apparently well trained bunch of scientists on deck and filmed.........They are happy to harpoon the suckling infant...... for scientific reasons too I expect.

Whale meat is a delicacy for the wealthy.

Japan cant sell their stockpiles of whalemeat to the public.

I hope they ( Sea Shepherd) sink them all.

Cheers

Mungo

[edit on 7/3/2008 by mungodave]

So they should just all stop trying to intervene in the 'Research' vessels killing of whales.

Politics has been tried again and again (and still is being tried), the Japanese ignore any international laws on whaling anyway and your not going to get the Japanese to change there own laws about it, theres just to few people in Japan that support banning whaling.

The fact of the matter is the ships out there trying to stop the whaling are the only protection those whales are currently getting, I don't nessiserally always agree with everything the Sea Sheppard do but it does work, and I know that all of you would do much more than ram a ship to save someone you love, saving the life's of other animals are no different.

What Mungodave says about the Japanese public not being aware about this slaughter is right. I just had a friend come back from Japan, and he said the lack of public knowledge on this subject was surprising. He was there when the activists were detained on the whaling ship, and cannot recall seeing or reading a single news article anywhere about it.

I find it amusing that a battery of harmless tests done on a single live whale held briefly in captivity produced more scientific data than everything published by Japan.
Of 6, 800 whales killed by Japan for research purposes in their JARPA program, only 4 scientific papers were produced that would require lethal sampling to obtain the information.

Originally posted by Edn
I don't nessiserally always agree with everything the Sea Sheppard do but it does work, and I know that all of you would do much more than ram a ship to save someone you love, saving the life's of other animals are no different.

I dont always agree either...


But God's Speed to em all on that boat.

Keep it upright lads.

reply to post by watch_the_rocks

Sadly, though it makes the news for 10 minutes if a couple get detained,
in general the Aussie dont give a tinkers cuss..... we dont even sell whale meat here ( though i will try and ascertain if it is being sold in Japanese restaurants here in Sydney)



[edit on 7/3/2008 by mungodave]

This is exactly what I recommended when I heard of the acid incident. Thumbs up for the whalers

I am backing off....

I never meant to hijack this thread......I just
hate what is going on..
" Save The Whales "..........
I get it now.

Mungo

Originally posted by mungodave

Whale meat is a delicacy for the wealthy.

Japan cant sell their stockpiles of whalemeat to the public.
[edit on 7/3/2008 by mungodave]

That`s funny, because I live in Hokkaido, and that goes completely against what I see on a daily basis.

I can - and occasionally do - buy whale at my local blue-collar supermarket. I have also bought it at restaraunts, where it tends to be priced about the same as a decent cut of beef. It`s on the monthly menu at most school cafeterias in my area. I can buy it at family restaurants, where it`s usually cheaper than steak. It`s on the menu at home for most of my friends with the same frequency that you might have roast beef.

Whoever told you that is lying, based on my experience. Trying to sway the issue by painting it in class terms as a luxury item. Make you wonder what else they`re intentionally misleading you about?

reply to post by vox2442


I accept what you say..... I have never been to Japan.
And you are right... my beliefs are based on the information
I hear and read in Australia.

i ask you this though..... how is the Japanese claim to whaling for scientific research valid in your opinion........ considering they claim they are not whaling for commercial purposes?

EDIT TO SAY:
and you eat it as a supermarket type product?

[edit on 7/3/2008 by mungodave]

There are many different species of whales. Most of them are not about to go extinct. Whales eat lots of fish.

I realize whales take a long time to mature, but isn't it possible that in some point in time they could look at 'farming' whales for food.

As the comparison to Roast Beef, the thought of cows come to mind. Thus there are many farmed for this reason alone... a food source.

Probably an impossible venture but it did pop into my mind and thought I would share.

Originally posted by Hellmutt
There are many different species of whales. Most of them are not about to go extinct. Whales eat lots of fish.

Sorry boss.... Most eat plankton....there are, of course, Killer whales etc.

regardless of that..... do we plunder because we can?

There is NOT in my belief, reason to take the numbers of whales as are reported,
There is simply NOT the market for it.

I'm done.
No disrespect intended.

Mungo