You'd wonder why a fishing crew would need to do this... trusting it to be a bunch of Aussies.

Australian fishing crew accused of killing whale near NZ waters

Source: NZ Herald

By: GREG ANSLEY

CANBERRA - Federal police are investigating claims that Australian fishermen killed - and ate part of - a whale in international waters close to New Zealand's economic zone.

The whale, of a so-far unidentified species, is alleged to have been taken in the Tasman Sea, 270 nautical miles west of New Zealand.

New Zealand's economic zone extends 200 miles out to sea.

Australia and New Zealand fiercely oppose whaling.

Australian Federal Police spokesman Steve Simpson said yesterday that investigators were pursuing allegations over an incident on January 12.

"There is no suggestion that the alleged whale - and we don't know what it was at this stage - was killed or disposed of for commercial gain," he said.

Australia banned whaling in 1978 and two years later passed the Whale Protection Act, banning killing, capturing, harassing, chasing and herding whales, dolphins and porpoises in its 200 nautical mile fishing zone.

The act, now included in the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Act passed in 2000, also extends the ban to Australians working in international waters from its ports.

The inclusion of locally based Australians opened the alleged Tasman Sea killing to federal investigators.

Australia's whale sanctuary covers the nation's entire economic zone, including its island and Antarctic territories.

Killing or injuring whales within the sanctuary risks fines of up to A$110,000 or two years' jail.

Wonder how many XXXX's it took them to wash it down with?

I wonder about it being flicked off for some coin, as a fishing boat crew isn't exactly going to wolf down an entire whale are they?... unless it was only a baby.

Then again I thought only dingos ate babies