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Sea Shepherd Conservation Society’s first international team of volunteer Cove Guardians is on the ground in Taiji, Japan for the official launch of Operation Henkaku (Operation Metamorphosis), the sixth consecutive year of Sea Shepherd’s Dolphin Defense Campaign. The team arrived over the weekend and is on site for the start of season in Taiji on Sept. 1.
The Cove Guardians will once again be present for the entire six-month hunt season, from Sept. 1 until March, documenting and live streaming every capture and every slaughter of dolphins and small whales, bringing continuous pressure upon Japan to end the bloodshed. Each year, the drive hunt conducted by the Taiji Fishermen’s Union drives more than a thousand cetaceans — entire pods at a time — into Taiji’s killing cove. Once netted in the shallow waters, the dolphins or small whales face brutal slaughter before the eyes of their family or violent capture for a life of imprisonment in captivity. In recent years, the hunt has sparked massive international outrage and media firestorms, thanks in large part to the efforts of Sea Shepherd’s Cove Guardians – the only group on the ground in Taiji daily throughout the hunt season each year since 2010.
Captive Cetacean Industry
This season, Sea Shepherd’s campaign will also have an increased focus on raising crucial awareness of the inextricable link between the slaughter in Taiji and the global captive cetacean industry. It is widely believed that the drive hunt could not be sustained entirely by the sale of dolphin meat for human consumption. Sea Shepherd has long maintained that it is the highly lucrative international trade in live cetaceans for captivity that is the economic fuel driving the hunting boats as they leave Taiji Harbor daily in search of pods. In May of this year, the Japanese Association of Zoos and Aquariums (JAZA) voted to end purchases by its member aquariums of cetaceans captured in Taiji, in response to a statement from the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums (WAZA) that JAZA must take this action or lose its WAZA membership. Though not yet an end to the hunt, JAZA’s decision is an important step that will decrease demand for Taiji-caught cetaceans, who end up in captive facilities in Japan or overseas. However, it is imperative that the global demand for captive dolphins and whales be ended. Because the Taiji hunters can sell just one trained captive dolphin for as much as $250,000 USD, there is much economic incentive to supply these wild-caught marine mammals in the captive trade.
Taiji Fishermen's Union Quota
The quota, self-allocated by the Taiji Fishermen’s Union, allows for a total of 1,873 cetaceans to be captured and slaughtered during the 2015-2016 hunt season. This figure includes 462 bottlenose dolphins, 450 striped dolphins, 400 pantropical spotted dolphins, 256 Risso’s dolphins, 134 Pacific white-sided dolphins, 101 pilot whales and 70 false killer whales.
“As Sea Shepherd has done annually since 2010, we will continue to document and live stream from the cove to expose this senseless massacre that claims entire pods of dolphins and small whales. The work of our Cove Guardians has brought these atrocities to the eyes of the world – and the world has spoken up and said these wild, migrating cetaceans are not Japan’s for the taking,” said Sea Shepherd Campaign Coordinator, David Hance. “This year, we will also be raising more awareness than ever before of the captive industry’s role in the slaughter. The aquariums, marine parks and other facilities around the world that hold cetaceans captive have blood on their hands. Sea Shepherd believes that ending the global demand for captive dolphins and whales will ultimately bring an end to Taiji’s drive hunt.”
Cove Guardians Denied Entry into Japan
On Thursday, Aug. 27, veteran Sea Shepherd volunteer Karen Hagen of Norway was detained by Japanese Immigration upon arrival in Fukuoka, Japan by ferry from Busan, South Korea. After being interrogated for two hours and held for more than six hours, she was refused entry into the country and deported to South Korea. Immigration officials repeatedly changed their stated reason for denying Hagen entry, and when these reasons were refuted, they ultimately did not provide an explanation. Over the weekend, another veteran, Linda Trapp of the USA, was denied entry because officials said her reasons for visiting did not comport with tourism. Last season, several returning Cove Guardians were detained and sent home upon their arrival to the country. No reason has been given for the denials, but Japan has claimed that the volunteers arriving with tourist visas are not tourists.
Sea Shepherd believes these refusals are evidence that Japan is becoming increasingly desperate in its attempts to hide the shameful acts of Taiji’s dolphin killers, and increasingly aware that Sea Shepherd has been effective in exposing these acts globally. “Despite these entry denials, we have Cove Guardians on the ground, and we will all season,” said Hance. “Sea Shepherd’s volunteers are dedicated people who travel from the around the world to Taiji because they are committed to ending the slaughter. Japan cannot stop a movement driven by compassion.”
Volunteer to be a Cove Guardian
Sea Shepherd Cove Guardians document as a pod of Pacific white sided dolphins faces captive selectionSea Shepherd invites supporters and individuals concerned for the dolphins and small whales to join us on the ground in Taiji. Those who are interested in volunteering as a Cove Guardian this season, should email groundcrew@seashepherd.org to express their interest.
For six months of each year, entire family units, or pods, of dolphins and small whales are driven into the cove. Banger poles are struck against the side of the hunting boats to create a “wall of sound,” disorienting the sound-sensitive marine mammals and making it nearly impossible for them to escape the drive. The members of these frightened pods will face either imprisonment in captivity or brutal slaughter before the eyes of their families. Killers and trainers work side-by-side to select the “prettiest” dolphins and whales for captivity, those without visible scars. The others are mercilessly stabbed with a metal spike inserted into their backs, just behind the blowhole, to sever their spine. The dolphins slowly and painfully bleed to death or drown in the blood of their family members – others may die slowly as they are tethered and dragged to the butcherhouse, where the once living and free cetaceans are butchered and processed into meat. These inhumane killings are a blemish upon Japan, whose government refuses to sign on to many protection efforts and regulations for marine mammals, despite most of the world recognizing the need to protect these self-aware, beloved and imperiled animals.
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Cove Guardian volunteer Linda Trapp.
Photo: Sea ShepherdSea Shepherd veteran crewmember Linda Trapp of the USA has been denied entry into Japan to document the brutal capture and slaughter of dolphins and small whales in Taiji on behalf of Sea Shepherd’s Operation Henkaku (Operation Metamorphosis) campaign. This is Japan’s second denial of Sea Shepherd volunteer this season as they attempt to hide the brutal slaughter of dolphins documented in Taiji by the Cove Guardians.
On Sunday, Aug. 30 (Japan time), Trapp was detained by Japanese Immigration upon arrival in Osaka, Japan. After being interrogated for nearly five hours, she was refused entry into the country and is still being held in the airport secured area and waiting for a flight back home, which is expected to depart in the next 24 hours. Japanese Immigration officials said the reason she was denied entry is that her activities are not consistent with those that fall under Japan’s “tourism clause.” Trapp, 56, is a two-year veteran Sea Shepherd crewmember and a respected retired homicide detective with the Washington County Sheriff Department in Oregon, USA.
This is not the first time a Sea Shepherd volunteer has been refused entry to Japan. On August 27, Sea Shepherd veteran Karen Hagen of Norway, a kindergarten teacher who was set to lead Operation Henkaku at the start of the season, was denied entry. Last season, several returning Cove Guardians were detained and sent home upon their arrival to the country. In December 2014, then Senior Cove Guardian Campaign Leader Melissa Sehgal was interrogated for nearly nine hours and detained for 24 hours before being escorted onto a flight out of Japan. No valid reason has been given for the denials, but Japan has claimed that the volunteers arriving with tourist visas are not tourists.
This pattern of entry denials is not unexpected, as Japan will go to great lengths to try and hide the bloodshed suffered by dolphins in the cove from the world. Furthermore, the denials are evidence that Japan knows Sea Shepherd has been effective in exposing these atrocities to the world.
“Linda Trapp, a retired homicide detective, is a respected member of her community. Like all of our Cove Guardian crew, she traveled to Japan to peacefully document and expose the brutal drive hunt in Taiji within the boundaries of Japanese law. Though carried out by only a handful of hunters, this massacre of ocean wildlife is a stain on the entire nation of Japan. As Sea Shepherd Founder, Captain Paul Watson, has said, our volunteers are ‘armed’ with the world’s most powerful weapon – the camera,” said Sea Shepherd Campaign Coordinator, David Hance. “The 2015-2016 hunt season marks Sea Shepherd’s sixth consecutive year in Taiji, and our promise to the dolphins has not wavered: we will not stop until the slaughter ends. We are not deterred. We already have other volunteers on the ground in Taiji and there are thousands of Sea Shepherds around the world, including inside the nation of Japan. They can’t keep all of us out. We will have a strong presence at the cove once more.”
More Sea Shepherd volunteers will soon be arriving in Japan to take up positions along the cove with those already on the ground, as Sea Shepherd has done each year since 2010 when Operation Infinite Patience was officially launched, creating a continuous presence of Cove Guardians throughout the hunt season. As the world becomes increasingly aware of the Taiji slaughter and its inextricable link to the global captive trade that fuels demand for wild-caught dolphins and whales, Sea Shepherd has reimagined its Dolphin Defense Campaign, now named Operation Henkaku, and will have a stronger focus this year on raising crucial awareness of the captive industry’s role in the drive hunt. Sea Shepherd believes the profitable trade of live cetaceans for captivity is the true economic fuel behind the hunt, and that the sale of dolphin meat for human consumption alone could not sustain the hunt. While one slaughtered dolphin is worth only approximately $600 for its meat, one trained captive dolphin can be sold by Taiji’s hunters for $250,000 USD. Sea Shepherd has long emphasized that the most effective way that individuals can oppose the slaughter is to stop patronizing aquariums, marine parks, and swim-with-dolphin facilities that hold whales and dolphins captive.
Each year from Sept. until March, entire family units, or pods, of dolphins and small whales at a time are driven into Taiji’s killing cove. Banger poles are struck against the side of the hunting boats to create a “wall of sound,” disorienting the sound-sensitive marine mammals and making it nearly impossible for them to escape the drive. Once netted within the shallow waters of the cove, there is no escape and the members of these frightened pods will face either imprisonment in captivity or brutal slaughter before the eyes of their families. Killers and trainers work side-by-side to select the “prettiest” dolphins and whales for captivity, those without visible scars. The others are mercilessly stabbed with a metal spike inserted into their backs, just behind the blowhole, to sever their spine. The dolphins slowly and painfully bleed to death or drown in the blood of their family members – others may die slowly as they are tethered and dragged to the butcherhouse, where the once living and free cetaceans are butchered and processed into meat. These inhumane killings are a blemish upon Japan, whose government refuses to sign on to many protection efforts and regulations for marine mammals, despite most of the world recognizing the need to protect these self-aware, beloved and imperiled animals.
Sea Shepherd’s Cove Guardians are the only group on the ground in Taiji every day throughout the six-month hunt season each year, ensuring that no cetacean is captured or slaughtered unseen by the world. “Because we serve as the eyes of the international community at the cove, it is important that we have volunteers on the ground throughout the season. Sea Shepherd is encouraging our supporters around the world to stand with us in Taiji. Those who would like to volunteer to be a Cove Guardian should contact us at groundcrew@seashepherd.org to express their interest,” said Hance. “The dolphins need you now.”
Cove Guardian volunteer Linda Trapp.
Photo: Sea ShepherdSea Shepherd veteran crewmember Linda Trapp of the USA has been denied entry into Japan to document the brutal capture and slaughter of dolphins and small whales in Taiji on behalf of Sea Shepherd’s Operation Henkaku (Operation Metamorphosis) campaign. This is Japan’s second denial of Sea Shepherd volunteer this season as they attempt to hide the brutal slaughter of dolphins documented in Taiji by the Cove Guardians.
Sea Shepherd veteran crewmember Linda Trapp of the USA has been denied entry into Japan to document the brutal capture and slaughter of dolphins and small whales in Taiji on behalf of Sea Shepherd’s Operation Henkaku (Operation Metamorphosis) campaign.
On Sunday, Aug. 30 (Japan time), Trapp was detained by Japanese Immigration upon arrival in Osaka, Japan. After being interrogated for nearly five hours, she was refused entry into the country and is still being held in the airport secured area and waiting for a flight back home, which is expected to depart in the next 24 hours. Japanese Immigration officials said the reason she was denied entry is that her activities are not consistent with those that fall under Japan’s “tourism clause.” Trapp, 56, is a two-year veteran Sea Shepherd crewmember and a respected retired homicide detective with the Washington County Sheriff Department in Oregon, USA.
This is not the first time a Sea Shepherd volunteer has been refused entry to Japan. On August 27, Sea Shepherd veteran Karen Hagen of Norway, a kindergarten teacher who was set to lead Operation Henkaku at the start of the season, was denied entry. Last season, several returning Cove Guardians were detained and sent home upon their arrival to the country. In December 2014, then Senior Cove Guardian Campaign Leader Melissa Sehgal was interrogated for nearly nine hours and detained for 24 hours before being escorted onto a flight out of Japan. No valid reason has been given for the denials, but Japan has claimed that the volunteers arriving with tourist visas are not tourists.
This pattern of entry denials is not unexpected, as Japan will go to great lengths to try and hide the bloodshed suffered by dolphins in the cove from the world. Furthermore, the denials are evidence that Japan knows Sea Shepherd has been effective in exposing these atrocities to the world.
“Linda Trapp, a retired homicide detective, is a respected member of her community. Like all of our Cove Guardian crew, she traveled to Japan to peacefully document and expose the brutal drive hunt in Taiji within the boundaries of Japanese law. Though carried out by only a handful of hunters, this massacre of ocean wildlife is a stain on the entire nation of Japan. As Sea Shepherd Founder, Captain Paul Watson, has said, our volunteers are ‘armed’ with the world’s most powerful weapon – the camera,” said Sea Shepherd Campaign Coordinator, David Hance. “The 2015-2016 hunt season marks Sea Shepherd’s sixth consecutive year in Taiji, and our promise to the dolphins has not wavered: we will not stop until the slaughter ends. We are not deterred. We already have other volunteers on the ground in Taiji and there are thousands of Sea Shepherds around the world, including inside the nation of Japan. They can’t keep all of us out. We will have a strong presence at the cove once more.”
More Sea Shepherd volunteers will soon be arriving in Japan to take up positions along the cove with those already on the ground, as Sea Shepherd has done each year since 2010 when Operation Infinite Patience was officially launched, creating a continuous presence of Cove Guardians throughout the hunt season. As the world becomes increasingly aware of the Taiji slaughter and its inextricable link to the global captive trade that fuels demand for wild-caught dolphins and whales, Sea Shepherd has reimagined its Dolphin Defense Campaign, now named Operation Henkaku, and will have a stronger focus this year on raising crucial awareness of the captive industry’s role in the drive hunt. Sea Shepherd believes the profitable trade of live cetaceans for captivity is the true economic fuel behind the hunt, and that the sale of dolphin meat for human consumption alone could not sustain the hunt. While one slaughtered dolphin is worth only approximately $600 for its meat, one trained captive dolphin can be sold by Taiji’s hunters for $250,000 USD. Sea Shepherd has long emphasized that the most effective way that individuals can oppose the slaughter is to stop patronizing aquariums, marine parks, and swim-with-dolphin facilities that hold whales and dolphins captive.
Each year from Sept. until March, entire family units, or pods, of dolphins and small whales at a time are driven into Taiji’s killing cove. Banger poles are struck against the side of the hunting boats to create a “wall of sound,” disorienting the sound-sensitive marine mammals and making it nearly impossible for them to escape the drive. Once netted within the shallow waters of the cove, there is no escape and the members of these frightened pods will face either imprisonment in captivity or brutal slaughter before the eyes of their families. Killers and trainers work side-by-side to select the “prettiest” dolphins and whales for captivity, those without visible scars. The others are mercilessly stabbed with a metal spike inserted into their backs, just behind the blowhole, to sever their spine. The dolphins slowly and painfully bleed to death or drown in the blood of their family members – others may die slowly as they are tethered and dragged to the butcherhouse, where the once living and free cetaceans are butchered and processed into meat. These inhumane killings are a blemish upon Japan, whose government refuses to sign on to many protection efforts and regulations for marine mammals, despite most of the world recognizing the need to protect these self-aware, beloved and imperiled animals.
Sea Shepherd’s Cove Guardians are the only group on the ground in Taiji every day throughout the six-month hunt season each year, ensuring that no cetacean is captured or slaughtered unseen by the world. “Because we serve as the eyes of the international community at the cove, it is important that we have volunteers on the ground throughout the season. Sea Shepherd is encouraging our supporters around the world to stand with us in Taiji. Those who would like to volunteer to be a Cove Guardian should contact us at groundcrew@seashepherd.org to express their interest,” said Hance. “The dolphins need you now.”
Patch.com |
Whale Found Dead in Oakland Estuary Killed by Ship Strike
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Patch.com |
Whale Found Dead in Oakland Estuary Killed by Ship Strike
Patch.com A whale found dead in the Oakland Estuary on Wednesday died from blunt force trauma caused by a ship strike, according to scientists who conducted a necropsy. A team of 14 scientists from the Marine Mammal Center in Sausalito and the California ... Dead whale in Oakland Estuary towed awayOroville Mercury Register all 6 news articles » |
Patch.com |
Whale Found Dead in Oakland Estuary Killed by Ship Strike
Patch.com A whale found dead in the Oakland Estuary on Wednesday died from blunt force trauma caused by a ship strike, according to scientists who conducted a necropsy. A team of 14 scientists from the Marine Mammal Center in Sausalito and the California ... Dead whale in Oakland Estuary towed awayOroville Mercury Register all 5 news articles » |
Patch.com |
Whale Found Dead in Oakland Estuary Killed by Ship Strike
Patch.com A whale found dead in the Oakland Estuary on Wednesday died from blunt force trauma caused by a ship strike, according to scientists who conducted a necropsy today. A team of 14 scientists from the Marine Mammal Center in Sausalito and the California ... and more » |
Patch.com |
Whale Found Dead in Oakland Estuary Killed by Ship Strike
Patch.com A whale found dead in the Oakland Estuary on Wednesday died from blunt force trauma caused by a ship strike, according to scientists who conducted a necropsy today. A team of 14 scientists from the Marine Mammal Center in Sausalito and the California ... and more » |
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Commentary by Sea Shepherd Founder, Captain Paul Watson
The MV Sam Simon and the HDMS Triton.
Photo: Sea ShepherdIt really is unbelievable that Denmark is spending so much money deploying a frigate, a patrol boat, a helicopter and so many military personnel to defend the slaughter of pilot whales and dolphins.
I think this qualifies as a military engagement between the Kingdom of Denmark and Sea Shepherd. The pictures remind me of the British blockade of Napoleonic France or the U.S. blockade of the Southern States. It is a genuine military blockade. Sea Shepherd is flattered.
In light of recent Danish naval complaints of inadequate funding, the Danish people should be asking themselves – is this charade really worth the millions of euros in tax dollars it is costing?
Pilot whale and dolphin meat, which the Faroese brag is "free" meat, has now become the most expensive meat in the world – free to the Faroese, but extremely expensive for the Danes.
I wonder what those Danish sailors are thinking. So proud to be defending whale killers in the Faroes, a place that makes no secret of its open contempt for Denmark, yet welcomes Denmark’s military to defend the Grind.
Actually when you think about it, this is pretty damn smart of the Faroese. They get military force to protect the killing of pilot whales and other species of dolphins, and at the same time, they get to enjoy Denmark's embarrassment before the eyes of the world.
Here's to the Danish Navy
Defending Denmark, well maybe,
As the whalers laugh and jeer,
Cursing Denmark over their beer,
While eating whale with Danish gravy.
I challenged the whalers to a debate,
To discuss the mercury on their plate.
No one has come forth,
Of these pseudo-Vikings from the North,
So I'll simply be patient and wait.
Update from Sea Shepherd - Cat and Mouse at 12 Miles:
As the five Sea Shepherd volunteers who were arrested for defending pilot whales head into court today, the MV Bob Barker and the MV Sam Simon are at the 12 nautical mile limit of Faroe Islands.
The Danish navy vessel, HDMS Triton, is regularly found within the vicinity of the Sea Shepherd ships.
The small boat, Farley, remains in police custody in the Faroe Islands, despite the fact that charges against the Sea Shepherd volunteers which resulted in the small boat’s confiscation have been dropped.
Commentary by Sea Shepherd Founder, Captain Paul Watson
“I would like to throw out a challenge to any Faroese pilot whale killer or supporter of this horrific slaughter.” Photo: Sea Shepherd/Mayk WendtI was supposed to appear on RT Television yesterday to debate an official representative from the Faroe Islands. Apparently the representative had agreed to do so. And then, apparently, they changed their mind.
This was the message Sea Shepherd received from RT:
“Sorry to get back to you at such a late hour, but unfortunately we are not going to be able to have Paul Watson join us today on the show. We received an official response from the representative of the Faroe Islands and they refuse to talk with us unless we take down our previous video footage. They also will not directly debate Paul Watson. This is unfortunate, since we think, and I am sure that you agree, this would have been a great opportunity for both sides to come out openly and state their positions. In any case, we would like to still be in touch with the Sea Shepherd organization and with Captain Paul Watson for future collaboration. Thank you so much for your time and effort in trying to get this interview off of the ground.” (Producer, Watching the Hawks - RT)
It is of course outrageous that they would demand that news footage be removed as a condition for a debate or an interview. Their refusal to debate me is not surprising considering that they really do not have much of a defense for their slaughter of pilot whales and dolphins.
However, in light of the government’s refusal to defend the Grindadráp (whale murder) in the international media, I would like to throw out a challenge to any Faroese pilot whale killer or supporter of this horrific slaughter.
Is there a whaler in the Faroe Islands with the courage of his or her convictions to debate the Grind with me on television?
The Faroese whalers have been saying we are misleading the media and the public. Here is a chance to explain just why you think so. It’s a chance to tell the world your side of the controversy. It’s a chance to attempt to defend the indefensible.
There must be at least one whaler in the Faroes with the courage to defend the Grindadráp before an international audience and, if so, I look forward to a spirited and educational debate.
So far the only Faroese who has dared to challenge me in a debate was Heri Joensen, the lead singer of the heavy metal Viking pagan band Týron. (He's the guy with the sword playing dress up). He did so in 2012 on Animal Planet. Joensen simply reinforced my arguments and gave the world an appropriate image of the slaughter in my opinion.
In an interview on the Norse Mythology Blog, Joensen said this about whales:
“The whale is an animal like any other animal. They get really kind of glorified in the modern media, to an extent that I think is completely unreasonable. It’s not like torturing a chimpanzee to death or anything like that. The pilot whale is a very docile and peaceful animal, like a cow. It’s not like you have to fight it to death, like you would struggle with any wild animal. It behaves like a cow. You can hold it with one hand, and it just stays right there. So it’s quite easy to kill them.”
Joensen even wrote a song about me amusingly called “Sinking the Rainbow Warrior.” Aside from the fact that he confused Sea Shepherd with Greenpeace, his description of us as “weaklings on the food chain” and advising us to “change our evil ways” was indicative of his macho, pseudo-Viking mentality.
Needless to say, the debate was simply silly. His position was that saving whales is evil and killing whales is noble.
Hopefully someone else can rise above that sort of silliness to deliver a credible and convincing defense. However, I seriously doubt that anyone can.
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Asian Scientist Magazine |
Conserving Indonesia's Mangroves Could Mitigate Climate Change
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Cash bid hope for estuary barrage plans
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River Orwell estuary wildlife speed warning
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