遭環保人士圍堵 日本暫停南極捕鯨
Japan has suspended its annual whale hunt in the Antarctic for now after a hardline anti-whaling group gave chase to its mother shipand it may call the fleet back home, a government official said.
日本某政府官員日前表示，由於捕鯨船隊母艦受到態度強硬的反捕鯨團體的追捕，將暫停本年度在南極海域的捕鯨活動，並可能下令捕鯨船隊返航。
Regular attempts by Sea Shepherd Conservation Society to interrupt hunts have caused irritation in Japan, one of only three countries that now hunt whales and where the government says it is an important cultural tradition.
海洋守護者協會常規的反捕鯨活動引發了日本民衆的不滿。目前全球僅有三個國家還在捕鯨，日本是其中之一，而且日本政府表示捕鯨是該國重要的文化傳統。
"Putting safety as a priority, the fleet has halted scientific whaling for now. We are currently considering what to do hereafter," said Tatsuya Nakaoku, an official at the Fisheries asked if Japan was considering bringing back the fleet earlier than planned, he said this remained an option and added that Japan's whaling plans were not going smoothly.
日本水產廳官員中奧達也說：“爲安全起見，捕鯨船隊已暫停了以科研爲目的的獵捕。我們正考慮今後怎麼辦。”在被問及日本是否會考慮提前結束捕鯨時，他表示有這種可能，還說日本的捕鯨計劃一直不順。
Representatives for Sea Shepherd were not immediately available for comment.
海洋守護者協會的代表還沒有對此發表評論。
日本漁船撞沉先進反捕鯨快艇
Japan introduced scientific whaling to skirtthe commercial whaling ban under a 1986 moratorium, arguing it had a right to watch the whales' impact on its fishing industry.
日本借科研之名捕鯨，繞開了1986年禁止商業捕鯨的禁令，辯解稱有權觀察鯨魚“對日本漁業的影響。”
The fleet, consisting of some 180 people on four vessels, is aiming to cull about 850 minke whales in Antarctic waters this season, which is scheduled to end around March.
暫停捕鯨的船隊由4只捕鯨船組成，約有180名船員。船隊原計劃本季在南海海域捕殺850頭小鬚鯨，一直作業至三月。
Last year, Australia filed a complaint against Japan at the world court in The Hague to stop Southern Oceanscientific whaling. The decision is expected to come in 2013 or later.
澳大利亞於去年向海牙國際法庭起訴日本，要求其停止在南極海域的“科學捕鯨”。宣判結果預計將在2013年或更晚時間才能知曉。
A Sea Shepherd activist was given a two-year suspended jail term by a Japanese court in July for boarding a whaling ship, while one of the group's ships sank last year after a collision with a Japanese whaling ship.
去年7月，日本一家法庭判處海洋守護者協會的一位環保人士兩年監禁，緩期執行，罪名是擅自登上捕鯨船隻。去年，因與一艘日本捕鯨船相撞，該團體的一艘艦船沉沒。
