Sea Shepherd has released images showing what it claims to be a Japanese whaling ship illegally holding a dead minke whale while inside Australia’s whale sanctuary zone.
The conservation group claims crew aboard the Nisshin Maru covered the whale’s corpse after spotting helicopters launched from Sea Shepherd ship MY Steve Irwin earlier today.
Japan’s whaling program was ruled illegal by the International Court of Justice in 2014. Sea Shepherd claims these are the first images demonstrating a clear breach of that ruling.
Sea Shepherd Captain Wyanda Lublink said “they know they are in contempt of the ruling of the International Court of Justice and the Australian Federal Court.
How can the Australian government ignore these actions when the majority of Australians condemn what they are doing?”