This weekend DolphinProject.org/Earth Island Institute’s Ric O’Barry and THE COVE director Louie Psihoyos lit up the Empire State Building to raise awareness for THE COVE!

The color red symbolizes the blood red waters of the cove in Taiji, Japan, where thousands of dolphins are brutally killed each year. Their meat, which contains toxic levels of mercury, is sold as food even though it’s unfit for human consumption. Most people in Japan don’t know this is happening.

“This ceremony is about reaching the people of Japan,” said Ric. “Its a plea for their help in shutting down the cove. Lighting the iconic Empire State Building in New York, the “World’s Most Famous Office Building”, is just one of the many ways we are trying to reach them. We believe that the Japanese people love dolphins and that once they know what’s happening, they will take action to stop it. It’s really up to them.”

Louie added, “This lighting also honors the millions of people around the world – most especially those in Japan – who have joined us in our effort to raise awareness about the slaughters, as well as the issues of global pollution and the overall health of our oceans worldwide.”

The owner of the Empire State Building was inspired to get involved after seeing THE COVE, which shines a blinding light on all these issues and more. Ric and Louie were joined at the ceremony by THE COVE producer Fisher Stevens, Actor John Leguizamo, and Race Car Driver and DolphinProject.org volunteer Leilani Munter, who is half Japanese and has traveled with Ric to Taiji on several occasions.

Academy Award-winning actor and producer Sean Connery, best known as the original James Bond, has joined the International Advisory Board of Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, the world’s leading marine wildlife conservation nonprofit organization. Connery joins the SSCS advisory board alongside two valued new additions: four-time Women’s World Surfing Champion Stephanie Gilmore and Emmy Award-winning Writer, Producer and Director/Co-Creator of The Simpsons, Sam Simon.

Beloved the world over as the iconic 007, Connery starred in seven films of the popular Ian Fleming franchise including: Dr. No (1962), From Russia with Love (1963), Goldfinger (1964), Thunderball (1965), You Only Live Twice (1967), Diamonds Are Forever (1971), and Never Say Never Again (1983). In later years, several other actors took on the career-defining role of James Bond including another valued member of Sea Shepherd’s advisory board, Pierce Brosnan.

Commenting on what it means to have the original “007” join the ranks of Sea Shepherd supporters, SSCS Founder and President Captain Paul Watson said, “We are fortunate to have Pierce Brosnan, Christian Bale, Richard Dean Anderson, Martin Sheen, William Shatner, and Marina Sirtis among Sea Shepherd’s devoted members and supporters. Today we gained a new Advisory Board member-Sean Connery. How can we lose? We have two James Bonds, Batman, MacGyver, a former ‘President of the United States,’ Captain Kirk, and Counselor Troi on our side.”

Paul Watson and Stephanie Gilmore

Serving with Connery on the Board will be one of the greatest surfers of all time, four-time Women’s World Surfing Champion Stephanie Gilmore. Stephanie joins Kelly Slater and world-renowned Free Surfer Dave “Rasta” Rastovich as the trinity of surfers on Sea Shepherd’s International Board of Advisors.

“Having Stephanie on our team with Kelly and Rasta places Sea Shepherd in very high regard in the surfing world,” said Captain Watson. “Surfers are the greatest human ambassadors for the sea and these three world-class athletes are each a very powerful voice for ocean conservation. Together they represent a huge wave of support in our efforts to defend biodiversity and life in our seas.”

Joining Connery and Gilmore is writer, producer and director Sam Simon, who has worked on such critically acclaimed TV classics as Taxi, Cheers, The Tracey Ullman Show, The Drew Carey Show, and The Simpsons, which he co-created. Simon is the recipient of a dozen Emmys and a Peabody award. Known also as a dedicated philanthropist, he works tirelessly on behalf of animals and the disabled. Simon recently hosted an exclusive Hollywood fundraiser for Sea Shepherd’s soon-to-launch Antarctic whale defense campaign, Operation Divine Wind.

In speaking of his new advisory role, Simon explained: “I’m proud to be a member of Sea Shepherd’s International Board of Advisors and look forward to the day direct action brings an end to whaling and other outdated horrors.”

Connery, Gilmore and Simon join a slate of esteemed advisors from the animal protection, conservation, media, arts, legal, and business communities who all lend their expertise in support of Sea Shepherd’s mission to defend, conserve and protect ocean wildlife worldwide.

Source: Sea Shepherd

File photo: Japanese Coast Guard personnel hurl flash bang grenades during Operation Migaloo in 2008

Thirty million dollars buys a great deal of influence and can exert immense pressure when defending an illegal activity.

In an act of desperation, the Japanese whalers armed with a war chest of some $US30 million allocated by the Japanese government from the tsunami earthquake relief fund are throwing a great deal of muscle into their efforts to stop the Sea Shepherd ships from saving whales this season.

The latest move has the Japanese whalers filing a lawsuit in a U.S. Court to prohibit Sea Shepherd from intervening against illegal Japanese whaling operations. Sea Shepherd dismisses this suit as frivolous and nothing more than the whalers attempting to use litigation as a weapon against Sea Shepherd.

“We have won this round already,” said Captain Paul Watson. “Last season we defeated the whalers and sent them home in humiliation after they were only able to kill 17% of their quota. This year will be more challenging. Thirty million dollars buys a great deal of influence and we are expecting a full onslaught of harassment and bureaucratic obstacles from Japan and from the governments, courts and media they are able to influence.

“It will be a challenging season and the most dangerous campaign to date as we head down for our eighth year of interventions against the whale poachers of the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary.”

Sea Shepherd is undeterred by this latest attempt to stop us in the U.S. Courts.

“This seems like a frivolous lawsuit to me,” said Captain Watson. “We have the images of the Japanese whalers destroying one of our ships, ramming our ships, running over our crew, firing upon us, throwing concussion grenades, deploying acoustical weapons, hitting us with water cannons and bamboo spears and they are suing us because they are accusing us of violence towards them. We have not rammed them and we have not caused a single injury nor have we been charged with a crime or even reprimanded by anyone for our actions. We have cooperated with every inquiry. They have not. This is simply a case of using the courts to harass us. I don’t believe they have a case and I doubt a U.S. court would take this seriously. Unlike Japan, the courts in the United States don’t automatically do what the government demands that they do.”

Sea Shepherd has more important issues to address than being distracted by lawsuits. “Our entire focus for the next three months will be on preventing the ruthless and illegal slaughter of whales in the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary,“ said Captain Watson. “We will not be deterred by force, by lawsuits, by bureaucrats, by critics or by any government. We act non-violently within the boundaries of the law and we save whales from a criminal operation in a whale sanctuary.”

All this muscle is simply the last gasp of a dying, ecologically destructive and ruthless industry. Sea Shepherd will never abandon the whales of the Southern Ocean no matter how heavy handed the Japanese whalers become. The only way they will stop us is to kill us and they may be just desperate enough to do just that.”

Source: Sea Shepherd

The barbarian butchers of the Danish Protectorate of the Faeroe Islands have begun their ghastly slaughter early this year with the bloody slaughter of 60 defenseless pilot whales. In a world where civilized nations come to the rescue of stranded whales, the one place on the planet that demonstrates no mercy is this group of islands situated between Scotland and Iceland.

Sea Shepherd Conservation Society will be taking our ships to the Faeroes this summer to once again intervene to defend the whales from the thugs who slash, stab, and club these beautiful socially complex, sentient creatures.

Not all the Faeroese are heartless, however. A few brave souls are speaking out in opposition to their sadistic countrymen, and one of our supporters in the Faeroes sent us the photos in this update this morning. The supporter who sent these photos commented,  “I wish that Sea Shepherd was here. The killing was not quick and some whales took one to two minutes to die…terrible to watch.”

Sea Shepherd has gone to the Faeroes in the past, but this time we return stronger, better equipped, and more experienced than ever and we are returning with a technology that will serve the whales well this summer. In the meantime, until our ships can reach the bloody drenched shores of the Ferocious Isles, the butchers will have free reign to torment and inflict a vicious slaughter to entire families of gentle, wondrous cetaceans.

The Faeroes receive all the benefits of the European Union but consider themselves exempt from the laws of the European Union. The slaughter of the pilot whales is a violation of the Berne Convention. Iceland cannot join the European Union until they stop killing whales, yet the Faeroes are given an exemption by Denmark. Sea Shepherd Conservation Society has joined forces with the Brigitte Bardot Foundation in Europe to bring the Faeroes into compliance with the laws of Europe.

Read the complete article

Source: Sea Shepherd

It’s official – the Japanese whaling fleet has called it quits in the Southern Ocean, at least for this season. And if they return next season, Sea Shepherd Conservation Society will be ready to resume their efforts to obstruct and disable illegal Japanese whaling operations.

“The Nisshin Maru made a significant course change immediately after the Japanese government made it official that the whaling fleet has been recalled,” said Captain Alex Cornelissen from the Bob Barker. “She looks like she’s going home!”

The Sea Shepherd ship Bob Barker has been tailing the Japanese Nisshin Maru factory ship since February 9th making it impossible for the whalers to continue their illegal whaling operations.

“I have a crew of 88 very happy people from 23 different nations including Japan and they are absolutely thrilled that the whalers are heading home and the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary is now indeed a real sanctuary,” said Captain Paul Watson.

The Sea Shepherd ships Steve Irwin, Bob Barker, and Gojira will remain in the Southern Ocean to escort the Japanese ships northward. “We will not leave the whale sanctuary until the last whaling ship has departed,” said Gojira captain Locky MacLean.

“This is a great victory for the whales,” said Captain Watson, “but we did not do this alone. Without the support of the people of Australia and New Zealand, we would not have been able to send voyages out for seven seasons from Australian and New Zealand ports. We are grateful to Senator Bob Brown and the Australian Greens Party. We are very grateful to Mr. Bob Barker for giving us the ship that turned the tide in our efforts to force the Japanese fleet from these waters. We are grateful to all our onshore staff and volunteers, supporting members and ship crews. We are grateful to the Chilean Navy and the government of France for their support. It is a very happy day for people everywhere who love whales and our oceans.”

It’s official – the killing of whales in the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary is over for this season and the whalers did not even take 10% of their quota. Sea Shepherd estimates that over 900 whales have been saved this year.

“It’s a great day for the whales,” said Sea Shepherd Chief Cook on the Steve Irwin Laura Dakin of Canberra, Australia, “and it’s a great day for humanity!”

Sea Shepherd official Website: http://www.seashepherd.org/

Foto: Sea Shepherd

Het ministerie van Visserij in Japan heeft haar walvisvloot teruggehaald uit het jachtgebied. De reden daarvoor is dat ze teveel worden lastiggevallen door de activisten van Sea Shepherd.

De afgelopen jaren maken zij jacht op de Japanse vloot waarbij ze het vangen van walvissen bijna onmogelijk maken.

Al weken wordt er nu geen walvis meer gevangen en halen de walvisvaarders nog geen 10 procent van het quotum.
Afgelopen dagen viel het kapitein Bob Barker van Sea Shepherd op dat de Japanse vloot ”als een fles in het rond draaide om te bepalen welke koers ze nu weer zou uitzetten. Er zit geen logica in deze koerswijzigingen. Ze gaan naar het oosten, naar het zuiden, dan naar het westen, naar het noorden en dan weer terug naar het oosten. Kortom, ze verbruiken een hoop brandstof, gaan absoluut nergens heen en zijn bij dit alles niet in staat ook maar een enkele walvis te doden”

Een woordvoerder van Sea Shepherd Nederland laat in een reactie weten blij te zijn met het vertrek van de Japanse vloot. ”Er zijn zat zeedieren over om in onze volgende stap bescherming te bieden”.

Bron: Blik op het nieuws