The slaughter of whales in the Faroe Islands

Activists film horrific slaughter of 250 whales in Faroe Islands

RT,

25 July, 2015

Shocking footage has emerged showing the slaughter of 250 pilot whales in the Faroe Islands. The annual event, known as the grindadráp, sees locals luring the animals to the shore before attacking them with lances and knives.

The brutal scenes were filmed by Sea Shepherd, a non-profit marine conservation society. Five members of the group were arrested while attempting to disrupt the bloody event that has been practiced for centuries.

The Faroe Islands form an archipelago lying between the Norwegian Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, some 320km northwest of Great Britain. The self-governing islands are an autonomous region within the Danish kingdom, financially dependent on Copenhagen in areas such as military defense, police, justice, currency and foreign affairs.

The slaughter has shocked the world, with a hashtag #BoycottDenmark created on Twitter for people to voice their indignation.

According to the MarineBio Conservation Society, pilot whale population numbers are unknown, but they are “not considered endangered.” The animals have been hunted for their meat, bone, oil, and for fertilizer. Pilot whale meat is among the key products bought and sold by the locals in the north Atlantic islands. Although whaling is illegal in the EU, Denmark has moved to protect this traditional event in the remote Faroe Islands.

whale slaughter in the faroe islands? this is disgusting, humans are the worst living creatures on this planetpic.twitter.com/X5BCQXHbWo

— courtney (@tmhcourtney) 24 июля 2015

Every year, an average of 800 pilot whales are routinely driven ashore and slaughtered for their meat and blubber in the Faroe Islands, according to Campaign Whale, a non-profit organization set up to protect whales, dolphins, porpoises and their habitats.
 Sea Shepherd activists reported on Friday afternoon that “a massive pod of around 150 pilot whales was spotted close to the Mykines in the west of the Faroe Islands archipelago. A flotilla of small boats drove the pod to Bøur. The awaiting crowds of killers then dragged the animals violently on to the killing beach."

Picture postcard harborside scene "beautiful" #FaroeIslands marred by sight of massacred whales#BoycottDenmark pic.twitter.com/6NZon9GMDy

— MarcE (@marce9462) 25 июля 2015

The group said the second grindadráp took place at Nólsoyarfirði, west of the capital of Tórshavn. “Reports indicate that approximately 50 pilot whales were herded from Nólsoy onto the killing beach at Tórshavn by 40 boats, and eventually slaughtered.”

According to the activists, the Danish Navy was at the site helping the whalers. “It was perfectly clear to me that the Danish Navy was present at Bøur to guard the grindadráp, and that the slaughter would proceed with the full consent of the Danish Navy,” said Wyanda Lublink, captain of the Sea Shepherd's boat Brigitte Bardot.

Why #BoycottDenmark? Their 'dependency' the #FaroeIslands continues a barbaric tradition of whale massacres! pic.twitter.com/O6Oh5EauBo

— Army of Lovers (@tweetforcetacea) 25 июля 2015

Sea Shepherd added: “How Denmark - an anti-whaling member nation of the European Union, subject to laws prohibiting the slaughter of cetaceans – can attempt to justify its collaboration in this slaughter is incomprehensible.”

.@GoVisitDenmark Do u think people want to visit 2 see this? Think again. You are guilty.#OpGrindini#boycottdenmarkpic.twitter.com/NZJMX6dnXV

— Jillybean (@jilleeeebean) 24 июля 2015

Whale meat was once considered a valuable source of food for the Faroese. 

According to PubMed, studies dating back to 1977 have shown an increase in contamination of the meat, blubber, liver and kidneys of pilot whales. Mercury from pilot whale meat is said to affect the foetal development of the nervous system. Contaminants in the blubber adversely affect the immune system so that children react worse to immunizations. These contaminants also appear to increase the risk of developing Parkinson's disease in those who habitually eat pilot whale.

Truly disgusting slaughter of whales in the Faroe Islands looks like some kind of blood lust ritual via@rickygervais#BoycottDenmark

— nicolabanfoiegras (@nicolamacdona38) 24 июля 2015

“From the latest research results, the authors consider that the conclusion from a human health perspective must be to recommend that pilot whale is no longer used for human consumption,” researchers state.

Captain Paul Watson

Via Facebook

It took three Faroese policemen to tackle and stop one South African woman from trying to stop the brutal murder of a pod of pilot whales. All of us in SeaShepherd around the planet salute you Rosie Kunneke - Sea Shepherd Land Team Leader for Sea Shepherd in the Faroe Islands

The Grind: Whaling in the Faroe Islands (Full Length)

There’s not much agriculture in the Faroe Islands, an archipelago in the North Atlantic, roughly equidistant from Norway, Iceland, and Scotland. Aside from the sheep that freely roam the fjords and a few root vegetables, the Faroese have always relied on the surrounding sea as a source of fish, seabirds, and the pilot whales they slaughter in a hunt known as the grindadráp, or grind.

"Grind,” which rhymes with wind, is Faroese for pilot whale, and can refer to the event of the whale slaughter, the whale meat, or the whales themselves. Hunting whales for food is a tradition as old as the islands have been inhabited. But in the past few decades, animal activists have taken issue with the grind, despite Faroese insistence that it is sustainable and humane.

Motherboard visited the Faroe Islands to see a grind first hand as the Faroese defend

Japanese whaling

Japan vows to continue whale hunt

Japan has confirmed that it intends to return to the Antarctic to hunt whales. It follows a landmark ruling in the International Court of Justice.

Radio NZ

12 April 2014

Japan's Institute of Cetacean Research has today filed court papers in the United States stating it intends to return to hunt whales in the Southern Ocean in the 2015-2016 season.

Last month the International Court of Justice ruled that Japan's whaling programme was not conducted for scientific research purposes as defined under International Whaling Commission regulations.

It ordered Japan to stop all whaling with immediate effect. The case had been taken up by Australia and supported by New Zealand.

But the ICR has filed court briefs with the US District Court in Seattle stating it intends to return to the Southern Ocean with a newly-designed research programme.

The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, which has been fighting to protect whales in the region, says Japan's move is not surprising, and called it a blatant show of defiance to the ICC's ruling.

The organisation says it will get its boats ready and return to the Southern Ocean to protest the slaughter of whales, if and when Japan returns.

A director of Sea Shepherd New Zealand Michael Lawry says he doubt's Japan new whaling research programme will fit with the International Whaling Commission regulations, because any such programme must use humane methods and not kill whales for commercial reasons.

After the ICJ ruling in March, Japan said it would cease its whaling programme. The Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said Japan would abide by the court ruling.

A spokesperson for the Institute of Cetacean Research confirmed on Saturday confirmed that the papers had been filed, but would not comment any further.

Japan has used a legal loophole in the 1986 ban on commercial whaling that allowed it to continue slaughtering the mammals, ostensibly so it could gather scientific data. However, it has never made a secret of the fact that the whale meat from these hunts end on dining tables.

International Court of Justice ruling against Japanese whaling

The Whales Have Won! — ICJ Rules Japan’s Southern Ocean Whaling ‘Not For Scientific Research’

Sea Shepherd Applauds the World Court for Protecting the Whales of the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary

Sea Shepherd,

31 March, 2014

In a stunning victory for the whales, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague announced their binding decision today in the landmark case of Australia v. Japan, ruling that Japan’s JARPA II whaling program in the Antarctic is not for scientific purposes and ordering that all permits given under JARPA II be revoked. The news was applauded and celebrated by Sea Shepherd Conservation Society USA and Sea Shepherd Australia, both of which have directly intervened against Japanese whalers in the Southern Ocean.

Representing Sea Shepherd in the courtroom to hear the historic verdict were Captain Alex Cornelissen, Executive Director of Sea Shepherd Global and Geert Vons, Director of Sea Shepherd Netherlands. They were accompanied by Sea Shepherd Global’s Dutch legal counsel.

The case against Japan was heard by the ICJ in July of last year to decide whether Japan is in breach of its international obligations in implementing the JARPA II “research” program in the Southern Ocean, and to demand that Japan cease implementation of JARPA II and revoke any related permits until Japan can make assurances that their operations conform with international law.

In a vote of 12 to 4, the ICJ ruled that the scientific permits granted by Japan for its whaling program were not scientific research as defined under International Whaling Commission regulations. It ordered that Japan revoke the scientific permits given under JARPA II and refrain from granting any further permits under that program.

Prior to the verdict, there had been some speculation that the ICJ would not permit the hunting of endangered fin and humpback whales, but it would compromise and allow the hunting of minke whales. However, it has been Sea Shepherd’s contention all along that — no matter the species — no whales should be killed, especially in a sanctuary. Sanctuary means “a place of refuge or safety; a nature reserve” where animals are protected. To allow killing in an internationally designated sanctuary is to make a mockery of international agreements made by those countries who established the sanctuary in 1994. At that time, 23 countries supported the agreement and Japan was the only IWC member to oppose it.

Even the Ambassador from Japan to the U.S., Kenichiro Sasae, during a public meeting in Los Angeles in December 2013 attended by representatives of Sea Shepherd USA, had this to say about whales and whaling: ”As an individual, I like whales and if you go out and see the whales, there is no reason for us to kill this lovely animal. But it’s history and it’s politics, I would say. There are a small number of Japanese people still trying to get this won. But mainstream Japanese are not eating whale anymore.” At the same meeting, Ambassador Sasae stated that Japan will abide by the ICJ ruling.

Sea Shepherd Conservation Society’s international volunteer crew stood on the frontlines in the hostile and remote waters of Antarctica for eight years and then Sea Shepherd Australia took up that gauntlet for the last two years and will keep confronting Japanese whalers in Antarctica until we can once and for all bring an end to the killing in this internationally designated “safety zone” for whales. Over the years, Sea Shepherd has been the only organization to directly intervene against Japan’s illegal commercial whaling conducted under the guise of research, with their claims of research globally questioned. Indeed, Sea Shepherd has been the only thing standing between majestic whales and the whalers’ harpoons, as these internationally protected species — many of them pregnant — migrate through Antarctic waters each year.

“With today’s ruling, the ICJ has taken a fair and just stance on the right side of history by protecting the whales of the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary and the vital marine ecosystem of Antarctica, a decision that impacts the international community and future generations,” said Captain Alex Cornelissen of Sea Shepherd Global.

“Though Japan’s unrelenting harpoons have continued to drive many species of whales toward extinction, Sea Shepherd is hopeful that in the wake of the ICJ’s ruling, it is whaling that will be driven into the pages of the history books,” he said.

“Despite the moratorium on commercial whaling, Japan has continued to claim the lives of thousands of the gentle giants of the sea in a place that should be their safe haven,” said Sea Shepherd Founder, Captain Paul Watson. “Sea Shepherd and I, along with millions of concerned people around the world, certainly hope that Japan will honor this ruling by the international court and leave the whales in peace.”

Sea Shepherd Global will have the ships prepared to return to the Southern Ocean in December 2014 should Japan choose to ignore this ruling. If the Japanese whaling fleet returns, Sea Shepherd crew will be there to uphold this ruling against the pirate whalers of Japan.

Japan whaling future in doubt after Court ruling

Foreign Affairs Minister Murray McCully has welcomed an international court's decision that Japan's whaling in the Southern Ocean is illegal but has warned Japan could still try to side-step it.

NZ Herald,

1 April, 2014

The International Court of Justice (ICJ) overnight found Japan's Southern Ocean whale hunt is illegal under international law.

Video

Delivering its judgment on Australia's case against Japan, which saw evidence presented during a three-week hearing last year, the court found Japan's whaling programme in the Antarctic failed to meet the conditions for scientific whaling under regulations set by the International Whaling Commission (IWC), the body charged with the conservation of whales and the regulation of whaling.

It was ruled that no further permits for scientific whaling should be issued under Japan's scientific whaling programme.

In a 12-4 majority judgment, the UN court sided with Australia, finding that Japan's program fell short of following scientific methods, the Associated Press reported.

"The court concludes that the special permits granted by Japan for the killing, taking, and treating of whales ... are not 'for purposes of scientific research'," presiding judge Peter Tomka said.

Attorney-General Chris Finlayson gave evidence on behalf of New Zealand during the court case in the Hague July last year.

He told the court that Japan was wrongly interpreting article eight of the whaling convention, which deals with scientific permit whaling.

A minke whale is unloaded at a port after a whaling for scientific purposes in Kushiro. Photo / AP

"Under Japan's interpretation ... the convention is solely a vehicle for the optimum utilisation of whales through commercial whaling - nothing more than an industry cartel," he said.

Mr McCully said today that the court had ordered Japan to cease whaling under one program but he warned it could try to put together a new program that would meet some of the tests the court had outlined.

"We hope that won't happen and in the short term it won't because this is going to take a bit of working through," Mr McCully told National Radio.

"This judgement ... is very firm and very clear but it still does leave Japan with a decision to make after they've digested this, which is to look at whether they try to devise a new programme that is scientifically based that embark upon whaling in the Southern Ocean again. Our task is to make sure that we carry out a diplomatic conversation that dissuades them from embarking on that course."

Prime Minister John Key told 3News that with 16 judges on the panel at the International Court of Justice, the decision was "very comprehensive".

"I think it's more comprehensive than probably even we had hoped it would be."

The International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) described the decision as a major victory for whale conservation and international law.

IFAW's global whale programme director Patrick Ramage said it meant whales in the Southern Ocean Sanctuary would be fully protected from commercial slaughter conducted under the guise of science.

"We respectfully urge Japan, Iceland and Norway, the last three countries still killing whales for commercial purposes, to accept that whaling has no place in the 21st century and to act in compliance with the judicial precedent set by the court today."

Sea Shepherd Australia chairman Bob Brown said the finding vindicated "a decade of courageous actions by Captain Paul Watson and his crews".

"All across Australia people will be celebrating this win due to Sea Shepherd and their huge public support for protecting whales in this country that led to the Australian Government to take this legal action."

Earthrace Conservation founder Pete Bethune, who was at the court for the original case said: "I am absolutely thrilled. Today will go down in history as a great day for whales, for conservation and for justice."

The Japanese whalers

Whaling fleet approaching new Zealand and Australian waters

The Bob Barker while in pursuit of the factory ship

Photo: Eliza Muirhead

Sea Shepherd,

6 February, 2014

The Yushin Maru No. 3, the harpoon ship responsible for hitting The Bob Barker during Sunday’s nine-hour assault on the Sea Shepherd ships, is currently approaching the waters of the Australian Whale Sanctuary. It is the second time this year that the ship has threatened to enter Australian waters, tailing the Sea Shepherd long-range ship, The Bob Barker.

At the same time, the Japanese government security vessel, Shonan Maru No. 2, responsible for sinking the New Zealand-registered trimaran Ady Gil in 2010, is heading for New Zealand waters. The vessel is currently tailing the Sea Shepherd ship, The Steve Irwin.

At its current course and speed, the Yushin Maru No. 3 will enter the 200 nautical mile limit of the Australian Whale Sanctuary surrounding Macquarie Island at 2000 AEDT on February 8. The Shonan Maru No. 2 is due to enter New Zealand waters at 0200 NZDT on February 8.

On January 10, the Yushin Maru No. 3 stopped short of Australian waters following a formal protest from Sea Shepherd to the Australian Environment Minister, Greg Hunt, requesting his intervention on the matter. If the harpoon ship enters the Australian Exclusive Economic Zone it runs the risk of contempt proceedings as a result of the Japanese whaling fleet’s continued defiance of the 2008 Australian Federal Court, which ruled that the Japanese whaling fleet’s operations were violation of Australian Federal Law.

Captain Peter Hammarstedt of The Bob Barker says, “During Sunday’s attack, when the Yushin Maru No. 3 slammed the full weight of its steel vessel into the bow of my ship, I saw the reckless desperation of an archaic and brutal industry, struggling to survive. The shameful operations of the Japanese whaling fleet have no place in the twenty-first century, and this blood-stained harpoon ship has no place in Australian waters.”

In June 2013, New Zealand joined Australia to challenge the legality of Japan’s whale hunt in the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary at the International Court of Justice. A ruling in this case is expected imminently.

On January 6 this year, New Zealand’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Murray McCully, released a statement that “condemned the resumption of so-called ‘scientific’ whaling in the Southern Ocean,” stating, “The New Zealand Government has repeatedly called upon Japan to end its whaling programme.”

File: January 6, 2010 - Ady Gil in pieces after being rammed by the Shonan Maru No. 2

Photo: JoAnne McArthur

According United Nations Convention of the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), ships that enter a nation’s territorial sea can “enjoy the right of innocent passage through the territorial sea.” Captain Siddarth Chakravarty of The Steve Irwin says, “The passage of the Shonan Maru No. 2 is anything but innocent. This vessel has intentionally collided with and consequently sank the Ady Gil, endangering the lives of the crew on board both vessels. The entire purpose of this ship’s operations is to provide security to an illegal operation. They are no different than armed thugs protecting drug-running operations. Under no circumstances should this ship be permitted to enter New Zealand waters.”

Sea Shepherd Australia has once again contacted Minister Hunt, requesting his intervention to stop the harpoon vessel from entering Australian waters. Further, Sea Shepherd has contacted Minister McCully, requesting that New Zealand enforce their 200 nautical mile Exclusive Economic Zone and deny entry to any whaling vessel into New Zealand waters.

The Japanese whaling fleet is operating in the Southern Ocean violation of the 1986 global moratorium on commercial whaling, and in contravention of the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary, established in 1994.

Japanese whaling

Japanese Whalers Running Out of Steam

Sea Shepherd

25 January, 2014

The Japanese whaling fleet has abandoned its plans to out-run the Sea Shepherd Fleet, with its factory vessel, the Nisshin Maru, slowing down to 12 knots after a 36 hour chase at full speed.

At approximately 1300 AEDT today, the Nisshin Maru, flanked by the harpoon vessels, Yushin Maru and Yushin Maru No. 2, reduced its speed and changed course for due west. The Sea Shepherd Fleet now surrounds the whale poachers, with The Bob Barker six nautical miles ahead of the whalers, The Steve Irwin six nautical miles to the eastern side of the poachers, and The Sam Simon approaching from the south.

Captain of The Bob Barker, Peter Hammarstedt, said, “The Nisshin Maru has resigned itself as unable to outrun the determination of the Sea Shepherd Fleet. We will shadow them wherever they try to run and if they attempt to kill any more whales in the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary, the Sea Shepherd ships are in position to stand fast.”

The Japanese whaling fleet had been trying to out run the Sea Shepherd Fleet since Friday 24th January at 2050 AEDT, when The Bob Barker located the Nisshin Maru, effectively suspending whale poaching operations in the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary.

Captain of The Steve Irwin, Sid Chakravarty, said, "For the past 36 hours, the Sea Shepherd ships have led the Nisshin Maru and her flotilla of harpoon ships 600 miles away from the whaling grounds. We had promised to find the poachers again and chase them out of the sanctuary and we have achieved that. We remain relentless; thwarting every attempt and outmaneuvering every move that the whaling fleet makes."

Japanese whaling

Sea Shepherd Drives Whaling Fleet Into Disarray and Out of the Antarctic Treaty Zone

Sea Shepherd,

6 January, 2014

_{On Monday January 6 at 1650 AEDT, after a 360-mile chase, The Sea Shepherd Fleet drove the Japanese whaling fleet’s factory ship, the Nisshin Maru, out of the Antarctic Treaty Zone.}

_{Sea Shepherd has all ships in the Japanese whaling fleet accounted for, and can confirm that the whale poaching fleet is scattered and currently not hunting whales. The harpoon ships are separated by hundreds of miles. The Nisshin Maru is on the run and unable to stop and whale in its self-designated whale-poaching grounds.}

_{The Japanese whaling fleet was escorted across 60° S and past the northern limit of the Antarctic Treaty Zone by the Sea Shepherd ships The Sam Simon, The Steve Irwin and The Steve Irwin’s helicopter.}

_{The three Sea Shepherd ships are still in the Southern Ocean and will continue patrols. Should the Nisshin Maru attempt to return to the whaling grounds, Sea Shepherd will be ready to once again intercept and shut down their illegal whaling operations.}

_{Captain of The Steve Irwin, Siddarth Chakravarty said, “This is an optimistic start to Operation Relentless. Within a day-and-a-half we have the entire whaling fleet in disarray.”}

_{Captain of The Sam Simon, Adam Meyersonsaid, “We have won this battle, but the war for the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary will wage on over the coming months.”}

Sea Shepherd taking to the South Seas

Anti-whalers going after Japanese fleet

An anti-whaling group says its ships are in pursuit of a Japanese fleet whose crews it alleges have killed four protected whales in New Zealand's territorial waters.

Minke whales on the deck of the Nisshin Maru in the Southern Ocean.

Photo: AAP / Sea Shepherd Australia

Radio NZ,

6 January, 2014

Sea Shepherd New Zealand spokesperson Michael Lawry said on Monday the group would try to drive the Japanese away from the area.

The three-vessel Sea Shepherd fleet comprising the Steve Irwin, the Bob Barker and the Sam Simon found five whaling ships in New Zealand waters in the Ross Dependency Antarctic region

The area is inside the Southern Ocean whale sanctuary, where commercial fishing is banned under International Whaling Commission (IWC) rules.

Michael Lawry said a Sea Shepherd helicopter spotted the Nisshin Maru and filmed three dead minke whales on its deck while a fourth was being cut up. He said that is proof of Japan's illegal hunt.

"There's three whales that were waiting to be butchered. The fourth one had already been cut up and there was blood smeared right across the deck. The outlaw whalers on board were hauling body parts with hooks and chains and some stuff was obviously going to be thrown overboard as well."

Glenn Inwood, a spokesperson for Japan's Institute of Cetacean Research, dismissed the anti-whaling group's claims.

"Nothing that emanates from the Sea Shepherd propaganda machine is ever correct. Secondly, the minke whales that Japan is taking are under the research programme on behalf of the government of Japan are in no way endangered - they are quite abundant, they are numerous and they're certainly not protected."

Mr Inwood said Japan has a legal right to whale in the region and has proven to the IWC that its work is purely for research purposes and falls outside the ban.

But Sea Shepherd said the fleet will do what it can to ensure that no more whales are killed. "Sea Shepherd will remain relentless in driving these fake, desperate and subverting 'scientists' back to Tokyo," Steve Irwin captain Sid Chakravarty said.

Labour: Kiwis angry at whale claims

The Labour Party says Government action must be 

taken if the claims Japanese whalers are poaching in New Zealand waters are true

Stuff,

6 January, 2-14

Conservation spokesperson Ruth Dyson said the accusations by Sea Shepherd were concerning. The environment group claimed earlier today that Japan's whaling fleet had been found inside New Zealand's Ross Dependency region.

"The Government must verify them immediately. If the Japanese are whaling in our waters the Government must demand answers now," Dyson said.

"New Zealanders have a deep fondness for whales. The news that a pod of stranded whales has died on our beaches today is upsetting. To know that other whales in our waters are being slaughtered against our wishes will anger many Kiwis."

Sea Shepherd said earlier that it had located all five Japanese whaling vessels and filmed one with three dead minke whales on its deck.

The organisation's position data puts the whaling fleet about 1700 kilometres north of Scott Base, beneath the usual Christchurch to McMurdo Sound flight path.

Referring to its vessels Steve Irwin, Bob Barker and Sam Simon, Sea Shepherd said it was "in pursuit of the whaling fleet, driving them away from their intended poaching grounds, disrupting their illegal hunt, and preparing to shut down their whale-killing operations".

The factory ship Nisshin Maru was first located by a Sea Shepherd helicopter which filmed "compelling footage and images of three dead protected minke whales on the deck of the Nisshin Maru.

"A fourth whale, believed to be a minke, was being butchered on the bloodstained deck."

The area is part of the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary.

"The Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary has been tainted by the illegal slaughter of these beautiful and majestic minke whales by the ruthless, violent and barbaric actions of the Japanese whale poachers," Sea Shepherd Australia managing director Jeff Hansen said.

"No-one will ever know the pain and suffering these playful, gentle giants went through from the time the explosive harpoon ripped through their bodies to the time they drew their last breath in a red sea full of their own blood."

New Zealand last year joined the Australian Government's challenge to the legality of Japan's whale hunt in the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary at the International Court of Justice. Judgment on the case is yet to be delivered.

The Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary covers 50 million square kilometres of ocean from 40 degrees South to Antarctica. It is recognised by 23 countries.

Sea Shepherd said it located Nisshin Maru at 64 degrees 44 minutes south and 162 degrees 34 west. The Ross Sea covers an area between 160 degrees East and 150 degrees West and 60 degrees South. Although technically claimed as part of New Zealand's sovereign waters, the claim is suspended under the Antarctic Treaty.

The area the Japanese are sailing through is part of an area that the United States and New Zealand unsuccessfully tried to have declared as part of what would have been the world's largest marine protected area.

It was opposed by Russia, Ukraine and South Korea.

The area where the whalers and Sea Shepherd are likely to clash is within New Zealand's designated search and rescue area.