Sydney - The anti-whaling protest group Seas Shepherd claimed Friday its ship was fired on in a clash with the Japanese harpoon fleet in Antarctica. Captain Paul Watson said he felt a thud and discovered a bullet lodged in the bulletproof vest he was wearing.
Protest vessels have dogged the Nisshin Maru since December, when Japan began its annual hunt for whales in the Southern Ocean.
Japan intends to kill almost 1,000 whales this hunting season under the guise of a research programme. The meat ends up in supermarkets.
Australia and New Zealand have led international protests against the killing of whales, but have tried to avoid confrontation.
Sea Shepherd, in contrast, has said it will stop at nothing to disrupt the hunt.
In January two Sea Shepherd activists boarded a Japanese harpoon ship and were taken hostage. Australia eventually brokered their release.
Australia embarrassed Japan last month by releasing gruesome film of the whale slaughter taken from its customs ship, the Oceanic Viking, which it says could be used to mount an international legal challenge to Japan's whaling operations.
The Oceanic Viking has discontinued its surveillance and returned to port.
