Sea Shepherd Conservation Society's Operation Ferocious Isles pilot whale
defense campaign is almost over and it looks like our objective has been
achieved. Not a single whale or dolphin has been killed on the beaches or in
the waters of the Faeroe Islands under our watch this July and August.
Earlier in the summer, the Faeroese police ordered that no grinds (pilot
whale drives and slaughter) would be allowed for as long as the Sea Shepherd
ships were in Faeroese waters. Thus, our mere watchful presence prevented
any killings this summer saving hundreds of whales as a result. Not a
dramatic campaign by far, but enormously successful nonetheless.
It
remains possible that whales may be killed after the Steve Irwin and the
Brigitte Bardot leave patrol, but June, July, and August are the three most
notorious months for the slaughter of the whales as they are peak migration
months. Our objective was to prevent the killing of any whales during this
period and that objective has been realized, therefore, Operation Ferocious
Isles has been extraordinarily successful.
Additionally during the
duration of the campaign, the crews of our two Sea Shepherd ships were able
to meet and speak to hundreds of Faeroese youth. We were pleasantly
surprised to find so many young people in opposition to the grind.
Sea Shepherd had hoped to make a public presentation but unfortunately, our
request was denied by the Faeroese government, although our presence
generated a great deal of publicity both in the Faeroes and in Denmark.
Significant campaign achievements include increasing international
awareness of the whaling that takes place in the Faeroes, provoking
controversy and discussion amongst the local people, increasing spending for
the Danish Navy and police during the Sea Shepherd's time in Faeroese
waters, and most importantly, preventing a single grind from taking place.
Significant campaign achievements include increasing international
awareness of the whaling that takes place in the Faeroes, provoking
controversy and discussion amongst the local people, increasing spending for
the Danish Navy and police during the Sea Shepherd's time in Faeroese
waters, and most importantly, preventing a single grind from taking place.
The two Sea Shepherd ships will return to Great Britain to begin to
make preparations for a return voyage to the Antarctic waters to once again
intervene against illegal Japanese whaling activities in the Southern Ocean
Whale Sanctuary.
The Steve Irwin will host a fundraising event on
the Thames (river) in London on September 13th.
The crews of the
Steve Irwin and the Brigitte Bardot are very happy with the results of this
year's campaign and are anxious to return and once again intercept the
Japanese fleet to prevent them killing whales off the coast of Antarctica.
'Over the past few months we saw whales, we deterred whales from
approaching the islands, we prevented the killing of whales by just being
here. We could not be any more pleased with the results of the campaign.
Zero kills translates into a perfect campaign and we are extremely happy
with the results of our efforts this summer,' said Captain Paul Watson.
This has been a very busy year for Sea Shepherd beginning with our
victory over the Japanese whaling fleet by driving them out of the Southern
Ocean Whale Sanctuary a month and a half before their season ended and
preventing them from killing 83% of their intended kill quota. Since our
victory in the Southern Ocean, we have captured poachers in the Galapagos,
confronted tuna poachers off the coast of Libya, protested at the 63rd
Annual International Whaling Commission meeting in Jersey, exposed the
atrocities of the seal slaughter in Namibia, helped catch the criminals who
viciously clubbed seal pups in New Zealand, reduced the number of dolphins
killed in Taiji, Japan by half, and now, we can relish in this victory for
the pilot whales here in the Faeroes.
Never before has Sea Shepherd
been so active and effective on a truly international level.
And the
reason for our successes is your continued support. We do the best we can
with the resources available to us and increased support translates into
increased activism.
Our support base is steadily growing thanks to
the momentum of recent documentary films featuring Sea Shepherd including
Eco-Pirate: The Story of Paul Watson, Minds in the Water, and Confessions of
an Eco-Terrorist. And of course, thanks to Animal Planet's hit television
series Whale Wars now in its fourth season.
'What gives me such
satisfaction is knowing that because we have intervened, because our ships
have been on the water around the world, that so many marine lives have been
saved,' said Captain Watson. 'When I think of a mother whale and her calf
swimming free in the sea because we silenced the harpoons this year, I feel
deeply and warmly satisfied, that all our efforts have been worth the rough
seas, the long voyages, the dangerous confrontations, and the political
harassment. And to be at sea surrounded by hundreds of pilot whales that we
were able to keep away from the killers onshore -- that was the highpoint of
our summer.'
http://www.all-creatures.org/articles/ar-ss-faroe.html
