It wasn’t my intention to write about whales in every post, but I thought I’d share a current event that has recently caught my attention, and which seems especially relevant because it’s happening in my back yard.
There is currently a fleet of Japanese whaling ships in the Ross Sea killing whales in violation of the Antarctic Treaty, the Southern Ocean whale refuge, the UN Charter on Nature, and the International Whaling Commission’s ban on commercial whaling. There is also a self proclaimed pirate ship in the area trying to track down these whaling vessels and use whatever means necessary to stop the illegal whaling. The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society has taken it upon themselves to enforce the environmental regulations that are already in place; something that gets them into legal and diplomatic trouble fairly regularly and places them in physical danger constantly.
The fact is, despite the numerous charters and treaties that make whaling in Antarctic waters illegal, these laws share an important similarity with many of the species they are designed to protect: they have no teeth. They are essentially about as effective as a bunch of paper torpedoes against these large commercial fleets. The founder of Sea Shepherd has said, “Our intention is to stop the criminal whaling. We are not a protest organization. We are here to enforce international conservation law. We don’t wave banners. We intervene.”
Normally I’m in favor of supporting good policy over what I see as destructive activism. I don’t think, for example, that ELF particularly helps their cause by blowing up a car lot full of Hummers. But this situation has made me think again about the thin line between “responsible” activism and complacency. In this case, the policies are in place but lack any kind of regular enforcement. The Sea Shepherd organization and others like it, with their pirate tactics of harassment and obstruction, are literally the only things standing between the harpoon and its defenseless quarry.
I, for one, am with the pirates here. If you want to read more about the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society go here. And here is a National Geographic article profiling their attempts to interfere with last year’s whale hunt in the Antarctic.
There is currently a fleet of Japanese whaling ships in the Ross Sea killing whales in violation of the Antarctic Treaty, the Southern Ocean whale refuge, the UN Charter on Nature, and the International Whaling Commission’s ban on commercial whaling. There is also a self proclaimed pirate ship in the area trying to track down these whaling vessels and use whatever means necessary to stop the illegal whaling. The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society has taken it upon themselves to enforce the environmental regulations that are already in place; something that gets them into legal and diplomatic trouble fairly regularly and places them in physical danger constantly.
The fact is, despite the numerous charters and treaties that make whaling in Antarctic waters illegal, these laws share an important similarity with many of the species they are designed to protect: they have no teeth. They are essentially about as effective as a bunch of paper torpedoes against these large commercial fleets. The founder of Sea Shepherd has said, “Our intention is to stop the criminal whaling. We are not a protest organization. We are here to enforce international conservation law. We don’t wave banners. We intervene.”
Normally I’m in favor of supporting good policy over what I see as destructive activism. I don’t think, for example, that ELF particularly helps their cause by blowing up a car lot full of Hummers. But this situation has made me think again about the thin line between “responsible” activism and complacency. In this case, the policies are in place but lack any kind of regular enforcement. The Sea Shepherd organization and others like it, with their pirate tactics of harassment and obstruction, are literally the only things standing between the harpoon and its defenseless quarry.
I, for one, am with the pirates here. If you want to read more about the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society go here. And here is a National Geographic article profiling their attempts to interfere with last year’s whale hunt in the Antarctic.
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