is a
Japan
Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
ese-registered
whale catcher that undertakes
whaling operations in the
North Pacific Ocean and
Southern Ocean. Along with other vessels of the Japanese whaling fleet, she has been featured on
American
American(s) may refer to:
* American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America"
** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America
** American ancestry, pe ...
television since 2008, in the
documentary-style reality series ''
Whale Wars''.
Sea Shepherd confrontations
On January 15, 2008, two members of the
Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, traveling on the
MV ''Steve Irwin'', boarded the ''Yūshin Maru No. 2'' without permission. They were detained on board the ship for two days before being transferred to the Australian customs vessel
MV ''Oceanic Viking''.
On February 6, 2009, the MV ''Steve Irwin'' collided with the ''Yūshin Maru No. 2'' as the activist vessel attempted to obstruct the transfer of a whale up the slipway of the factory ship ''
Nisshin Maru''. Both sides claimed the other responsible.
Pete Thomas of the LA Times speculated as to "whether
Watson's
Watsons () is a Hong Kong health care and beauty care chain store in Asia and Europe. It is the flagship health and beauty brand of the A.S. Watson Group, which is majority owned by CK Hutchison Holdings.
It operates near 8,000 stores and ...
] actions are truly on behalf of the whales, or merely to obtain dramatic footage for the Animal Planet series, ''
Whale Wars''".
On January 15, 2017, the Yushin Maru No. 2 was again found fishing for whales within the Australian Whale Sanctuary by the Sea Shepherd. As the Sea Shepherds scouting helicopter flew overhead, Japanese whalers scrambled to cover a dead Antarctic Minke Whale.
See also
*
Institute of Cetacean Research
The is a Japanese entity that claims to be a research organization specializing in the "biological and social sciences related to whales".
In the past, it killing several hundred whales per year in the name of its 'research', the validity and ...
*
Whaling in Japan
References
Whaling ships
Whaling in Japan
2002 ships
Ships built in Japan
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