Should Sea Shepherd Conservation Society take more drastic measures to stop whalers?

No

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by Jim Kerrigan

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I am puzzled by the Sea Shepherd's methods. I understand being against whaling and I don't have a problem with being against whaling for several reasons. It is not a renewal resource and isn't forward thinking. I believe it is cruel and unnecessary to do this to any animal much less what can be argued are sentient beings. That having been said, I have several problems with the Sea Shepherd and expanding or making more drastic the methods of its mission.

First, their methods of attempting intimidation and using gear and equipment damaging equipment to force the practice of whaling to be confronted are ineffective. Whaling continues, the viciousness of Whaling does not condone or support the pseudo-attacks of the Sea Shepherd upon whaling vessels. It seems nefarious that you would attempt to enforce and encourage anti-whaling treaties (legal documents) by means other than legal.

Second, calling what the Sea Shepherd does as attacks is insane. If they were in fact attacks then the naval vessels from the countries whose ships are being attacked would be justified in returning fire. I doubt that Naval vessels would use water cannons or bags of acid either. Further if the Sea Shepherd was in fact attacking foreign vessels The Dutch could find themselves in a war. If the Dutch disowned them then they would be pirates subject to arrest.

As they are, they are acting as tacit privateers while being as a legitimate sea going vessel and registered by the Dutch. This is why the Dutch do not want the crew of the Sea Shepherd to throw acid or anything for that matter from the deck of the ship. This is why the crew of the Sea Shepherd has to use the zodiacs instead of the mother-ship.

Personally the effort needs to change in one direction or the other.

Direction one, Non-violent, infiltrate the crews of the whaling ships and document the in-humane methods and inappropriate concept for renewable resources that the whaling industry is rife with.

Direction two, Stop flying a Jolly Rodger unless you are unregistered and sporting a submarine replete with torpedoes. This would be attacking the whaling fleet. This would of course be risking retaliation from the host countries naval forces. But you could finally use words like attacking outside of poetic license.

What you are doing is flailing around and making a cable TV show. Taking more drastic measures, short of actually attacking the whaling fleet, smacks of reality TV.

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