Southern oceans Japanese whaling hunt
A new film compilation of Antarctic whaling - shot from the Greenpeace ship MV Arctic Sunrise - premieres today on video screens around the world, in a Greenpeace global day of action against whaling.
The film includes rare footage of a whale being harpooned - the first time this has been filmed in over a decade. And it spells out the imminent threat of a return to full-scale commercial whaling, if Japanese vote buying is allowed to continue.
You can watch the footage for yourself, see Greenpeace actions around the world, and read daily updates from the Arctic Sunrise, on the Greenpeace International whaling website.
The Japanese returned to Antarctica in December, on a mission to hunt another 440 minke whales from the Southern oceans whale sanctuary. But the Arctic Sunrise has been following them for seven weeks now - pursuing the fleet, protecting the whales and demanding that they cease their hunt.
The ship's crew of 30 Greenpeace volunteers have already succeeded in intercepting the fleet in inflatable dinghies, and preventing whales from being harpooned, before being blasted by Japanese water canons.
Why is this action so urgent?
Commercial whaling was banned back in 1986, when the International Whaling Commission (IWC) imposed a moratorium. And the whales around Antarctica were given even greater protection in 1994, with the establishment of the Southern Ocean Sanctuary.
But Japan has ignored this moratorium and continued to hunt whales within the sanctuary, by exploiting a loophole that allows for whaling under the guise of 'scientific research'. In fifteen years, they have taken 5,320 whales from the diminishing minke whale population.
They call it 'scientific research'. In truth it's an underhand strategy to keep the whaling industry alive, whilst they work to overturn the moratorium on commercial whaling.
The Japanese process an estimated 2,000 tonnes of whale meat every year, as a result of this 'research'. And only the earplugs, sex organs and stomach parts of the animals are used for science. The remaining meat finds its way into restaurants all over Japan, and sells for approximately US$33 million dollars on the open market.
In July of this year the IWC passed a resolution that, "strongly urges the Government of Japan to halt the lethal takes of minke whales". And yet the Japanese continue to hunt them from these protected waters.
For the last few years the Japanese Fisheries agency has also been running a high profile campaign to swing the balance of votes within the IWC and bring back full-scale commercial whaling.
Using the promise of Overseas Development Aid to 'buy' votes from poorer countries, Japan has already secured the support of eight developing nations.
There is a real danger that whaling supporters may achieve a majority at the next IWC meeting - to be held in just five months, in the whaling fleet's home port of Shimonoseki.
