Sea Shepherd to stop intercepting Japanese whaling vessels
August 30, 2017 by admin
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AFP
One of the Sea Shepherd’s vessels, the Bob Barker
Anti-whaling group Sea Shepherd has announced it will not intercept Japanese vessels in the Southern Ocean this season.
The anti-whaling group’s ships have confronted ships off Antarctica each year since 2005.
Sea Shepherd founder Captain Paul Watson said the group could no longer match Japan’s surveillance technology.
He accused nations including Australia, New Zealand and the US of being “in league” with Japan.
“Japan is now employing military surveillance to watch Sea Shepherd ship movements in real time by satellite and if they know where our ships are at any given moment, they can easily avoid us,” Mr Watson said in a statement.
He told the Australian Broadcasting Corp: “We do not have their money, we do not have their technology. We are going to have to find an alternative way to deal with them and we will.”
Mr Watson did not detail potential future tactics.
- Why is Japan still whaling?
- The legalities of hunting whales
Despite an international moratorium on whaling since 1985, Japan’s fleet sails to the Antarctic in the autumn or winter each year, returning the following spring.
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Sea Shepherd
A photo released by Sea Shepherd in January
Mr Watson said the Sea Shepherd was largely responsible for reducing Japan’s annual whaling quota from 1,035 in 2005 to 333 at present.
‘Hostile governments’ claim
In 2014, Australia successfully won a temporary ban on Japanese whaling in the International Court of Justice (ICJ).
However, Japan resumed whaling a year later, claiming that its fleet had satisfied ICJ requirements about conducting scientific research.
Australia, New Zealand, the US and other nations have maintained public opposition. In January, Australian Environment Minister Josh Frydenberg said he was “deeply disappointed” that Japan had resumed another whaling season.
However, the three nations were accused by Mr Watson of having “hostile governments” who did not challenge the programme in any genuine way.
“We are trying to do the job that Australia, New Zealand, the United States and other nations should be doing, but they are too busy appeasing Japan,” he said.
Mr Frydenberg said: “No country has done more than Australia to try to end Japan’s so-called ‘scientific’ whaling, particularly in the Southern Ocean.
“The Government has made representations at the highest level in Japan and we are working hard through the International Whaling Commission (IWC) to end any commercial or so-called ‘scientific’ whaling and promote whale conservation.”
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Steelers acquire TE Vance McDonald in trade with 49ers
August 30, 2017 by admin
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The San Francisco 49ers have traded tight end Vance McDonald and a fifth-round pick in next year’s draft to the Pittsburgh Steelers in exchange for a fourth-round pick, the teams announced Tuesday.
McDonald, who signed a three-year, $19.7 million contract extension with the Niners in December, had career highs in receiving yards (391), yards per reception (16.29) and touchdowns (four) in 11 games last season before suffering a shoulder injury.
Vance McDonald trade opens door for rookie TE George Kittle
The 49ers keep adding to their stash of 2018 draft picks, and the latest trade clears a path for rookie TE George Kittle to make an early impact.
The acquisition reinforces the Steelers’ need for playmaking at tight end since Heath Miller retired in 2016. Last year’s experiment with Ladarius Green didn’t pan out. Jesse James and Xavier Grimble, despite showing flashes, were inconsistent catching passes in training camp.
Ben Roethlisberger likes to target tight ends in scoring range, particularly on back-shoulder throws in the back of the end zone. McDonald, with seven touchdown catches since 2015, should be able to help.
Coach Mike Tomlin, who recalls liking McDonald’s skill set coming out of Rice in 2013, has made clear his tight end crop needed an infusion of competition.
“The guys hadn’t been consistently varsity enough for our comfort,” Tomlin said of his rotation through the first three weeks of preseason games. “It’s as black and white as that. They’ve had some moments positively and had some moments negatively. We were in the market for a guy who was NFL capable. McDonald is that.
“We’re not going to anoint him in any way. We’re going to put him in uniform like the rest of them and continue to allow them to sort themselves out. It’s reasonable to expect the guys that are here to respond positively in the right way to his presence and elevate their play.”
The Steelers have carried three or four tight ends in past years, so it’s possible James, Grimble and veteran blocker David Johnson will battle for two spots.
On the business side, McDonald’s contract won’t handcuff the Steelers, who will take a $4.162 million cap hit in 2017 but can escape the contract next year if willing to accept $4.2 million in dead money.
The Steelers haven’t had much success with recent trades and hope this one plays out differently. The Steelers gave up late-round picks to acquire a pair of cornerbacks, Brandon Boykin in 2015 and Justin Gilbert in 2016. Neither player became a long-term factor for the defense.
The Niners first began shopping McDonald during draft weekend, something coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch acknowledged at the time. Unable to find a trade partner, the 49ers held on to McDonald, and he spent most of training camp working with the starting offense.
But the Niners have been particularly pleased with rookie George Kittle, whom they drafted in the fifth round this year. Kittle’s ability to block and run routes has him poised for a big role and made McDonald expendable.
In trading McDonald, the 49ers will have to shoulder the leftover weight of a lucrative contract extension he signed with the team late last season under former general manager Trent Baalke. The Niners must absorb the remaining portion of McDonald’s $7 million signing bonus on this year’s salary cap, which isn’t a problem because they’ve got the most cap space in the league.
A second-round pick in 2013, McDonald had issues with injuries and drops during his tenure with the 49ers. He missed 16 games over four seasons, and his 15.8 drop percentage was worst among tight ends with at least 75 catchable targets since 2013, according to Pro Football Focus.
McDonald had 64 catches for 866 yards and seven touchdowns in his four years with the team.
“We would like to thank Vance for his contributions to this organization on the field and in the community over the last four seasons,” Lynch said in a statement. “Although I have only known Vance for a short time, I quickly learned that he and his wife, Kendi, have been tremendous representatives for the team in the community and their service to others is quite commendable. We wish the McDonald family all the best as they move on to a new opportunity in Pittsburgh.”
With McDonald on the way out, the Niners now figure to keep Kittle along with veterans Logan Paulsen and Garrett Celek, though Blake Bell and rookie Cole Hikutini also remain in the mix.