當海洋守護協會的史帝夫厄文號結束對抗日本捕鯨艦隊行動，2月20日從南極海抵達澳洲荷伯特時，澳洲聯邦警察隨即帶著搜查令上船搜索。
搜查令授權警方沒收「所有影像錄音的剪輯帶和母帶、照片、製片人的註解、訪問記錄、拍攝前後會議記錄、船隻航海日誌、全球定位系統記錄、雷達自動測繪設備、採購記錄和收據、財務收支明細、航行信息和航海圖。」
海洋守護協會創辦人瓦特森船長表示，許多遭到查扣的資料都歸屬於探索頻道動物星球製片以及攝影師所有，他們為了第二季「鯨魚戰爭」的播映，拍攝記錄下史帝夫厄文號與日本捕鯨艦隊對抗的情況，此節目在2008年美國電視頻道收視相當不錯。
澳洲警方拒絕提供關於搜索行動的任何細節，僅表示是在日本當局要求下所進行。
瓦特森指出：「動物星球頻道播放的鯨魚戰爭系列報導，讓日本政府和日本捕鯨產業在2008年時處境相當難堪，日本不希望看到第二季的節目播出，持續向澳洲施加外交壓力，儘可能防止他們在南極海非法捕鯨的惡行曝光。」
日本船舶株式會社社長山村一雄表示：「這群極端分子故意衝撞我們的船隻，企圖讓螺旋槳無法運轉，聯合國海洋法公約確立了法條，避免公海淪為沒有法紀的地區。落實這些聯合國海洋法公約所規範的責任，是對荷蘭及澳洲政府的一項考驗，兩國至目前為止還尚未執行國際海事法規，來防範類似的犯罪行為。」
瓦特森指出：「這是一個非常不公的事件，澳洲警方並未登上日本船隻，也沒有查扣他們的影帶和航海數據，即使他們在南極海上猛烈攻擊我的船隻和船員，但他們沒有也不會被質詢。」
「事實就是，假如各國政府能直接落實他們得意洋洋簽下的國際保育條約，我們根本不需要在南極海對抗捕鯨船，沒有執行就沒有法規，只有生態混亂。」
瓦特森計劃購買第二艘更快的船，並且在2009年到2010年捕鯨季節重回南極海，與日本船隊繼續抗爭。
When the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society ship Steve Irwin arrived in Hobart, Tasmania on February 20 from confronting the Japanese whaling fleet in the Southern Ocean, a party of Australian Federal Police officers boarded the conservation vessel with a warrant.
The warrant authorized the confiscation of "all edited and raw video footage, all edited and raw audio recordings, all still photographs, producer's notes, interview transcripts, production meeting minutes, post production meeting minutes as well as the ship's log books, global positioning system records, automatic radar plotting aid, purchase records, receipts, financial transaction records, voyage information and navigational plotted charts."
Sea Shepherd founder Captain Paul Watson says much of material seized belongs to the Discovery Channel's Animal Planet producer and camera crew who were videoing the confrontations with the Japanese whaling fleet for the second season of the series "Whale Wars," which last year proved to be a popular offering for the American television channel.
The police have refused to give details about the search, saying only that it was done at the request of "Japanese authorities."
"The Animal Planet series 'Whale Wars' was very embarrassing to the Japanese government and the Japanese whaling industry in 2008," said Watson. "Japan does not wish to see the airing of the second season of Whale Wars and is putting as much diplomatic pressure on Australia as they possibly can to prevent further exposure of their illegal whaling operations in the Southern Ocean."
Kazuo Yamamura, the president of Kyodo Senpaku Kaisha, Limited, said, "A group of extremists is deliberately ramming vessels and trying to disable their propellers. The United Nations Convention of the Law of the Sea establishes clear rules to prevent the high seas from being a lawless zone. Living up to these UNCLOS obligations represents a test for the governments of the Netherlands and Australia, which have so far hesitated to apply agreed international maritime rules to prevent these criminal acts."
"It's a very one-sided affair," Watson said. "The Japanese ships have not been boarded by the Australian Federal Police; they have not had their video and navigational data confiscated. They have not been questioned nor will they be, yet they violently attacked my ship and crew in the Southern Ocean."
"The truth is that we would not have to be in the Southern Ocean defending the whales if the governments of the world would simply enforce the international conservation treaties they once so proudly signed into law," said Watson. "Without enforcement there is no law - just ecological anarchy."
Watson intends to buy a second, faster vessel and prepare to return to the Southern Ocean to confront the Japanese again during the 2009-2010 whaling season.
作者
In my healing journey and learning to attain the breath awareness, I become aware of the reality that all the creatures of the world are breathing the same breath. Take action, here and now. From my physical being to the every corner of this out of balance's planet.
