NORTON META TAG

20 July 2012

SEA SHEPHERD E NEWS 19JUL12 & Whaling in Norway 12JUL12

E MAIL news letter from Sea Shepherd covering the continuing detention in Germany and pending extradition to Costa Rica of Captain Paul Watson, illegal Norwegian whaling continues, last months IWC meeting and the threat to the largest humpback whale nursery off the coast of Western Australia. Be sure to read the article Whaling In Norway, an expose of the illegal whaling industry in that supposedly civilized nation....


Dear Friend of Sea Shepherd,

Sea Shepherd is about passion. It is about taking risks and giving time, money and materials to save lives on the high seas, to defend the survival of marine species and to protect the integrity of the biodiversity of our ocean, for if biodiversity is diminished the ocean is diminished, and if the ocean dies, we die. We cannot survive on this planet with a dead ocean and the ocean is dying.

Our duty, objective and responsibility is to prevent any further diminishment of life and habitat and to take a stand to aggressively and non-violently to make a difference. You are part of that difference when you support us, and you are part of what will protect the oceans and preserve them for future generations.


Sea Shepherd Prepares to Defend Largest Humpback Whale Nursery in the World
We are launching a new campaign to protect the world's greatest humpback whale nursery, which is under threat due to gas refinery development! 


Operation Kimberley Miinimbi will commence this Saturday to call the world’s attention to a proposed gas hub construction in the environmentally sensitive region of James Price Point in Western Australia. 

Former Australian Greens Party Senator Bob Brown is leading Operation Kimberley Miinimbi on the Steve Irwin, to try to stop this ill-conceived plan before it’s too late. Get the details...


Measures to Protect New Zealand’s Maui’s and Hector’s Dolphin Fall Short at IWC
This month’s International Whaling Commission (IWC) meeting was ineffective in establishing much-needed safeguards for the Maui’s and Hector’s Dolphin species, which have seen steady decline in recent decades, primarily due to human-induced threats like gill nets and trawling.

The IWC established some so-called “protections” for these majestic creatures, but the measures are only temporary and not far-reaching enough.
Read about how your actions can effect REAL change for these imperiled species…

July 20 is “Free Capt. Watson” Global Day of Action & Deadline for Visual Petition Contest
It’s time the United States steps up to assist one of its citizens. Captain Watson has been under German custody for 67 days on the outrageous, alleged a violation of ship traffic in 2002. German officials have recently determined Captain Watson will indeed be extradited to an uncertain fate to the seemingly lawless nation of Costa Rica.


To date, we have received hundreds of entries to our online Visual Petition Contest answering one of the questions, “Why is Captain Watson important to our planet?” or “Why does Sea Shepherd matter to you?” You can see some of those entries below. The deadline for entries is Friday, July 20 at 5 pm PST to coincide with our second “Free Captain Paul Watson” Day of Action. Numerous vigils and protests are planned at German Embassies and Consulates around the world. If you don’t live near an embassy, gather at local parks and private homes to support our modern-day hero. Together we will set him free!

We’ve been focusing all of our attention on Germany, but now we would like to request that you please write to US government officials to politely ask for their assistance in gaining Captain Watson’s freedom. We have also provided a new sample letter for you. Don't delay!


Whale Wars Season Finale Friday
Be sure to catch the last episode in the 5th season of Whale Wars, this Friday, July 20th, on Animal Planet. This season has chronicled our efforts to end whaling in the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary during Operation Divine Wind. Learn more about Whale Wars...

Handcrafted SSCS Wooden Model Ships
Proudly display in your home or office one or more of these scaled, handcrafted, wooden models of the Steve Irwin, Bob Barker, and the Brigitte Bardot as a tribute to our efforts to save whales in the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary.

A sure collector’s item for any Sea Shepherd supporter! These models are only offered for a limited time, so get yours today before they are gone.
All proceeds from the Sea Shepherd e-Stores support our mission to defend ocean wildlife worldwide!



There are sacred places in this world that should not be scarred with the ugliness of greed and disrespect for nature. Together we are part of a movement to restore sanity in returning humankind's natural role of living in harmony with other species and the natural world.

I wish I could join my crew on the current Operation Requiem campaign and upcoming Operation Kimberley Miinimbi campaign, but I am being held under house arrest in Germany for defending sharks off the coast of Guatemala ten years ago, an incident that has been exploited by Japan and Costa Rica to keep me away from my ships and crew. As many of my enemies have learned time and again — Sea Shepherd is more than myself, and I am happy that because of the passion from people like you we have hundreds of crewmembers in place and multiple ships gearing up or currently operating in defense of marine wildlife worldwide. We know evil prevails when good people do nothing. Thank-you for continuing to support our very important work. Your dedication to our mission is making a difference.

For the oceans,

Captain Paul Watson
Founder and President

Sea Shop

New! Confessions of an Eco-Terrorist DVD — Special Sea Shepherd Deluxe Edition

Campaign

Get news straight from the field during our current South Pacific Shark Defense Campaign:
Operation Requiem

Commentary
Whaling in Norway

Commentary by Crewmember
Erwin Vermeulen

Give
Events


Show your support in person, and join us at a Sea Shepherd event in one of the following areas:
Worldwide
• Jul 20 - Intl Day of Action

Australia

• Jul 21 - Brisbane
• Jul 22 - Cairns
• Jul 22 - Peregian
• Jul 28 - Brisbane
• Jul 29 - Cairns
• Jul 29 - Peregian
• Aug 4 - Brisbane
• Aug 5 - Cairns
• Aug 5 - Peregian
• Aug 5 - Canberra

Belgium & Netherlands
• Jul 21 - Schuttenbergstraat 2, As
• Jul 21 - Den Haag
• Jul 31 - Brugge
• Aug 10 - Glabbeek
• Aug 10-12 - Leper
• Aug 19 - Meer


Brazil
• Aug - 18-19 - São Paulo

France

• Jul 13-19 - Brest
• Aug 8 Montpellier
• Aug 8 - Couiza
• Aug 9 - Lorient

Germany
• Jul 21 - Iserlohn
• Jul 21 - Hanover
• Jul 28 - Nuremberg
• Aug 2-4 - Waken Open Air
• Aug 10-12 - Dresden
• Aug 17-19 - Berlin

Ireland
• Aug 18 - Kildare
• Aug 23 - Dublin


Italy
• Jul 21 - Forte dei Marmi
• Jul 21 - Arona

North America
• Jul 27-29 - Seattle, WA
• Jul 30 - Denver, CO
• Aug 4 - Dallas, TX
• Aug 4 - Friday Hbr, WA
• Aug 6 - Clarksville, MD
• Aug 11 - Los Angeles, CA
• Aug 15 - Oakland, CA

United Kingdom
• Jul 27 - Surrey
• Aug 16 - Isle of Wight

Video


Sea Shepherd Australian Director Jeff Hansen and former Greens Senator Bob Brown share their thoughts on Op Kimberley Miinimbi

Watch now!

Join the DAC


Our Direct Action Crew donors are a significant part of what keeps our ships at sea and our campaigns successful!

Join the DAC with your monthly or quarterly gift and as a token of our appreciation we'll send you a free Sea Shepherd Direct Action Crew t-shirt and a discount code for 20% off in our e-Stores.

Follow Us

Remove My Name from Future Mailings | Privacy Policy
Sea Shepherd Conservation Society
P.O. Box 2616, Friday Harbor, WA 98250 USA
(USA) Tel: 360-370-5650 Fax: 360-370-5651
Not on our list? Sign up for the Sea Shepherd e-News!     

July 12, 2012

Whaling in Norway

Commentary by Erwin Vermeulen

The whale-killing ship, Reinefangst -  photo: Erwin VermeulenThe whale-killing ship, Reinefangst - photo: Erwin VermeulenYou can’t say Spitsbergen is unspoiled. The massacres perpetrated by the Dutch and other European countries since the 17th century made sure that even now the once plentiful Bowhead whale is rarely spotted among these islands in the Arctic. There are beaches here, full of the bleached and weathered skulls and bones of hundreds of slaughtered belugas, and the walrus was almost hunted to local extinction.  Still it is the scenic beauty and remaining wildlife that today attracts thousands of tourists to these snow-covered peaks jutting from the cold waters.
You would think that mankind and especially Norway, that governs these isles under the geo-political name of Svalbard, would have drawn lessons from that ignorant, destructive past and that the tourist money would be an extra incentive to protect all that is left…Not so!
There are still hunting seasons here, still arctic foxes are being trapped for their fur and, yes, the whaling continues.
Therefore, it was hardly a surprise when I sailed into Hornsund in the South West of Spitsbergen last month, to find in that bay the whale poachers Ann-Brita and Reinefangst with their murderous harpoons uncovered. Even though it has been almost two decades since Sea Shepherd and the Norwegian whale poachers met steel to steel, that does not mean we do not keep track of what they are up to.
Over the last decade we have seen the number of boats partaking in the slaughter dwindle to 21 licensed vessels this year. Some are giving up because of the lack in demand for whale meat; others saw their ships sunk in their homeports. We witnessed the struggle of the poachers to fill the quotas, variously blaming fuel costs, bad weather and distance to the whaling grounds for their failures. Still Norway has killed almost 10.000 whales since the moratorium came into effect in 1986. Although Norway is a member of the IWC, it does not abide by that body’s decisions. In 1982, it filed a formal objection against the proposed ban on commercial whaling. The insane rules of this ineffective and corrupt organization basically say that if you don’t like their rulings, you can object and just on the basis of that objection you are not bound by these rulings. Norway has also exempted itself from the trade bans imposed by another ineffective and corrupt organization, namely CITES, and exports whale meat to Japan.
Norway tried their hand at Japanese-style, scientific whaling for a brief period before returning in 1993 to overtly commercial whaling. They peaked in 2005 with 639 whales and last year took the lives of 533 animals. The Norwegian Ministry of Fisheries and Coastal affairs has set the quota for the 2012 season that lasts from May 1st to August 30th, again at 1286 Minke whales.
Besides ignoring the moratorium on commercial whaling, Norway sets much higher catch limits than even the IWC’s ‘scientific’ calculations (A system ominously called Revised Management Procedure (RMP)) allow for.
On top of that, Norway has allowed catches to be concentrated in areas most convenient for the poachers, especially the area West of Spitsbergen. Still the poachers fail to meet even half of their quota. So to placate them even further and in complete disregard for the fate of the whales the government has this year merged two separate whaling zones to make it more cost-effective for the poachers to concentrate their killing business on the waters around Spitsbergen.
The whaling apologists in the Norwegian government have thus made a joke of the already much prostituted word ‘sustainability’. Of course, if that cliché doesn’t hold up there are always other excuses, like blaming whales for eating the fishermen’s fish. Haven’t we heard similar cries from the Japanese whaling industry, from the seal and sea lion clubbers in Newfoundland and Namibia, from the dolphin killers in Taiji, from the fishery agencies in Chile and from the officials at the Bonneville dam, to draw the attention away from the real problem: overfishing by man?
Just as preposterous are the tiresome, old arguments of tradition and culture, used around the world to justify brutality and cruelty and to repeat, over and over again, the mistakes of the past. One official even claimed that Norwegian whaling could be considered aboriginal. Nothing on the diesel-powered, steel ships, full of modern,
electronic equipment and with explosive-grenade harpoons on their bow that I met in these waters, struck me as aboriginal or traditional.
As everywhere where senseless slaughter takes place, you can smell the greed, the stubbornness, the misplaced national pride and the willful ignorance. It should not be tolerated in the Europe of today.
The whale-killing ship, Ann-Brita  -  photo: Erwin VermeulenThe whale-killing ship, Ann-Brita
photo: Erwin Vermeulen
Explosive tip harpoon on the bow of the Explosive tip harpoon on the bow of the Ann-Brita - photo: Erwin Vermeulen-  photo: Erwin VermeulenExplosive tip harpoon on the bow of the Ann-Brita - photo: Erwin Vermeulen

Donate Now 91

No comments:

Post a Comment