Sea Shepherd Conservation Society
[4] The predecessor organization of Sea Shepherd, the "Earth Force Society", was formed in 1977, after its founder, Paul Watson was ousted from the board of Greenpeace for disagreements over his direct action activism which clashed with their pacifist nature.[6] He then spent the 1980s undertaking a variety of controversial and dangerous operations in support of various marine conservation aims,[6] and physically intervened against Russian, Spanish, Norwegian, Icelandic, Makah, Faroese, and Japanese whalers.[6] Having previously argued primarily from an ethical viewpoint, Sea Shepherd began to describe itself as an anti-poaching agency, a claim it based on its interpretation of the maritime and conservation law.[citation needed] In late 2022, a schism occurred after Paul Watson was removed from the board of directors of Sea Shepherd Global, a move which, he says, was due to the organization shifting away from his policy of independent, direct action to one of collaboration with governments.In April 2018, Sea Shepherd released a PSA that takes an artistic approach to telling target audiences that more than one million marine animals die every year from plastic debris.In November 1998, Makah seized an inflatable boat belonging to the group and threw rocks at the Sea Shepherd's Sirenian in response to protests over their whale hunt.[28][29][30] In 2008, fishermen in the French islands of Saint Pierre and Miquelon cut the mooring lines of the Farley Mowat after hearing Watson make disparaging comments about the deaths of four seal hunters.A 2008 academic paper by researchers at Monash University in Melbourne, Victoria, concluded that Sea Shepherd's approach could constitute vigilantism, because its seeks to enforce a legal status quo in the face of the international community's "inabilities or unwillingness to do so".[11] In a television series entitled Whale Wars, Discovery Communications, Inc. documented Sea Shepherd's 2008/09 Antarctic campaign against Japanese whalers, following events on the Steve Irwin.[56] Actress and model Pamela Anderson is an active spokesperson for the group, has participated in several campaigns, served on the board of directors and is a close friend of founder Paul Watson.In 2007, actor Heath Ledger conceived and directed a music video of the Modest Mouse song "King Rat", intended to raise awareness of the whale hunts taking place each year off the coast of his native Australia.[59] Vegan straight edge band Earth Crisis and Zoltán Téglás of Ignite support SSCS, among other environmental organizations, dedicating songs such as "So Others Live" and "Ultramilitance" to them.As of 2021[update], the conservation society operates 12 ships: Ocean Warrior, Brigitte Bardot, Bob Barker, Steve Irwin, Sam Simon, John Paul DeJoria, Farley Mowat, Sharpie, Jairo Mora Sandoval, White Holly, Martin Sheen and Sea Eagle.The vessel was named MV Sharpie, and for its maiden mission it will join Operation Milagro in the Gulf of California to help save the endangered vaquita porpoise.[90] In testimony on "The Threat of Eco-Terrorism" given to a US congressional subcommittee in 2002, Sea Shepherd was the first group mentioned by an FBI official for having attacked commercial fishing operations by cutting drift nets.[92] In 2007, Ian Campbell, then the Australian Environment Minister and a vigorous critic of Japan's whaling, once opposed Sea Shepherd's tactics, saying that it really put the cause of conservation backwards.[98] However, when the Steve Irwin returned to Hobart, Tasmania, in February 2009, Australian Federal Police seized film footage and the ship's logs, reportedly prompted by complaints from Japan."[102] When Sea Shepherd indicated it was abandoning pursuit of Japanese whalers in 2017, Watson noted the hostility of the governments in the US, Australia and New Zealand, which he accused of acting "in league with Japan" against the organisation.[47][48] Officials in Japan have attempted to combat Sea Shepherd at the highest levels, discussing the revocation of the group's tax exempt status with their counterparts in the United States.[108][109] After the court ruling, Paul Watson stepped down and Bob Brown succeeded as the leader of Sea Shepherd,[110][111] which launched an ultimately rejected appeal to have the injunction set aside.[115][116] As a result, Paul Watson and US members of Sea Shepherd are currently prohibited by US courts from approaching Japanese whalers, even if they are observed acting in defiance of international law, including by killing whales in protected waters.[109] In March 2012, reacting to Paul Watson's allegation that Maltese politicians were bribed by the Bluefin tuna industry, Prime Minister of Malta Lawrence Gonzi announced that the government would initiate libel proceedings against the Sea Shepherd founder.[122] Watson said on the Discovery Channel in 2009 that the Dalai Lama had sent a letter of support for Sea Shepherd's volunteers accompanied by a wrathful, scowling statue of the deity Hayagriva, which expresses compassion and determination in overcoming obstacles.
Paul WatsonMarine conservation activismFriday Harbor, WashingtonMelbourneVictoriaDirect actionnon-profitFriday HarborSan Juan Island, Washingtonactively impedefishing vesselswhaling industryeco-terroristsSea Shepherd Conservation Society operationsGreenpeacepacifistCleveland Amoryseal huntingGulf of St. LawrencePortugalscuttledmarine conservationFaroeseethicalanti-poachingmaritimeconservation lawdriftnetPetrobras oil spillBrazilpoachingCosta RicaAntarcticamarine reservesItalian Coast GuardSicilyMexican NavySão Tomé and PríncipeGaboneseRV Farley Mowatfundraisingfinancial transparencyboard of directorsEarth First!Dave ForemanInternational Whaling CommissionIan Campbellanimal rights philosopherTom Reganprotestsdirect actionscommercial fishingshark poachingfinningwhalingSouth PacificMediterraneanGalapagos Islandsplastic pollutiononshore cleanupsconservation lawsscuttlingNamibianseal huntslaser lightbutyric aciddrift netsSaint Pierre and Miquelonmooringmaritime lawWorld Charter for NatureUnited NationsSouthern Ocean Whale SanctuaryMonash UniversityvigilantismInternational Convention for the Regulation of WhalingWhaling in Japanwhaling shipsanti-whalingpiratical terroristsInternational Court of Justiceminke whaleshumpback whalesfin whalesanti-terrorism laws2020 OlympicsBob BarkerMY Bob BarkerHobartTasmaniaWhale Warssatellite uplinksSouthern OceanSeven networkNational GeographicDiscovery CommunicationsAnimal PlanetDocklandsSteve WynnJohn Paul DeJoriaMartin SheenDaryl HannahRichard Dean AndersonEdward NortonPierce BrosnanChristian BaleClive StandenEmily DeschanelWilliam ShatnerPamela AndersonHeath LedgerModest MouseKing RatiTunesAnthony KiedisRed Hot Chili PeppersLeona LewisRick RubinHawkwindThe Red PaintingsPropagandhiGojiraParkway DriveHeaven Shall BurnStick to Your GunsThe Amity Affliction