Omar Todd · @OmarSeaShepherd
6th Apr 2014 from TwitLonger
Commentary by our Founder @CaptPaulWatson "Japan will return to the Southern Ocean." RT!
Despite the posturing by the Japanese Foreign Ministry that Japan will not return to their illegal whaling activities in the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary.
They may indeed not return for the 2014/2015 season but I am quite sure that they will return for the 2015/2016 season.
The primary reason for this is simple. Japan has not withdrawn their application to seek a permanent injunction against Sea Shepherd USA in the U.S. Federal Court. In fact, following the verdict of the International Court of Justice in the Hague, the attorney's for the Institute of Cetacean Research presented a brief to the U.S. Court stating that they intend to proceed.
Now what is the purpose of an injunction to interfere with whaling operations if there are no whaling operations?
The Japanese government realizes that the present government of Australia will not interfere should the whalers return to Antarctica. The Present government of Tony Abbott is openly hostile to conservationists and environmentalists and very, very keen to keep Japan happy for reasons of international trade.
Japanese Premier Abe has made it very clear that he is dissatisfied with the ICJ verdict.
What they may very well do is sit out the next season, considering they have not got the six months required to filing their intentions with the International Whaling Commission. In the meantime they can design an entirely new "scientific" program. They can then return. Australia may or may not challenge them. Abbott will not intervene unless pressured by the electorate.
And they will think that Sea Shepherd will move on to other issues.
Intervention will mean Australia possibly (although unlikely) taking Japan back to the ICJ to await another five year waiting period of a second verdict.
Japan has a history of political and military duplicity.
What this means for Sea Shepherd is that we must repair and prepare our ships for future interventions. The year this verdict has bought us will give us time to raise funding for a faster long range vessel to make our fleet 100% effective.
The Whale Wars in the Southern Ocean are not over and the only thing that will convince me that the Japanese government has decided to withdraw from the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary is for the civil suit seeking a permanent injunction be dropped.
It makes little sense to continue to spend money seeking an injunction that would be useless because there would be no whaling operations to intervene against.
The injunction however makes little legal sense. Sea Shepherd USA is not involved in the Southern Ocean and does not contribute funds to the Southern Ocean campaigns. The temporary injunction the ICR now has, does cut off funding to the Southern Ocean fleet but it cannot stop ships flying the Dutch flag operating from Australian ports.
The ICR does not want Sea Shepherd USA to return to funding the campaigns and thus the suit continues.
The U.S. 9th District Court has ruled that the whalers are operating legally. The International Court of Justice has ruled that the whalers are operating illegally. Will the international court's opinion overrule the U.S. Federal Court opinion? In theory no. But Japan is gamboling that the U.S. Courts will overrule the ICJ.
People have asked me this week why I am not popping champagne and joyfully celebrating this victory.
Although I acknowledge that this is a victory that vindicates our legal position and means that it is the whalers that are the outlaws, the fact remains that the outlaws still have every intention of continuing to kill whales.
The borders of the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary are not closed to the whalers yet.
We need another ship and we need to make our other three large ships readied for a return once again to the Southern Ocean. The International Court of Justice has bought us the time to make these preparations and to secure a fourth large long range fast ship.
The gates of the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary will remain guarded by Sea Shepherd for as long as it requires to make the Sanctuary a solid sanctuary where the whales can live unmolested by the criminals intent upon murdering them.
When the Japanese whalers return they will meet a much stronger and fully prepared whale defense force.
We will be prepared and we will be ready.