Hi-tech planes used to combat unlawful whaling

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What is it with Japan and whaling? There’s been plenty of international consternation over the country’s continued whaling policies but Japan, from what I’ve read, hasn’t been particularly cooperative. That’s where the tech comes in.

Australia has deployed an AirBus A319 that’s loaded with specialized imaging and surveillance equipment to keep an eye out for Japanese whaling ships. According to what I just read on Wikipedia, Japan claims to be all about whaling for scientific purposes, but countries like Australia and the U.S. don’t believe it for a second. A deal was struck recently whereby the Japanese would knock it off, hence the high-tech approach to getting Japan to stop.

Drudge’s headline tells it all: Flying robot to track whales off Australia…

Spy v spy as Airbus joins the fight against whaling [The Sydney Morning Herald via Drudge]