After a man fell from a Japanese whaling ship into the freezing antarctic waters, the whalers have called off all operations while in search for the man’s body.

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Sea Shepherd, usually the arch nemesis of the whalers, offered to help find the body with their two small boats and helicopter, but the Japanese refused saying they would not require any help from an “eco-terrorist organization.”

Captain Paul Watson says that Sea Shepherd has ignored their request and has begun searching for the body with his two small boat crews and helicopter. He also has promised not to interfere with any Japanese operations while they search for the body.

Unfortunately Sea Shepherd will not be able to help with the search for long as they will soon depart back to port to refuel. They plan to dock in Tasmania due to its close proximity, but Japan has been petitioning Australia, Chile, and New Zealand to prevent the Steve Irwin ship from refueling.

Of course, the Japanese have an entirely different story to tell about the search for the missing whaler and say that the activists have been disrupting their search.

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Photo courtesy of Sea Shepherd.