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Mon02062012

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Marine Conservation News

Trial Begins For Dutch Cove Guardian Erwin Vermeulen in Taiji, Japan

The prosecution presents their case

Erwin with Otis: Otis was a rescue from a cruelty situation. Thursday January 26 2012 marked the start of court proceedings for Dutch Cove Guardian Erwin Vermeulen, who has been detained for more than 40 days on false charges of assault. Erwin was in Taiji documenting the town’s annual dolphin massacre, which runs from September until March, in an effort to bring global awareness to this horrific slaughter, when he was falsely accused of pushing one of the dolphin resort employees.

Sea Shepherd Conservation Society had a definitive presence in the courtroom. Board Director Dr. Bonny Shumaker and Sea Shepherd Netherlands Director Geert Vons made the trip to Japan to support Erwin. Also in attendance were Cove Guardian campaign leader, Scott West, as well as 5 volunteers; none were allowed contact with Erwin.

Until last week, Erwin was being held in the Shingu jail, near Taiji. He has now been transferred to Wakayama, where the trial will take place. Erwin has been kept under solitary conditions and was not told what charges he was being held on until his transfer last week. He has been denied contact with anyone in the outside world including loved ones and fellow Sea Shepherd volunteers. He has been refused any reading material while detained and has been subject to continual interrogation.

Even more shocking is the fact that while in Shingu, Erwin was fed a diet of mostly-if not all- white rice and his requests for nutritional supplements were denied.

The Dolphin Resort trainer who accused Erwin of pushing him gave his statement before the judge. The trainer claims Erwin pushed him in the chest area. The accuser’s account of the incident appeared to be inconsistent with the written statement he provided to the police a few days after the alleged incident. The prosecution went so far as to try and obtain DNA evidence to prove Erwin touched the man. Police collected "foreign matters" from around the trainer’s chest, but the DNA test was negative. This test was presented in court and proved, even scientifically, that there was no contact between the two men.

After the accuser gave his statement, Erwin took the stand looking visibly thinner, fatigued, and had not been provided with a haircut or shave while detained.

The prosecution began by attempting to trick Erwin into making harmful remarks about Sea Shepherd; these attempts failed. He maintains that he had no contact with the trainer and that his hands were full carrying a tripod, camera, and communication radio- leaving no free hand for him to push the man. In his recounting of events, Erwin said he passed a so-called roadblock and that the trainer was on his cell phone and did not even notice him until he was 20 meters past the barricade. Shortly afterwards the Taiji police arrived. Erwin stated that at the time they did not mention anything about the alleged assault, only that he had crossed a no trespassing sign. Only some time later after the Wakayama police and the accuser spent more time conversing, and Erwin and the rest of the Cove Guardians were preparing to leave, did the police inform Erwin that the trainer was claiming he had been pushed.

The prosecution proceeded to bring up irrelevant accusation of trespassing and how taking photos of people who don’t want to be photographed is offensive. Erwin’s reply was “Yes, well I am offended by the dolphin slaughter. It’s not a crime to offend, but I’m not here for photos or trespassing, I’m here for pushing.” He also pointed out to the court that the Cove Guardians have a silent agreement with the police “when we see a sign, we enter once and the English speaking police will tell us if it’s legal or not. The locals always ignore the signs, only they are never reprimanded.”

During the court proceeding Erwin alludes to the conditions inside his jail cell. He was asked to

put on the jacket he was wearing during the alleged crime, as a reenactment for the court. Erwin remarked “I wish I had this in my cell because it’s freezing in there.” When the court was considering taking a break for dinner Erwin said, “ I don’t need to eat. It’s nice and warm in here. This is the first time in two weeks that I’ve been warm.”

It is important to remember that Erwin Vermeulen is being held on charges of simple assault, due to an accusation that he merely pushed another person, and is being subjected to highly inhumane conditions. The conviction rate in Japanese courts is 99% and most detainees confess very quickly. It is easy to see why, after learning of the subpar conditions Erwin is being subjected to inside the Japanese prison system. Through the course of his imprisonment and harsh treatment, Erwin has maintained his innocence and Sea Shepherd will do everything in our power to see him free and justice served.

The trial continues February 1^st when the defense will present their case and a Sea Shepherd witness will be allowed to give a testimony. Closing arguments are scheduled for February 16^th with a verdict on February 22^nd, meaning Erwin will spend another month in jail on a ludicrous charge. If convicted Erwin could face up to two years in prison along with a large fine.

Following the court proceedings, Sea Shepherd Netherlands Director Geert Vons had the following statement:

“Erwin Vermeulen has now become a trump card in the dispute between Japan and the Netherlands over whaling. Sea Shepherd’s ships are registered in the Netherlands and every year when the whale hunt starts Japan complains to the Netherlands about environmental activists hindering its whale hunters.

The charges against Erwin were only clearly stated on Saturday. He is being treated like a notorious criminal. He is not allowed any contact with the outside world, or any letters. It is a very, very sad story. I had expected more support from the Dutch Government, for a Dutch national.”

According to the Dutch Animal Rights Party, Foreign Affairs Minister Uri Rosenthal is “not doing enough” and they want a debate about the issue in the Lower House. According to Esther Ouwehand, one of the party's two members of parliament, Japan has a reputation for arresting activists who it regards as “hindering” whale hunts for political reasons. Ouwehand wants Rosenthal to summon the Japanese ambassador.

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Our Sincere Apologies, Prime Minister

9 January 2012 - Our apologies, Prime Minister. I’m sorry we were not racing around the world trying to establish a world record on a ten million dollar sailing vessel that was wrecked by a storm.

I’m sorry we were not a Russian poaching vessel stealing Patagonia toothfish from the waters off the coast of Antarctica where we breached our hull and needed your help.

I’m sorry that we are not an eco-tourist vessel grounded on the beach of Antarctica in need of your assistance.

Unfortunately we’re not setting world records, poaching fish or gawking at penguins.

We’re trying to stop illegal whaling. Surely you remember that back in 2007, Peter Garrett promised us that your government was going to get tough on whaling and that your government was actually going to do something about it.

So now that three Australian citizens boarded a notorious whaling vessel inside the Contiguous zone, 16 miles off the beach of Western Australia, to bring attention to what your government has refused to do, you want Sea Shepherd to help foot the bill.

You never ask this of poachers, yachtsmen and eco-tourist operators because I gather you believe their activities are more valid and thus more worthy of spending tax dollars on to bail them out of trouble.

The suggestion by Prime Minister Julia Gillard and Attorney General Nicola Roxon that Sea Shepherd help foot the bill for the recovery of three Australian citizens from the Shonan Maru #2 is absurd.

They have of course taken a page out of Political Media Manipulation 101 where a politician seeks support by indirectly demonizing a non-governmental organization or individual for costing the taxpayer money. Their reasoning is that the public will lose sympathy if they perceive that an action is costly to the tax payer.

I have outlined ten valid reasons Sea Shepherd should not, and will not, contribute to the cost of the recovery of these three Australian citizens from the Shonan Maru #2:

This is a government responsibility.
The expense would not have occurred if the government had lived up to its campaign promise of actually doing something to end illegal whaling in the Southern Ocean.
This was not a Sea Shepherd initiative, we merely assisted. This was an Australian grassroots operation by Forest Rescue, an Australian organization, that took place in Australian territorial waters.
Australia should bill Japan for the costs. The Shonan Maru #2 had no business in Australian territorial waters and had no business detaining Australian nationals onboard a Japanese ship in Australian territorial waters.
If the government had acted quickly instead of believing the false coordinates given to them by the Japanese whaling industry then the three men could have been taken off the ship close to shore.
The Australian government’s deal with the Japanese is to transfer the men while not having the Shonan Maru #2 slow down so they can continue to tail the Steve Irwin. Why would Sea Shepherd be expected to contribute to an operation that undermines our effectiveness and enables the rest of the whaling fleet to avoid us?
When a wealthy yachtsman is lost or in trouble in the Southern Ocean, no expense is spared to save him/her and they are not asked to pay for the costs. Why would we be asked to pay when Australians from another organization are simply doing the job that the government said they would do, but are not doing?
If the Australian government had a ship on station monitoring the situation, this would not be much of an added expense.
Perhaps the Prime Minister and the Attorney General could take some of the funds from the recent pay hike they voted in for themselves to help offset the costs.
The government has blocked and denied our request for tax status in Australia for eight years costing us a great deal in potential resources that would have allowed us to be more effective. In fact, if they had granted us such status we might possibly be in a position to give a donation to the Prime Minister to help her offset the cost of the government’s folly in allowing the Japanese whalers to continue to terrorize the defenceless whales of the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary.

Visit our
Operation Divine Wind
site for information about our
2011-12 Antarctic Whale Defense Campaign

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Coral Settling to Protect the Great Barrier Reef

Sea_Coral 14 December 2011 - US Scientists have built a frozen repository for the embryonic cells and coral sperm for the Great Barrier Reef, the said work is the possible solution to restore the coral species and diversify its population.

According to Mary Hagedorn a Marine Biologist at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute or SCBI “It turns out we can produce significant numbers of developing larvae using the thawed sperm and that those larvae actually settle. This is a huge milestone for us because if the larvae couldn’t metamorphose and settle, we wouldn’t be able to successfully use the bank for conservation efforts which is the driving force behind this important research.” Coral settling is technically the process in which a bowling pin-shaped coral larva metamorphoses into a polyp baby coral.

The frozen banks include two of the reef-building species of coral such as: Acropora Millepora and Acropora Tenuis, both of these reside in long-term storage located in the Taronga Western Plains Zoo in Dubbo, Australia.

The Marine Biologist Mary Hagedorn has successfully applied this technology to the reefs in both Hawaii and Caribbean. The banked cells are in a stasis and the researchers can defrost the frozen material in 50 to over a thousand years from now. If this procedure is done properly over time, researchers can also rear samples of the frozen material and if needed place it back into the ecosystem to generate new genes into the natural populations and this will help enhance the viability and health of the wild stocks.

This successful and innovative research is the result of a partnership between the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, Taronga Conservation Society Australia, Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology, Australian Institute of Marine Science and Monash University.

The scientist’s next focus after the success of using the frozen sperm from coral to fertilize fresh coral eggs is the development of techniques to use frozen coral embryonic cells to help with the restoration of coral population. In the coming January of next year, Hagedorn and her team will focus on the culturing of frozen embryonic cells and find out how long they can live.

Hagedorn has added “Right now there are no tools to help address some of the diseases most devastating to the reef. If we can grow embryonic cells and keep them alive, this technology could be important in battling those coral diseases.”

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Helicopter Pilot Blows Whistle On Tuna Industry

8 December 2011 - Take one random floating object, attach a radio beacon so you can find it again, drop it in the ocean and return later with a giant net and scoop up everything in sight. That's how much of the world's tuna is caught - inlcuding the tuna sold by Sealord in NZ - using fish aggregating devices (FADs) with purse seine nets and it's a recipe for disaster. This footage was given to Greenpeace by someone inside the tuna fishing industry who'd had enough of the destruction. ( Greenpeace ).

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Sea Mammals Not In Favor of Sea Commotion

7 December 2011 - Ocean noise and commotion levels have become unbearable for some sea mammals, with the constant underwater military testing, gas exploration, freighter propellers and percussive thump of oil. If you get to see the vast blue waters from above, you’ll think that it’s all peaceful and serene but contrary to it the underwater sound intensify an average of 20 decibels for over the past 50 years that results to a ravaging consequences for the sea life.

The International Director of Science at the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society or WDCS, Mark Simmonds said “Sounds are what cetaceans communicate with. This is how they perceive their environment. For them, hearing is as important as vision for us. If there is too much noise, they probably can’t communicate that well.” He told the AFP last month on the sidelines of an international conference on migratory species held in Bergen, on the Southwestern coast of Norway.

The damaging effect of this sea noise pollution is that it affects the ability of cetaceans. In good condition they can communicate over a distance of a dozen of kilometres, to find food, reproduce and orient themselves well. Even a small boat that is travelling at slow speeds through very shallow waters is enough to hinder the reach of sounds from a bottlenose dolphin at about 26 percent and for pilot whales at about 58 percent.

“You might cope with it for a while but you can’t live there. Imagine a situation where you can’t communicate with your family, where you have to scream constantly.” This is according to Nicolas Entrup, from Ocean Care and the Natural Resources Defense Council.

Building of some environmentally friendly projects such as the vast offshore wind farms that is made up of large turbines can also add up to the danger. The technique of penetrating the seabed with the use of hydraulic hammer to plant a monopod that anchors the modern-day windmills to the ocean floor is one of the factors that endanger the home of these sea mammals.

Sonar trouble is considered the number one factor that bothers the sea life by its rising noise levels, especially for those who inhabit the Antarctic, where the polar ice cap melts, humans are creating a an even bigger sound print as they look for new shipping routes to look for oil and gas.

Europe has proven itself to be a pioneer in this area. The European Commission’s financing of Ship-Oriented Innovative Solutions to Reduce Noise and Vibrations also known as SILENV has made its contribution to lessen this problem.

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