Last year, the Japanese whaling fleet surprised the Sea Shepherd with a new long-range acoustic device designed to disorient and keep the group at bay. In a nutshell, it sounded something like a high-pitched shrill similar to that of a smoke detector. While annoying, it definitely did not keep Paul Watson and Co. from continuing to be a nuisance — and it appears to have inspired them to bring their own “music”.
Pete Bethune, captain of the new Sea Shepherd stealth boat “Ady Gil”, has revealed that he’ll be blaring the song “Tangaroa” from NZ musician Tiki Taan. “It’s a pretty spooky dark song and it’s got this sort of ethereal Maori chant going on it and I don’t think they’ll like it at all,” he told a NZ Radio station. “It’s a little bit of mind games. We’re not down there to make friends with them – we’re down there to intimidate them and disrupt them and see what we can do to make life difficult.”
To broadcast the music, Bethune has installed an array of speakers on the Ady Gil capable of producing 9,000 watts of sound. He plans to crank it while circling the harpoon ships and getting in between them and the whales. Have a listen to Tangaroa below — and yes, it sounds much better than a smoke detector.
About Michael dEstries
Michael has been blogging since 2005 on issues such as sustainability, renewable energy, philanthropy, and healthy living. He regularly contributes to a slew of publications, as well as consulting with companies looking to make an impact using the web and social media. He lives in Ithaca, NY with his family on an apple farm.View all posts by Michael dEstries →
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