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Whale catcher Yushin Maru No. 2 leaving Japan for the Southern Ocean whale sanctuary on Tuesday 8th November 2005. Photo © Greenpeace
Below are the most recent weblogs from the m/y Esperanza and m/y Arctic Sunrise. To view all of the blogs go to
Keep up to date with the campaign to protect the oceans and to protect the whales.
Wednesday 30 November 2005
Investigative Report Links U.S. Seafood Giant Gorton's of Gloucester to Japan's Whale Hunt
WASHINGTON (November 30, 2005)-- The Environmental Investigation Agency, The Humane Society of the United States and Greenpeace United States today presented a report revealing that U.S. seafood giant, Gorton's of Gloucester, is owned by Nippon Suisan Kaisha Ltd., a company with a 70-year history of whale hunting.
The new investigative report, "The Gorton's Family Whaling Business" produced and released by the Environmental Investigation Agency, details the long and bloody history of commercial whale hunting by Gortons parent company, Nippon Suisan, also known as Nissui, a global fishing company based in Japan involved in hunting whales, despite the international ban on commercial whaling.
"For nearly two decades, Japanese whaling companies have ignored international laws that protect the world's great whales,"said Allan Thornton, president of EIA. "We are appealing to Gorton's of Gloucester to use its connections with Nissui to bring about an end to whale hunting once and for all. As a wholly owned subsidiary of Nissui, Gorton's reputation is at stake."
Nissui owns one-third of the shares of Kyodo Senpaku, the company that conducts the "scientific" whaling program for the Japanese government. Since purchasing Gorton's in 2001, more than 2,700 whales have been killed by Kyodo Senpaku under the guise of "scientific research" and more than 175,000 whales since the 1930s.
"As a responsible corporate citizen, Gorton's of Gloucester has an obligation to its customers to demand Nissui get out of the ugly business of hunting whales," said Patricia Forkan, president of Humane Society International. "American consumers, as they learn more about the awful truth behind the seafood company they've come to know and trust, will not stand idly by while the slaughter continues."
In addition to the hunt and slaughter of whales protected under the International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling and the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species, Nissui sells the "research" catch as canned meat at supermarkets and convenience stores across Japan.
This season's whale hunt began November 8 when Japanese fleets left for the Southern Oceans. The Fisheries Agency of Japan intends to increase its catch by more than double. Additionally, targets will include fin and humpback whales, which are recognized as endangered species.
"Whaling fleets have pushed one species after another to the brink of extinction and everyone from corporations to world leaders must do everything in their power to defend the whales," said John Hocevar, Greenpeace Oceans Specialist. "This company has always used the slogan, trust the Gorton's fisherman, but consumers are not going to trust the Gorton's fisherman if he's wielding a whaling harpoon,"
Monday 21 November 2005
I have just gotten back from Cape Town, South Africa where yesterday I waved goodbye to the crews of the M/Y Esperanza and M/Y Arctic Sunrise. They are now on their journey south into the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary to find the whaling fleet.
As Project Leader it was my responsibility to get things to this point. From here on in it will mainly depend on those who are at sea. I wish them well.
Friday 18 November 2005
Defending Our Oceans, Protecting the Whales
Greenpeace launches most ambitious ship expedition ever undertaken
Cape Town, South Africa. 18 November 2005 — We are facing a growing wave of ocean extinction; our seas have reached a tipping point, with scores of species, fish, birds and mammals edging toward extinction (1). In response, Greenpeace is launching its most ambitious ship expedition ever to defend our oceans and to call for a vast network of marine reserves that are needed to protect and restore the health of the planets oceans (2).
The expedition will begin this weekend when two Greenpeace ships, the MY Esperanza and the MY Arctic Sunrise, leave Cape Town to oppose continued whaling in the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary.
Flying in the face of international protest and repeated calls from the International Whaling Commission (IWC) to stop the annual hunt, this year the Fisheries Agency of Japan (FAJ) intends to more than double its catch of minke whales to 935. Adding insult to injury this year 10 fin whales will also be caught in the harpooner’s sights. Next year 40 more fin whales will be added along with 50 humpback whales. Both are recognised as endangered species.
“Even though the ban on commercial whaling has been agreed, the international community has failed to stop the hunt. Starting with the easiest whales to catch, vast whaling fleets have pushed one species after another to the brink of extinction. Greenpeace is heading once more to the Sanctuary to defend the whales and call for an immediate end to the hunt” said Shane Rattenbury, head of Greenpeace’s Oceans Campaign. “The persecution of the great whales is a tragic echo of what is happening throughout our oceans,” Rattenbury added. Every second breath we take comes from the oceans – they give the planet half of its oxygen. In return we suffocate them with pollution, warm them with climate change and empty them of fish. Countless factory ships scour and devour all life in their path with destructive techniques like bottom trawling. It is time to face facts, time to begin defending our oceans. “Only through establishing and enforcing a vast network of marine reserves can we reverse the decline and guarantee our children’s right to inherit healthy seas,” added Rattenbury.
After returning from the Southern Ocean the Esperanza will continue on its 14 month expedition across four of the five oceans, to highlight their wonders and the threats they face, all the while mapping and demonstrating the need for a global network of marine reserves (4).
To help in the campaign Greenpeace is planning to gather a million “Ocean Defenders” through the course of the expedition – supporters who will join the call for action.
The Esperanza, the newest of the Greenpeace ships, has been fitted with new hi-tech equipment for the voyage, including 24/7 internet that will enable the ship to interact with supporters, below the water line cameras, a Remote Operating Vehicle camera and web cams. The crew will be blogging, podcasting and vlogging (video blogging) from the ship and producing programmes for the newly created web-based Greenpeace TV.
Notes to Editors:
(1) Pew Institute for Ocean Science
(2) Greenpeace is calling for 40% of the world’s oceans to be designated as marine reserves. A global network of marine reserves would cost $12 billion dollars a year – the same as is spent annually on perfume in the US and Europe.
(3) A loophole in the 1986 international moratorium on commercial whaling governed by the International Whaling Commission (IWC) allows “scientific” whaling. The IWC established the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary in 1994.
For more information, images and videos about the Defending Our Oceans campaign and Southern Ocean Whaling go to: click here.