Environment

Japan whalers out of Australia-claimed area

SYDNEY (Reuters) - Anti-whaling group Sea Shepherd Conservation Society has said it achieved its aim of forcing Japan's whaling fleet out of Antarctic waters claimed by Australia. In a statement on its website (www.seashepherd.org), the U.S.-based group said its ship, the Steve Irwin, had forced the fleet into waters off the Ross Dependency, which is a New Zealand possession. Australia has declared an 'economic exclusion zone', known by the letters "EEZ," in waters off the coast of its Ant...

Whales returned to ocean after mass stranding

Eleven whales that survived a mass beach stranding on Tasmania's far north-west coast have been returned to the open ocean. Rescuers have been working since early yesterday to save the long-finned pilot whales, the only survivors from a pod of 65 that became beached near Stanley. It is hoped the group will be able to rejoin another migratory pod. Parks and Wildlife Services manager Chris Arthur says 12 whales, up to three metres long, were transported 17 kilometres along the Bass H...