Australia releases Japanese whaling pictures
(Updates with government legal warning, Greenpeace)
By Rob Taylor
CANBERRA, Feb 7 (Reuters) - Australia released on Thursday pictures of whales being killed by Japan in the Southern Ocean, fueling public anger and prompting a warning to Tokyo that legal evidence was mounting against the yearly hunt.
A photo of an adult minke whale and her calf being towed up the rear ramp of a Japanese factory processing ship in Antarctic waters prompted headlines including "They call it science".
"When I saw the photos I just felt a bit of a sick feeling as well as a sense of sadness," Environment Minister Peter Garrett said. One image showed what appeared to be the young whale's intestine spilling from an explosive harpoon wound.
"This isn't about science, it isn't about research. They're calling it science, but really it's killing whales," Garrett said.
Japan plans to hunt almost 1,000 minke and fin whales for research over the Antarctic summer.
Despite a moratorium on whaling, Japan is allowed an annual "scientific" hunt, arguing whaling is a cherished tradition and the hunt is necessary to study whales. Its fleet has killed 7,000 Antarctic minkes over the past 20 years.
Australia fisheries and customs patrol ship sent to the Southern Ocean to gather photo and video evidence of Japan's scientific whaling for a possible challenge in international legal tribunals.
Home Affairs Minister Bob Debus said the images were "shocking" and added to legal weight against Japan's annual hunt as the Humane Society International urges Canberra to launch a case in the International Tribunal of the Law of the Sea.
"They will help us to back up the Australian government's argument in an international court case, the details of which are still to be worked out, to suggest that whaling should be stopped," Debus told reporters.
In one photo a banner hangs from the back of the factory ship saying it is conducting "legal research under the ICRW (International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling)".
The mother and her calf, which experts said was under a year old, were tied at the tail by cables as Japanese crew in hard hats looked down on Australian customs officers in an orange inflatable boat.
Another photo shows a whale tethered to harpoon lines at the bow of a whaling ship boarded by anti-whalers last month. The government had initially refused to release images to avoid angering Japan, the country's second biggest trade partner.
Australia's Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has promised a stronger effort to try and stop the cull, although both countries have agreed not to let Canberra's opposition to whaling "influence diplomatic negotiations".
Anti-whaling activists left the Southern Ocean last week to refuel in Australia and the hardline Sea Shepherd protest group will return in a week to harass the six-ship Japanese fleet.
"It's very disappointing. It's distressing when you think that it can take up to 15 minutes after a harpoon actually hits a whale for the whale to die. "It's even sadder when you consider there's a calf involved," Garrett told local television.
The Sea Shepherd group said they would try and accelerate their departure for Antarctica after the release of the pictures to launch more protest action.
"We are anxious to get back as soon as possible and we are doing everything possible to stop them killing more whales," spokesman Tom Baldwin told Reuters.
Greenpeace Australia chief executive Steve Shallhorn said the images showed Japan did not care if the whalers killed mothers or infants.
"Now that the Australian government has its own evidence of the whale hunt, we expect this to spur them to action at the International Whaling Commission and beyond," Shallhorn said.
(Editing by Sanjeev Miglani)
By Rob Taylor
CANBERRA, Feb 7 (Reuters) - Australia released on Thursday pictures of whales being killed by Japan in the Southern Ocean, fueling public anger and prompting a warning to Tokyo that legal evidence was mounting against the yearly hunt.
A photo of an adult minke whale and her calf being towed up the rear ramp of a Japanese factory processing ship in Antarctic waters prompted headlines including "They call it science".
"When I saw the photos I just felt a bit of a sick feeling as well as a sense of sadness," Environment Minister Peter Garrett said. One image showed what appeared to be the young whale's intestine spilling from an explosive harpoon wound.
"This isn't about science, it isn't about research. They're calling it science, but really it's killing whales," Garrett said.
Japan plans to hunt almost 1,000 minke and fin whales for research over the Antarctic summer.
Despite a moratorium on whaling, Japan is allowed an annual "scientific" hunt, arguing whaling is a cherished tradition and the hunt is necessary to study whales. Its fleet has killed 7,000 Antarctic minkes over the past 20 years.
Australia fisheries and customs patrol ship sent to the Southern Ocean to gather photo and video evidence of Japan's scientific whaling for a possible challenge in international legal tribunals.
Home Affairs Minister Bob Debus said the images were "shocking" and added to legal weight against Japan's annual hunt as the Humane Society International urges Canberra to launch a case in the International Tribunal of the Law of the Sea.
"They will help us to back up the Australian government's argument in an international court case, the details of which are still to be worked out, to suggest that whaling should be stopped," Debus told reporters.
In one photo a banner hangs from the back of the factory ship saying it is conducting "legal research under the ICRW (International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling)".
The mother and her calf, which experts said was under a year old, were tied at the tail by cables as Japanese crew in hard hats looked down on Australian customs officers in an orange inflatable boat.
Another photo shows a whale tethered to harpoon lines at the bow of a whaling ship boarded by anti-whalers last month. The government had initially refused to release images to avoid angering Japan, the country's second biggest trade partner.
Australia's Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has promised a stronger effort to try and stop the cull, although both countries have agreed not to let Canberra's opposition to whaling "influence diplomatic negotiations".
Anti-whaling activists left the Southern Ocean last week to refuel in Australia and the hardline Sea Shepherd protest group will return in a week to harass the six-ship Japanese fleet.
"It's very disappointing. It's distressing when you think that it can take up to 15 minutes after a harpoon actually hits a whale for the whale to die. "It's even sadder when you consider there's a calf involved," Garrett told local television.
The Sea Shepherd group said they would try and accelerate their departure for Antarctica after the release of the pictures to launch more protest action.
"We are anxious to get back as soon as possible and we are doing everything possible to stop them killing more whales," spokesman Tom Baldwin told Reuters.
Greenpeace Australia chief executive Steve Shallhorn said the images showed Japan did not care if the whalers killed mothers or infants.
"Now that the Australian government has its own evidence of the whale hunt, we expect this to spur them to action at the International Whaling Commission and beyond," Shallhorn said.
(Editing by Sanjeev Miglani)
© Thomson Reuters 2008 All rights reserved
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