Japanese whaling and SeaLord Protest Report 16th feb By Dean Jefferys Byron Whale Action Group 11 People from Byron Whale Action Group and newly formed Sea Shepherd group dumped frozen Sealord fish and calimari next to mock whale sushi out front of the Japanese consulate in Brisbane last Wednesday to protest against Japanese whaling and SeaLords involvement in the whaling industry. Howey Cooke composed a special song for the event and 2 loud drums gave it a good Byron flavour. One the way to Brisbane in the hired bus I received a call from the ABC radio in Brisbane and was asked why we were targeting the Sealord company. I explained that the Howard government has refused to get serious about helping the whales and instead of taking Japan to the International Court of Justice it prefers to not rock Japans boat even if it kills whales. So its now up to consumers to put economic pressure on the whale killers and everyone associated with them. So we are recommending consumers pressure Japan directly to stop Killing whales by Boycotting all Japanese products and services including Japanese Airlines JAL. The NZ Sealord company is 50% owned by Nissui, a Japanese whaling company and Sealord frozen sea foods are in most supermarkets. So, vola. If people stop buying Sealord products this will put maximum pressure on Sealord and their partner Nissui to stop whaling as the lost sales will cost them more than what they make on selling whale meat. Straight after my interview I heard a spokes person from Sealord being interviewed. I could feel his concern of what a boycott of Sealord products would do and he argued a boycott was going one step to far. Yet when you have one of these amazing whales come right up to you as a real act of friendship and you think that they are facing Japanese harpoons within a year, I know I have to do whatever i can to help them. Boycotts against companies owned or part owned by Nissui are now happening all around the world and in Argentina and the USA these companies are under enormous economic pressure to stop whaling. Its a matter of time and peoples exercising their consumer power and whaling will stop.