Bob Barker Confiscates Gill Net, Engages Whalers In the Southern Ocean today, at approximately 1200 (AEST), the Sea Shepherd vessel M/ Y Bob Barker encountered the Yushin Maru 3 , an illegal Japanese whale killing ship. The Yushin Maru 3 is the same vessel that intentionally rammed into the Bob Barker 19 days ago as the Sea Shepherd ship found the Japanese fleet for the second time and reinitiated the blockade of the Nisshan Maru —which functions as Japan’s illegal water-borne whale slaughterhouse. For nearly three weeks now, Sea Shepherd has halted the Japanese whale slaughter, which Japanese politicians and publicists claim is for research purposes despite the fact that the data collected is of no value to any independent scientific body. Bob Barker picking up netting This is the first time in many days that Sea Shepherd activists have seen any ship in the illegal fleet other than the Nisshin Maru —and they were quick to take action. As the Bob Barker gave chase, they deployed a small inflatable boat which caught up with the Yushin Maru 3 and despite the whale killers’ use of water cannons and maneuvers through ice flows to try to discourage the five brave activists in the small boat, many stink bombs (made with rotten butter) successfully landed on the decks of the Yushin Maru 3.
Sea Shepherd Begins Second Week of Shutting Down Illegal Whaling Activities It has been a week since Sea Shepherd shut down all whaling activities by the Japanese whaling fleet. Not one whale has died in the last week, and Sea Shepherd’s next goal is to turn this shut down into a second week and then a third. “We will not tolerate the death of a single whale while we are chasing this gang of poachers,” said Captain Chuck Swift of the Bob Barker
Sea Shepherd Has Shut Down Illegal Japanese Whaling Steve Irwin Joins Pursuit of Nisshin Maru Position: 63 Degrees 43 Minutes South 81 Degrees 26 Minutes East The Sea Shepherd ship Steve Irwin joined the Sea Shepherd ship Bob Barker this morning at 0700 Hours (Sydney time). Both Sea Shepherd ships are now on the tail of the Japanese factory ship Nisshin Maru . The Japanese fleet was running fast to the Northeast not knowing that the Steve Irwin was on a course of Southwest coming directly for them.
Bob Barker Rammed by Illegal Whaler At 1209 PM Fremantle, Australia time, the Yushin Maru 3 intentionally rammed the Sea Shepherd ship Bob Barker , penetrating it’s hull and endangering the lives of it¹s crew. The collision occurred at 65 degrees 21 South, 67 degrees 58 East, about 180 miles off Cape Darnley in the Australian Antarctic Territory
Whalers Pose as New Zealand Government Agents to Track Sea Shepherd The Sea Shepherd ship Steve Irwin left Hobart, Tasmania at 1800 Hours on December 31 st , 2009 to return to the search in the Southern Ocean for the illegal operations of the Japanese whaling fleet.
