A Political Solution to End Whaling in the Southern Ocean

All Japanese whaling activities in the Southern Ocean take place in waters off the coasts of territories claimed by Australia, France, and New Zealand.

The areas are the (1)  Ross Dependency (Claimed by New Zealand in 1923) (150° W to 160° W (2) Adelie Land (Claimed by France in 1924) (142° 2´ E to 136° 11´ E. (3) Australian Antarctic Territory (Claimed by Australia in 1933) (160° East to 136° 11´ East to 142° 2´E to 44° 38´ E.

What we need is for the whale conservation nations of New Zealand, Australia, and France to exercise their sovereignty over these waters. Australia has already declared a 200 mile Economic Exclusion Zone. Australia has also pledged to challenge Japan in the international court in the Hague.

Now with the Australian Greens almost certain to hold the balance of power in the Australian Senate with the next election, the opportunity is approaching where the Australian Antarctic Territory can be defended. The Green Party has already vowed to create a marine park off the coast of Antarctica where fishing and whaling will be banned and the ban will be enforced. 

The marine park policy would also turn a minimum of 30 percent of Australian waters into reserves where fishing, whaling, exploration and drilling for oil or gas will be prohibited.

Green Party Senator Bob Brown has said he has no plans to retire and is determined to protect the whales in the Southern Ocean.

What does this mean for Sea Shepherd?

It means we can continue to have Australia as our major support base for our annual interventions against illegal Japanese whaling activities. It also means that there may be a political and court ordered solution to this problem and this would mean that the Whale Wars will be over.

The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society will continue to intervene against Japanese whaling in the Southern Ocean until the Japanese whaling fleet retires from their unlawful whaling activities in the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary.   

Sea Shepherd France will continue to communicate with the French government over the need for enforcement in the waters of Terre Adelie and Sea Shepherd New Zealand will continue to do the same in Aotearoa.