NAUTICAL LOG

The Australian Government seems to have great trouble getting and keeping its act together to make constructive decisions.   In an Australian Senate transcript published yesterday minimum facts were released about the whale monitoring overflights.  Actually to date there has been only one such flight using an A319 which cost to lease $AUD93,248.00.  The remainder of the costs remain undisclosed by the Australian Customs Department  As to the aircraft itself the Australian Air Force Chief Geoff Brown thought that the aircraft was unsuitable for the monitoring flight mission.

According to Sea Shepherd Australia the total budget allocated was $AUD300,000.00 and the number of whales involved is 1035 threatened.  From this their cost value per whale is $AUD289.86.  In comparison the Australian Government spent $AUD1.8 million rescuing the Russian Cruise ship from the Antarctic.  Well at least the Australian Government knows that human lives are more valuable than whales however much one val…

It is really nice when some good news comes in to NAUTICAL LOG about nature.  It is even nicer when that news refers to protecting sealife.  From the Pacific Coast comes news that the San Diego City Council has voted to protect the La Jolla Harbor seals during pupping season.
The beach they use, Casa Beach, is a public beach and this has caused problems for the seals by the behavior of inconsiderate beachgoers.  There had been an on going argument for years that the beach should remain open and always available to the public.  However as always seems to happen there are some beachgoers who disrupt the seals at this upscale community's beach.

Yesterday the San Diego City Council voted to ban people from Casa Beach during the La Jolla Harbor seals pupping season and protect them from harm.  The measure must go before the California Coastal Commission in August 2014 and is expected to be approved.

February 26, 2014:

In contrast to this mature decision by the San Diego City Council the We…

Hoist on their own petard.  The SSCS taught the Japanese Whaling Fleet (JWF) too well and now they are getting their own tactics back at them from the JWF.  In the current wimpy style of Operation Relentless they are running crying to "mommy".  In their case "mommy" are the governments of Australia and New Zealand which one suspects, since one is busy killing sharks and the other too scared to upset trade with Japan, could actually care less.

On the Sea Shepherd Australia website there is yet another Report, also unsigned, about the JWF making a night attack on that intrepid mariner "captPH" in his severely damaged, unseaworthy vessel MS Bob Barker.   This latest Report is full of pompous bombastic language and is entitled "Sea Shepherd Ambushed in Night Attack While Governments Do Nothing".  According to the Report the MS Yushin Maru and MS Yushin Maru No.2 crossed the bow of this floating wreck towing steel cables in an effort to snag the prope…

UPDATE:  February 23, 2014

Following the creationist format and not a logical evolutionary format there is yet another load of rubbish Report seeded with generic photos of the ships which could be from any time or season by Sea Shepherd Australia entitled "Sea Shepherd Locates Whale Poaching Fleet, Prepares forInterception".   NAUTICAL LOG noted that this Report is unsigned - are they finally embarrassing themselves?

Those of you still interested in the confused goings-on in the Southern Ocean on the supposed anti-whaling Operation Relentless may want to go to the SSCS website.  There one will find a Report by Peter Hammarstedt ("captPH") of the severely damaged, unseaworthy, and still unsurveyed  SSCS vessel MS Bob Barker.  The Report is entitled "On Being Relentless - Update from the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary". 

The following photo is of the three musketeers those intrepid sea-going warriors of Sea Shepherd Australia - they make one really want to go…

Last evening there was an intense discussion on the TV News shows by the various pundits about the proposal by the current White House Administration.  It was regarding the FCC placing "monitors" in the nations media outlets to assess the policies of the newspapers and TV stations on the news et cetera.  It seems to be a pointless exercise apart from being illegal since everything the Media does and says is fully published.  It is further appalling because the FCC has nothing to do with the publishing of newspapers and secondly there is The Constitution.  Quoting in part from the Amendment I:

 ".....or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press..."

and again in part from the Amendment  IV.

"The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause supported by Oathor affirmation......."

With a former law profe…

On looking through the blogs listed in NAUTICAL LOG the Sea Shepherd has an article by Jennifer Mishler a Staff Writer/Editor of Sea Shepherd, USA.   It is a rather moody report of her visit to the National Zoo when the giant octopus was alive.  Pandora has since died at the age of five (5) years - human years not octopus years - which is just about the longest giant octopii live.

Ms. Mishler is saddened by the fact that she was unable to free Pandora from what she considered a "small" tank. She also mentions a variety of other points and then later in the article sort of corrects herself and admits the photo with the article is adjusted (photoshopped?).   One feels saddened  that Ms. Mishler, along with other Sea Shepherd persons judging from their blogs on the SSCS website seem to be looking for something their missing, are a bit lost travelling through life not fully enjoying any of the things they do. 

As it happens in contrast NAUTICAL LOG with his wife, a daughter and t…

Whatever one might think about the capturing and killing of the dolphins in the cove at Taiji, Japan one has to respect the locals.  Clearly this activity is deplorable but the local Japanese have been fair and balanced in their public reaction.

The two photos above show  the protesters on the beach in the cove with their signs and at the City sign on the road approaching Taiji.  The fact that the Japanese Government allowed these persons to signal their opinion against the actions of the Taji fishermen indicates a strong democratic respect from an ancient, traditional and very formal society.  NAUTICAL LOG was pleased to see how both parties reacted to this controversy.

One has to wonder how many other countries would allow such protests in view of the recent violent governmental reaction to protests in the Russian Federation, Venezuela, Egypt and Nigeria to mention just the ones making the News this last week.

Good Watch.