Did the Abbott Government's lone monitoring plane get pictures of this? Or were pilot and crew still at breakfast?

Sea Shepherd Australia 1 February 2014:

Sunday February 2, 2014 – At approximately 0650 AEDT today, The Bob Barker, was hit by the Japanese whaling fleet’s harpoon vessel, the Yushin Maru No. 2 as the harpoon vessel crossed in front of the bow of the Sea Shepherd ship at 67° 29’ S 164 °01’ W.

The incident is a part of an attack by the Japanese whaling fleets’ three harpoon vessels, the Yushin Maru, Yushin Maru No. 2 and Yushin Maru No. 3 on the Sea Shepherd ships, The Steve Irwin and The Bob Barker, which began at approximately 0001 this morning AEDT. The ships were located at approximately 68° 40’ S and 163° 43’ W at the time the attack began.

The assault is an attempt to deter the Sea Shepherd ships from their current position, blocking the slipway of the Nisshin Maru, preventing the whalers from loading whales poached from the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary.

During the attack, which lasted until around 0900 AEDT, the harpoon vessels overtook the Sea Shepherd ships from the stern, crossing the bow and coming as close as three to five metres. The Bob Barker was struck by the Yushin Maru No. 3 during one such dangerous manoeuver.  Captain Peter Hammarstedt of The Bob Barker and Captain Siddarth Chakravarty of The Steve Irwin have thus far been able to steer out of the path of the encroaching harpoon vessels, only narrowly avoiding numerous potential collisions.

The whaling vessels have also made consecutive attempts to foul the propellers of the Sea Shepherd ships by dragging steel cable across the bow of the conservation ships. Further, the crew of the whaling vessels threw projectiles at The Steve Irwin’s small boat crew and turned water cannons on The Bob Barker’s small boat crew as they attempted to cut the steel cables.

This season, Sea Shepherd’s direct intervention has led to a disastrous January for the illegal operations of the Japanese whaling fleet. Early interception and a persistent chase has enabled the Sea Shepherd Fleet to effectively suspend whaling operations and allowed the fleet to take up position and secure the slipway of the Nisshin Maru.

Federal Environment Minister Greg Hunt announcing that Monitoring of Southern Ocean begins.

Has Abbott really stopped the boats?

Mr Morrison, when asked at what point authorities intercepted asylum-seeker boats, told the committee: 'Where they're legally able to be done.' [Sky News 31 January 2014]

What the Federal Immigration Minister is saying is that the Australian Navy and Customs vessels are stopping, boarding, taking control of, and turning around or towing back asylum seeker boats within 24 nautical miles of the established low water line along Australia’s coast.

That is the sea between the coastline and outer edge of the green line on this map.

Click map to enlarge

I have a strong suspicion that at least some of the SIEV boats turned/towed since 19 December 2013 made it into Australian territorial waters before they were boarded.

One of these boat may possibly have done so on or about 1 January 2014 near Melville Island.

So has Abbott really stopped the boats or is he just scooping them up under cloak of secrecy and removing them from Australian territory?

Sometimes using lifeboats as in this photograph?

News.com.au 1 February 2014

Something for NSW Premier Barry O'Farrell to remember while making plans to permanently open marine reserves to fishers

Not every recreational fisher is a saint. More than a few are like this..............

Clarence Valley Review 29 January 2014:

Illegally caught Blue Groper that were discovered by fisheries officers, and resulted in a conviction in Maclean Local Court. Pic: courtesy Department of Primary Industries.

Spearing NSW’s official state fish has resulted in fines and professional costs of $3,660 plus additional court costs, after a man was convicted in Maclean Local Court this month for killing six Blue Groper.
Department of Primary Industries (DPI) Director of Fisheries Compliance, Glenn Tritton, said the Blue Groper was made the official state fish emblem of NSW in 1998.
“It is extremely disappointing to see this type of blatant disregard for the rules especially when Blue Groper have been protected from spear fishing for nearly 45 years,” Mr Tritton said....

Anyone witnessing any illegal fishing activity is urged to contact their local fisheries office immediately or to call Fishers Watch on 1800 043 536.

BACKGROUND

The Sydney Morning Herald 14 January 2014:

More than 200 marine scientists have called on the O'Farrell government to reinstate a ban on recreational fishing in coastal waters with high conservation values.

Last March the government introduced what it said was a temporary lifting of restrictions on shore-based line fishing at beaches and headlands in six marine parks with no-take sanctuaries pending an assessment of the impact.

The scientists, worried that the government may be about to make the "amnesty" permanent, issued a joint-statement calling for the reinstatement of protected zones "in keeping with well-established and proven scientific practice".

NSW has six multiple-use marine parks, including Cape Byron, Solitary Islands, Port Stephens-Great Lakes, Jervis Bay, Batemans Bay and Lord Howe Island. They account for about 7 per cent of NSW's state waters, and extend 3 nautical miles (5.5 kilometres) from shore.

"These are the exact habitats probably being affected the most by recreational fishing," said Will Figueira, a marine ecologist at the University of Sydney, and one of the scientists leading the petition.

Dr Figueira said the public often underestimated the impact of on-shore fishing

"Removing animals is not natural," he said. "When you sum it up, it's a quite large number of animals that are being removed."

The March decision was controversial because it appeared to be linked to winning support from the Shooters and Fishers Party for unrelated bills on public sector wages. Scientists say the decision for a temporary lifting of the ban was also unaccompanied by efforts to establish a baseline to study the impact on eco-systems.......

Moggy Musings (Archived material from Boy the Wonder Cat)

A Christmas Seafood FAIL musing: My human picked up a modest king prawn & oysters in the shell order from Clarence River Fishermen's Co-operative at its Yamba outlet in the am of Christmas Eve. When she arrived home and opened the parcels it was discovered that 22% of the prawns were not fit for table and the oysters hailed from land-locked Alstonville, were only labelled 'product of Australia' (not a good sign) had skirts that were predominantly gristle and some had a strange black centre. No wonder the co-op was giving away a free bottle of white wine with each order! Me - I was looking forward to being slipped an oyster during Christmas dinner but my human tells me she might not be serving up these oysters at all if the ones sampled at lunch today cause problems. PS. The black centred ones hit the bin straight away.

An I wonder musing: I wonder if Iris Research will ever admit to Clarence Valley Council the exact number of respondents in its recent poll who mentioned council management as an impediment to good governance, transparency and adequate community consultation?

A mathematical musing: If I had a sardine for every journalist who has written about Abbott’s first 100 days before he’d even reached 70 days in the driver’s seat I could probably eat my fill of sardines at every meal from Christmas Day right through to New Year.

A gotcha musing: Remember this anonymous letter to the editor? The author forgot what a small valley community it was in which he chose to obscure his identity. So take a bow, John Ibbotson of Gulmarrad, you’ve been sprung!

A Gilbert & Sullivan musing: They say a happy ship never leaks. HMS Pinafore Clarence Valley Council is not a happy ship. Moggies across the valley are sniggering as they listen to amused ratepayers repeating the Captain's boasting which is being semaphored to shore from within the ranks of his trusted lieutenants. I suspect that First Lord of the Admiralty Williamson would not be amused.

A you can run but you can’t hide musing: In December 2013 Clarence Valley Council is settling Smith v Clarence Valley Council out of court. Rumour has it that the fact that senior staff discovered that even as far away as Murwillumbah Court House they could not escape the valley’s eagle eye and, the fact of council's decision not to continue with the matter but move to a settlement, are not mere co-incidence.

A well waddaya know musing: Look what the NSW online court lists say is occurring today.

INDUSTRIAL COURT OF NSW and INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS COMMISSIONOF NSW:

MURWILLUMBAH COURT HOUSE, MAIN STREET, MURWILLUMBAH NSW,DEPUTY PRESIDENT HARRISON, Court Room 10:00am Hearing, IRC13/308 - Smith & Clarence Valley Council re dismissal.

A Whozat? musing: Which North Coast council manager is not keeping councillors up to speed on the fallout from his paranoid management style. K99 the mixed breed dog from ****** tells me that both indoor and outdoor employees are up in arms.

A don't beat upon insects musing: The Australian on November 2 told the world that the Abbott Government was introducing new ant-bullying laws. It's nice to see the lowly ant receive justice at last.

Boy

Something for certain Clarence Valley shire councillors past and present to remember....

Certain Clarence Valley shire councillors past and present were almost fawningly eager to have this reverend lead prayers before council meetings:

At all relevant times the Anglican Diocese of Grafton had responsibility for the children in the North Coast Children’s Home....

By 26 September 2006 Reverend Comben and Peter Roland knew of at least 20 instances of sexual abuse against former residents of the North Coast Children’s Home...

From September 2006 Reverend Comben failed to take steps to refer all allegations of criminal conduct against children formerly resident at the North Coast Children’s Home to the NSW Police...

The Diocese of Grafton comprehensively failed to treat former residents of the North Coast Children’s Home who had been sexually and physically abused in a way which was sympathetic to their needs, fair and provided appropriate redress. Many of the former residents who informed the Diocese of Grafton of the abuse they had suffered at an Anglican Home for which the Diocese had responsibility were treated so poorly that the effect of what should have been a redress scheme, in fact, did more damage to them.

[Royal Commission Into Institutional Responses To Child Sexual Abuse, Public Inquiry Into The Response Of The Diocese Of Grafton Of The Anglican Church To Claims Of Child Sexual Abuse At The North Coast Children’s Home, Submissions Of Counsel Assisting The Royal Commission, 31 January 2014]

Quote of the Week * WARNING: Potential for abrupt blood pressure rise *

I am an indigenous Australian

[Andrew Bolt writing in the Herald Sun, 29 January 2014]

Advice to young buskers from the far off past.....

Guthrie, he says, taught him how to busk. "He'd say put the banjo on your back, go into a bar and buy a nickel beer and sip it as slow as you can. Sooner or later, someone will say, 'Kid, can you play that thing?' Don't be too eager, just say, 'Maybe, a little.' Keep on sipping beer. Sooner or later, someone will say, 'Kid, I've got a quarter for you if you pick us a tune.' Then you play your best song." With that advice, Seeger supported himself on his travels. [The Guardian,1 February 2007]

American political activist and folksinger Peter Seeger died at the age of 94 on Monday 27 January 2014.

Seeger at a 1963 Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee Rally in Mississippi

www.rogerebert.com