Sea Shepherd leaving Antarctica

[Guest guest]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – January 16, 2006 – 0830 GMT

 

For more information, pictures, or to interview

Captain Watson:

Sea Shepherd Conservation Society

 

Contact: Heather Callin

Phone: +1-360-370-5650

Website: www.seashepherd.org

Email: media

 

Sea Shepherd Forced to Retreat from Whaling Grounds

for Fuel

 

Sea Shepherd Conservation Society flagship, Farley

Mowat, has been forced to leave the Southern Oceans

and stop the month-long chase of the Japanese whaling

fleet. “We are disappointed to have to leave, but we

now have no alternative, as we no longer have the fuel

resources to stay. We have over stretched our fuel and

now have just enough to reach the nearest port,” said

Captain Paul Watson. Sea Shepherd had made

arrangements to refuel from a tanker near the French

Kerguelen Islands but the delivery was cancelled.

 

The Japanese whaling fleet illegally – and with

impunity – refueled from a tanker inside the Antarctic

Treaty Zone. The Sea Shepherd ship does not have that

luxury of operating in violation of the Antarctic

Treaty (and would not do so regardless).

 

The Farley Mowat has been at sea since December 6,

2005. “We have spent 40 days at sea and during that

time we have chased the Japanese fleet from 175

Degrees East to 65 Degrees East, a distance of over

4,000 kilometers,” reported Captain Watson. “We cannot

match their speed, so it has been a case of catching

up and forcing them to run, then catching up with them

again. They run every time they see us and overall we

have been able to keep them from killing whales for

over 15 days in total.”

 

The Farley Mowat must now head to the nearest port to

refuel. The last position of the Japanese whaling

fleet was 64-25S 63-20E (weather – foggy with light

snow), heading at a speed of 13 knots on a SW course

of 270 degrees. It will take the Farley Mowat 10 days

to reach the nearest port. “We pushed it as far as we

possibly could,” said 1st Officer Alex Cornelissen of

the Netherlands. “If we don’t run into any extreme

weather we should have just enough fuel to make land.”

 

Captain Paul Watson reports that he learned a great

deal about how to stop the Japanese whalers. “This

year we have kept them on the run and they ran from us

like cowards. We intimidated them. We knew we could

not outrun them; we were limited to chasing them. Next

year, it is our plan to return with a ship that can

match the speed of the Nisshin Maru. If we can keep up

with the outlaw whalers, we should be able to prevent

them from killing whales every day.”

 

“We wish the Greenpeace crew the best of luck in

their efforts to protest the illegal whaling

activities of the Japanese fleet. They have done an

excellent job in exposing the crimes of the whalers to

the public,” said Captain Watson from the Farley Mowat

which is now en route north from the Southern Ocean

Whale Sanctuary.

 

Sea Shepherd is committed to shutting down the 17 year

JARPA II program that has plans for the whalers to

slaughter over 18,000 piked whales (minke) and

thousands of endangered fin and humpback whales.

 

For pictures and more information, please visit:

http://media-antarctica.seashepherd2.org/

 

About Sea Shepherd Conservation Society

 

Established in 1977, Sea Shepherd Conservation Society

(SSCS) is an International non-profit conservation

organization whose mission is to defend, conserve, and

protect the world's marine wildlife and ecosystems.

Their website, www.seashepherd.org, documents SSCS

research, direct action, public education and outreach

programs, and illustrates how SSCS has continuously

worked for decades to eradicate pirate whaling,

poaching, shark finning, sealing, unlawful habitat

destruction, and other violations of established laws

intended to protect the world's oceans. Captain Paul

Watson, Sea Shepherd's founder and President, also

co-founder of Greenpeace Foundation, is a Director of

Sierra Club USA, and is a renowned, respected leader

in environmental issues.