Canadian leads "pirates" against Whalers

Protest ships Farley Mowat and the Robert Hunter have been harrassing Japanese whalers in the Ross Sea, south of New Zealand. Both vessels belong to the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, led by Canadian activist Paul Watson. Farley Mowat crew attacked a whaling ship with butyric acid (not permanently damaging), hitting two in the face -- after the whalers had rescued two of Farley Mowat's crewmembers from an iceberg. Similarly, a week ago, protestors in dinghies confronted the Japanese whaler Nisshin Maru, and one Zodiac got lost. The Japanese whalers answered the distress call, helping with a grid search, and the two men were rescued. Crewmembers from the Farley Mowat resumed their antics, tossing butyric acid and a smoke bomb onto the Nisshin Maru's deck.

Officially, the Farley Mowat is a pirate ship since Transport Canada stripped its Canadian registration and it lost its Belize registration. Japan was to host a meeting of the International Whaling Commission, in an attempt to lift the international moratorium on commercial whaling. Twenty-six nations said they would boycott the meeting. Protesters in Toronto said in agreement, "Arrrrgh!" (The Toronto Star | Farley Mowat | Sea Shepherd Society)

IJC report on Great Lakes Water Quality

The International Joint Commission (IJC) has issued its Thirteenth Biennial Report on Great Lakes Water Quality. They recommend that the governments of Canada and the United States create and apply an uncommonly strong Accountability Framework for Great Lakes restoration and protection under the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement.
Last October, the International Joint Commission of Canada and the United States recommended that both governments update the current Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement with goals, timelines, performance measures, and provisions for monitoring and reporting for greater accountability when it comes to the cleanup of the waters of the Great Lakes. (www.ijc.org)

Man tries to enter U.S. illegally - in a raft

Wayne Kingwell, 40, of Fort Erie, Ontario, was arrested on the Niagara River on Feb. 5 attempting to reach Buffalo, N.Y. in a rubber raft. He wanted to make a credit card payment at a local bank, and was carrying more than $4,000 in cash. Kingwell said he had crossed the river by boat numerous times before. In one of the coldest days of the year, he got hung up in ice, and State troupers pulled him to shore about five miles south of Niagara Falls. After being questioned to determine his competency, Kingwell was released into the custody of the Department of Homeland Security to be deported. (www.poststar.com)