KEY POINTS:
The Government has released Defence surveillance footage of a Japanese whaling fleet in the Ross Sea, in an attempt to sway Japanese public opinion over their Government's whaling programme.
The footage, taken in the past three days, was released yesterday at a press conference in Auckland by Conservation Minister Chris Carter.
Mr Carter said a Royal New Zealand Air Force Orion undertaking surveillance against illegal fishing in the Southern Ocean had "come across" the Japanese whaling vessels.
The footage shows three whaling vessels harpooning, hauling and processing whales.
Mr Carter said the Government had decided to take the "very unusual step" of releasing the footage to "allow the public to make up their own minds about Japan's whaling activities".
Japan plans to kill up to 935 Antarctic minke whales and 10 endangered fin whales this season under its controversial Jarpa II scientific whaling programme in the Southern Ocean.
From next year Jarpa II was due to expand to include 50 fin whales and 50 humpback whales, Mr Carter said. "Is it science or is it butchery?"
It was the public of Japan who would persuade their Government to change its policy. The footage would also remind New Zealanders that the issue was still alive.
The vessels were clearly labelled "research" and had a large sign with their website address printed on it, he said.
He and the Government felt very strongly about the issue and he hoped Japanese media would show the footage and ask questions.
Mr Carter would not be drawn on where exactly in the Ross Sea the footage had been taken and said the coordinates would not be released to Greenpeace.
A Greenpeace ship, the Esperanza, left Auckland yesterday to confront the Japanese whaling fleet in the Southern Ocean.
Mr Carter said he had a meeting with Greenpeace on board the ship last Friday and while he supported the organisation's commitment, he and the Government were concerned about the tactics used.
One of the tactics Greenpeace uses is to manoeuvre its inflatable boats between the harpoon and the whale.
"While I applaud their work, the Southern Ocean is a dangerous place and we are concerned that we are going to have loss of life if the protests continue in the same way," Mr Carter said.
He would not rule out further filming of the fleet.
- NZPA
Greenpeace welcomes surprise move
Greenpeace New Zealand whales campaigner Jo McVeagh said yesterday she was surprised the Government had released the footage.
"It's good to see the New Zealand Government exposing the hunt that takes place down there in the whale sanctuary."
She said the Greenpeace ship, the Esperanza, which left Auckland yesterday to confront the Japanese whaling fleet, would stay as long as fuel reserves allowed.
Greenpeace Japan ocean project leader Junichi Sato yesterday said he was in New Zealand to "explain the situation on whaling in Japan to the New Zealand people".
"A lot of things are misunderstood outside of Japan," he said.
"We carried out an independent survey last year and 95 per cent of Japanese people have never eaten whale meat, or very rarely eat it ... and 92 per cent ... don't know the Government [is] killing endangered whales in the whale sanctuary.
"Sometimes anti-whaling movements can be seen as anti-Japan movements."
- Maggie McNaughton
