Sea Shepherd crewman injured

Captain Paul Watson
Laurens De Groot of the Netherlands was slightly injured when struck in the face by a metal ball thrown by whalers. Whalers onboard the Yushin Maru #3 threw solid brass and lead balls at crewmembers on one of the Steve Irwin’s inflatables boats. Weather conditions are becoming increasing worse with heavy snow, fog, increasing swells and denser ice conditions.
Update on Previous Release February 2nd 0945 Hours (Sydney Time)

Second Sea Shepherd Crewmember Injured in Confrontation with Whalers

Laurens De Groot of the Netherlands was slightly injured when struck in the face by a metal ball thrown by whalers.

Whalers onboard the Yushin Maru #3 threw solid brass and lead balls at crewmembers on one of the Steve Irwin’s inflatables boats.

Weather conditions are becoming increasing worse with heavy snow, fog, increasing swells and denser ice conditions.

Previous release

Whalers Violently Defend Their Illegal Whaling Operations

A crewmember from the Steve Irwin was slightly injured after being struck by a high pressure water cannon fired from the Japanese whaling factory ship Nisshin Maru. One of the cameramen on one of the Steve Irwin’s inflatable boats was cut and bruised above the eye when a high pressure blast of water knocked him off his feet while he was filming.

The Sea Shepherd crew also discovered that the Japanese whaling fleet is deploying a new weapon in defence of their illegal whaling activities.

The factory ship the Nisshin Maru and the two harpoon vessel in the fleet are equipped with Long Range Acoustical Devices (LRAD). This is a military grade weapon system that sends out mid to high frequency sound waves designed to disorient and possibly incapacitate personal. It is basically an anti-personal weapons system.

The Steve Irwin has been chasing the Japanese whaling fleet for twenty-four at high speed through scattered ice fields and changing weather conditions for over three hundred miles westward across the top of the Ross Sea.

AT 0500 Hours (Sydney Time) the Steve Irwin deployed two fast inflatable boats and a helicopter to harass the fleet and to harry them along. Sea Shepherd’s strategy is to keep the whaling fleet on the move. If they are running they are not killing whales and no whales have been killed during the last 24 hours. In fact the Steve Irwin crew were excited to see Fin whales swimming alongside the ship as they pursued the whaling fleet.

The Japanese harpoon vessels have been maneuvering very close to the Steve Irwin to intimidate and to try and lead the Sea Shepherd ship away from the Nisshin Maru.

The confrontation that began in clear weather in dense ice and heavy swells became increasing treacherous as fog and blizzard conditions moved in around 0900 Hours.

The Steve Irwin crew have retreated when within range of the acoustic weapons.

“All we need to do is to keep them running and to keep them from whaling at that is exactly what we are doing. It is proving to be a very successful day.”

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