December 21, 2017
Protest warriors prepare to blast Amazon
Climate Justice Taranaki will be at sea this summer to protest the seismic survey ship the Amazon Warrior.
It's put the call out for boats, skippers, volunteers and donations to get people out to challenge the ship offshore where it's testing in the South Taranaki Bight.
It will also be part of a Rally on the Water on Ngamotu Beach in New Plymouth on December 30 to practise protesting against the ship's support vessels as they enter the port.
Spokesperson Emily Bailey says the exploration area is part of the most diverse cetacean region on the planet with over 36 species of whales and dolphins, of which at least six are endangered.
She says the compressed air explosions harm not only marine mammals but other species including the tiny krill the whales feed on.
"Every time those things blast, about every 10 seconds, they kill off the krill up to a few hundred metre radius and blue whales will only eat krill when there is a big enough area to open their mouth because even opening their mouth is a huge effort," Ms Bailey says.
Meanwhile Greenpeace says it’s disappointing New Zealand Petroleum & Minerals issued a 12-year oil and gas exploration permit yesterday for the southern Taranaki coast on the same day as France declared it would refuse to issue any new oil and gas permits, effective immediately.
Campaigner Amanda Larson says the permit to Westside NZ Ltd must be the last if the Government is true to its word on making New Zealand into a leader on climate change.
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