Greenpeace disrupts Japan whalers

Activists radioed the whaling ship with their demands

Greenpeace vessels have been involved in a standoff in the Antarctic with Japanese whaling ships in an attempt to disrupt the planned killing of 400 minke whales.

This take of whales is about profit not science and is intended as the forerunner of a much larger hunt

Greenpeace campaigner Richard Page

The environmental group said in a statement the action was the first move in a campaign ahead of a governmental meeting next year on the future of whaling.

The Greenpeace research vessel MV Arctic Sunrise - with 30 activists from 16 countries on board - has tracked the fleet since it set sail last week.

Activists in inflatable dinghies moved alongside the Japanese vessels, radioing the Greenpeace demand that Japanese whaling be ceased.

Environmental groups as well as many governments reject Japan's assertion that it takes minke whales in the Antarctic for scientific research.

'Despicable'

"This take of whales is about profit not science and is intended as the forerunner of a much larger hunt," said Greenpeace whale campaigner Richard Page.

"It's wrong to think that because we've had a temporary ban on commercial whaling the whales are protected - they're not," he added.

Whale meat is a delicacy in Japan

Japan ostensibly gave up commercial whaling following an international moratorium declared by the International Whaling Commission (IWC) in 1986.

But it has been catching hundreds of minke whales for "scientific research" since 1987, saying the hunts provide information on whale feeding habits and migration patterns.

But Greenpeace says that a miniscule portion of the estimated 2,000 tonnes of whale meat taken annually is used for science.

The rest allegedly finds its way to Japan's restaurants, where it is served as a delicacy.

New Zealand, one of several states trying to create a sanctuary for whales in the Southern Hemisphere, has described Japan's policy as "despicable".

Drastic decline

At its last meeting in July, the IWC passed a resolution that "strongly urges the government of Japan to halt the lethal takes of minke whales."

The Greenpeace ship has been tracking the Japanese whaling fleet

Recent data suggest the minke population may be much lower than previously thought.

Scientists working in the Antarctic have reported that schools of whales are smaller than usual, while the influential IWC Scientific Committee has said it cannot rule out a drastic decline of up to 50%.

Japan wants the IWC to allow the resumption of full-scale commercial whaling despite the fact that some species were hunted to the brink of extinction in the last century, before the IWC imposed a ban.

The IWC is due to meet again in May in Shiminoseki, the Japanese home port of the whaling fleet.

Greenpeace fears Japan will secure majority backing for its policy following the Tokyo government's high-profile campaign to secure the support of states through the use of overseas development aid.

The environmental pressure group says the strategy is tantamount to vote buying and has launched its latest campaign to draw attention to the issue.