Environment minister Peter Garrett has denied the federal government was being deliberately provocative by filming Japanese fishermen as they hauled two dead whales aboard their ship - then releasing those pictures to selected media outlets.
One of the photos, sent to the Daily Telegraph, showed a whale and her baby calf being taken aboard the Japanese craft.
In an interview with the Nine Network, Mr Garrett said the photos proved that the surveillance of the whaling activities was effective.
"We’ve had to balance really important questions of
public interest, because people obviously have got a
yearning, even if it’s sad when we look at it, to know
what images are being collected."
"When I saw the photos, I just felt a bit of a
sick feeling as well as a sense of sadness. It’s very
disappointing that these activities are continuing."
"But
the important thing from the government’s point of
view is that the Oceanic Viking is clearly doing a very
good job in monitoring."
The minister said the government intended to continue collecting material and images for future use in
a potential legal challenge to Japan's whaling program.
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