Activists to patrol Libyan seas for tuna poachers

[garbon]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110517/ap_on_re_eu/eu_libya_illegal_tuna

A U.S.-based organization of environmental activists plans to steam into Libyan waters to stop poachers from netting bluefin tuna.

The organization, called Sea Shepherd, will send two boats into the war zone — the 58-meter (190-foot) Steve Irwin, named after the Australian conservationist, and the 35-meter (115-foot) Gojira — said Paul Watson, the organization's founder. Sea Shepherd's headquarters are in Friday Harbor, Washington.

Founded in 1977, Sea Shepherd has undertaken many aggressive, high-risk operations at sea. In 2009, the group chased Japan's whaling ships for thousands of miles, working to disrupt their operations. Late in the year, the group's ship and a whaling boat collided at sea.

The Japanese government said Sea Shepherd's activities were tantamount to terrorism.

In their latest mission, Watson will captain the larger boat, and the smaller, faster boat will act as a scout, looking for targets, he said. The boats will carry divers who will cut the nets of fishing boats to free the tuna, Watson said. Last year, Sea Shepherd cut the net of one boat in the area, freeing about 800 fish, he said.

Once abundant in the Mediterranean, the bluefin has come under great threat as fishermen have plundered the waters far beyond sustainable levels. The European Union has ruled that none of its members can fish in Libyan waters this year because there is no way to check licenses and enforce quotas in a war zone.

Watson said his group had informed the European Union it will operate in Libyan waters and planned to inform NATO, which is leading the air campaign meant to protect civilians in Libya from attacks, primarily from their own government. Watson spoke by telephone from Cannes, France. The Sea Shepherd boats will set sail from southern France, near Marseille, around June 1.

The expedition carries risks, said Laurens de Groot, the organization's European director.

"We're expecting quite a bit of resistance when we get in there," de Groot said. "We might get into confrontations in which weapons are used. ... If they ram our vessel, we'll stand our ground."

Sea Shepherd's aggressive save-the-whales campaign has resonated with Western audiences and has been the subject of a popular series on the Animal Planet TV network, "Whale Wars," filmed from its ship.

Bluefin tuna are a prized delicacy in Tokyo restaurants, where a slice of sushi can cost 2,000 yen ($24). The fish are up to 10 feet (3 meters) long and weigh more than 1,430 pounds. One large specimen fetched a record 32.49 million yen — nearly $396,000 — in Tokyo early this year.

The fish spawn in the Mediterranean from mid-May to mid-June before heading out to the Atlantic. But their numbers are so severely depleted that experts fear they could disappear. Last November, the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas voted to cut the annual quota that could be caught by about 4 percent, but environmentalists called the measure inadequate.

Yes, please enter a war zone.

[HisMajestyBOB]

To be fair, illegal fishermen, especially Chinese ones, are scum and will drive tuna to extinction if they are not stopped.

[Berkut]

It is easy to mock guys like this, but you know what?

Most people, especially the enviro-crowd, just blahblabblahtalktalktalkbitchbitchbitch. I don't generally think that most of them even care about their chosen "cause", it is just a convenient vehicle to rant about "corporate greed" or whatever term du jour the ignorant left wing trust fund kiddies are babbling about for the moment.

At least these guys are willing to actually do something, actually RISK something in furtherance of their beliefs. I am not sure I agree that chasing Japanese whalers around is a legitimate way to express those beliefs, but on the other hand I have to give them credit for having the balls to actually do something.

[garbon]

It is easy to mock guys like this, but you know what?

Most people, especially the enviro-crowd, just blahblabblahtalktalktalkbitchbitchbitch. I don't generally think that most of them even care about their chosen "cause", it is just a convenient vehicle to rant about "corporate greed" or whatever term du jour the ignorant left wing trust fund kiddies are babbling about for the moment.

At least these guys are willing to actually do something, actually RISK something in furtherance of their beliefs. I am not sure I agree that chasing Japanese whalers around is a legitimate way to express those beliefs, but on the other hand I have to give them credit for having the balls to actually do something.

Yeah an act like assholes on television to boo.

[Grey Fox]

Save the Fish, Eat Meat.

[Valmy]

Yes, please enter a war zone.

Sounds pretty courageous to me.

But I do not choose to live in places like SF, Mass, and NYC so I do not have all the pent up rage against leftist activists.

[Berkut]

It is easy to mock guys like this, but you know what?

Most people, especially the enviro-crowd, just blahblabblahtalktalktalkbitchbitchbitch. I don't generally think that most of them even care about their chosen "cause", it is just a convenient vehicle to rant about "corporate greed" or whatever term du jour the ignorant left wing trust fund kiddies are babbling about for the moment.

At least these guys are willing to actually do something, actually RISK something in furtherance of their beliefs. I am not sure I agree that chasing Japanese whalers around is a legitimate way to express those beliefs, but on the other hand I have to give them credit for having the balls to actually do something.

Yeah an act like assholes on television to boo.

Meh, I think they would be out there doing their thing whether the cameras were rolling or not - therefore, they get a pass from me for acting like assholes on TV - if you actually care enough about your cause to go out and risk a lot for it, you would be an idiot to refuse the exposure.

Now, if I thought that they likely did not give two shits about the cause, but just want to be on TV, I would be cheering on some Jap whaling boat running them over a few times.

On the other hand, it does seem rather hard to side with the people who think that fishing tuna out of existence is a good idea.

[Berkut]

And for those who think that worries about over-fishing are over-stated...read up on cod fishing in Newfoundland.

Or rather, read up on the history of cod fishing in Newfoundland. Since there really isn't any to speak of now...oops.

[garbon]

Meh, I think they would be out there doing their thing whether the cameras were rolling or not - therefore, they get a pass from me for acting like assholes on TV - if you actually care enough about your cause to go out and risk a lot for it, you would be an idiot to refuse the exposure.

Oh I agree that they actually care - though I don't see why that necessitates acting like an asshole on tv.

On the other hand, it does seem rather hard to side with the people who think that fishing tuna out of existence is a good idea.

Maybe but their antics make me hard pressed not too.  I'm not sure what other recourse they have (to effectively make change) but they strike me as immature individuals acting out some Robin Hood fantasy.  I think their show does nothing but support that notion.

[MadImmortalMan]

It's ok to eat fish. They don't have any feelings.

[Ideologue]

It is easy to mock guys like this, but you know what?

Most people, especially the enviro-crowd, just blahblabblahtalktalktalkbitchbitchbitch. I don't generally think that most of them even care about their chosen "cause", it is just a convenient vehicle to rant about "corporate greed" or whatever term du jour the ignorant left wing trust fund kiddies are babbling about for the moment.

At least these guys are willing to actually do something, actually RISK something in furtherance of their beliefs. I am not sure I agree that chasing Japanese whalers around is a legitimate way to express those beliefs, but on the other hand I have to give them credit for having the balls to actually do something.

It's only too bad they don't have Exocets.

It's ok to eat fish. They don't have any feelings.

I'm not totally convinced they do, either, but some things I've seen have led me to doubt that they don't.  In any event, I've pretty much phased fish out of my diet--just the occasional sushi, and that's pretty rare.  Indeed, it's mostly just a wasabi delivery device anyway.

[The Larch]

I don't think they can do much patrolling with just two ships, unless they have some really kick ass radars.

[Neil]

It is easy to mock guys like this, but you know what?

Most people, especially the enviro-crowd, just blahblabblahtalktalktalkbitchbitchbitch. I don't generally think that most of them even care about their chosen "cause", it is just a convenient vehicle to rant about "corporate greed" or whatever term du jour the ignorant left wing trust fund kiddies are babbling about for the moment.

At least these guys are willing to actually do something, actually RISK something in furtherance of their beliefs. I am not sure I agree that chasing Japanese whalers around is a legitimate way to express those beliefs, but on the other hand I have to give them credit for having the balls to actually do something.

And at least Osama had the balls to get people to fly planes into the twin towers rather than just bitching about the Great Satan, amirite?

[Razgovory]

Don't really care for tuna.  Don't like Whales either, but they were all right in my book since they were harassing the Japanese.  I support attacking Japanese fisherman anywhere and anyhow.  Be it some dingbats shooting paintballs at whalers or irradiating the Lucky Dragon 5.  Japan must be stopped.

[Ed Anger]

I like tuna taco.