Sea Shepherd "Escorts" Japanese Whaling Fleet From Sanctuary

Or they just decided to leave.

“We did not actually expect them to follow our orders to quit the Whale Sanctuary but they have indeed exited and are now running outside the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary.” Said Captain Paul Watson. “They have not killed a single whale since February 5th. We intend to turn four whaling free days into weeks.”

It's certainly been an eventful season.