Fed: High-speed secret weapon of anti-whalers

AAP General News (Australia)
12-27-2006
Fed: High-speed secret weapon of anti-whalers

By Charisse Ede

HOBART, Dec 27 AAP - A high-speed vessel capable of keeping pace with the Japanese
whaling fleet is the secret weapon in the arsenal of anti-whaling group Sea Shepherd.

Paul Watson, captain of the Sea Shepherd's flagship yacht, Farley Mowat, said the new
vessel would soon meet his yacht in the Southern Ocean for a month-long campaign against
the Japanese whalers.

"I think (this summer) will be more successful than last year because we couldn't keep
up with the Japanese ships," he said.

"We now have a vessel that can match their speed, so that's what will be different this year."

Mr Watson said the type of vessel and its name would not be revealed until the two
ships met in the Ross Sea, Antarctica, where the Japanese are expected to be whaling.

The Farley Mowat is now in Hobart waiting for the arrival of its helicopter from Melbourne,
where it is being repaired.

Mr Watson, who has captained the yacht since 1977, said he hoped to set sail by the weekend.

This campaign has been codenamed Operation Leviathan.

He said the Japanese had been putting a lot of pressure on the Sea Shepherd, forcing
Canada and Britain to cancel registrations for the Farley Mowat.

The yacht is now registered in Belize.

Mr Watson said the fleet of three Sea Shepherd ships never acted illegally but aimed
to protect the world's oceans by intercepting illegal fishing boats and Japanese whaling
operations.

"Our objective is to go down there and intervene in what we believe is an illegal operation,"

he said.

"I see no difference between whalers and elephant poachers and bank robbers.

"I have learned a lot over the years and I think we can successfully obstruct them."

Japan has a program to take up to 935 minke whales and 10 endangered fin whales this summer.

Earlier this month, Australia joined 20 other nations in another diplomatic push to
convince Japan that its whaling program was wrong.

The joint diplomatic push, known as a demarche, will send a message of serious concern
to the Japanese government about its so-called scientific whaling program.

AAP ce/gfr/jm/de

KEYWORD: SHEPHERD

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