Peter Bethune: Sea Shepherd Taken Into Custody May Face 15 Years Behind Bars...

photo credit: uair01

Peter Bethune is looked upon as a hero, yet to some a criminal, how did this all become a big whirl wind of disaster for Bethune? Some say it all started in January when his boat the Ady Gil was destroyed by crashing into a Japanese whaling ship by the name of Shonan Maru 2.

Later this year in Febuary, Peter Bethune decided to take these matters into his own hands, just as Bethune's wife claimed “he likes to do what he says he's gonna do, a lot of people sit back and talk, Pete actually goes out there and does what he says he's gonna do.” Well that is what Peter Bethune did.

In February of this year, 2010, Peter Bethune made his jump into what he thought would benefit his cause, but instead might ruin most of his life. Bethune made his way onto the Shonan Maru 2 in hopes of arresting the whale hunting ship captain, yet instead was arrested and taken into custody on the boat Shonan Maru 2. Pete was accused with charges of trespassing, and assault.

As of now the verdict of Peter Bethune's sentencing will not be fully known until June 10^th where he will know if he is going to go home free, or whether he is jail bound. Bethune could be looking at a 15 year jail sentence, many people are standing by him all the way, including his former colleague Paul Watson.

Many may be questioning what is whale hunting all about, why is it performed and why it is protested against. Whaling has been going on for thousands of years dating back to 2,200 B.C. Whaling's main purpose was to make products to survive on. Some of the things that were products made from whales were: whale bone, soap, whale oil, animal feed, fertilizer, perfume, and of course the meat.

Whale meat is a delicacy in Japan, which is why many of the Sea Shepard's including Peter Bethune think that whaling is mainly done for that purpose - not in the name of science - but in the name of greed and money. Whaling is legal only for science yet many countries - not just Japan - but also Norway, Iceland, USSR, seem to practice whaling a bit too much to be only in the name of science.

Whale hunting brings about many disagreements and has many morality issues going on with it. Is it right to kill such a beautiful creature that is near extinction when we have our resources already? Many like Bethune detest it and the cruelty, while many stand by and say it's food, or it's science.

Will whaling ever come to visit a happy medium or will there always be sides to take? This is a question for which there is no answer currently. No matter what side you choose, or what you believe in, I do not think we should be trying to get back at one another with negative influences, but try to work together on the situation at hand.

Whether it be about Bethune, or the whale slaughter. Either way, I wish, and I know that many others do as well wish that these disagreements would come to a halt and we would show mercy on one another to be able to make ends meet. I am not saying either one is wrong or right, but I do think we can definitely do something about all of these ongoing issues that are starting to make themselves more present.

Peter Bethune now is awaiting his fate, and questions will continue to arise concerning whaling and the fate of Peter Bethune. Peter's wife and all of his colleagues are standing near and will keep on supporting him. As far as whaling is concerned, learning more about it gives you the proper evidence to support your claim, either way.