When Sea Shepherds and Japanese Whalers Collide

The New York Times reports that an anti-whaling vessel from the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society and a Japanese whaling ship collided Wednesday in open waters south of Australia. Video (after the jump), which was shot from the deck of the Japanese Shonan Maru 2, offers a look at the collision between that ship and the Sea Shepherd's Ady Gil.[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h5uptwYWeY8From The Times:

The Institute of Cetacean Research, which overseas Japan's whaling program, said the Ady Gil had rapidly approached the Shonan Maru despite repeated warnings to keep away, and suddenly slowed down in the Japanese ship's path. The Shonan Maru could not avoid hitting the front of the Ady Gil, the institute said in a statement.But the Sea Shepherd's Australian director, Jeff Hansen, said in a telephone interview that the Ady Gil "was pretty much at a full stop" and that the Japanese ship deliberately ran into it. He said the trimaran had not sunk, "but it's in two pieces, and we're trying to salvage what we can."

Whaling in those waters is prohibited by international law, but Japanese whalers do so anyway, using a loophole: They capture whales in the name of scientific research and then sell excess meat. As far as we know, the Sea Shepherd is the only organization fighting to stop them.Thanks, Jeff.