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Seal hunt protesters go on hunger strike

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TWO Australians who were aboard a conservation vessel seized by Canadian authorities are reportedly staging a hunger strike along with the rest of the ship`s crew.

Dr Merryn Redenbach, 32, and her partner Sky Christensen were released without charge after Canadian authorities stormed their vessel, the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society`s Farley Mowat, and arrested several of those on board.

The ship had been monitoring Canada`s annual seal hunt of Cape Breton. The crew are reportedly maintaining a hunger strike until the ship`s captain and first officer and another crew member are released without charge.

Canadian authorities have said they will continue protecting the sealers from the protesters.

Meanwhile in Melbourne, about 30 activists are protesting at the Canadian embassy, calling for the immediate release of the pair.

Ds Redenbach`s mother Elva said she spoke to her daughter just before 8am (AEDT) today, who said apart from being hungry, she was in good spirits.

"She felt that what had happened had been a pity but that the Canadian mounted police had been very fair in the way they conducted it.

"She was in the company of the crew but she was hoping to get a good night`s sleep tonight," she said.

The ship`s captain, Alexander Cornelissen of the Netherlands, and first officer Peter Hammarstedt of Sweden, have been remanded in custody until they post bail. The conditions of their release will require them to keep clear of the seal hunt.

They appeared briefly in court to say they understood the conditions of their release, according to the Cape Breton Post. During the appearance, other crew members dressed in Sea Shepherd shirts sat in the courtroom flicking through news reports of their arrest.

An American crew member, Greg Hager, remains in custody. Sea Shepher head Paul Watson, who has travelled from New York to Cape Breton to post bail for the charged men, has said he has no idea why Mr Hager remains in custody.

The Post reported that the crew will protest outside the correctional centre where the pair are being held until they are freed.

"They were forced into Canada at gunpoint and that’s why the six of them who were detained by customs say they objected to being brought forcefully into Canada. They had no intention of coming into Canada," Captain Watson said.

“You can’t board a foreign-registered vessel on the high seas, it’s an act of piracy."

It is believed the Farley Mowat`s crew will continue their hunger strike until all men are released without charge. If convicted, the men face months in jail and fines of hundreds of thousands of dollars.

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade has been unable to confirm whether the crew was forcibly detained when Canadian marines boarded the vessel, but it has said the two Australians had been offered accommodation and were given money by Canadian authorities.

Dr Redenbach, a paediatrician at Melbourne`s Royal Children`s Hospital, said members of the crew were arrested under the Marine Mammals Act.

"We were arrested originally yesterday on charges of violations of the Marine Mammals Act but later released without charge having been arrested in international waters," she told ABC Radio today.

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