策劃、編譯■李威撰、謝雯伃

日本捕鯨船隊通常在每年3月中旬才會結束南極的捕鯨作業，

不過今年在環團阻撓下，政府以安全為由，提早在2月10日結束。

儘管有部分反捕鯨團體擔憂海洋守護者協會招來日人的負面觀感，

但反捕鯨行動自2005年展開以來，確實有效降低被捕捉的鯨魚數量。

對日本政府而言，鯨肉市場萎縮及國際輿論壓力都是必須面對的問題，

日本究竟會再花費多少時間及金錢去大量補貼捕鯨，值得進一步關注。

■海洋守護協會成員丟擲煙霧彈攻擊捕鯨船。（圖／路透）

日本農林水產大臣18日表示，由於強硬派反捕鯨團體的阻撓，日本被迫暫停在南極洲的捕鯨活動。這是日本捕鯨船隊首次因為與行動人士發生衝突，而提早結束行程打道回府。

Obstruction by a hardline anti-whaling group has forced Japan to cut short its Antarctic whale hunt, the fisheries minister said on Friday, the first time the fleet （1） is heading home early due to clashes with activists.

海洋守護者協會持續以激烈手段封鎖日本捕鯨船，已引起日方的憤怒。日本、挪威和冰島是全球碩果僅存仍在捕鯨的國家。日本政府表示，捕鯨是一項重要的文化傳統。

Repeated attempts by the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society to block the hunt have caused irritation in Japan, one of only three countries -- along with Norway and Iceland -- that now hunt whales. The government describes the hunt as an important cultural tradition.

「要保護日本捕鯨船隊的安全越來越困難。」農林水產大臣鹿野道彥在記者會上表示：「我們別無選擇，只得中斷研究。」

"It has become difficult to secure the fleet’s safety," Fisheries Minister Michihiko Kano told a news conference. "We have no choice but to cut short our research."

海洋守護者協會則形容日方的決定是鯨魚的勝利，證明了干擾日本捕鯨船隊運作的行動越來越有成效。

Sea Shepherd described the decision as a victory for whales and said the movement was proving increasingly effective at disrupting the Japanese fleet’s operations.

「我們所做的與過去沒有太大的不同，也就是早點到達捕鯨地點，在捕鯨船真的開始行動之前，攔截並干擾他們。」海洋守護者協會澳洲分會長漢森在電話中表示。

"We didn’t do much differently, but got there early and intercepted them and disrupted them early before they could really begin," Jeff Hansen, Sea Shepherd’s Australian director, said by telephone.

「我們每一年讓他們花的錢越來越多。捕鯨是一項所費不貲、仰賴贊助的活動，所以他們花的上百萬美元都泡湯了，這表示我們讓他們的荷包大失血。」

"Each year we’re costing them more and more money. It’s a heavily subsidized （2） hunt and they’re spending and losing millions so we’re very much hurting them in the pocket.

「我們會繼續留在南冰洋，如果他們下一季還是回來的話，我們會從那兒把他們送回北方。」

"We’ll stay down there in the Southern Ocean, and if they return next season, we’ll be there to escort them northward."

農林漁業省遠洋漁業處官員高谷茂樹表示，日本的捕鯨船隊由4艘船、180人組成；目前船隊正在北返，提前一個月終止一年一度的捕鯨行動；這次捕鯨數目為170頭，約為預定目標的1／5。

The Japanese fleet, made up of 180 people on four vessels （3）, is heading back from its annual hunt about a month earlier than scheduled after catching 170 minke whales, around a fifth of its target, said Shigeki Takaya, a fisheries ministry official.

在海洋守護者協會開始騷擾日本捕鯨船隊的母船之後，日本方面已於兩週前便暫停捕鯨行動。日本政府稱行動人士的阻撓為「不可原諒」的行為，誓言明年將繼續捕鯨行動。

Japan had suspended the hunt last week after Sea Shepherd started to harass the fleet’s mother ship. The Japanese government called the obstruction "unforgivable" and vowed to continue its whaling （4） activities from next year.

「諸如此類的破壞行為是危險且不合法的行動，威脅到了船員的生命和財產，還有海上交通的安全。捕鯨船隊成員是在公海進行合法的研究行為。」日本外務大臣前原誠司在記者會上表示。「這是完全無法原諒的。」

"Sabotage （5） like this is a dangerous, unlawful act that threatens the lives and property of the crew, who were engaging in legal research activities on the high seas, and the safety of sea traffic," Foreign Minister Seiji Maehara told a news conference. "This is totally unforgivable."

日本捕鯨人士和海洋守護者協會行動人士的衝突在近幾年持續增加。去年該組織一艘快艇與日本捕鯨船發生碰撞、沉船之後，旋即引進一台全新高速快艇加入突擊行列。去年7月，一名環保運動人士因為強行登上一艘捕鯨船，被日本法院判處2年緩刑。

Clashes between Japanese whalers and Sea Shepherd activists have escalated in recent years. The group had introduced a new high speed ship after another vessel sank following a collision last year with a Japanese whaling ship. An activist was given a two-year suspended jail term by a Japanese court in July for boarding a whaling ship.

為迴避1986年的商業捕鯨禁令，日本改採科學捕鯨活動，宣稱日本有權監控鯨魚對日本漁業的影響。

Japan introduced scientific whaling to skirt the commercial whaling ban under a 1986 moratorium, arguing it had a right to monitor the whales impact on its fishing industry.

去年，澳洲在海牙的國際法庭對日本提出訴訟，希望藉此終止南冰洋科學性研究捕鯨，法庭預計在2013年或更晚做出裁決。

Last year, Australia filed a complaint against Japan at the world court in The Hague to stop Southern Ocean scientific whaling. The decision is expected to come in 2013 or later.

日本上一次減少南極捕鯨活動是在2007年；當時因為船隊旗艦發生大火，造成一名船員受傷，船隻本身也受到重創。

The last time Japan shortened its Antarctic whaling expedition was in 2007, when a fire killed a crew member aboard the flagship and crippled the vessel

（路透Reuters）

1. fleet

(n.) 艦隊、船隊

2. subsidize

(v.) 補貼、資助

3. vessel

(n.) 輪船

4. whaling

(n.) 捕鯨

5. sabotage

(v.n.) （為阻撓敵方而發起的）破壞、阻礙行為

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