Ships Collide In Antarctic Whaling Clash

(AP)  A group of radical anti-whaling activists said they were pelted with bloody chunks of whale meat and blubber after their boat collided Friday with a Japanese whaling vessel in a dramatic Antarctic Ocean clash Japan condemned as "unforgivable."

It was the second battle this week between the whalers and their foes. No one was injured, but the skirmishes mark the resumption of potentially life-threatening run-ins in a contentious fight that has become an annual fixture in the remote, icy and dangerous waters at the bottom of the world.

"The situation down here is getting very, very chaotic and very aggressive," activist Paul Watson, captain of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society's vessel, told The Associated Press on Friday by satellite phone.

The clashes come as diplomatic efforts to resolve the controversy surrounding Japan's scientific whaling program appear to have stalled.

Japan - which has described the protesters as terrorists - plans to harvest up to 935 minke whales and 50 fin whales this season. Under International Whaling Commission rules, the mammals may be killed for research. Opponents say the Japanese research expeditions are simply a cover for commercial whaling, which was banned in 1986.

Watson said Friday's fracas began as his crew tried to maneuver their boat into a position that would have prevented the Japanese from dragging a whale on board their whaling vessel. Another Japanese ship shot in front of Watson's boat, causing a collision, Watson said.

"We can see the blood pouring out by the barrel," Watson said from his boat - named after the late Australian conservationist and TV personality Steve Irwin - as he watched the Japanese haul another whale onto their vessel. Earlier in the day, he said, the Japanese hurled pieces of blubber and whale meat at the Steve Irwin.

(AP Photo/Sea Shepherd Conservation)

Japan blamed Sea Shepherd for the crash (at left), characterizing the incident as a "deliberate ramming."

Shigeki Takaya, a Fisheries Agency spokesman for whaling in Japan, accused the conservationists of "appalling and unforgivable" acts.

"We will ask concerned countries, including Australia, to immediately stop them from carrying out such horrendous acts," Takaya said.

Protesters aboard the Steve Irwin set off from Australia in early December for the Antarctic Ocean, chasing the whaling fleet for about 2,000 miles (3,200 kilometers) before stopping two weeks ago in Tasmania to refuel. The group found the whalers again on Sunday and resumed their pursuit.

During the initial chase, Watson's crew pelted the Japanese with bottles of butyric acid, produced from rancid butter. In one December clash, Japan accused the Sea Shepherd crew of ramming one of its vessels, causing minor damage to the ship. Watson said the Steve Irwin only lightly brushed the whaling vessel.

This week, tensions escalated after Watson said two members of his crew were slightly injured when the Japanese blasted them with a water cannon and hurled heavy hunks of metal. Watson accused the Japanese of using a "military grade" noise weapon that can cause deafness and vomiting.

Despite the recent drama, this whaling season has been relatively peaceful compared to previous years.

In January 2008, two Sea Shepherd activists jumped onto a Japanese ship and spent several days in detention on board.

In March 2008, Watson said he was shot at during a confrontation with the whalers, and was saved by his bulletproof vest. Japan denied shots were fired.

That incident came just a few days after Japan said several of its whalers were lightly injured after being hit by containers of rotten butter. Japan responded by shooting back "sound balls" similar to stun grenades.

Sea Shepherd and the whalers still blame each other for a 2007 collision that left the Robert Hunter - since renamed the Steve Irwin - with a 3-foot gash in its stern.

That year, Japan's whaling hunt ended early after a fire broke out aboard the mother ship, killing one crew member and forcing the fleet to limp back to port. It was not clear what caused the blaze.

Watson, who regularly vows to do anything short of deliberately hurting people to stop whalers, said Friday that he and his crew have no plans to turn back - and will continue to chase the whalers until their fuel supplies run out.

[deathkricket]

Wow treehuggers are funny, come on now people, Japan is a diffrent country, they dont have to follow "OUR" rules, were not god, if they want to whale hunt, then they have eveyright to whale hunt,if you dont like it then OMG dont read or watch about it,no one ******* about the hamburgers we eat everyday as much as a few whales down the hole.people like the sea sheperd, heres what my opinion is, i think the whaleing ships should arm themselfs and defend there ships and jobs,thats how they ern a livin and a few fat eco people wana take that away? how is that right. what if someone rammed your car because they saw you eating a hamburger? so dont go defending them o the poor whales, there animals and if they are hunted in lawfull conditions then best of luck to the hunt :-) and if they have the "scientific" need to hunt them, then hey your lazy ass sitting on the couch cant prove other wise.

[jlagat]

"Japan - which has described the protesters as terrorists - plans to harvest up to 935 minke whales and 50 fin whales this season. Under International Whaling Commission rules, the mammals may be killed for research."

In a related story, historians have declared that the Hiroshima and Nagasaki atomic attacks were not massacres. They were 100,000 randomly selected subjects used to study the effects of heat and blast from a nuclear explosion on the human body.

[steve777a]

Hey! S#*! for brains! The Alaskan natives do NOT have a floating factory of whaling ships harvesting the waters!!!

[steve777a]

Them lying corrupt Japanese government officials are no different then the corrupt Anti-American Republican types we have here in the U.S. Except we are talking about whales in this case. The Japanese are WHALING it is plain and simple. They have been caught red handed!!! There is no research being conducted. Maybe sociological research to see how STUPID the public is.

[trojanny]

"Terrorists" is simply said to ''wine & dine'' aid, to get the good guys. The real terrorists fly under the flag of the rising sun !!

[trojanny]

That''s an awful lot - 900+ whales - needed for RESEARCH???? Yeh, right. What kind of research do you need 900 DEAD whales for? How to get 2,000 ????

[cdfoxtrot101]

Calling these people "terrorists" is an insult to all the victims of true terrorists. The term does not apply here.

Japan should apologize for such flagrant misuse of the term.

[areyouasfast]

Japan has described the protesters as terrorists.One mans terrorists is another mans hero. Lets stop with the childish name calling. Q:George Washington, a terrorist or Hero? I guess it depends on your point of view. But your point of view really doesn''t matter, set greed aside and think like a child and what''s right will come to you.

Commercial whaling was banned in 1986? Seems greedy and unscrupulous men/women have found a way to circumvent that ruling.

935 Minke Whales and 50 Fin Whales this season to be killed for research. On the surface, that doesn''t seem right,does it?

International Whaling Commission? What a joke, I guess they would have to get other jobs if whaling was really banned.

It''s not who''s right, it''s what''s right!

Let''s keep it simple: It''s not right to kill whale.
(unless you are under attack by one them I do believe you do have a right to defend yourself)

Todd

[downsteamjm]

LMartinK: What about mice, roaches, flies, and rats? Do you allow them in your home? If not, aren''t you anti nature.

[cheteunice]

So Watson doesn''t think that ramming another ship could cause human injury?