On the 17th of December, Meike Scheidat & Linn Lehnert, the whale watchers on board of Polarstern, made a remarkable cetaceans sighting: Four Arnoux’s Beaked Whales (Berardius arnuxii), observed from the helicopter.

The Arnoux’s Beaked Whales is one of the least known species of the Beaked Whales family (Ziphidae), itself poorly known in general. Arnoux’s is one of the biggest species amongst beaked whales. The ones observed were probably 9 metre long. These deep-sea feeding whales are particularly sensitive to underwater acoustic disturbances. The pictures showed a whole array of scars on their skin, which are already under investigation. Some of these scars could have been inflicted by orcas, their potential predators, or by squids, their most common preys, as proposed by Elaina Jorgensen one of our cephalopod specialist onboard. Other scars could be caused by cookie-cutter sharks, which would imply big migration between the subtropical waters where these sharks are found and the ice-edge (64°06 S) where they were observed.

After crossing the Atlantic and the sea ice of the Atka Bay Polarstern supplied the German research station Neumayer on the Ekström Ice Shelf with food and fuel. Helicopters brought up hoses to refill eight 20,000-liter tanks with diesel fuel. The tanks were sitting on sledges ready for later transportation to the station by Caterpillars. The cargo had to be loaded on a secure area on the sea ice as ice conditions did not allow Polarstern to enter the “ice port” right next to the shelf edge.

The first samples

A Spanish team of scientists seized the opportunity of a small patch of open water to catch live animals for observation in aquaria. They will investigate sessile cnidarians living on the seafloor. The main objective is to find out whether these animals are exclusively feeding on fresh algae from the summer bloom or can they also utilize other food sources under conditions of extended periods of sea ice cover. These findings will be a substantial contribution to answer much broader questions such as how did communities adapt to the particular conditions beneath the Larsen Ice Shelves and how do they differ from “normal” areas. A catch with the Agassiz trawl was bountiful and also provided sponges, the most distinct group of animals living on the seafloor in the shelf ecosystem. As the first working groups are supplied with organisms scientific work is running.

Fish survey

On the way to the Antartic Peninsula where the major scientific work will be running Polarstern carried out more than 75 thirty-minute trawls. Length measurements, weight and gender determination, stomach content analyses and the removal of tiny ear bones for age structure analyses are done on board. The sum of the scientific data will provide a comprehensive indication of the fish population dynamics since the end of Antarctic commercial fishing in 1990. The bottom fish survey conducted during ANT XXIII/8 is the seventh survey in a row in the southern Scotia Arc region. The survey contributes to the ‘Convention on the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources’ (CCAMLR). This organization is responsible for the conservation and rational use of all Antarctic marine resources with the exception of cetaceans. Germany focuses its CCAMLR-related research on the state of fish and krill stocks in the Atlantic sector of the Southern Ocean. This research is conducted by the Seafisheries Institute of the Federal Research Centre for Fisheries in Hamburg on behalf of the Federal Ministry of Nutrition, Agriculture and Consumer’s Protection in cooperation with foreign institutions, such as the Southwest Fisheries Science Centre of the National Marine Fisheries Service in La Jolla, USA

While both Greenpeace and Sea Shepherd are heading to Antarctica to confront Japanese whalers, the two environmental groups differ greatly in their tactics

Japanese whalers are likely to clash with environmentalists in Antarctica over the next two months as separate fleets head south prepared to confront each other in some of the world’s most hostile seas.

On Sunday, the Japanese government’s Institute for Cetacean Research (ICR), which is paying for this year’s hunt for 950 whales, said five ships were now en route for Antarctica.

Greenpeace International and the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society said they were both sending two ships, equipped with helicopters and inflatables and crewed by more than 100 volunteers.

The pro- and anti-whalers on Sunday night traded insults and appealed for the support of countries they hoped would back their views on whaling.

“Greenpeace and Sea Shepherd are eco-terrorists. They are acting illegally and dangerously. We are very concerned that they will use more and more desperate tactics,” said Glenn Inwood, spokesman for the ICR from New Zealand. “Sea Shepherd has said that they are prepared to ram us and we fear that they will endanger the lives of our crews and scientists. We will take whatever action we can.”

Paul Watson, of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, whose California-based organization has sunk or rammed at least 10 whaling, sealing and other ships in the past 25 years, said his boats would confront the Japanese whalers.

“I think things will be much hotter down south this year. Our objective is to place ourselves in harm’s way to protect the whales. We recognize [the Japanese fleet] as a criminal operation and criminal operations are dealt with by aggressive intervention. This is a clear case of justifiable intervention against a criminal operation,” Watson said in Melbourne.

Greenpeace International on Sunday said it would be sending its fastest boats to try to stop the whalers.

“Physical confrontation goes against our core principle of non-violence,” said Sara Holden of Greenpeace in Amsterdam.

Last year, in extraordinary scenes in the Southern Ocean, the Japanese accused both environment groups of illegal tactics after several incidents when the whalers’ “mother ship,” the Nisshin Maru, was in collision with the conservationists’ boats. The Japanese outran their opponents and killed more than 900 whales for “research” purposes.

Sea Shepherd has since bought a much faster former US coast guard ship, codenamed the Leviathan.

“This time, with the new ship, they can’t lose us. If they can’t shake us off I am pretty confident we can stop them. If they get violent towards us I suppose it could get very physical. We are quite willing to instigate an international incident over this,” Watson said last week as he prepared to leave for the Ross Ice Shelf.

Speaking from Melbourne on Sunday, he said: “Our Leviathan is at sea and on the way south to the coast of Antarctica. It looks as if we will be in a position to confront the Japanese whaling fleet in the Antarctic Whale Sanctuary during the last week of December.”

But Greenpeace and Sea Shepherd are not expected to try to help each other.

Although Watson co-founded Greenpeace, the organizations have for many years barely been on speaking terms, developing different philosophies about direct action and protest. Watson has accused Greenpeace of being “the Avon ladies of the environment movement.”

Greenpeace, keen not to upset its large membership, tries to distance itself from its more confrontational cofounder.

Much will be at stake this year because Japan, which took over the IWC at its annual meeting in June, wants to overturn the 20-year moratorium on commercial whaling and resume the hunting of humpback whales next year.

On Sunday, the Institute for Cetacean Research hinted that the Japanese government could intervene in confrontations.

“At this point we do not want to say what we intend to do. But we are very disappointed that some countries, in particular Australia, give Sea Shepherd moral support,” Inwood said.

Japan considers whaling an issue of national policy and sovereignty while Australia objects to hunting in the Australian Antarctic Territory and the internationally recognized Antarctic Sanctuary. The Japanese fleet is believed to be near New Zealand and should be ready to start hunting in two weeks.

“But it’s a big ocean … and it’s quite possible we just won’t find them. It needs a big dose of luck,” Holden said.

We here at SaveTheWhales.com do not agree with the sometime crazy tactics Paul Watson uses.

The whale and the trainer were about to perform a stunt in Shamu Stadium when the whale grabbed the trainer’s foot and pulled him underwater.

The attack was captured on tape by an audience member.

The animal then resurfaced and swam around the tank with the trainer’s foot still in his mouth before diving again.

The whale eventually released its grip on the man and he swam to safety.

SeaWorld officials said the trainer has worked with this whale for the past 12 years without a serious problem.

“She has not done this particular unwanted behavior before to this extent,” said Mike Scarpuzzi, SeaWorld’s vice president of zoology.

Witness Jan Heffley said she wanted someone to jump in and save the trainer. “I didn’t want my children witnessing somebody dying,” she said.

The trainer remained hospitalized Thursday in good condition.

Source: http://www.nbc5i.com/