Protesters say they have bugged Japanese whalers

CANBERRA (Reuters) - Anti-whaling activists said on Mondaythey had chased the flagship of Japan's whaling fleet out ofwaters near Antarctica after tracking it with high-tech bugsplanted by two protesters who boarded the vessel last month.

Captain Paul Watson of the hardline Sea Shepherd group saidhe was confident the Japanese would not make even half theirquota this year of almost 1,000 minke and fin whales afterprotesters tagged the fleet during a boarding at sea inJanuary.

"This is the third day now they have not killed any whales.After next month they will not be able to continue and I'mpretty confident they have not taken more than 400 whales sofar this year," Watson told Reuters.

Watson said two crew from his protest ship Steve Irwincovertly planted tracking devices on the harpoon ship YushinMaru No.2 when they boarded it mid-ocean on January 15,sparking a three-day standoff as they were held on board.

"They weren't kept locked up, It seems strange, but theywere able to move about the ship," Watson said. He also hintedother homing devices had been planted on some or all of thesix-ship fleet, either at sea on in port before leaving Japan.

"It's not just the Yushin Maru, which they're probablyripping to pieces right now," he said. "We were able to do morethan one. We're pretty much able to track the entire fleet."

Despite a moratorium on whaling, Japan is allowed an annual"scientific" hunt, arguing whaling is a cherished tradition andthe hunt is necessary to study whales. Its fleet has killed7,000 Antarctic minkes over the past 20 years.

But activists say the scientific hunt is a cover forcommercial whaling and have vowed to stop the annual slaughter.

The Steve Irwin located the Japanese fleet in the vastSouthern Ocean three days ago after being forced to abandon thechase for 10 days to refuel and switch crew in Australia.

The activists intercepted the whalers 80 miles north of theShackleton Ice Shelf, inside Australia's self-proclaimedsouthern whale sanctuary, which Japan does not recognise.

"They are not going to make their quota this year. We aremore than half way through the season and they are running.There is a lot of ice and fog, a lot of sleet and snow," Watsonsaid.

Australian Benjamin Potts and Briton Giles Lane who boardedthe harpoon ship were eventually taken off by an Australiancustoms vessel sent south to monitor the fleet and gatherevidence for a possible international legal challenge byCanberra.

Australian police have warned Watson's group against moreboardings as the Steve Irwin was in turn tracked by an oceangoing trawler, the Fukuyoshi Maru No.68, which Sea Shepherdsays is carrying Japanese Coast Guard officers.

(Editing by Sanjeev Miglani)