In a bold move to protect the sanctity of the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary, environmentalist Capt Paul Watson and the dedicated crew of Neptune’s Pirates are set to embark on a mission to thwart Japan’s resumption of whaling activities at the end of this year, a release from the Captain Paul Watson Foundation said.
Japan’s recent announcement of the completion of the Kangei Maru, a 9,300-ton factory ship spanning 112m, signals a worrying escalation in the country’s pursuit of commercial whaling in the Antarctic Ocean, the release said. To counter the threat, Watson and his team have acquired a fast, long-range vessel, which will allow them to disrupt any attempts at whaling.
“The Japanese whalers are planning to target endangered fin whales, and we intend to stop them,” Watson said.
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Referring to a recent statement by Hideki Tokoro, president of Japanese whaling company Kyodo Senpaku, the foundation said the act of hunting endangered whales in the name of conservation defies logic and also violates international law. Tokoro told a press conference: “It’s important to protect marine resources, and we are the ones responsible for that… I believe that continuing [whaling] will benefit both Japan and the world.”
The foundation said that given the global moratorium on commercial whaling imposed by the International Whaling Commission in 1986, Japan’s actions would be both unlawful and unethical.
The Captain Paul Watson Foundation was set up in 2022 by Capt Watson, co-founder of Greenpeace and founder of Sea Shepherd, alongside tech entrepreneur Omar Todd, as a non-profit organization dedicated to marine conservation. Committed to halting habitat destruction and wildlife slaughter in the world’s oceans, the foundation aims to safeguard marine ecosystems and species and uses innovative direct-action tactics to expose and confront illegal activities at sea.
CAPTAIN PAUL WATSON TO RETURN THIS YEAR TO THE SOUTHERN OCEAN TO STOP THE RETURN OF THE JAPANESE WHALING FLEET
Japan has declared war on the whales of the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary.
The have completed the construction of the 9, 300 ton, 112 meters long factory ship Kangei… pic.twitter.com/PTlTGRhGPC
— Captain Paul Watson Foundation 🐋🏴☠️ (@CaptPaulWatson) March 31, 2024
