Japan’s whaling season has begun

Japanese whalers have set out for waters off the Australian Antarctic Territory. Australians await their arrival with trepidation, as this is the third season since Prime Minister Kevin Rudd’s government pledged to end Southern Ocean whaling.

The International Whaling Commission (IWC) confirms that each year, the Japanese fleet begins whaling in mid-December and alternates each year between the Australian Antarctic waters and the Antarctic Ross Sea. The IWC has been working for years to curb whaling.  This year, Greenpeace has opted out against direct action in the Australian Antarctic. Luckily, the Sea Shepherd activists are at the helm to protest the whaling activities. The group plans to take two ships into the southern waters. Skipper Pete Bethune, who helms the Ady Gil, states, ‘The days of the Japanese being able to hunt whales without scrutiny or disruption in Antarctica are now gone. We are ready for them.’ … Read Full Article by Katherine Butler