People who endanger life on the high seas in this way deserve to be sentenced to long jail terms, not be lauded by Hollywood's Beautiful People or invited to speak at schools.

So awsome. Go Sea Shepard, go.

"Perhaps it’s time the Federal Government enforced Australia’s territorial sovereignty. This applies as much to Japanese whalers (compared with Indonesian fishermen) as it does to the Sea Shepherds, who are engaging in violent activities and technically operating a pirate vessel within Australian waters"

Here's a point I agree with. While I don't condone all the sea shepherd's actions, I think they're the lesser of two evils.

Something to consider: for the last three or four years, new Federal Laws have been put in place - the Environmental Protection and Biosecurity Conservation Act (EPBC).

Now... the act is designed to be a broad piece of legislation - it's not so much about small environmental things, more the big picture items. It specifically refers to cetaceans and migratory species as one of the key sections.

One of the cases which road tested this legislation related to the capture of the Kyodo Senpaku Kaisha company, which was whaling in Australian waters.
Phillip Ruddock refused to charge those responsible, and promptly sent them back to Japan where they were of course, released.
It would appear this legislation doesn't apply when it affects one of our major trading partners...

Anyhow, in relation to the article. If it's empty condemnation, such as is directed at whalers, then sure. I'll condemn the behaviour of the Sea Shepherd.

If it's action to be taken however - then for crying out loud, take action against the whalers. That will solve both problems.

Use of the passive voice and vagueness to avoid attributing sources and details is not good enough in an article making some serious allegations ("they have reportedly sunk at least ... ", "they are said to have ... ", "apparently low on fuel ..." "... apparently backed down .." " ... space does not permit .. ")

I have no truck with violence or piracy, and if these people have done wrong they deserve to be criticised for it, but you won’t win the argument with innuendo

Strange close by Rhian? Innuendo! Perhaps a freudian reference to the 'steel enema'?

Great article. Inspite of the likes of Rhian, we need more of this kind of reporting. It seems to me that the jounalists in many of our dailies (with the exception of those contributing to this forum)simply serve us up regurgitated media releases with out somuch as a modicum of effort to 'mine' an issue.

Well done Damian!

I don't think it has to go as far as kicking them out the country. I think that the Sea Shepherds take it to the point of sabotage because they know the fisherman won't get anything but a slap on the wrist and they'll be at it again. I thought whaling was condemed anyway. The people of those countries have over fished a number of animals in the past. I think their governments should step up to the plate and follow the U.S. in their footsteps to protect certain animals. The reason why I think it should be enforced globally is that it might happen in another country but it will effect us all over the planet.

The governments of the world, including our own, have done nothing to halt or slow the Japanese "scientific" whale hunts in the Antartic whale sanctuary. The methods of the whalers have been routinly condemned by our own government as being inhumane (as well as by many other nations and NGO's) and a violation of territorial soverignty.

However nothing has been done.

Do the ends justify Sea Shepards means? No. However, the autor's ability to overlook the issues leading to the militancy of Sea Shepard, while attempting to villify other organisations, such as Green Peace and tbe Humane Society by association (Watson is quoted as calling Green Peace the "Avon ladies of the environment movement") is at best an oversight, and at worst a galllering ommision.

The easiest way to stop the militancy is to demonstrate to groups like Sea Shepard, that negotiations and diplomacy can work. Australia and it's government must become more proactive in opposing the whale hunt.

Yes, I see now; Kill the Man- Save the whale- Human rights out- Whale rights in- Slain the man who defies the toxins of Environmentalism , and I’m sure we can squeeze something in about he Palestinian issue in there somewhere.

How about a bit of Cultural Tolerance guilt to those that consume whale meat, and drop the racist bigotry.

Or does that not apply when referring to Whales or animals

Hay, that sounds different?

I think some psychiatrist’s will become awfully wealthy with the abundance of Nut cases and their intellectual paradigms.

Another growth industry.

Yawn, yet another econo-christian fundamentalist earning brownie points with the creeps further up the heirarchy by pedalling shlock-horror. Looks to me like Mr Wyld could do with some sun and fresh air, he should get out of Boys Town a bit more, maybe then he'd learn how useless Law and politicans are for protection/Stewardship of gods creation (a christian duty, so i've heard, but sadly not one guaranteeing Liberal preselection in the more corpulent 'burbs).

All-

Pity the poor beleaguered humans! They are such an incredibly endangered species. Luckily for the voiceless humans, you are here to ensure their continued survival! Get a grip.

Racism is bias against RACE, not beliefs, choices or actions. Since there is no gene responsible for an uncontrollable urge to kill whales, defying whalers is not racism. The Japanese could make different choices, and still remain fully Japanese. Their culturally ingrained insistence on defying world opinion to promote obsolete nationalism is fair game for criticism.

Nice try playing the histrionics-in-your-face card. Try a rational argument, and maybe you'll win more points.

Taking a stand against Japanese (& others) whaling programs may have merit.

But do the same people who rail & pose about the Japanese also give equal attention to native Americans & native Australian hunting endangered dugong & whales, with modern technology?

[ Now that would be asking too much -shut-up Horus you racist swine!

You are asking the wrong question: why is it that diplomacy, entreaties, requests, etc ad infinitim, are not working? Perhaps if there could be some faith placed in these, what the Sea Shepherd is doing may not be necessary. Of couse faith can only be placed in them when they demonstrate they are useful tools. Should you perhaps, more rightfully, turn your attention to this? It would be too hypocritical for words to take action against the Sea Shepherd when action won't be taken against the larger problem, don't you think?
I personally don't see what other action can be taken to shake out the complacency - exactly what you are showing. Go the Sea Shepherd!
arcticdog

You are asking the wrong question: why is it that diplomacy, entreaties, requests, etc ad infinitim, are not working? Perhaps if there could be some faith placed in these, what the Sea Shepherd is doing may not be necessary. Of couse faith can only be placed in them when they demonstrate they are useful tools. Should you perhaps, more rightfully, turn your attention to this? It would be too hypocritical for words to take action against the Sea Shepherd when action won't be taken against the larger problem, don't you think?
I personally don't see what other action can be taken to shake out the complacency - exactly what you are showing. Go the Sea Shepherd!

Horus:

Sea Shepherd is sometimes a bit much for my tastes, but in general I support their willingness to take action. As long as they don't cause grievous bodily harm to anyone in the course of their efforts, more power to 'em. The drama queens braying about them being "terrorists" can pound sand.

As for SSCS's criticism of indigenous whaling/dugonging, you won't be able to find any hypocrisy in their stance: they are unequivocally against it. Greenpeace is a bit more provisional in terms of indigenous marine mammal hunting -- they can "sort of" condone it on a limited basis, but not with modern industrial weaponry. If the hunters are genuinely trying to eek out a subsistence living, preserve tradition, and not try to make a major economic commodity out of the products, Greenpeace backs off a bit. Sea Shepherd doesn't mince -- they got between the Makah hunters and their .50 caliber rifles a few years back to prove their committment.

I agree with the author’s assessment of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society. They are not too far away from the UK animal libbers who have murdered for their often illogical and emotionally driven cause. I think I might try a bit of whale when I next visit Japan.

Robg, when have UK animal libbers 'murdered'? You must be confusing them with Right To Life zealots who, tellingly, have killed more than once in both Aus & US.

(ps. i find animal libbers ridiculous, but thats no reason to lie about them).

Damian Wyld is right on the money here. From my understanding, Sea Shepherd is the new radical Greenpeace.

It shocks me to hear of these terror tactics (i.e. the throwing of acid onto deck etc). Sure, whaling for so-called scientific purposes lacks a lot of credibility, but God help us if we continue to allow unregistered pirate ships like Sea Shepherd to maraud in our waters. What would happen if Japanese whalers died at the hands of Sea Shepherd in our territorial waters? Australia would get the blame (and rightly so) for not taking action.

C'mon Federal Minister for the Environment, and Attorney General, get on with policing our territorial waters, lest we allow ecoterrorists and whalers to get away with murder! And to the rest of the world, wake up and recognise, like Canada and Belize, that Sea Shepherd is nothing more than a radical bunch of life-threatening thugs with no real regard for human or animal life. (I say animal life, because no doubt in the sinking of a ship (as Wyld suggests there have been some 10 sinkings as a result of SS activities), oil and other contaminants enter the water at some point thus polluting the area of wreck and killing/maiming wildlife)