Operation Musashi commences 4th Dec 2008

The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society's fifth
Antarctic Whale Defense Campaign to the Southern Oceans to defend
whales from the Japanese whaling fleet started today!

"This year's campaign has been
named Operation Musashi in reference to the legendary Japanese
strategist, Miyamoto Musashi (1584-1645) known as a great samurai
warrior, strategist and tactician and a personal role model and hero to
Captain Paul Watson, Founder and President of Sea Shepherd.

Captain
Paul Watson. "Our strategy is to prevent whales from being killed, to
force the Japanese whalers to spend money on fuel without killing
whales.

The name Operation Musashi was chosen to reflect Sea Shepherd's
approach of aggressive, yet nonviolent, confrontation and the
increasing global awareness of Japan's ongoing illegal whaling
activities. However, as with all Sea Shepherd campaigns, all strategies
and tactics are designed to avoid any physical injury to the whalers.
Musashi's Book of Five Rings included the approach of the
Twofold Way of Pen and Sword. The society adopted a campaign logo of
the crossed feather pen and katana (sword) under the skull with the
imbedded sperm whale and dolphin yin-yang symbol with a Banzai flag
background which gives reference to the ecological imperialism that the
Japanese whalers are committing against the whales of the Southern
Ocean."

"We have a few surprises for the whalers this year," said Sea
Shepherd 2nd officer Peter Hammarstedt of Sweden. "We intend to be more
aggressive and even more relentless in our interventions. We do not
intend to witness the killing of any whales; we intend to make sure no
whales are killed on our watch."

Safe sailing Sea Shepherd – save our whales!!!