Wilderness Defence – Page 67

Earth First! Blocks the Blade, USA

7th July 2010
Earth First! honored the No Compromise stance towards environmentalism by executing a beautiful action that cut to the heart of local organizing, bio-centrism and direct action in defense of the Earth. Earth First! concluded this year’s Summer Rendezvous in Maine with a dynamic and intense blockading an access road to the latest land destroying development scheme—the clearcutting of Maine’s Sisk Mountain for TransCanada’s wind turbines.

Beginning in the early morning, more than five EF!ers eluded police tails and entered Plum Creek land on Sisk Mountain, the site of TransCanada’s prospective wind farm, with the intention of blockading the access road. Although police assisting the corporations found the activists quickly, the access road was blockaded for the entire morning by a cavalcade of police and, interestingly enough, border patrol. They did our job for us, and nobody was arrested; only warnings were issued to the brave activists who sparked the blockade.

At around noon, police issued an order to disperse, and many EF!ers returned to the Rondy site pleased at the fact that, for that morning, the blades of wind turbines did not pass through the power of the people. At the access road, however, things were just getting started.

Earth First!ers remained to continue protesting, most moving to the opposite side of the highway to get support from passing automobiles. One person, Turtle, was arrested for refusing to move from the access road. Soon, a massive truck emerged from the bend, hauling behind it the blade itself, the awesome length of which resembled a small airplane. As the truck entered the access road, EF!ers made their move, rushing to stop it from entering the site. Meanwhile, Willow, locked herself to the undercarriage of the truck. The trucker hauling the blade began revving the engine, revealing the intention to drive on with an activist locked to his rig. Heroically, Anna jumped on top of the truck and thrust a sign over the windshield, obstructing the truckers’ view. Finally, the police, realizing they had been defeated for the moment, told the trucker to stop his engines.

When all was said and done, the truck had been blocked for hours and three people had been arrested. Their bail was set for $500, and they were released that night. Through the intensity of the day, the gathering stood strong, successful action in tow. Earth First! is showing that the attention to oil and offshore drilling is only the tip of the iceberg. We protested off-shore drilling in Santa Barbara in February, months before the Deep Horizon spill. We need to look forward to a future of resistance to the false solutions of wind power in wild areas, “clean coal” and biomass.

This years’ Rondy action has been called the Green Tea Party, and that might not be far off. With the irrevocable ecological damage done to this planet, a new era must come about. The most recent global protests in favor of environmentalism indicate that more and more people are taking up the slogan, “We won’t stop until they do. Earth First!”

update on resistance to High-Speed Railway in the Basque Country

Society has openly given response to the High-Speed Train (HST) in the latter times. We know, and so do they, that we are many people against HST. In Hendaya, there were more than 15.000 people in a recent demonstration against this project. Many referendums were placed and the response against the project was widely supported. There have been also many public appearances and actions all over. But power doesn’t seem to listen and the situation is getting worse day by day. Civil disobedience and direct action are the only means we have left to stop the HSP project, and that’s why four activists took the decision to take part in this action, putting their lives in danger. It’s been three days now since 4 activists decided to go inside a tunnel in the mines in Itsasondo (Gipuzkoa, in the Basque Country). They are actually blocked and chained inside the tunnel with no way to go out by themselves. Even if their situation has gone public, none of the public organizations involved have taken any measures or organized any rescue team. This has put their lives in serious danger. Besides, the explosions and the normal operations in the mines have not been stopped, making this danger even worse. As a result, we are facing a really dangerous scenario, not only because the explosions have not been stopped, but also because public powers are acting with absolute neglect, putting the lives of the activists in real serious risk. How can it be possible that in these times when life is publicly extolled, public powers show so little respect for the lives of those citizens? How can all those who talk so much about “the people’s choice” go on with their project to build the High-Speed Train, after many people and organizations have widely showed their refusal to this infrastucture? For all these reasons we encourage people to join us in the demonstration that will be held tomorrow, 4th of July in Ordizia (Gipuzkoa-Basque Country), 5 o’clock in the afternoon, and also to show their support to the activists in the mine by coming to the support camp in Itsasondo (Gipuzkoa).

2010-07-04
Under the slogan “Till stopping HST, resistance in Itsasondo’s mines” a demonstration left Ordizia yesterday in solidarity with the initiative of four activists whom chained themselves inside a mine on Thursday. At the same time, the demo demanded the cease of works for the High Speed Train. The event linked the towns of Ordizia and Beasain, making two stops in the works of this infrastructure, which particularly affects the valley of Goierri. The attitude of the Regional Home Department and the Basque Railway Network ignoring the presence of the activists inside the mines and continuing with the works has provoked big anger which was noticible during the demonstration. After teh demo, a large group of demonstrators cut the railway rail traffic for at least five minutes after taking over the Beasin RENFE train station (RENFE, the Spainsh railway company is the other companny involved in the project). The rally yesterday was not the only event held in solidarity with activists in recent days. On the evening of Friday, unknown activists cut the water supply for the Mariaratz construction site, where activists are chained. the action aimed also to show their disgust at the attitude of the institutions regarding the 4 chained activists and to disrupt in the same way the construction of this infrastructure. Remain underground Meanwhile, the four activists, who are now into their fifth day chained to concrete-filled drums without the option of leaving on his own feet, noticed their health deteriorating because of the harsh consequences of the mines, mainly high dampness and wetness. Yesterday morning a walk happened too with the aim of communicating with the activists, who said that they were “very tired and weak.” They were affected by the high humidity inside the mines where they are. There were no search Haitzuluetako Aurkariak (activist group) announced the exact location where the chain activists were last Saturday, in order to force a new search. The regional police claimed to have no record of the presence of these activists in the area. Therefore, the support group isisted for the search to be repeated. Apparently the Ertzaintza did not enter the area during all day yesterday. The action started on Thursday morning, but the explosions for the construction of the HST tunnel did not stop. There were constant blasting on Thursday and Friday and even the chained activists felt detachments of walls and ceiling inside the mine. According to the location they gave on Saturday, the activists would be in the 4th mining zone within the Ordizia-Itsasondo construction site, a few meters from the core of the explosions.

A day later (5/07/2010) the Basque police, the Ertzaintza, have evicted the four anti TAV activists who have been locked-on in the Itsasondo mines. The first two are currently (17:30) on their way to the station to give evidence, after going to the health centre for a check-up. The last two have since been evicted from the mines. Throughout the afternoon about a 100 people have been gathering at the mouth of the mine to show solidarity with the activists. They have been charged with “public disorder, resistance and disobedience to authority.”

On 6th July, despite the TAV trucks having security escorts, we sat in front of the vehicles. The truck driver was very aggressive, grabbing us by the throat and threatening us. He drove at us, so we got out of the way before being hit. He tried to attack with a club, but the security guards restrained him! We denounce this aggression and will continue to resist from the Leginetxe squatted workers’ cottages.

There will be a protest action camp against the TAV from 26th July to 1st August.

Direct action against the High-Speed Railway in the Basque Country

Itsasondo – FROM MINES AGAINST HIGH-SPEED TRAIN
Today, July 1, we have locked ourselves up inside an underground mine with the aim of stopping the construction of the HST and the destruction this is causing/will/would cause, to denounce the social model it represents.

Four people locked themselves up in underground mines Itsasondo, with no way out. But they are not alone, outside many people athered to protect them and to show them our support.

Near here, at the Mariaratz construction site, there are daily explosions – explosions which destroy Earth and everything on/in/within it. as a consequence of the tunnel digging these mines can collapse, endangering the lives of these four people. Therefore, we demand the immediate halt of the works.

We know the risk is high. We’ve got into the depths, to secure this land with our bodies. We are locked into the mines to defend our ideas and to denounce the lack of a sense of the powerful. Our bodies are our weapons, direct action our way. Once again we have gathered here in Goierri (one of the valleys where the railway linking Bilbo with Donostia (Saint Sebastian) would run through), because the situation in the area is really worrying. They are currently working on five points: Mariaratz, Olaberria, San Martín, and Berostegi Itsasondo.

In October last year we climb the trees to stop the work and warn people about the situation and today we had to get underground. Trees and land, two key elements and seriously affected by the HST works. They know and we know that many people are against the HST. More than 15,000 people in the manifestation of Hendaye, clearest results in popular consultations and other events.

But power is deaf to this massive opposition and the situation is worsening. Civil disobedience and direct action are the only way we can stop this disaster, and as long as they keep so adamant to build the HST we will continue to confront them. Horizontal organization and self-organization, that’s the way. To transform this social model we need to change the basis of it, priorizing proximity and small things, building local networks and promoting peoples’ lifestyle and culture.

Therefore, we invite you come along to Itsasondo, to participate in the organised activities and protests and to spread information and mobilize on behalf of these activists and against the HST in your villages and cities.

– Everyday vigil at 7 pm in Itsasondo.
– Demonstrations in the towns – Sunday 4th July, rally at 5 pm from the Plaza de Ordizia

ONGOING INFORMATION POINT at Itsasondoś main square Contact: 695 715 510
makinengainetik.animaliak@gmail.com

http://www.avatartherevolution.com/en/1
http://www.sindominio.net/ahtez/?q=es (Spanish)

(Brief update: the construction company, the Basque Railway Service and the police have all refused to stop the explosions of the tunnel excavations, thereby endangering the lives of the four activists who are currently underground)

Brazilian Indians protest against dams

1st July 2010
Enawene Nawe Indians in Brazil are demonstrating against a series of hydroelectric dams which are killing the fish they rely on.

Three hundred Indians have gathered in the town of Sapezal in the Amazon state of Mato Grosso, armed with bows and arrows to protest against the dam project.

Survival International is calling for the Enawene Nawe’s rights to their land to be upheld.

Unlike most tribes in the Amazon, the Enawene Nawe do not eat meat, so fish are essential to their diet.

A total of 77 small hydroelectric dams are planned for the Juruena River, upstream of the tribe’s land. Five are already under construction.

The Enawene Nawe were not consulted about the project, and they say that since work started the Juruena and its tributaries have become polluted.

During the protests the Enawene Nawe have met with the Brazilian authorities to reiterate their opposition to the dams. They are also demanding a full, independent environmental impact study.

Every year the Enawene Nawe perform yãkwa, an important ritual in which they build intricate dams across the smaller rivers and trap fish in large baskets.

The fish are smoked and transported back to the village, where some are offered to the yakairiti spirits of the underworld in elaborate ceremonies.

This year and last year the Indians caught almost no fish, a disaster for the tribe, who rely on fish as their main source of protein.

In 2008 the Enawene Nawe occupied one of the dam construction sites and destroyed much of the equipment on the site.

Licence to Spill – Liberate Tate create an oil spill at the Tate – inside & out

On the evening of the 28th of June at approx 7:15pm, Liberate Tate In protest over BP’s sponsorship of the arts performed a “Solemn” oil like spill at the Tate’s Summer party.

Dressed in black and veiled the performers carrying black buckets with BP logos spewed molasses over the entrance way as onlookers watched in amazement as the Portland stone floor was consumed by the black oil like mess.

Feathers were scattered and filled the air and in the same manner of approach the artists gracefully paced their escape.

Licence to Spill

“Apart from catastrophic spills like the Deepwater Horizon, there are a whole host of adverse impacts that are associated with the production of oil. On the local level, it often involves extreme forms of pollution for local communities, while regionally oil is frequently associated with greater militarization and conﬂict. Globally, carbon emissions, oil companies, and our collective dependence on the product they push, are taking us ever closer to the edge of climate catastrophe. “

To download Licence to Spill, a new release from Platform, visit http://www.carbonweb.org/showitem.asp?article=381&parent=39

Info : http://www.artnotoil.org.uk/

Watch the video of the action : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pz-_2KLt1W0

—–

Another report, including what happened inside the ex-garden summer party:

Sipping Pimms and gobbling canapés many of the guests expressed confusion at whether these striking actions were ‘art’ or not. Despite inaccurate reporting in various media outlets, Liberate Tate would like to claim full responsibility for these acts of creative disobedience as art – art that refuses to pretend to do politics but is politics, art that makes transforming the world a beautiful adventure.

The Tate Summer Party had been planned to be in the museum gardens and involve speeches from BP executives. However, due to the rumours of disruption, Tate was forced to hold the entire event inside the museum and no speeches were made.

As the evening sun baked down on the stone courtyard of Tate Britain and members of the cultural and corporate elite made their way into the party, 13 figures dressed in black, their faces veiled, appeared from around the corner. In a mournful procession the art-activists approached the entrance carrying large barrels branded with the BP logo. Dozens of photographers and TV cameras swarmed and a moment of tense silence enveloped the area. Something was going to happen.

Then in a perfectly choreographed moment, the front phalanx poured hundreds of litres of the black liquid all over the entrance, whilst others threw feathers into the air which gently drifted down into the huge sticky black pools. The sombre figures walked calmly away, disappearing into the city, as the security redirected the guests to another entrance as the cleanup operation began.

Meanwhile, despite the heavy security at the door, two Liberate Tate art-activists managed to infiltrate the party wearing large floral bouffant dresses underneath which were concealed large sacks filled with the oily molasses. Calling themselves Toni Hayward and Bobbi Dudley, they began their performance in the crowded central gallery. At first drips began to fall from their handbags. “Oh, I seem to have a leak” whispered one of them to the lined up waiters dressed in brilliant white, who kindly provided napkins to stem the spill.

Soon the sacks under their dresses burst releasing tens of litres of ‘oil’ across the shiny parquet floor. As a crowd formed around them, the two donned BP branded ponchos and scrambled on all fours trying to clean up the mess using their high heel shoes to pour the slick back into their handbags, but to no avail. “Compared to the size of the gallery this is a tiny spill, a drop in the ocean,” they apologised to the viewers, “we’ll definitely have it cleaned up by, say, August”.

The polite crowd that had formed continued to watch appreciatively for another 20 minutes, amidst a sea of camera-phones. Many began debating among themselves whether this was art or not (“I think it is. I like it”), whether Tate had organised it, and what their personal aesthetic reactions to it were (“If I had seen this outside, I think I would have felt as I do seeing it… inside”). More than one invited artist openly described this to their fellow drinkers as the most sophisticated work in the room.

LIBERATE TATE

Liberate Tate, is a network dedicated to taking creative disobedience against the Tate until it drops its oil company funding. The 28 June art activist performances follow on from last month’s disruption of Tate Modern’s 10th Birthday celebrations by hanging dead fish and birds from dozens of giant black helium balloons.

The network was founded during a workshop in January 2010 on art and activism, commissioned by Tate. When Tate curators tried to censor the workshop from making interventions against Tate sponsors, the incensed participants decided to continue their work together beyond the workshop and set up Liberate Tate.

www.twitter.com/liberatetate

Images: www.immoklink.com/BP-Tate/index.html

www.youandifilms.com/2010/06/license-to-spill/

See also LIBERATE TATE COMMUNIQUE 1 http://bit.ly/9RFfxJ (MAY 2010)

Full Video Report http://www.youandifilms.com/2010/06/licence-to-spill-full-report/

Shell due to start work next week & report from Rossport Solidarity Camp

June 25, 2010
Things are getting very busy here – after a peaceful June Gathering the camp is once more set to become a focal point for resisting Shell pipeline work. Shell are due in the estuary any day now to drill 80 boreholes – pipeline survey work that should take all summer. Yesterday we shut down the Shell office in Belmullet. Today Maura Harrington was jailed for non payment of fines. Niall and Pat are still in jail. Generally it seems that lots of people are wising up to the oil industry in the wake of the BP disaster in the Gulf of Mexico….

Roof Occupation Protest at Shell’s Belmullet Offices
Campaigners hung a banner reading “Energy shouldn’t cost the earth” from the roof of Shell offices in Belmullet on Thursday morning at 8am. This protest connected the environmental disaster suffered by the fishing community & people of Louisiana with the threat faced by the fishing community and people of Erris. In particular the protest was in solidarity with Pat O’Donnell who has been jailed for his courageous defense of the seas and his livelihood.
The protest blocked the entrance to the offices preventing Shell workers from entering that day!
Press Release and photos here: http://www.indymedia.ie/article/97054

Foreshore License Granted – Borehole Drilling Imminent
Yesterday Shell circulated a letter giving notice that the borehole drilling would commence “in the coming days”.
Recently Shell got the sign-off from “Green” Minister John Gormley on plans to bore 80 bore-holes in Sruwaddacon bay. Once again the community and camp will be opposing the Shell work both on land and at sea. Water-action training is ongoing. It will be a summer long job if they get started, so support up here would be great whenever possible. Now would be a good time to come.

There have already been contractors around doing initial surveys for the contract to construct the 5km tunnel under the estuary – one candidate company is called ICOP from Italy. Pressure on them would be no harm.

Here is their website: http://www.icop.it/tool/home.php
And address:
I.CO.P. S.p.A.
via Silvio Pellico 2
33031 Basiliano UD,
Italy

And contacts: info@icop.it, tunnelcom@icop.it, fondazioni@icop.it, amministrazione@icop.it, personale@icop.it, acquisti@icop.it, tecnici@icop.it

T. +39 0432-838611
F. +39 0432-838681

Please write to Pat & Niall – political prisoners
As a lot of you are aware Pat O’Donnell and Niall Harnett are currently in Castlerea Prison for convictions arising from protests against the Corrib Gas project. You can read more on Pat’s jailing here: http://www.shelltosea.com/content/shell-corrib-gas-who-…llies or more on Niall’s jailing here: http://www.indymedia.ie/article/96547

Please also ‘Like’ the ‘Support Shell to Sea prisoners of conscience’ page on Facebook (if you’re on it): http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Support-Shell-to-Sea-prisoners-of-conscience/112831115416555?ref=ts and Pat’s page at http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Pat-ODonnell/313999028104?ref=ts

Letters to Pat and Niall greatly appreciated –
Pat O Donnell / Niall Harnett,
Castlerea Prison,
Harristown,
Castlerea,
Co Roscommon,

Rossport Solidarity Camp Wishlist
You might have something lying around that you don’t want or need anymore.
At the moment we could use:

* Wheelie bins, plastic barrels, pallets (will probably find locally)
* Working Rechargeable Power tools
* Boats and outboard motors of any size or make: Power boats, sail boats, rigid sea kayaks would be especially useful as they can’t be punctured or sunk too easily
* Bandsaw
* PV panels, inverters, batteries
* Trailer that a Ford Transit could tow. Something like a horse trailer and fairly weather proof would be ideal to transport bikes.
http://www.shelltosea.com
rossportsolidaritycamp at gmail dot com

—

Annual Rossport Gathering report

Supporters from around the world joined in the annual gathering over the past weekend at the Rossport Solidarity Camp at Broadhaven Bay, County Mayo in support of the Shell to Sea campaign. A large contingent of cyclists travelled from Britain via Merthyr Tydfil in Wales where another campaign is focussed to stop an ugly open-cast coal mine which is destroying the environment, polluting air and water and endangering the community.

The gathering at Rossport has been held every year since before the jailing of the Rossport 5 in 2005 – local residents who refused, for reasons of health, safety and clean environment, to allow Shell / Statoil to lay an experimental high-pressure raw gas pipeline through their properties. The Irish government had, in an unprecedented move, provided the multi-nationals with compulsory purchase orders. The five were given indefinite prison sentences but were released after 3 months following massive public outcry. A later hearing vindicated them when the original pipeline route was rejected because of dangerous proximity to dwellings.

A new route is now being put forward, but is still considered unacceptable by Shell to Sea who believe that the only safe way to bring the gas ashore is by refining it at sea and bringing it in at low pressure. The dangers have been well highlighted by disasters worldwide including the Piper Alpha explosion, the pipeline explosion at Carlsbad, New Mexico (August 2000 when a family of 12 living over 200 metres away were completely wiped out), the outrageous death and destruction in Nigeria and now the BP oil disaster.

The Merthyr to Mayo cycle rally called at Castlerea prison to support fisherman Pat O’Donnell and fellow Shell to Sea supporter Niall Harnett who are both now serving jail terms for obstructing police who had been brought in the ensure Shell employees were not hampered in their work – the Irish government takes care of big business without regard for the livelihoods of the local community and the health of their environment !

The whole project was pushed ahead without consulting the local people – the refinery, 9 km inland (selected because it was state-owned forestry land) now approaching completion and the seaward pipeline layed. But still no legally permitted nor locally agreed inland route ! And not likely to be ! Local campaigners have had their lives totally disrupted for more than 10 years now with this nonsense and are utterly committed to the point of putting their lives on the line, literally.

Mining applications ‘frozen’ after protest in Philippines

24 June 2010
Six hundred indigenous people and farmers took to the streets on Palawan Island in the Philippines on June 7, to protest against plans to mine nickel on their land.

The demonstrators called upon the provincial government to prevent the companies Macro Asia and Ipilian Nickel Mining Corporation (INC) from mining in the UNESCO World Biosphere Reserve, which is their home. They also expressed their anger at news that Canadian mining company MBMI has been granted initial approval to mine.

As a result of negotiations with protesters, the provincial government agreed that its endorsements of both Macro Asia and INC’s plans required further investigation. The companies’ applications have been ‘frozen’ until all issues are clarified.

The protestors called their demonstration a ‘Karaban’ rally; Karaban is the indigenous Palawan’s word for the bamboo quiver that contains darts for their blowpipes. It is a symbol of their identity, and signifies, they say, that they are willing to take ‘whatever action is necessary’ to stop the mining companies entering their traditional territories

Indigenous spokesperson for ALDAW (Ancestral Land/Domain Watch) Artiso Mandawa, said, ‘Mining is not development, it creates conflict among people, and it destroys our culture by bringing foreign values to our community. Some of my people still have limited contact with the outside and are not even registered in the national and provincial census. They are the first inhabitants to arrive on this island and yet, for the government, they appear not to exist.’

Maman Tuwa, an elder of the isolated Palawan tribe from Mt Gantong, fears that mining will destroy his community. ‘If our mountains are deforested, how are we going to survive? What are we going to plant if the soil of the uplands will be washed down to the lowlands? How are we going to feed our children? We’ll surely die’.

Survival’s director Stephen Corry said, ‘We welcome the decision to freeze the mining applications on the land of the Palawan tribal people, and we urge the Philippine government to ensure that no mining takes place on their land without their genuine free, prior and informed consent. We also call upon President-elect Benigno Aquino III, to revoke the 1995 Mining Act which has been so disastrous for the indigenous peoples of the Philippines.’

Oil execs gather – we besiege ( + video link)

As oil executives gathered at a London hotel for their annual strategising conference on Monday 21st June, up to 200 climate activists crossed the river from BP-sponsored Tate Modern to converge on the front entrance with a samba band and a giant p

Titled “Drum It Out”, the protest also put the industry on trial before a People’s Court which loudly found it guilty of crimes of pollution, war crimes, climate crime, and more.

The court heard live testimony by witnesses not only from the Gulf, but from Nigeria, Ghana, Colombia, Peru, from Iraq which has suffered the devastation of a war for oil, from Canada where indigenous people are resisting the Tar Sands oil project destroying a land as large as England, and from Kenya and China which are suffering droughts as a result of the changing climate. “The Gulf of Mexico is not the only disaster,” the protesters said – “in fact it’s not even the largest, and in some places this destruction of life has been going on for decades. The oil industry is not sustainable. They think they rule the world, but they are facing resistance everywhere. They cannot come to this hotel and think they will carry on business as usual”.

A dead fish award was presented to Bloody Oil in its various company guises, and a “fish” was delivered to the hotel to be passed on to Congress delegates.

Following the trial, the main and back entrance were besieged by the drumming crowd, with no injuries and no arrests. Two activists who had succeeded in penetrating the building were unceremoniously ejected. The Drum Out will be followed this Saturday by a Teach In, at the School of Oriental and African Studies, where campaigners will learn more about the ongoing resistance by workers and communities in oil regions, will link-up live with organisers in Ghana, and will discuss how to work together to bring the industry down. One protester commented, “If even half the money invested in subsidising oil, cleaning up its disasters and funding its wars were devoted to alternative forms of energy, people wouldn’t be suffering these outrages, and the planet would be safe.”

london[at]climatecamp.org.uk

Watch the Video http://www.youandifilms.com/2010/06/bloody-oil-drum-em-out/

Sea Shepherd Attacked in Libyan Waters again (+ eye-witness account)

19th June 2010

Sea Shepherd vessel, the Steve Irwin, was attacked today in Libyan waters as it attempted to free Bluefin from cages. Their Operation Blue Rage has gone swimmingly until now, and the Steve Irwin is currently heading up to International waters.

19th June 2010

This latest attack is ominous, considering Captain Bethune’s recent trial in Japan. Bethune was found guilty of several charges after he boarded the ship of a captain responsible for ramming and sinking a Sea Shepherd vessel under his command.

To make matters worse, former allies with the WWF and Greenpeace have turned tail on the international whaling ban that has been in effect for over two decades, leaving Sea Shepherd, which employs direct action on the side of International law by using aggressive methods to deter whaling vessels, in the lurch.

Steve Irwin Attacked in Libyan Waters
Operation Blue Rage: Day Twelve of the Mediterranean Patrol

Saturday, June 19th, 2010
Location: Off the Coast of Libya

At 0900 Hours the Sea Shepherd ship Steve Irwin moved into Libyan waters to inspect the remaining cage being towed by the Italian vessel Cesare Rustico. With the Sea Shepherd helicopter overhead, our inflatable Delta boat and dive team approached the cage.

The Cesare Rustico dropped the tow line and turned to defend the cage. At the same time the fishing vessels the Tagreft and the Rabbah 1060, along with the trawler Misurate 96, moved in quickly to defend their illegal catch of Bluefin.

Immediately and without warning, the Steve Irwin was attacked with a barrage of flares aimed at the wheelhouse and the crew on deck. The Cesare Rustico issued a May Day distress signal saying they were under attack by the Steve Irwin even though the our crew had merely approached the cage to inspect the catch. Most worrying was the fact that the Sea Shepherd helicopter piloted by Chris Aultman was painted by the Libyan airborne radar system.

At that point, in the interest of safety, I ordered the Delta inflatable and helicopter to return to the Steve Irwin. We then retreated to a safe distance away from the waters claimed by Libya. The two vessels Tagreft and the Rabbah 1060 pursued and continued to fire flares at the us. We were able to lose them quickly.

The Captain of the Cesare Rustico radioed the Tagreft and Rabbah 1060 to, “do whatever you can to damage them so they will never return.”

The Captain of the Cesare Rustico said that the Libyan Navy was within a few miles and closing in. However there were no Libyan naval vessels within thirty miles on the radar.

Yesterday the Steve Irwin requested the assistance of the Greenpeace ship Arctic Sunrise to liberate the estimated 800 Bluefin tuna in this cage but they declined to assist. A contact within Greenpeace informed us that under no circumstances was Greenpeace to enter waters claimed by Libya..

The Steve Irwin is now heading towards Cyprus and Turkey in search of Bluefin poachers.

—-

This is an eyewitness account from an action by the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, which set out onto the Mediterranean Sea last month in search of bluefin tuna poachers. As one of the most valuable fish in the world, the bluefin populations in the Mediterranean region have been reduced by over 85% in the last 50 years due to relentless industrial overfishing. Crew member Wietse van der Werf reports.

It is night when we enter Libyan waters. Everyone on the ship is excited, yet somewhat anxious about what is coming. We are the first to enter these waters in search of illegal bluefin tuna fishing. Neither observers from the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT), which ‘manages’ the fishery, nor French or Maltese navy vessels operate here. We are determined to find a floating cage full of illegally caught bluefin tuna, by now an endangered fish, and release them.

Our helicopter has been out for some time when it spots a target. Two tugs, towing a cage each, both full of tuna and headed for the tuna fattening farms in Malta. Down in the engine room we work to get the ship the extra thrust it needs to arrive at the target as soon as possible. Having a quick look up on deck, I can spot two vessels on the horizon. Around here you don’t have to look far to find illegal fishing.

Closer to the vessels we request permission to inspect the fish. Only a certain percentage of undersized fish, known as juveniles, are allowed. This is often where the violations occur. Our request is refused. The fishermen state that the fish were caught on the last day of the allowed fishing season and that the cage contains the catch from eight different fishing ships. The story doesn’t add up. The bad weather conditions in the fishing grounds we have witnessed in the last few days, which make fishing virtually impossible, and the relatively short distance the boats are from the fishing grounds make us highly suspicious of their story.

The engine room phone rings. ‘Hold on, we’re putting the bow over the cage to see what’s inside’. We hold on and feel a shudder going through the ship as we park it against the cage. At that moment one of the fishing vessels, Rosaria Tuna, moves at speed towards us. Unhindered by our larger size, it smashes its bow into our port side. With a loud bang, steel bends and paint flakes off. One of the fishermen threatens us by swinging a pole with a large hook on its end across the deck. We respond by dropping a few bottles of rotten butter on their deck and they retreat. By now our ship is nosed in the pen and when it’s clear that there are many tuna inside, our divers get ready for a closer inspection.

We move away from the pen and to our disbelief the Rosaria Tuna starts moving away from the scene. Once we have moved about a mile off and our divers are ready we turn and re-approach. This is our chance. With Rosaria Tuna moving off in the distance and the other tugboat Cesare Rustico standing by, our divers jump in the pen. Meanwhile the other tug has turned and approaches at full speed. The divers report back that they can see a large number of juveniles inside. We decide to intervene. The divers descend and start cutting the net. Within minutes the gigantic net is starting to move and the first tuna are curiously moving out through the new opening. As we stand on the bow we can see a few fish swimming away from the cage, then more and more until it is entirely empty. Eight hundred fish escape.

Everyone on the ship is in a state of euphoria. High fives, hugs and smiles all around. It is the first time anyone has managed to free bluefin tuna out of one of the numerous floating cages in the Mediterranean. With a market value exceeding seven figures, this is a big deal. As the tug is getting close to our starboard side and our divers are back in the inflatable boat, we turn sharply and start heading off. Repeated MAYDAY calls from the dumbfounded fishermen come through the radio as we haul up our little boat and head north at full speed. Within the hour rumours are circulating that the Libyan navy is on its way, but with us nearly out of their waters there is little they can do. On the Libyan front it stays quiet. Perhaps the country isn’t willing to give attention to our action because they don’t want the world to see that they have let poachers operate within their waters unhindered for so long. A surveillance plane circles over us the next day as we continue on a steady course back to land.

With more than 85% of the Mediterranean bluefin tuna populations killed off in the last 50 years, the stakes are higher than ever. The spawning bluefin tuna females could be wiped out as soon as 2012. Since the failure to add the threatened fish to CITES (the UN threatened species list) due to intense lobbying from Japan, the issue has been in a political deadlock. The need for action is more acute than ever. The bluefin tuna stands as a symbol for the way in which we continue to use the oceans as an inexhaustible resource without regard for the consequences which inevitably lie ahead. The oceans are in crisis. As the most important life support system on earth we simply cannot afford to let it be damaged any further.

Steve Irwin Attacked in Libyan Waters

Steve Irwin Rammed by Bluefin Fishery Vessel;
Sea Shepherd Crew Repel Violent Assault by Fishermen;
Libyan Navy in Pursuit of the Steve Irwin

Steve Irwin Rammed by Bluefin Fishery Vessel;
Sea Shepherd Crew Repel Violent Assault by Fishermen;
Libyan Navy in Pursuit of the Steve Irwin
Operation Blue Rage: Day Ten of the Mediterranean Patrol

Thursday, June 17th, 2010
Location: Off the Coast of Libya

Report by Captain Paul Watson, Steve Irwin

Sea Shepherd’s helicopter reconnaissance flight this morning found two fishing vessels. One was engaged in transferring bluefin tuna into one of the two nets being towed by the other vessel.

The bluefin fishery vessels were inside waters claimed by Libya and about 42 miles off the coast of North Africa.

At 1300 hours, the Steve Irwin came upon the Italian vessel Cesare Rustico towing two cages; one contained about 800 fish (the other was empty).

The Captain of the Cesare Rustico said when questioned that the tuna were caught on the morning of the 14th by the Libyan vessel Tagreft. When we replied that the number of tuna in the cage exceeded the quota for the Tagreft, the Captain said the cage also included tuna from seven other Libyan seiners. All the catches were caught on the 14th, the last legal day, according to the Captain. The other seven seiners named were the Khandheel 2, Hanibal, Ozul 2, Almadina, Morina, and Khaleej Eltahadi and one other that he had no name for. The problem with this explanation was that we had observed the Khandheel 2 on the 13th and 14th of June, and it was not fishing. In addition, weather conditions for those two days made fishing virtually impossible. The extremely difficult conditions, coupled with the position of the cages only 40 miles off the Libyan coast, when they should have been moving 25 miles a day, suggested to us that the fish were freshly caught within the last three days at the most.

Their statement that all the catches were caught on the 14th sounded much too convenient, so we asked to examine the fish for juveniles. We were refused. I then put the bow of the Steve Irwin onto the cage so we could look into the cage from the bow to examine it further.

Suddenly, the Maltese vessel Rosaria Tuna rammed the Steve Irwin on the aft port side and slid alongside the port rail, as a fisherman tried to violently gaff Sea Shepherd crewmembers with a long, sharp-hooked pole.

The Steve Irwin crew retaliated with 8 liters of rotten butter forcing the fishing vessel to retreat and to stand off.

At 1530 hours, the two fishing vessels circled their cages defensively and the Sea Shepherd ship Steve Irwin stood off to notify ICCAT (International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tuna) of possible violations. They did not respond.

The Jean Charcot, the ICCAT inspection vessel will not venture south of 33 Degrees 40 Minutes North.

With two fishing vessels containing angry Italian crews, there were risks involved with getting into the water to assess the bluefin catch. But if the catch was illegal, Sea Shepherd divers knew they must cut the nets and free the bluefin tuna.

Sometimes it is necessary to do what needs to be done despite the risks. The risk of losing the bluefin tuna as a species is far more important than the risks to our own lives and freedom.

And so we decided to free the tuna.

At 1600 hours, a five-person dive crew entered one of two cages being towed by the Italian fishing vessel Cesare Rustico.

As the Steve Irwin held off the Cesare Rustico and the support ship Rosaria Tuna, the Sea Shepherd crew dove into the net to identify the size, age, and quantity of the bluefin tuna within. Once it was clearly established that the cage was overstocked and that a high percentage were juveniles, Sea Shepherd divers freed the 700-800 tuna.

It is our position that the bluefin tuna we freed from that cage held a large number of juveniles and that the fish were caught after the official closure of the season. It is also our position that the fish that we freed exceeded the quota.

A large percentage of the tuna were juveniles and from the position of the cages and the fact that the entire Mediterranean bluefin tuna fishery closed at midnight on June 14th, Sea Shepherd is convinced that this catch was caught after June 14 and therefore Sea Shepherd holds the position that this operation by these two vessels was illegal.*

The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society is not a protest organization. Sea Shepherd is an anti-poaching organization and these two seiners are poachers.

A Sea Shepherd cameraman filmed the release of the fish from the centre of the cage and swimmers confirmed that all 700-800 tuna inside the enclosure were freed.

“They shot out of that net like racehorses,” said Canadian cameraman Simon Ager.

After freeing the bluefin tuna, the Steve Irwin headed north and out of the waters claimed by Libya. The Maltese media reported that Libya had dispatched warships to pursue the Steve Irwin.

There are claims in the Maltese press that a bluefin tuna fisherman was injured by our actions. No one on the Steve Irwin, in the helicopter, or in the Delta saw any incident where a fisherman was injured. We saw one man dive into the water from the side of the cage. Then, we saw him get up and give us the rude Italian arm signal. Another fisherman slashed at the crew with a hook on the end of a long pole, and one of the vessels rammed us in the port stern area.

* Notes

Given the very bad weather conditions in the zone north of Tripoli until the closure of the legal fishing season on June 14th, it is impossible that this catch was taken during the legal season. The tuna were caught post-closure, during a period of very calm weather that has predominated over the area since the 15th.

Legal Season:
Wind speed 12th June: 20-35 knots / Seas 1-2 meters
Wind speed 13th June: 20-25 knots / Seas 1-2 meters
Wind speed 14th June: 10-20 knots / Seas 1-2 meters

Post closure:
Wind speed 15th June: 10-15 knots / Seas 1 meter
Wind speed 16th June: 15 knots / Seas <1 meter Wind speed 17th June: 10 knots / Seas <1 meter

The Steve Irwin passed the Khandeel 2 (one of the vessels on the BCD document read over the VHF radio) on the 13th at 1230 at 33*36 / 13*55, less than 20 miles from where we encountered the cages towed by Cesare Rustico and Rosario Tuna on the 17th, and it was not fishing. The weather was rough.

Given the location of the capture, and the location of the tow vessel, it is impossible the catch was made 3 days ago. Heading towards Malta with an average 25 miles per day, the vessel and cage would have been much further north (the vessel was in very calm weather sitting still waiting a second vessel).

Visit our Operation Blue Rage Campaign site – http://www.seashepherd.org/blue-rage/