"The Institute of Cetacean Research, in conjunction with Kyodo Senpaku and the Government of Japan, said today the Antarctic whale research program for the 2006/2007 austral summer season will be cut short as a result of a fire aboard the research mother vessel, the Nisshin Maru.
"ICR Director General, Dr Hiroshi Hatanaka said that after completing a thorough assessment of the Nisshin Maru following the 15 February fire, it was concluded that some of research equipment could not be recovered, and hence the ICR could not responsibly pursue the research activities as originally planned.
"Far from an embarrassment, the situation in the Antarctic was an unfortunate event that no-one could have predicted. Our thanks go out to the crew who are very able seamen and responded in a professional and responsible manner to the fire and subsequent repairs to the vessel. Their skills and experience must be applauded," Dr Hatanaka said.
"However, after discussions this week regarding the condition of the vessel, we have decided to call them home."
"While full power was restored, a more detailed inspection over the last few days shows that the Nisshin Maru is unable to be fully repaired at sea for the scientific research to continue. The repository, where much of the equipment and tools used for biological research are stored, was heavily damaged, which will not allow for the program to continue in the Antarctic for this summer."
"Upon returning to Japan, the Nisshin Maru will undergo inspection to investigate the cause of the fire, after which it will enter dock for a thorough refurbishment and preparation for Japan's Research Program in the western North Pacific (JARPN II), this year.
"Japan's Program in the Antarctic (JARPA II) is a long-term research program and will resume again in December this year."
Ends.
'The whaling lobbies in Norway and Iceland consist of government members' - Ann
Novek, your recent penchant for re-writing 'quotes' and transparent straw man rhetoric demonstrate you are spending far too much time hanging around with David and George.
Certainly there are government representatives who support the whaling lobby but that was not the subject I was talking about in the posts you referred to (but deliberately did not quote directly from, as usual) and that is precisely why I had made the distinction between 'lobbies' and 'government'; smarty!
Political policies that promote Nationalistic jingoism are a favourite soap box for right wing politics and for you to suggest that aspiring right wing politicians in Japan, Norway and Iceland are not involved in lobbying for commercial whaling is quite simply untrue.
While we are on the subject of politians, all politicians need financial backing for their party, so socialist / social democratic governments are as beholden to large donors and perceived 'national economic interests' as any other politicians: just ask the British Labour Government currently under investigation by the British police for allegedly 'selling' peerages in return for substancial financial donations to the party....
'Lobbies' with a commercial interest always include industry representatives and its interesting to note how often politicians who leave office, suddenly get offered jobs by corporations involved in exactly the same industries that those ex politians careers where closely involved with.... Cynical?.. Moi?...
'don't Google yourself into a mess again...you know how it did go last time!' Ann
You're the expert, Novek.....
BTW Lamna, you can have the last word ...don't Google yourself into a mess again...you know how it did go last time!
The whaling lobbies in Norway and Iceland consist of government members, smarty!
'I have also read that you have mentioned that the right winged lobbies in whaling countries are pushing hard for the resumption of commercial whaling.
FYI, most governments during the last decades in Norway and Iceland have been socialist/ social Democratic, and especially the Social Democrats in Norway ( Brundtland, Stoltenberg) and in Iceland have been pushing hard for whaling!' - Ann
So since you admit I was talking about 'lobbies' and not 'governments' Novek, keep your facts straight please!
A little off topic but...
http://www.reuters.com/article/scienceNews/idUSSP8184020070302
"Japan dolphin all smiles after prosthetic tail"
Lamna:" Ann's attempt to create a hypothetical scenario, then link it to Jihadi terrorism before asking about the possibility of Environmental NGO rebuttals to said hypothetical scenario, is straw man rhetoric of such low quality even the notorious author Erich Von Daniken would hesitate to use it.....
I 'm glad that Lamna posts high quality whaling comments...
I'm especially interested to know what " international commercial whaling" means, must be a new kind of term that you have coined... do you actually know the difference between subsistence whaling and commercial whaling?
Does this mean that you accept Norwegian and Icelandic whaling???
I have also read that you have mentioned that the right winged lobbies in whaling countries are pushing hard for the resumption of commercial whaling.
FYI, most governments during the last decades in Norway and Iceland have been socialist/ social Democratic, and especially the Social Democrats in Norway ( Brundtland, Stoltenberg) and in Iceland have been pushing hard for whaling!
Keep your facts straight please!
Lamna and Travis,
I like to eat shrimp. Does that mean I am anti-shrimp?
I like to eat steak. Does that mean I am anti-bovine?
People who are against my food are against me. And let's not forget the Zambians who starved because the alternative was not politically correct.
Those who don't like the homocentric view should create a church and follow the teachings of Lamna, who greatly admires the wisdom of hamsters. He finds them to be persuasive beings.
Once again Schiller you have gone along on your merry way assuming and making things up.
>In fact, there is little in this sorry episode which looks pro-human.
Classic Schiller. Your Homo-centric view of the world would easily fit in with the argument of starving Japanese school kids, women's clubs and wealthy businessmen, not to mention the curtailing of valuable scientific literature on how to clone and cross whales with various other species to create a frankenwhale. You really are getting funnier and funnier.
'we assume that the meat would be destined for human consumption' - Schiller
Since Japan has one of the largest economies in the world, Thurkettle's attempt to portray the scenario as some sort of monstrous disaster for starving peasants is ridiculous....
'Pro-human' - Schiller
Thurkettle evaluating absolutely everything according to your extremely limited definition of what is 'pro-human' ignores the fact that unsustainability is misanthropic as well.....
SJT,
If Travis is applauding that the meat could not be processed, and we assume that the meat would be destined for human consumption, then Travis is applauding that humans would not get this food. That is misanthropic.
If the result of this is that scientific information was curtailed or shut off, that is misanthropic.
In fact, there is little in this sorry episode which looks pro-human.