whales - part 4

Unfortunately, Colin (now found to be Colette) the abandoned humpback whale calf who had been languishing in Sydney could not be saved and was euthanised today (see The Age). The baby whale captured the imagination of the world's media and the hearts of Sydney-siders.

Meanwhile, reported in The Australian

Whalers' toll tops 200
From correspondents in Tokyo | August 22, 2008

JAPANESE whaling ships caught 211 whales during their three-month voyage in the northwest Pacific, the fisheries agency said.

The main ship of the six-vessel fleet, 8044-ton Nisshin-maru, will arrive in Tokyo on Saturday, with the rest returning to their ports by the end of the month, the agency said.

Since they left on June 6, the ships caught 100 sei whales, 59 minke whales, 50 Bryde's whales and two sperm whales, the agency said Friday.

The Japanese government, which says whaling is part of the national culture, plans to kill around 1000 whales a year using a loophole in a 1986 international moratorium that allows "lethal research" on whales.

Japan's last catch in the Antarctic Ocean earlier this year came to little more than half of that due to harassment by Sea Shepherd activists, who hurled stink bombs and hopped onto the whaling ship.

Members of Sea Shepherd have repeatedly tried to interfere with Japanese whaling.

One of the latest cases occurred in March, when the militant activists hurled acid on to a Japanese whaling ship off Antarctica, hurting three crew members.

Japan has previously demanded that Australia, where Sea Shepherd had docked, take action against the activists.

Australia and most other Western nations have opposed Japan's whaling, arguing that it is inhumane and endangers a growing whale-watching industry.

Many people wanted to save Colin/Colette by any means possible. Quite surprising then, that the Japanese government wasn't approached for assistance, given all the research they have done on whales.

Oh, that was sarcasm.

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It has been a long week, and there were days when I should have stayed home from work. Quite a few people have been away sick this week.

Tonight, I watched Jumper. The film had lukewarm reviews, but I still enjoyed the special effects.