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Southern Ocean

International call for Japan to halt Antarctic whaling

Wellington - Arab Today

The European Union and 12 other nations condemned Japan’s Antarctic whaling programme on Monday, rejecting Tokyo’s argument that the annual slaughter is for scientific research. Japan’s whaling fleet left for the Southern Ocean last month, planning to kill 333 minke whales over a four-month period. Its fisheries agency says the hunt is needed to study whale behaviour and biology, butRead more

Graphic video of Japanese whaling released

Sydney - Arab Today

Activist group Sea Shepherd on Tuesday released graphic video of Japanese fishermen harpooning whales in the Southern Ocean after a long battle with the Australian government to make the images public. Filmed in 2008 by customs officials aboard an Australian patrol vessel, the images show Japanese boats in Antarctic waters harpooning the whales and then dragging their bodies out ofRead more

More Antarctic protections urged

Sydney - Arab Today

The world needs to do more to protect the Antarctic wilderness and its wildlife, scientists warned Tuesday, as they marked World Penguin Day. The flightless seabirds -- a favourite with children for their clumsy, waddling gait -- offer a useful yardstick for researchers to judge the health of their habitat. "Penguins are great ambassadors for understanding the need to conserveRead more

Antarctic penguin numbers double previous estimates

Antarctica - AFP

Almost six million Adelie penguins are living in East Antarctica, more than double the number previously thought, scientists said Wednesday in findings that have implications for conservation. Research by an Australian, French and Japanese team used aerial and ground surveys, tagging and resighting data and automated camera images over several breeding seasons, which allowed them to come up with theRead more

Anti-whalers enlist fast ship

Sydney - Arab Today

Marine conservationists announced Tuesday they will for the first time be able to outrun the Japanese whaling fleet in the upcoming annual battle to protect the giant mammals in the icy Southern Ocean. Sea Shepherd Global is adding a fast new vessel to its whale defence campaign in Antarctic waters starting this December. "Disappointed by the lack of action fromRead more