Shots Fired on Anti-Whaling Activists?

Plasticblog is a little late to this story but...

The Sea Shepherd anti-whaling group contends that the Japanese whaling fleet they have been tailing for months in an effort to physically disrupt their whaling activities has shot at the activists, hitting the ships Captain, Paul Watson, who was wearing a bullet proof vest at the time. According to Sea Shepherd's web site the on board doctor confirmed that the shot fired could have been lethal if Watson had not been wearing the vest.

The Japanese Coast Guard (who officially have two officers aboard the Japanese whaling ship Nishin Maru while Sea Shepherd contends there were at least four) now seems to contend that only flash grenades were thrown onto the ship. The activists had been lobbing rotten butter and other "stink bombs" onto the ship deck immediately prior to the disputed shooting.