It is November and the Sea Sheppard team are gearing up for another season of interruption against the Japanese whaling fleet.

This time, however, the annual hunt masked as scientific discovery, is controversial for another reason. It is even drawing criticism inside Japan. The reason for this is around $30 million USD worth of funding that has come not just from the government, but directly from a fund set aside to help rebuild the economy in the area of eastern Tohoku wrecked by the 2011 earthquake and tsunami.

Whaling has always been a controversial outside of Japan, but has barely made an impact inside the country. This year, the task of the Japanese whaling fleet is to kill 900 minke whales and 50 fin whales. The iron and mercury rich meat will find its way into some supermarkets, where it will be bought by few people or in some restaurants, where again, it will be an occasional dish. Most of it is destined to be frozen and stored, like with the whale meat from previous kills. For the Japanese government, this is a twisted piece of principle. The principle of not being told what to do by outsiders and of continuing an old tradition, forced on the country by food shortages, and disregarding increases in technology that turn the killing of a few whales close to the shore, to a mass, industrial killing spree anywhere in the Pacific.

This year, even the Japanese are complaining.

An Abuse of Funds

The Japanese government have always poured funds into the whaling project. If it was not for government largesse, the project would fail. Now Greenpeace have reported that the whaling project is receiving funding from money set aside to help Tohoku overcome the devastation of the March, 2011 earthquake and tsunami. The amount is thought to be 12.1 trillion yen, which works out at about $30 million US dollars or £19 million. This money comes technically from the Japanese Fisheries Agency, which regularly funds operations of this kind, but the agency lobbied central government for a slice of the Tohoku relief fund.

Junichi Sato

Japan’s fisheries agency argued that the funding would actually help the local communities, who rely on whaling for their income. Junichi Sato, however, has argued that the whaling programme and the tsunami recovery effort are totally unrelated. He told Australia’s ABC that the money would be used “to cover the debts of the whaling programme.” Sato says this is because “the whaling programme itself has been suffering from big financial problems.”

A New Tactic

Last season the Sea Shephard team were able disrupt whaling efforts to such an extent that Japan abandoned its effort before completing it. This year both the New Zealand and the Australia governments have lodged formal complaints against Japan for their determination to kill whales again. Naturally, these protests will fall on deaf ears. Australia have decided to take  things further by taking legal action through the International Court of Justice, though whether this would have anything other than a moral victory is moot. Turning the southern Pacific into a protected nature  reserve would have more of an impact, as would serious attempts to limit Japan’s ability to plunder fish such as tuna from across the world through international fish markets.

As for Greenpeace and the Sea Sheppard team, this is a new year with a new tactic. The plan is simple, stop Japan killing any whales. As Ecorazzi have reported, the Sea Sheppard Conservation Society (SSCS) have added a fourth, mysterious ship to their fleet. Known as Sam Simon, the ship is being kept under wraps until Operation Zero Tolerance gets underway in the Southern Ocean this year. The fleet will contain four ships, a helicopter, three drones and eight small RIBs. These will be staffed and aided by over a hundred volunteers from around the world. This includes Paul Watson, who is being sought by Interpol for skipping bail in Germany after a dubious legal action by Costa Rica, which came a matter of months or even weeks after a round of funding from Japan.

For the SSCS, maintaining a high quality fleet and effectively side stepping Japanese attempts to track and control them is vitally important. As the sinking of the Ady Gil demonstrated in the past, maintaining a fleet and complying with ship insurance regulations is difficult for organizations like the SSCS and it is important to do things in the right way. Luckily the society have friends in high places, as shown by the names on the boats such as The Simpsons’ Sam Simon and also Bob Barker. This risk, however, will be increased due to the society’s attempt to cut the whaling fleet off closer to the Japanese mainland. This risks incidents involving the Japanese navy and maybe even legal action in Japan if they stray into Japanese waters and are arrested. The one hope is that it will cut down the number of whales killed or maybe even stop it altogether.

In a recent press release posted by JiJi Press, the Japanese Whaling fleet returned back from the Southern Atlantic Ocean with a total of 267 dead whales. Of those caught and killed, 172 whales were pregnant.

When you think of it, it is at best an outrage. Japan’s press release was that it was a “successful catch,” when in truth, whale meat is being stockpiled for people who eat it only as a luxury. The fact is, less than 2% of the Japan’s population eat whale meat.

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Justice is really blind, now that a U.S. Federal Court Judge, Richard A. Jones, is willing to listen to a frivilous lawsuit filed by the Japanese to stop the Sea Shepherd from its activities to hinder the Japanese from their so called "scientific research".

In a recent Associated Press release, The Tokyo-based Institute of Cetacean (Whale) Research along with a few other countries are seeking to get a U.S. federal court to order the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society to cease disrupting its whaling activities in the Southern Ocean surrounding Antarctica.

What is amazing to me that a U.S. federal judge is willing to hear Japan’s whaling argument or even allow it into the federal court system. Why? Consider the fact that our own President was supposed to take the side of anti-whaling, based on his initial campaign promises.

But, as we have seen, no sanctions – other than a letter – have been written and authorized by the President – and sent to the Faroe Islands, which somehow is supposed to tell them to “stop whaling”.

It is kind of like the recent spy plane recovery. A several trillion dollar spy plane is downed in Iran. Instead of destroying or recovering it, Obama felt that we could just get it back by asking for it. Well, it will be returned – in pieces!

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The onslaught of endangered whales continues, while Japan ignores the real truth

It is time once again for Paul Watson and his group of merry men (and women) to brave the Antarctic seas in an attempt to disrupt and delay the extinction of a race.

I am talking about whales.

The Japanese to date have fabricated the need for whale meat, when giant frozen stores lie untouched in Japan. Why? Because less than two per cent of the Japanese population eat whale meat. Some don’t even know it is still being sold.

So why are whales being hunted by the Japanese and being killed? Read the rest of this entry »

In a recent blog from the New York Times, a “cushioned warning” has been recorded about whales,

made by President Obama against Iceland.

The warning is tantamount to saying how much the budget was cut, when in reality nothing was really “cut”.

This is a portion of the blog regarding whaling is what I want to focus on:

In a move hailed by conservation activists, President Barack Obama initiated potential diplomatic sanctions against Iceland this week for its commercial whaling activity. The sanctions include six measures ranging from possibly limiting cabinet-level visits to Iceland to limiting cooperation with Iceland in the Arctic region. Read the rest of this entry »

A friend of you and I asks your help.

Many of you who have read my ongoing blogs, know how I feel about the taking of life from sentient animals, especially whales.

My main concern has been endangered whales, but I do include dolphins, simply because I have had many wonderful opportunities to know and be with dolphins.

What I have come to realize is not the death of these animals I want to focus on – as far as Taiji is concerned – but it is only the rebirth of man’s awareness regarding his responsibility to his own environ.

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With the life of whales in the balance, is the Obama administration really capable of making a decision to save them?

The Obama Administration could save whales or end their life in our seas

“A few days ago, Commerce Secretary Gary Locke and the U.S. Department of Commerce formally declared that Iceland is undermining the effectiveness of the International Whaling Commission (IWC) by hunting whales in defiance of the IWC’s global ban on commercial whaling. As a result of this declaration, President Obama now has 60 days to decide whether to impose economic penalties and/or trade sanctions against Iceland pursuant to legislation known as the ‘Pelly Amendment’. Diplomatic negotiations and disapproval of other countries have so far failed to stop this practice.” Read the rest of this entry »

What can be considered a bold move by the Obama administration, could be considered a blade with two sharp edges.

Recently and According to the Associated Foreign Press, environmentalists convinced Commerce Secretary Gary Locke to enact the Pelly Amendment to the Fisherman’s Protective Act that could impose a whole variety of sanctions on Iceland.

A frrustrated IWC board member

In an en-masse walkout orchestrated by Japan, the attempt to create a southern whale sanctuary has been put off another year.

That means more whales to be hunted and killed. It also means that the small band of recalcitrants, Watson and his band of merry men (and women), must once again single-handedly battle the Japanese.

At the meeting, one of the top Japanese officials commented that this could herald a return to the fractious days of the past, and walked out in an attempt to bring the meeting below the quorum needed for votes to count.

“We fear that the fact of voting will probably damage the very good atmosphere we have established, and might trigger a landslide of many votes for next year which might disrupt the progress we have made,” said Japan’s alternate (or deputy) commissioner Joji Morishita.

The Japanese insist they have done nothing wrong, although they have twisted language to make themselves right. And then the very countries that walk out are the very countries Japan has given financial aid to or bought whale meat from. Many if these countries have been turned recently to the side of pro-whaling, date coincident with Japanese financial support.

Yet, the Japanese state they have “done nothing wrong”.

The truth is that the Japanese government  never is willing to hold themselves accountable. For over fifteen years, the government battled their own countrymen in denying that their toxic incinerators had harmed anything. Incinerators that are probabaly the largest refuse burning facilities in the world, and burn 24/7. Yet people were dying and children deformed.

Additionally Japanese officials denying they bribe and take bribes for their over- fishing. Yet this very past year they were caught bribing Russian inspectors to look the other way when fishing counts were far above agreed upon quotas.

It doesn’t stop there. The Japanese government, when alerted to the fact that officials had been bribed in a recent whale meat scandal,  jailed the people that blew the whistle on their underhanded dealings. Publicly only two Japanese governmental employees were chastised, when it was known more than just two government employees participated. The solution was to have the two men bow there heads on Japan National Television and say they were sorry. Nothing else was done to these people. Moving to the usage of the word “research”, well the truth is that Japanese officials sought out a loophole in wording ( a twist and misuse of the English language) as a means to then catch whales that are then sold into the public market.

It is the same for the recent Toyota debacle, where many Americans lost their lives to faulty automotive Japanese equipment. Japanese automakers have cried “foul” and went to the extent of paying hush money to the key witnesses. In all of that, Japanese officials claim no wrong doing!

But no Japanese official claims or is willing to take any responsibility for their actions. “Gods” can’t be responsible for anything and can do anything they please, anywhere!

Why do I say “Gods”? Remember that the emperors of Japan were considered Gods (although they bleed and were completely human, frail to all human traits and avarice), but they could do no wrong, no matter who they killed or laws they imposed on the people. And the people to this day don’t dare to speak out, simply because the contagion of aberration has been impressed on them for so long, that they have forgotten their own freedoms.

And those self same officials have certified their own “official” documents saying that minke whales, for example can be hunted because their numbers are sustainable. Well, after you have read the above, how much do you really trust those documents? I don’t!

So when the pro-whaling group of Japanese, Iceland and African nations walked out of the meetings, they can say that they have done nothing wrong by paying and buying off those countries, I can actually understand why they feel they have and never will,  done anything wrong.

After all, they are “gods” and accountable to no one.

And when the seas are finally laid bare, mark my words. Japan will only stand up on television (after years of denial) and then say “we so sorry”. And that will be that. The whales and all other sea life will be pillaged.

Is that the planet you wish to live in?

This coming week the International Whaling Commission (IWC) meets in the Channel Islands off the coast of France. Australia and South America will be there in force to fight against whaling.

But where does the U.S. stand with regards to whaling?

In my last post I submitted to you an article, published in Buenos Aires about the U.S. now backing indigenous Alaskans in their lobbying to hunt whales. The shifting of the U.S. position is contrary to its past anti-whaling stance.

Could this be an indicator of what is to come for whales? President Obama, prior to his winning his presidential race, made a promise to protect whales. But then, he made many promises he has not kept.

First of all, I am surprised that there is such emotion tied to the killing of whales for the sake of cultural tradition, when in fact the alaskan culture has already shifted its paradigm in their modern housing, communication and living habits. To then “revert” back to the old ways is a bit suspicious, when it appears none of the modern conveniences are being given up.

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