The crew of a Greenpeace co-founder-captained anti-whaling ship has expressed satisfaction with the practice's cessation in Icelandic waters.
In order to stop whale hunters from killing whales in the North Atlantic Ocean, the former Scottish Fisheries vessel departed from Hull on a mission.
Tuesday saw the temporary suspension of fin whale hunting by the Icelandic government due to concerns about animal rights.
Paul Barker, a crew member from Beverley, said he was "happy" about the ban.
After some whale species were nearly driven to extinction, the majority of nations in the world voted in 1986 to outlaw commercial whaling.
However, some of those who objected included Iceland, Norway, and Japan. The John Paul Dejoria, a ship, had made its way to the North Atlantic Ocean in an effort to halt whaling activities.
While the boat was traveling 50 miles west of Reykjavik, Iceland, during a storm, Mr. Barker spoke to BBC Look North from the ship.
"I'm content. We are content that the Icelandic whalers will remain tethered to the dock. We're hoping to keep them there," he said.
The mission's retired driving instructor said he is "slightly nervous" that the ban might be disregarded.
He declared that it made him "happy to put my life on the line" in order to save the whales.
The crew "will just sit here and wait in this big bouncy weather and watch the birds go by," according to Mr. Barker, in case anyone disobeys the ban and they need to take enforcement action.
Because the ban lasts through the end of the whaling season, the boat's captain, Paul Watson, said he doesn't think any whales will be killed this year.
It is always wonderful to win a campaign without resorting to altercations and the potential for arrests, he said, adding that the ship will return to Europe in the coming days. ".
Mr. Watson has previously stated that the ship, which is owned by his nonprofit, will "block, harass, and get in the way," doing "anything possible" to stop illegal whaling operations.
