Activists say find Japan whaling fleet near Antarctica

In a statement on its website, Sea Shepherd Conservation Society said the attack by a boat launched from its ship the Steve Irwin was called off due to blizzard conditions, when it was about three miles (five kilometers) from its target.

Sea Shepherd said the encounter with the Japanese ship the Yushin Maru 2 occurred in dense fog and icy seas at 6:45 p.m. EST on Friday, within an economic exclusion zone Australia has declared near its Antarctic territories.

Last year the same two vessels were involved in a tense standoff when Sea Shepherd members were held aboard the Japanese ship after an incident.

Japan's whaling fleet is in the Antarctic region for an annual hunt aimed at catching about 900 whales, which Tokyo says is carried out for scientific research purposes.

Japan officially stopped whaling under a 1986 global moratorium, but continues to take hundreds of whales in what it calls a research program. Much of the meat ends up on dinner tables.

Sea Shepherd is headquartered in the United States and its statement was dated Friday. Its founder Paul Watson, who was an early member of environmental group Greenpeace but later split from the organization, is aboard its ship in Antarctic waters.

"The encounter took place in dense fog and in dangerous ice conditions," the Sea Shepherd statement said. "The Steve Irwin launched a Delta boat with a crew to attack the Yushin Maru 2 with rotten butter bombs.

"Unfortunately the wind increased to 50 knots with blizzard conditions. Captain Paul Watson called the small boat crew back for safety reasons when they were halfway to their target some three miles away.

Greenpeace launched a campaign to turn Japan against whaling earlier this month.

(Editing by Dean Yates)