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Report from the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society ship Steve Irwin

After almost a week of battling dense fog and heavy winds and swells the Sea
Shepherd Conservation Society ship Steve Irwin has once more found the
Japanese whaling fleet.

The fleet was located at 0930 Hours at the position of 67 Degrees 18 Minutes
South and 163 Degrees 52 Minutes West.

"We are 7 miles from the fleet and approaching. We see the Nisshin Maru and
two harpoon vessels the Yushin Maru #1 and the Yushin Maru #2." Said Captain
Paul Watson. "They appear to be whaling and are not moving. If we don't
catch up with them before they begin to move, we are close enough now that
we will not lose the Nisshin Maru."

There is lots of loose ice and moderate patches of fog. The winds are at
forty knots meaning we still can't deploy the helicopter.

The Steve Irwin is now in close pursuit of the Japanese whaling fleet.

Captain Paul Watson
Master - The Steve Irwin
Founder and President of the
Sea Shepherd Conservation Society.
www.Seashepherd.org

~~~~~~~

February 1, 2009
In Pursuit of Cowards on a Hostile Sea

Commentary by Captain Paul Watson

For all of their macho bravado as big tough whaling men and their
connections with the thuggish Yakuza gangs, the whalers of the Japanese
fleet are like all bullies, basically cowards.

Once again we have intercepted the whaling fleet and once again they are
running. They were engaged in whaling operations when we approached them.
Upon sighting us they stopped whaling and began running.

It's a strange sight at the moment. The Sea Shepherd ship Steve Irwin
ploughing full speed through heavy seas taking white water over the bow,
drenching our small boat crew with cold showers every few minutes as they
work to make the fast inflatables ready for deployment. The winds are
blowing at forty knots and the sea is full of ice growlers with large
icebergs scattered all around us.

Six miles before our bow, the Japanese whaling factory ship the Nisshin
Maru, the ship we call the Cetacean Death Star is fleeing at full speed
before us. Fleeing alongside her is one of the Japanese harpoon vessels.
Behind us, at a distance of nine miles the other harpoon vessel is following
us.

The pursuit is strung out for fifteen miles across the top of the Ross Sea
some 2100 nautical miles Southwest of Hobart, Tasmania.

The Steve Irwin is gaining a half a knot on the Nisshin Maru every hour and
it may take 12 hours to close the gap but we have them in our sights
visually and the crew is confident that we can catch them.

The important thing is we caught them whaling and forced them to shut down
the hunt in order to flee from us.

The hunters are now the hunted and running scared. We have plenty of fuel to
keep chasing them and every day we keep them running is a day they can't
kill any whales.

They had a week to kill whales before we caught them on December 20th, 2008
and that chase lasted until January 7th, 2009 before the Steve Irwin was
forced to return to Tasmania to refuel. This gave the whalers three weeks to
hunt whales although short one harpoon vessel. Now on the first day of
February 2009, we have them on the run again. We know they won't be killing
any whales today and every day that now follows that they don't kill a whale
will be a victory.

Once again we are going to make sure they do not kill their quota and once
again we are going to cost these criminals, millions of dollars in lost
illicit profits.

The wind may be splattering stinging freezing salt water into our faces but
the crew of the Steve Irwin are very happy today. They are once again doing
what we come down to these remote and ferociously hostile waters to do -
saving whales.

As the ships raced through the heavy swells, I saw three spouts blowing to
the leeward side of us at only a quarter of a mile. Three whales surfaced
and swam alongside us, as their killers fled before us.

That sight alone has made my day.

~~~~~~

**We will be updating as Paul sends us his logues So check back frequently.

Read last years adventure here:
Sea Shepherd Chases Japanese Fleet Out of Australian Waters

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