Canadian activist's ship collides with krill trawler near Antarctica
· Toronto Sun
A ship operated by a group founded by Canadian anti-whaling activist Paul Watson has been accused of deliberately crashing into an industrial krill trawler in Antarctic waters.
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The Norwegian company that owns the vessel, Antarctic Sea , described the incident as a “deliberate attack” that put its crew “at risk in some of the most remote waters on Earth,” The Associated Press reported.
Aker Qrill Co. provided AP with video of the collision involving the M/V Bandero , operated by the Captain Paul Watson Foundation.
The video reportedly showed the Bandero approach the stern of the fishing vessel, hitting it on its port side at an angle.
Company says ship’s diesel tank narrowly missed
The company said the collision in the Southern Ocean narrowly missed damaging the vessel’s diesel tank, which could have caused a leak, endangering the crew and putting wildlife at risk.
It said none of its crew members were injured in the incident and it was looking into taking legal action against the activist group.
In a news release , the Captain Paul Watson Foundation described the vessel’s manoeuvre as a “direct intervention” targeting an industrial krill trawler, disrupting krill fishing operations involving two of Aker’s vessels for more than five hours on Tuesday.
“Since 2018, environmentalists have been documenting and exposing this destruction year after year, but documentation alone has not stopped it,” Watson said in the news release. “At some point, you have to say enough is enough.”
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Operation Krill Wars launched by activists
Watson was reportedly not aboard the Bandero during the incident.
The group recently launched Operation Krill Wars, a campaign against industrial krill fishing. The tiny, shrimplike crustaceans are fed on by whales and other wildlife in Antarctic waters. The industry harvests krill to make health supplements, fishmeal, pet food and other products.
In a video posted on the organization’s website, Watson has spoken out against the “greed” of the krill fishery, “literally taking the foods out of the mouths of the whales, penguins, seabirds and seals.”