Activists Attack Japanese Whaling Vessel

The Ross Sea of the coast of Antarctica is often a battle ground between whale hunters and environmental activists. This time, the stand off was between the Japanese whaler, Nisshin Maru, and three fiberglass dinghies from the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society.

The three small protest ships had successfully interrupted the Nisshin Maru's search for whale pods, causing the larger vessel to call it a day. One of the small dinghies, however, got lost in the fog upon returning to shore. The fiberglass hall had cracked and its two-man crew, who had been equipped with GPS navigation tools and survival suits, began to call for help.

To their rescue came the Nisshin Maru. After being rescued by the very ship they had harassed, the two anti-whaling activists -- John Gravois of Los Angeles, California, and Karl Neilsen of Perth, Australia -- thanked the whalers for their help and professionalism.

"I guess we're back on schedule, and we'll be pursuing you again," one of the activists reportedly said.

And then they proceeded to do just that. The two protesters from Sea Shepherd Conservation Society returned to another small boat to resume their chase of the Nisshin Maru. When they caught up to their one-time rescuers, they assaulted the vessel with acid and smoke bombs. Two crew members suffered minor injuries, according to Japanese news sources. One man received cuts to the face from shards of broken glass and another experienced eye irritations due to splattering acid.

"They're terrorists," said Captain Moronuki of the Nisshin Maru. "They must stop these dangerous acts immediately. We rescued them from a humanitarian point of view, but they attacked the Japanese as soon as they were safe."

Japan, along with Iceland, continues to engage in controlled whale hunting despite a 1982 international moratorium that put a ban the commercial activity. Japan claims that this "scientific" whaling is a part of their culture, tradition, and economy as practiced for generations.

The Nisshin Maru left port last November on a six-month whaling expedition. Activists have been trailing it for weeks. At their website, the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society took credit for the attack and even displayed the type of butyric acid employed by its two activists after having been rescued by their target.

According to a May 2006 report published by the International Fund for Animal Welfare, "In the Name of Science: A Review of Scientific Whaling," Japan killed 400 minke whales last year and projects that number will likely double in 2007. Japanese whale hunters have also proposed to take 50 humpbacks and 50 fin whales from Arctic waters in 2007.

Source: "Activists Attack Japanese Whaling Vessel," by Ray Lilley, AP