How To Save The Whales

I like whales. Who doesn't? They are beautiful, graceful, mysterious, intelligent, and well worth the effort it takes to protect them. Unfortunately in the ocean near Antarctica, there are apparently few looking out for their well being except for Sea Shepherds cruising on the M/V Steve Irwin. Now this is both good and bad. The good is obvious. The Sea Shepherds are certainly better than nothing, but not a whole lot. The show "Whale Wars" is quite good and brings a good deal of publicity highlighting the problem. There is after all, no need for Japanese "research" vessels to be slaughtering these creatures. What the Japanese really do is kill them as a delicacy for the table. This is not only ridiculous it is criminal. As a friend of mine says "Fuck a Japanese, they don't need to eat a whale." I couldn't agree more. This is not out of control environmental extremism, this is a real issue that should transcend politics. There are those that say the Sea Shepherds are eco- terrorists and pirates and that may be technically true. If that is the case, then the Japanese whaling vessels have every right to eliminate them. Thankfully they do not seem inclined to do this, probably because of the bad publicity that would ensue. Remember Greenpeace and the "Rainbow Warrior?" The French government took care of that problem pragmatically. The firestorm of international protest however was not something that the French wanted to deal with. If I am not mistaken, the French ended up apologizing for this incident. What if the government of Japan was willing to ignore the criticism that would occur if they sunk the Steve Irwin? What if the next time the whaling fleet was accompanied by the Haruna or Shirane with orders to fire if the whaling fleet is provoked? Have any of the "sailors" on the Steve Irwin thought of this? Probably Captain Watson has, but doubtful if many of the rest of the crew have considered this possibility. After all, it would be big news for a while if this occurred, but it would eventually die down, and the crew of the Steve Irwin would still be dead. The problem seems to be that the crew of the Steve Irwin are mainly young idealists. While one has to admire their dedication and bravery, they, for the most part, are not competent sailors. Some of them are obviously oblivious to the danger that they are in. The peril comes not just from the Japanese, the incompetence of Sea Shepherd leadership is evident and puts the young environmentalists in harms way. Have you noticed that even the simplest of evolutions, like launching the small boats, often turns into a fiasco? There is a definite lack of training that is necessary to turn these people into even semi sailors. Captain Paul Watson must take the blame for this. To truly damage the whaling fleet, before Japan's military becomes involved, a complete change in strategy needs to be implemented. Instead of relying on amateurish volunteers, the Sea Shepherd organization needs to consider using professionals. Hiring them at great expense if necessary. I am sure there is enough money in worldwide donations to fund such a venture. I would suggest hiring some of the men from "The Deadliest Catch" to harass and damage the Japanese whalers. These guys are real sailormen with balls the size of watermelons. Perhaps they could even throw in one or two of the "Ice Road Truckers" to round out the crew. If this occurred I don't think that the whalers would stand a chance. At least one of the whaling ships would have her screws fouled. It is possible that these bad asses could incapacitate the entire fleet. Plus, the "Deadliest Catch" guys talk like real sailors as do the "Ice Road Truckers." I may be wrong but I don't think I have ever heard one of the Sea Shepherds say "fuck." How on earth can you be taken seriously as a sailor if you don't say that at least once in a while.