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Japan has a six-vessel whaling fleet in Antarctic waters as part of its scientific whaling program, an allowed exception to the International Whaling Commission's 1986 ban on commercial whaling. It hunts hundreds of mostly minke whales, which are not an endangered species. Whale meat not used for study is sold for consumption in Japan, which critics say is the real reason for the hunts. The Sea Shepherd sends vessels to confront the Japanese whaling fleet each year, trying to block the whalers from firing harpoons and dangling ropes in the water to try to snarl the Japanese ships' propellers. The whalers have responded by firing water cannons and sonar devices meant to disorient the activists. Collisions have occurred occasionally, including the Jan. 6 collision between the Sea Shepherd's high-tech speedboat Ady Gil and the Shonan Maru 2 that caused the Ady Gil to sink. There were only minor injuries. The governments of Australia and New Zealand, which have responsibility for maritime rescue in the area where the whale hunt is usually conducted, have repeatedly urged both sides to tone it down. On Monday, New Zealand Prime Minister John Key called the latest Antarctic activities "downright dangerous." "These people are operating in Antarctica, where if you land in the water and (remain) there for more than about 12 minutes, you'll be dead. I don't really think its terribly sensible, that kind of behavior," Key said.
[Associated
Press;
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