(AP)
Japanese government officials yesterday ac knowledged they were ending whaling operations a month early — and blamed the stars of the hit series “Whale Wars,” the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society.
“The mother ship [8,000-ton whale factory Nisshin Maru] is still being chased by Sea Shepherd and it has been difficult to secure the vessel’s safety,” Japan’s Fisheries Minister Michihiko Kano told reporters.
In almost the same breath, Japan’s Foreign Minister Seiji Maehara said that his country has begun applying diplomatic pressure to shut down the Sea Shepherd.
“It is extremely regrettable that the obstructionist activities by Sea Shepherd were not prevented,” by Australia, New Zealand and the Netherlands, the three countries which allow Sea Shepherd to fly their flag or use their ports, Maehara said.
Formal diplomatic protests were filed with all three nations, he added.
It has been a giddy time for the crew and supporters of the Sea Shepherd — the group that says its goal is to put itself out of business by ending the whaling trade.
The series, which began in 2008, averages about 1.5 million viewers a week, but has gone as high as 3 million-plus viewers for special episodes. Filming for the show’s fourth season, called “Operation No Compromise,” began last December when the Sea Shepherd left Australia and headed out into the Southern Ocean looking to stop the Japanese whaling fleet. It was not set to end until March.
But this week, the anti-whaling group claimed that, for the first time in the seven years it has been trailing after whalers in the Antarctic, Japan acknowledged activist pressure and ended the catch season early.
In recent weeks, Sea Shepherd has assailed Japanese whaling vessels with smoke bombs, rancid butter-filled bottles, tangled their propellers with rope and lobbed red paint at them.
“We were physically able to shut them down,” Sea Shepherd’s Captain Paul Watson told Sky News. “We are aggressive, but non-violent and we don’t break laws.”
Japanese officials yesterday said whaling would be back next season. “We will work out definite measures to ensure we can continue research whaling without giving in to sabotage,” said Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano.
Animal Planet, which airs the show, says that all of the drama will be included when “Whale Wars” returns in June.
“We’re on the boats with them right now,” says series executive producer Jason Carey.
Although he hasn’t seen any footage yet, recent events are likely to be “the finale of our season,” he says.