Shooting claim in whaling fight - March 07, 2008
We were pretty critical of the Sea Shepherd conservation group this week after their chemical attack on the Japanese whaling ship Nisshin Maru.
Now Paul Watson, captain of the Sea Shepherd ship Steve Irwin, is claiming the Japanese shot him. The bullet, he says, was stopped by a protective vest he was wearing (BBC, CNN, press release).
Japan’s Institute of Cetacean Research has denied anyone fired at a man it calls “Sea Shepherd cult leader Paul Watson”. It says member of the Japanese coast guard threw thunderflashes in response to escalating violence from the anti-whaling protesters.
A press release from Sea Shepherd states:
A single bullet was fired by what must have been an expert marksman at Paul’s chest, which embedded in his Kevlar vest and also damaged a metal badge worn behind the vest. ... The ships’ doctor was emphatic that without protection, the shot would have been lethal.
“No-one shot at Paul Watson,” says ICR director general Minoru Morimoto (press release). “His claim that we shot at him and he has the bullet that was stopped by his bullet-proof vest is more fiction for articles for the Australian media.”
Sea Shepherd claims the Australian embassy has confirmed that warning shots were fired from the Nisshin Maru. The group also says, “The Japanese Coast Guard and the Japanese Fisheries Agency have stated to the media that the devices were flash grenades and that warning shots were fired. Only the Institute for Cetacean Research is denying that warning shots were fired and describing the flash grenades as ‘warning balls’.”
We will ask the Australians and the Japanese what went on and get back to you.
Image: Sea Shepherd
Comments
"Now Paul Watson, captain of the Sea Shepherd ship Steve Irwin, is claiming the Japanese shot him." You make it sound like he's making unreasonable or unbelievable claims. Are you unaware of his biography? (At least check out his listing in the Guardian Newspaper's expert panel's "50 people who could save the planet" feature.) Assassination is an occupational hazard for highly successful wildlife conservationists, and Paul Watson is one of the most accomplished wildlife conservationists in history. Part of his mystique is that he has dodged death so many times.
"We were pretty critical of the Sea Shepherd conservation group this week after their chemical attack on the Japanese whaling ship Nisshin Maru."
I expect more in-depth science journalism from Nature, than a condemnation of wildlife conservationists based on some "butyric acid: molecule of the day" quotations. Hey, that's reductionist science journalism! The nauseating smell is from butyric acid. Most people know from experience that rancid butter has a highly nauseating smell, like sewerage, whilst not being irritating on the airways or harmful to the skin.
You don't seem to know the concentration of butyric acid in the bottles... Sea Shepherd states what they put in the bottles is "non-corrosive" and "rotten butter". So why not contact Sea Shepherd and ask them to confirm exactly what is in the bottles? Or look for evidence for the whalers' claims: If Sea Shepherd were reckless, then the whalers would presumably have plenty of video footage of this to publish.
An interesting moral question might be "Are you using rancid cow's butter whilst the ship runs a purely vegan galley for conservation reasons?" Or "Why is the Australian government doing nothing to protect endangered wildlife-conservationists in what it claims as its Antarctic Territory?"
By comparison, Sea Shepherd has an official working relationship with the Environmental Police in Ecuador. Last year, when Sea Shepherd Galapagos director, Sean O'Hearn-Gimenez, assisted them with busting the shark fin mafia, and a price was put on his head, he was put under continuous armed guard by the Ecuadorian National Police.
Australians are dismayed that their sycophantic government has not sent their navy down to the Southern Ocean!
Posted by: Joanna | March 8, 2008 04:49 AM