Where are you?

Thankfully the past two days have been free of the slaughter of dolphins. Both this morning and yesterday the weather was in favour of dolphin hunting. Clear skies and very little wind. Both days the dolphin molesters left the harbour in search of dolphins and after a few hours returned empty handed. It is a joyous experience to watch these murderers waste their money while the dolphins swim free.

The main difference that I have noticed between last year`s Cove Guardian campaign and our current year is the number of activists. It`s disheartening to see so few activists here in Taiji when the dolphins need our help now more than ever. We started the campaign in 2010 strong and consistently had a decent number of activists who had traveled from around the world to document the dolphin slaughter.

Thousands of individuals from around the globe apply to become part of Sea Shepherd's annual anti-whaling campaign in the Southern Ocean Sanctuary. They're willing to spend their money and risk their lives for the whales. I can't help but wonder where you all are. Oh yes. There is no glory in Taiji. You won't find your 5 minutes of fame on Whale Wars here. It is indeed a tough campaign here in Taiji aptly named "Infinite Patience". The mornings are early, the days are long, and the results are not immediate. We have witnessed, though, the impact that a few activists have had on this small town. An enormous amount of money has been allocated for security, police, and intricate barricades to block our cameras. Simply by being here we are costing their murderous industry over 30million yen, a number that will not be justifiable in the long term. I can only imagine the profound impact 50 activists, or even 100 would have here. There is power in numbers and we need your help!

So where are you? I've heard many excuses to stay home, safely disconnected when the computer is shut down. Finances. Family. Fear. Any of these can be overcome. I can't claim that this work is easy but it is immensely rewarding. It is enough to know that we are doing the best we can.

For the Oceans,
Tarah