From MSNBC.COM:

Japanese fleet heads off to hunt for humpbacks

Activists vow to disrupt first hunt for protected whales in decades

SHIMONOSEKI, Japan - A Japanese whaling fleet sailing toward waters off Antarctica to kill protected humpback whales was itself the target of a hunt Monday by environmental activists who vowed to disrupt the expedition.

Greenpeace said its protest ship Esperanza was searching for the fleet south of Japanese territorial waters and would shadow the ships to the South Pacific to try to reduce their catch.

“It’s a large ocean, but we’re going to track them down,” expedition member Dave Walsh told The Associated Press by telephone Monday.

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