Marine activists, including Bermudian Laura Dakin, have successfully brought Japan’s Antarctic whale hunt to a halt.The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society vessel Steve Irwin, with Ms Dakin on board, has disrupted whaling for weeks by pursuing the Japanese fleet’s factory ship Nisshin Maru in the Southern Ocean.Japan’s government announced on February 10 that the hunt was called off, but the Shepherds are still monitoring remaining vessels in the area.Speaking from the ship, Ms Dakin told The Royal Gazette: “It’s so exciting, there’s a massive buzz of excitement on the ship, to think that we’re closer than ever to pushing the Japanese out of Antarctica once and for all.“We’re still waiting to find out exactly what the fleet’s going to do, but we don’t know for sure what’s going on.”From her current position near New Zealand, she reported “wild, stormy weather, with icebergs everywhere”.According to Captain Paul Watson, the retreating Nisshin Maru was yesterday 2,000 miles from the Steve Irwin: “She has entered the Drake Passage and turned west. They could be on a great circular route back to Japan, but they could also be heading back.”Noting that Ms Dakin has been with the group for five years, Capt Watson called her “the best cook we’ve had”.Ms Dakin said she wasn’t sure what the next mission would be: “It’s up to Paul to decide, but we’ll probably be going to the Mediterranean against the bluefin tuna harvest, and the Faeroe Islands, where they have the pilot whale slaughter.”The Society’s latest chase of the whaling flagship was said to be their longest mission without refuelling.Ms Dakin called this year’s anti-whaling campaign the group’s most successful mission in the Antarctic.Useful website: www.seashepherd.org.