An altruistic millionaire spends a fortune on high-tech vehicles and an arsenal of non-lethal weaponry -- including sonic blasters and photonic disruptors -- for a vigilante battle against similarly-armed villains. Nope, it's not a comic book plot. This is real life, according to a story in the *New Yorker *about the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society's recent tussle with some Japanese whalers. And it raises interesting questions about the future of non-lethal devices as tools of protest.
In an article called "Streetfight on the High Seas," the magazine interviews Sea Shepherd founder Paul Watson. He describes how the group went into action in a converted whaling ship and a 78-foot wave-piercing trimaran, capable of 45 knots. This boat is often described as looking like something out of a Batman movie; a million dollars of the purchase price was supplied by Hollywood lighting magnate Ady Gil, and the boat was named after him.
The fight started when a Japanese ship, the Shonan Maru 2, attacked the Shepherd vessel MV Steve Irwin with a water cannon and a Long Range Acoustic Device 'sonic blaster.' The Sea Shepherd folks have their own LRAD; they haven't used yet. (This leads to the question of what happens when two LRAD-armed opponents get into a standoff – a battle of wills, determined by who has the best hearing protection.)
The fight ended when the *Shonan Maru 2 *apparently rammed the Ady Gil, shearing off ten feet so the boat had to be abandoned. Animal Planet cameraman Simeon Houtmanm who was embedded with Sea Shepherd, suffered three broken ribs in the incident.
This is not the end of it. Watson revealed that the group are also equipped with "photonic disrupters" which are actually laser dazzlers. These have also been used by the U.S. military, and are an effective way of temporarily blinding the target (so long as they are not misused). These are in addition to the "non-toxic, biodegradable, organic stink bombs" they have used previously.
Stink bombs – or malordorants, as the military prefer to call them- might be a handy weapon against the whalers. The Israeli Navy have used a "skunk spray" against Palestinian fishing boats. Contamination with the bad smell caused some fishermen to abandon their catch; applying a similar smell to whales might have the same effect.
Previous reports say the group has also used line-carrying rockets against whaling ships. Presumably these are intended to foul the propellers, in much the same way as a number of recent anti-pirate gadgets like the Running Gear Entanglement System -- also known as the "James Bond Harpoon."
Watson also promises "a few other tricks we have not used yet."
The Institute of Cetacean Research -- the innocuous official name of the Japanese whaling organization -- claim that they found a number of arrows floating by the wreck of the Ady Gil; there's a picture in the Underwater Times here. The Japanese say that these are a "lethal force weapon". However, given the group's fondness for nonlethals it seems unlikely that they were intended for shooting people (any suggestions?).
The Sea Shepherd arsenal of acoustic, laser, malodorant and line-carrying devices is an impressive one. They seem to be in the process of developing new tactics and techniques for stopping whalers without shooting anyone or threatening lethal force. This is an unexpected new angle on non-lethals; historically they have been used against protesters, but now it seems the protesters are finding their own uses for them.
Photo: Sea Shepherd Conservation Society
