Mermaid actress fights for whales

US actress Daryl Hannah has joined an Australian ship on its annual voyage aimed at disrupting the activities of Japanese whaling vessels.

The former star of films including Splash, in which she played a mermaid, is on board the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society's flagship as it trails Japanese whalers.

Sea Shepherd captain Paul Watson said he hoped to "sink the Japanese whaling fleet, economically" by limiting its profits from the trip.

Japan is allowed to catch a quota of whales as long as they are only for research.