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THIS IS A SPECTACULAR SUCCESS?

Talk about grasping at straws; the latest 'spin', in the Press Release folder, from Sea Shepherd Conservation Society is a classic of that modern journalistic style. It is reported that 507 whales have been slaughtered by the Japanese Whaling Fleet this season. That alone indicates a failure of the Sea Shepherd strategy and the actions it led too. Legally, as we all know by now, there should not even have been a whaling fleet hunting. It most certainly should not have been in the Southern Whale Sanctuary which, as we also all know, is supposed to be protected by the Government of Australia but is not. The Sea Shepherds claimed to fill this gap but their actions are so 'off-the-wall' as to be totally ineffective. This year they had a vessel sunk and its operator is in detention in Japan facing numerous charges in violation of Maritime Law both Japanese and International.

It is a little hard to know just who is in charge at the Sea Shepherds these days but it does not appear to be 'Wats-his-name'. Not much is heard from him, which is somewhat of a relief, and he is not in command of the MS Steve Irwin on its Trans-Pacific voyage. NAUTICAL LOG suspects that after the complete failure of Operation Waltzing Matilda his star may have wained somewhat.

The usual fact adjusted bombastic statements from 'Wats-his-name' are not in evidence. Instead we get a political correctly worded wimpy statement in reference to Takashi Mori comments on lack of whale samples:

"We hope so, but most importantly we know that the lack of research 'samples' will impact their profits, we hit them long and hard this year and all our efforts and risks have paid off. There are 528 whales swimming freely in the Southern Ocean that would now be dead if not for the fact that we intervened. It is a happy day for my crew and I and conservationists worldwide, a happy day indeed."

NAUTICAL LOG is happy also that the Japanese do not have their 'samples' but how the conclusion can be drawn that 528 whales are freely swimming in the Southern Ocean is a mystery. No doubt if one calculates using 'voodoo mathematics' such numbers might result. So while 'Wats-his-name' abandons his ship and crew on the Trans-Pacific voyage to relax with his 'hollywood type' friends one wonders where Sea Shepherds goes from here. As to the crew of MS Steve Irwin long sea voyages are conductive of long time deep thinking. Hopefully some at least will wise up too the fact that they are being used, and without pay, for one persons self-promotion and self-glorification.

This type of 'conservation' is a complete fraud. If their voyage concludes in Europe as is planned any action taken against the Mediterranean fishermen could all too easily end in a tragedy. Perhaps European Union government action on their arrival will prevent that happening.

Good Watch.

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