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TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2009
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Greenpeace Ship Scatters Japanese Whalers

Hunt for 1,000 whales disrupted in sea chase

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(Newser) – The Greenpeace pursuit of Japanese whaling ships continued yesterday after a ship operated by the environmental group earlier chased down and scattered a fleet of six Japanese whaling vessels in the waters off Antarctica. The Japanese fleet plans to hunt down 1,000 whales in what operators call a "scientific" expedition, but Greenpeace officials consider a thin cover for commercial whaling.

A ship operated by a separate group of environmentalists, the more militant Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, is also pursuing the hunting ships, which it plans to ram. But Greenpeace isn't cooperating with the other group because organizers oppose Sea Shepherd's tactics. The leader of the Greenpeace expedition said their ship is slightly faster than the Nisshin Maru, the whalers'  factory mother ship, and was less than 3 miles behind the vessel last night.

Humpback whales feed near the Greenpeace ship Esperanza.
Humpback whales feed near the Greenpeace ship Esperanza.   (Getty Images)
This file photo dated 01 July, 2007 shows tourists taking pictures of a breaching whale.
This file photo dated 01 July, 2007 shows tourists taking pictures of a breaching whale.   (Getty Images)
(FILES) In this handout picture, the Yushin Maru catcher ship hauls in a catch.
(FILES) In this handout picture, the Yushin Maru catcher ship hauls in a catch.   (Getty Images)
In this photo released by Greenpeace, The Yushin Maru, a Japanese whaling vessel cruises through the Antarctic Ocean, Saturday, Jan. 12, 2008. A Greenpeace ship on Saturday confronted a Japanese whaling fleet that had initially planned to hunt protected humpbacks, the environmentalists said, setting off the latest round of cat-and-mouse...
In this photo released by Greenpeace, The Yushin Maru, a Japanese whaling vessel cruises through the Antarctic Ocean, Saturday, Jan. 12, 2008. A Greenpeace ship on Saturday confronted a Japanese whaling...   (Associated Press)
In this photo released by Greenpeace, the Japanese whaling vessel Nisshin Maru is seen from the Greenpeace ship Esperanza in the Southern Ocean near Antarctica Sunday, Jan. 13, 2008. The Esperanza drove the Japanese whaling fleet out of the Southern Ocean hunting grounds Sunday morning after a 24 hour chase,...
In this photo released by Greenpeace, the Japanese whaling vessel Nisshin Maru is seen from the Greenpeace ship Esperanza in the Southern Ocean near Antarctica Sunday, Jan. 13, 2008. The Esperanza drove...   (Associated Press)
In this photo released by Greenpeace, the Japanese whaling vessel Nisshin Maru is seen from the Greenpeace ship Esperanza in the Southern Ocean near Antarctica Sunday, Jan. 13, 2008. The Esperanza drove the Japanese whaling fleet out of the Southern Ocean hunting grounds Sunday morning after a 24 hour chase,...
In this photo released by Greenpeace, the Japanese whaling vessel Nisshin Maru is seen from the Greenpeace ship Esperanza in the Southern Ocean near Antarctica Sunday, Jan. 13, 2008. The Esperanza drove...   (Associated Press)
In this photo released by Greenpeace, The Yushin Maru, a Japanese whaling vessel cruises through the Antarctic Ocean, Saturday, Jan. 12, 2008. A Greenpeace ship on Saturday confronted a Japanese whaling fleet that had initially planned to hunt protected humpbacks, the environmentalists said, setting off the latest round of cat-and-mouse...
In this photo released by Greenpeace, The Yushin Maru, a Japanese whaling vessel cruises through the Antarctic Ocean, Saturday, Jan. 12, 2008. A Greenpeace ship on Saturday confronted a Japanese whaling...   (Associated Press)
Crew members of Japanese whaling vessel Yushin Maru wave as they depart for a hunt hoped to bring in nearly 1000 whales. (AP Photo/Shizuo Kambayashi, File)
Crew members of Japanese whaling vessel Yushin Maru wave as they depart for a hunt hoped to bring in nearly 1000 whales. (AP Photo/Shizuo Kambayashi, File)   (Associated Press)
The Greenpeace protest vessel Esperanza leaves the New Zealand port of Auckland for Antarctic waters, Wednesday, Dec. 19, 2007, determined to find the Japanese whaling fleet. The U.S.-based Sea Shepherd Conservation Society had already sailed to the Antarctic Ocean vowing to use whatever means necessary to block Japan...
The Greenpeace protest vessel Esperanza leaves the New Zealand port of Auckland for Antarctic waters, Wednesday, Dec. 19, 2007, determined to find the Japanese whaling fleet. The U.S.-based Sea Shepherd...   (Associated Press)
In this photo released by Greenpeace, a tugboat pushes the 8,044-ton Nisshin Maru, the mother ship of Japanese whaling fleet, as it leaves Shimonoseki Port in Yamaguchi Prefecture (state), western Japan, Sunday, Nov. 18, 2007. The four ships headed for the waters off Antarctica, resuming a hunt that was...
In this photo released by Greenpeace, a tugboat pushes the 8,044-ton Nisshin Maru, the mother ship of Japanese whaling fleet, as it leaves Shimonoseki Port in Yamaguchi Prefecture (state), western Japan,...   (Associated Press)
A Baird's beaked whale is cleaned after it was dragged onto the port deck in Wada, Japan to be slaughtered on Thursday, June 21, 2007. The whaling firm who nabbed the whale is one of a handful of coastal whaling firms in Japan that hunt Baird's beaked and pilot whales,...
A Baird's beaked whale is cleaned after it was dragged onto the port deck in Wada, Japan to be slaughtered on Thursday, June 21, 2007. The whaling firm who nabbed the whale is one of a handful of coastal...   (Associated Press)
The Greenpeace boat Esperanza is seen docked at Yokohama Harbor near Tokyo Friday April 6, 2007. It is now chasing Japanese whalers in the waters off Antarctica. (AP Photo/Koji Sasahara)
The Greenpeace boat Esperanza is seen docked at Yokohama Harbor near Tokyo Friday April 6, 2007. It is now chasing Japanese whalers in the waters off Antarctica. (AP Photo/Koji Sasahara)   (Associated Press)
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