\u201cWhen you\u2019re down in those oceans the swell is very, very big,\u201d said Brook. \u201cIt\u2019s going to take us at least three weeks to go from Auckland to the bottom of South America and if you look at the weather you can see there are storms going across continuously.\u201d<\/p>\n
Skipper James Brook highlights the threat to wildlife and climate from krill harvesting. Photo \/ Alex Robertson, Sea Shepherd<\/p>\n
The storms move quicker than a ship so there\u2019s no way of avoiding them, Brook said. He\u2019s seen some fierce conditions on his expeditions south with waves sometimes more than 10m high.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou have to stop what you\u2019re doing and turn the bow into the seas and just go at a fairly slow speed and try to ride the waves,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n
\u201cWhen you\u2019re at the bottom of a trough you can\u2019t see the top of the wave. The bow will rise to the top and the ship will fall off the wave and slam down, sliding sideways down and the bow will bury underwater. Then it will surface and repeat. <\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve been like that for two or three days where you\u2019re just trying to ride it out.\u201d<\/p>\n
The crew on Sea Shepherd’s Allankay aim to document illegal activities and press for marine sanctuaries. Photo \/ Sea Shepherd<\/p>\n
Equipment failure can be a death sentence in those conditions, hence the intense preparation and maintenance.<\/p>\n
There is also sea ice and bergs to look out for, which can hole a ship, Brook said, adding at least one vessel is lost in Antarctica every year, according to statistics.<\/p>\n
The reason for the dangerous voyage is to try to bring an end to what Sea Shepherd claims is an industry that is lucrative to the operators but unnecessary and poses an existential threat to wildlife and the wider planet.<\/p>\n
Krill is used as an omega-3 health food supplement (which can be sourced from plant-based alternatives), pet food and in salmon farming to colour the flesh pink.<\/p>\n
Scientists believe the krill population has fallen by about 80% since the 1970s for reasons that are not entirely known and it doesn\u2019t need any more threats.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe can\u2019t confront them directly but what we\u2019re doing is we hunt the fleet and then we document them, we film them, and they don\u2019t like that because that puts a spotlight on what they are doing,\u201d Brook said. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe suspect they do some illegal activities such as discharging the effluent after they\u2019ve processed the krill. We\u2019re trying to get evidence of them doing illegal activities down there.\u201d<\/p>\n
The 54m Allankay is set to leave Auckland within weeks for a three-month Antarctic mission. Photo \/ Alex Robertson, Sea Shepherd<\/p>\n
He won\u2019t reveal how they find the trawlers as it could counter the element of surprise, one of the organisation\u2019s strongest cards.<\/p>\n
The 15-strong crew is made up of bridge officers, engineers, cooks and deck hands. <\/p>\n