Antarctic Campaign Report – Success Defending Whales! Ships are expendable, endangered whales species are not 2009-2010 Antarctic Whale Defense Campaign: Operation Waltzing Matilda After three long weary and dramatic months upon the most remote and hostile seas in the world, the Sea Shepherd ships Steve Irwin and Bob Barker were welcomed by crowds of cheering supporters in the port of Hobart, Tasmania, Australia, on Saturday, March 6 th , 2010.

In an unprovoked attack captured on film, the Japanese whaling fleets ship Shonan Maru No. 2 deliberately rammed and caused catastrophic damage to the Sea Shepherd catamaran Ady Gil. six crewmembers Rescued by the Sea Shepherd Ship Bob Barker

According to eyewitness Captain Chuck Swift on the Bob Barker, the attack happened while the vessels were dead in the water. The Shonan Maru No. 2 suddenly started up and deliberately rammed the Ady Gil ripping eight feet of the bow of the vessel completely off. According to Captain Swift, the vessel does not look like it will be saved.

The incident took place at 64 Degrees and 03 Minutes South and 143 Degrees and 09 Minutes East

Until this morning the Japanese were completely unaware of the existence of the Bob Barker. This newest addition to the Sea Shepherd fleet left Mauritius off the coast of Africa on December 18th and was able to advance along the ice edge from the West as the Japanese were busy worrying about the advance of the Steve Irwin from the North.

Sea Shepherd Goes On the Offensive in the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society has escalated the battle to save the whales in the Southern Ocean, has out maneuvered the Japanese security vessels, and is now in full pursuit of the Japanese whaling fleet. Captain Paul Watson is feeling more like an Admiral this year. He is presently hundreds of miles from the frontline action that is taking place in Commonwealth Bay off the Adelie Coast as two of his three ships are in full pursuit of the Japanese whaling fleet

Steve Irwin Retains the Dutch Tri-Color Japanese Whalers Fail in Bid to Strike the Flag Dutch Transport Minister Tineke Huizinga has rejected a Japanese government complaint and demand to remove the Dutch flag from the Sea Shepherd ship Steve Irwin . The Japanese Prime Minster brought the matter to the attention of Dutch Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende a month ago when Balkenende was on a visit to Japan. Balkenende stressed then that the Netherlands does not agree with the Japanese views on whaling

Fears, Jeers, Cheers, and Loathing for Sea Shepherd In South Park Editorial by Captain Paul Watson I knew as soon as I heard that South Park would be lampooning Sea Shepherd and Whale Wars that it would be viciously brutal. No one gets a free ride with Trey Parker and Matt Stone. But, I also knew that whatever they were planning it would be good for the whales, and that was all that I was really concerned with, so I was not disappointed

Q&A with Captain Watson of The Cove and Sea Shepherd Captain Paul Watson of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society and Animal Planet’s hit television series Whale Wars also plays a prominent role in the new film The Cove .

Paul Watson and crew members of the Steve Irwin discuss the second season of Whale Wars on the Animal Planet Channel and the illegality of Japanese whaling near Antarctica.

Part I

Part II

In 1986, Japan withdrew its opposition to the International Whaling Commission’s (IWC) moratorium on commercial whaling. The following year, Japan announced a large-scale scientific whaling program designed to assess whale stocks. Their goal? A resumption of commercial whaling with set, sustainable limits.
Many experts have questioned the scientific validity of this program, suggesting that Japan’s research is nothing more than a front for continued whaling.
Japan maintains that its methods are sound.
Japan’s scientific whaling program continues to this day; in fact, it has grown considerably. Activist groups like the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society claim that Japan’s whaling practices violate international law. Japan claims the direct-action tactics of Sea Shepherd are illegal, in essence a form of eco-terrorism.

Sea Shepherd Announces New Antarctic Research Project Sea Shepherd Launches 6 th Whale Defense Campaign: Operation Waltzing Matilda June 24th, 2009 – Funchal, Madeira, Portugal - The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society today officially announced Operation Waltzing Matilda – the 6th Sea Shepherd campaign to defend the whales of the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary from Japanese poachers. About 30 members of the media attended the press conference despite the hotel manager insisting that the meeting had to be low profile and held in the back of the lobby hidden by the bar. “This is a research project,” said Captain Paul Watson.

The International Wacky Whaling Commission Gets Underway in Madeira Report from Captain Paul Watson Captain Watson lands in Portugal and is promptly detained in Customs for four hours The trip to the 61st annual meeting of the International Whaling Commission became an adventure as soon as the TAP airliner landed at Funchal airport and Deborah Bassett and I walked from the runway into the arrival lounge.