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| Screen shot of the incident from video released by Japan's Institute of Cetacean Research |
Three
activists says they have cuts and bruises after clashing with a Japanese
whaling ship in the Southern Ocean.
The
incident happened about 300 miles north of Mawson Peninsula off the coast of
Antarctica.
Anti-whaling
group Sea Shepherd said whaling crew used grappling hooks and a bamboo pole to
strike the activists.
Japan's
Institute of Cetacean Research said the activists had tried to cut ropes and
tangle the Japanese ship's propellers with ropes.
Sea
Shepherd follows the Japanese fleet south every year in a bid to disrupt its
hunt.
'Sabotage'
A statement
on the Sea Shepherd website said the Japanese crew of the Yushin Maru No 2
threw grappling hooks at the activists, who were in two small boats.
They were
attempting to slow the Japanese harpoon vessel, which was on the tail of the
group's ship, the Steve Irwin.
A statement
on the website of the Institute of Cetacean Research (ICR), which sponsors
Japan's whaling activities, said the activists were trying to ''sabotage'' the
Yushin Maru, throwing ropes with hooks attached and also hurling glass bottles
of paint.
"When
the activists started using a knife to cut the YS2 float fender rope and net,
the Japanese vessel crew used bamboo poles as a measure to push the boat
back," said the statement.
The
Japanese have also released a video of the incident showing a water canon on
the Yushin Maru being sprayed at a rubber dingy while objects were being thrown
at the ship by the activists.
Japan's
fleet sails south to the Antarctic in the autumn each year, returning the
following spring.
There has
been a ban on commercial whaling for 25 years, but Japan catches about 1,000
whales each year in what it says is a scientific research programme.
Critics say
it is commercial whaling in another guise.
In the past
there have been clashes between activists and whalers, and collisions between
Sea Shepherd's vessels and the whaling fleet.
Last week,
Japan handed three anti-whaling activists who had boarded a whaling support
ship back to Australian authorities.
The Legalities of Whaling
- Objection - A country formally objects to the International Whaling Commission (IWC) moratorium, declaring itself exempt. Example: Norway
- Scientific - A nation issues unilateral "scientific permits"; any IWC member can do this. Example: Japan
- Indigenous (aka Aboriginal subsistence) - IWC grants permits to indigenous groups for subsistence food. Example: Alaskan Inupiat
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