Moment of impact

The Japanese harpoon ship, the Yushin Maru 3 (right), tries to shake off the anti-whaling ship Sea Shepherd, the Bob Barker (left), from the Japanese factory ship the Nisshin Maru's tail (background), ramming the Bob Barker and tearing a one-metre gash in its hull. This image was captured in the Southern Ocean, Antarctica in 2010.

In the name of ‘research’, using a loophole in the International Whaling Convention, Japanese whalers set a yearly quota of 1,035 whales to kill in the Antarctic waters, many in the Antarctic Whale Sanctuary. The whalers have not published any academically respected, internationally peer-reviewed scientific research papers. The multinational, anti-whaling, direct-action, marine conservation organisation Sea Shepherd sailed yearly to Antarctica until 2017 to physically obstruct and stop the Japanese whaling slaughter. Japan ceased its whaling operations in the Antarctic, repeatedly blaming Sea Shepherd for its whale quota loss. Since 2002 Sea Shepherd has directly helped save the lives of over 6,000 whales.

Biography:
Glenn Lockitch holds Masters in Visual Arts (Photojournalism) and is an independent human rights and environmental photojournalist. He has photographed in Australia and overseas for 27 years and does not photograph anything that contradicts his values and conscience, including for unethical media, environmentally destructive or anti-human rights businesses. South African born, Glenn grew up during apartheid with family who opposed and was targeted by the legalised racist system – this experience profoundly influenced Glenn in developing a deep sense of justice, expressed through his photojournalism. His photos have been widely exhibited and published in Australian and global media and won Reportage Photojournalism Festival (2005). He has been a finalist in other awards including the New York Photo Festival Book Category (2009); co-produced Cross Projections and was a Walkley Awards jurist (2016). Since 2010, he has taught photojournalism and photography at the Australian Centre for Photography, the National Art School and Sydney Photographic Workshops.