Sea Shepherd Conservation Society operations
Encyclopedia
Protest
A protest is an expression of objection, by words or by actions, to particular events, policies or situations. Protests can take many different forms, from individual statements to mass demonstrations...
s and direct action
Direct action
Direct action is activity undertaken by individuals, groups, or governments to achieve political, economic, or social goals outside of normal social/political channels. This can include nonviolent and violent activities which target persons, groups, or property deemed offensive to the direct action...
s to protect marine wildlife. Sea Shepherd operations have included interdiction against commercial fishing, shark poaching and finning
Shark finning
Shark finning refers to the removal and retention of shark fins and the discarding of the rest of the fish. Shark finning takes place at sea so the fishers only have to transport the fins.Shark finning is widespread, and largely unmanaged and unmonitored...
, seal hunting
Seal hunting
Seal hunting, or sealing, is the personal or commercial hunting of seals. The hunt is currently practiced in five countries: Canada, where most of the world's seal hunting takes place, Namibia, the Danish region of Greenland, Norway and Russia...
and whaling
Whaling
Whaling is the hunting of whales mainly for meat and oil. Its earliest forms date to at least 3000 BC. Various coastal communities have long histories of sustenance whaling and harvesting beached whales...
. Many of their activities have been called piracy or terrorism by their targets. Sea Shepherd says that they have taken more than 4,000 volunteers on operations over a period of 30 years.
Anti-driftnetting campaigns (1987 - present)
Sea Shepherd engaged in a multi-year campaign against the drift netting practices, which it calls a way of strip mining the ocean's wildlife. Sea Shepherd's Divine Wind vessel investigated suspected driftnet fleets and collected ghost netGhost net
Ghost nets are fishing nets that have been left or lost in the ocean by fishermen. These nets, often nearly invisible in the dim light, can be left tangled on a rocky reef or drifting in the open sea. They can entangle fish, dolphins, sea turtles, sharks, dugongs, crocodiles, seabirds, crabs, and...
s in 1987, while in 1990-1992 Sea Shepherd II and the Edward Abbe several times rammed Japanese driftnetting vessels and destroyed their nets. Sea Shepherd only reduced their campaign activities after the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
in 1992 banned drift-netting in international waters
International waters
The terms international waters or trans-boundary waters apply where any of the following types of bodies of water transcend international boundaries: oceans, large marine ecosystems, enclosed or semi-enclosed regional seas and estuaries, rivers, lakes, groundwater systems , and wetlands.Oceans,...
.
Sea Shepherd in 2006 noted that drift netting had again gained prominence, due to the reduction of fish stocks
Overfishing
Overfishing occurs when fishing activities reduce fish stocks below an acceptable level. This can occur in any body of water from a pond to the oceans....
tempting commercial fisheries to again use the method to keep up their catch volumes.
Mexico tuna boat incident (1991)
In February 1991, representatives of a tuna boat in the Pacific south of Mexico said that they had been rammed by Sea Shepherd II. Sea Shepherd accused it of catching and killing dolphins in its tuna nets and confirmed its ship had dealt the tuna boat a "glancing blow.”Cooperation with Costa Rica (2002)
In April 2002, the Government of Costa RicaCosta Rica
Costa Rica , officially the Republic of Costa Rica is a multilingual, multiethnic and multicultural country in Central America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, Panama to the southeast, the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Caribbean Sea to the east....
invited Sea Shepherd to assist in patrolling for poachers around Cocos Island
Cocos Island
Cocos Island is an uninhabited island located off the shore of Costa Rica . It constitutes the 11th district of Puntarenas Canton of the province of Puntarenas. It is one of the National Parks of Costa Rica...
. The group and Costa Rica had negotiated an agreement for this work which was due to be finalised on April 30, 2002. On April 22, the Farley Mowat (formerly the Ocean Warrior), captained by Paul Watson
Paul Watson
Paul Watson is a Canadian animal rights and environmental activist, who founded and is president of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, a direct action group devoted to marine conservation....
, was en route to the island when it came across the Varadero I which the group alleges was poaching sharks. The authorities were contacted and Sea Shepherd was told to bring the ship in. The Farley Mowat forced the other vessel into a nearby Guatemalan port with the use of pressure hoses, and in the altercation, the two vessels collided, causing some damage to the Varadero I.
Subsequently, Paul Watson was charged with attempted shipwrecking and murder by the fishermen. These charges were dropped on April 29 by the prosecutor when footage of the incident taken by a documentary team aboard the Farley Mowat was shown. Footage of the event can be seen in the film Sharkwater
Sharkwater
Sharkwater is a 2007 Canadian documentary film written and directed by Rob Stewart, who also narrates it. In the film, Stewart seeks to deflate current attitudes about sharks, and exposes how the voracious shark-hunting industry is driving them to extinction.Filmed in high definition video,...
. The prosecutor was reported to have found no evidence of any wrongdoing. A new prosecutor was later appointed to repursue the charges and Watson's lawyer advised he leave the country. Local environmental groups argue that fishing interests opposed to marine conservation were behind the legal proceedings.
Southern Pacific/Galapagos Islands (2000-present)
The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society has operated in the Galapagos marine reserve to protect marine wildlife. The reserve was declared in 1986, with an increased area declared in 1998, and despite government attempts to limit catches, fishing continued in the waters around the Galapagos Islands. The Galapagos Parks Service lacked the manpower to adequately manage the marine park, and fishing laws were regularly flouted. The largest fisheries were for spiny lobster, sea cucumbers, and shark fins, mainly for export to Asian markets. Longline fishing and illegal nets also cause a bycatch of seals, turtles, sharks, boobiesBooby
A booby is a seabird in the genus Sula, part of the Sulidae family. Boobies are closely related to the gannets , which were formerly included in Sula.-Description:...
and other marine animals.
In December, 2000, the Sea Shepherd ship, Sirenian, was sent to the Galapagos to assist in patrolling the 130,000 square kilometre marine reserve around the Islands. Sea Shepherd had signed a five-year agreement with the Galapagos National Park
Galapagos National Park
Galápagos National Park, established in 1959, is Ecuador's first national park. The government of Ecuador designated 97% of the land area of Galápagos as the country's first National Park...
s Service to provide the Sirenian, with some crew, as a patrol vessel. Under the agreement, the Sirenian had an Ecuadorian captain, engineer, and carries Parks Service officers. The Sirenian is a 95-foot former United States Coast Guard Cutter
United States Coast Guard Cutter
Cutter is the term used by the United States Coast Guard for its commissioned vessels. A Cutter is or greater in length, has a permanently assigned crew, and has accommodations for the crew to live aboard...
and is now permanently stationed in the Galapagos.
In November, 2000, the fishers reacted to new catch limits on lobster by ransacking the Parks Service offices, the facilities of the Darwin Research Centre and trashing the Park Director’s home, burning his possessions in the street. The Sirenian carried a cargo of new computers, cameras, and communications equipment to replace what was destroyed by the fishers. The Sirenian captured four illegal boats in the first three weeks of March, 2001.
In September, 2001, the Ecuadorian Navy detained the Ocean Warrior. This occurred after the Parks Service captured seven illegal shark fishing boats at sea and Sea Shepherd criticized the Ecuadorian Navy for not enforcing the law. The Sea Shepherd Ecuadorian representative, Sean O’Hearn-Giminez, was arrested onboard and threatened with deportation
Deportation
Deportation means the expulsion of a person or group of people from a place or country. Today it often refers to the expulsion of foreign nationals whereas the expulsion of nationals is called banishment, exile, or penal transportation...
.
In June 2004, a Sea Shepherd crew-member, Cathy Davies, along with at least six other Sea shepherd members, was taken hostage during protests by fishers who were protesting recently enacted quotas on sea cucumber (Holothuroidea). Armed with clubs, pipes, and Molotov cocktail
Molotov cocktail
The Molotov cocktail, also known as the petrol bomb, gasoline bomb, Molotov bomb, fire bottle, fire bomb, or simply Molotov, is a generic name used for a variety of improvised incendiary weapons...
s, the fishers had seized Parks Service offices and tourist locations. Sea Shepherd crew joined Parks Services officers at the barricades erected by fishers around the buildings. Another team of Sea Shepherd crew were dispatched to guard Lonesome George
Lonesome George
Lonesome George is a tortoise, the last known individual of the Pinta Island tortoise , which is one of eight to fifteen extant subspecies of Galápagos tortoise, all of which are native to the Galápagos Islands...
, one of the Galapagos Islands’ most famous turtles, as the fishers had threatened to kill him if the quota on sea cucumber was not lifted. About 100 residents of San Cristóbal Island
San Cristóbal Island
San Cristóbal is the easternmost island in the Galápagos archipelago, and one of the oldest geologically.Its Spanish name "San Cristóbal" comes from the patron saint of seafarers, St. Christopher...
marched in protest against the fishers actions. In July, the High Court of Ecuador upheld the Parks Service limits on the take of sea cucumber. The Parks Service banned the catch of sea cucumber for 2005 and 2006 to allow for the populations to recover from over-fishing. Watson called this a "great victory for conservation in the Galapagos." In an agreement with the World Wildlife Fund, Sea Shepherd donated the Sirenian to the Galapagos National Park Service. The WWF refurbished the boat, which now operates as the Yoshka.
In May, 2007, the president of Ecuador, Rafael Correa
Rafael Correa
Rafael Vicente Correa Delgado born is the President of the Republic of Ecuador and was the president pro tempore of the Union of South American Nations. An economist educated in Ecuador, Belgium and the United States, he was elected President in late 2006 and took office in January 2007...
, relaxed an International ban on shark finning
Shark finning
Shark finning refers to the removal and retention of shark fins and the discarding of the rest of the fish. Shark finning takes place at sea so the fishers only have to transport the fins.Shark finning is widespread, and largely unmanaged and unmonitored...
by legalizing the sale of fins from sharks caught accidentally. Sea Shepherd’s Ecuadorian representative, Sean O’Hearn-Giminez, accompanied a police raid that found two tons of sharks fins caught before a Presidential decree. Fifteen people were arrested in the raid at Manta
Manta
Manta is a mid-sized city in Manabí Province, Ecuador. It is the second most populous city in the province, the fifth most populous in the country and, economically, the third most important city of Ecuador. Manta has existed since Pre-Columbian times. It was a trading post for the Mantas....
. However, a prosecutor ordered them released and the shark fins were returned to the fishers. O’Hearn-Giminez was arrested and ordered to be deported. This order was revoked later that day at the request of President Correa. The reason given was that O’Hearn-Giminez had a valid visa, as his wife is Ecuadorian.
In June 2007, O’Hearn-Giminez participated in a raid on a house in Libertad that was being used for illegally processing sea cucumbers. At least 40,000 sea cucumbers were seized and two men arrested. Later that month, Sea Shepherd staff and operatives from the Ecuadorian Environmental Police seized 18,673 shark fins and arrested four men. Sean O’Hearn-Giminez said that "This successful sting is the result of several months working covertly with the co-operation of General Bolivar Cisneros, Chief Commander of the Ecuadorian National Police. Sea Shepherd traced potential exit points in the illegal shark fin trade in the Galapagos and Ecuador."
Paul Watson was awarded the Amazon Peace Prize for his and Sea Shepherd’s work on behalf of the environment and marine species in Latin America. The award was given in July 2007 by the Latin American Association for Human Rights and the Ecuadorian vice-President. Watson also signed two agreements at this time, one for Sea Shepherd’s involvement in the protection of the Amazon River Dolphin and the Amazonian manatee
Amazonian Manatee
The Amazonian Manatee is a species of manatee that lives in the freshwater habitats of the Amazon basin. They are found in Brazil, Peru, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana and Venezuela. Amazonian manatees are aquatic animals of the Sirenia order and are also known as "seacows". Their colour is grey but...
; the other with the Ecuadorian Police to work with them to detect and destroy illegal fishing boats.
In 2008, US Federal agent Scott West resigned his position and joined Sea Shepherd to work in its intelligence and investigations department. West will work in partnership with the Ecuadorian National Police and the Galapagos National Park to oppose illegal fishing in the marine reserve.
In early 2010, Sea Shepherd announced that the Dutch Post Code Lottery had provided the group with an annual €500,000 grant, as well as an additional €1 million for their conservation programs in the Galapagos.
Operation Blue Rage (2010)
Sea Shepherd transferred to the Mediterranean SeaMediterranean Sea
The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean surrounded by the Mediterranean region and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Anatolia and Europe, on the south by North Africa, and on the east by the Levant...
to intervene against illegal Bluefin Tuna fishing in the area, primarily off the coast of Malta
Malta
Malta , officially known as the Republic of Malta , is a Southern European country consisting of an archipelago situated in the centre of the Mediterranean, south of Sicily, east of Tunisia and north of Libya, with Gibraltar to the west and Alexandria to the east.Malta covers just over in...
, in June 2010. Operation Blue Rage began in June 2010, after the lawful amount of Bluefin Tuna had been caught. The Steve Irwin
MV Steve Irwin
The MY Steve Irwin is the flagship of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, and used in their direct action campaigns against whaling and other activities the group opposes...
and Sea Shepherd aircraft patrolled the area, and undercover operatives were placed within Malta
Malta
Malta , officially known as the Republic of Malta , is a Southern European country consisting of an archipelago situated in the centre of the Mediterranean, south of Sicily, east of Tunisia and north of Libya, with Gibraltar to the west and Alexandria to the east.Malta covers just over in...
and other areas in the Mediterranean to identify and document illegal fishing operations. On June 17, Sea Shepherd freed 800 Bluefin Tuna by cutting fishing nets they encountered, and engaged in a small skirmish with the Maltese fishing vessel that had laid them.
Canadian sealing (1979 - present)
The first direct action undertaken by Sea Shepherd was against Canadian seal huntingSeal hunting
Seal hunting, or sealing, is the personal or commercial hunting of seals. The hunt is currently practiced in five countries: Canada, where most of the world's seal hunting takes place, Namibia, the Danish region of Greenland, Norway and Russia...
in the Gulf of St. Lawrence. In March 1979, 32 crew aboard the Sea Shepherd protested the hunt and eight members were arrested after going on the ice to spray the pups with colored organic dye so as to render the pelts worthless to traders.
Sea Shepherd protested a Canadian seal hunt in the Gulf of St. Lawrence off the north coast of Nova Scotia in March 1983. The arrival of the group led to a one day suspension of the hunt. On March 25, the Sea Shepherd II was ordered back by Canadian authorities after the vessel came within one half-mile of seal hunters. Watson promised to scuttle the ship if they attempted to board it. The Sea Shepherd II was fortified with barbed wire and a water cannon. On March 27, the vessel was stuck in ice and Watson and three others walked across the ice to Chéticamp where they were later arrested for viewing the seal hunt without a permit. 15 officers boarded the ship from a Canadian Coast Guard vessel with the use of tear gas and smoke bombs. The crew was arrested without any resistance or injuries. They were charged with conspiracy to commit mischief and conspiracy to commit extortion. Watson was bailed out by actor Mike Farrell
Mike Farrell
Michael Joseph "Mike" Farrell is an American actor, best known for his role as Captain B.J. Hunnicutt on the television series M*A*S*H . He is an activist for politically liberal causes....
and was acquitted upon appeal of the charges.
In March 1995, the group protested the seal hunt in the Magdalen Islands
Magdalen Islands
The Magdalen Islands form a small archipelago in the Gulf of Saint Lawrence with a land area of . Though closer to Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia, the islands form part of the Canadian province of Quebec....
. While staying in the town of Cap-aux-Meules, witnesses reported that 200 club-wielding fishermen stormed the hotel where the group was staying. The group, including Martin Sheen
Martin Sheen
Ramón Gerardo Antonio Estévez , better known by his stage name Martin Sheen, is an American film actor best known for his performances in the films Badlands and Apocalypse Now , and in the television series The West Wing from 1999 to 2006.He is considered one of the best actors never to be...
, was escorted to the airport under a heavy police guard. The attackers trashed the room in a two-hour rampage while Watson and Sheen caught a flight to another island.
In 2005, Sea Shepherd campaigned against that year's seal hunt
Seal hunting
Seal hunting, or sealing, is the personal or commercial hunting of seals. The hunt is currently practiced in five countries: Canada, where most of the world's seal hunting takes place, Namibia, the Danish region of Greenland, Norway and Russia...
in Canada, which includes a boycott
Boycott
A boycott is an act of voluntarily abstaining from using, buying, or dealing with a person, organization, or country as an expression of protest, usually for political reasons...
of Canadian seafood products. Sea Shepherd crew went onto the ice to document the sealing and noted they were soon confronted by a group of sealers who verbally abused and punched the group of crew, as well as threatened them with spiked clubs called hak-a-piks. Ten of the protestors were arrested for being too close to sealing without a permit. Sea Shepherd recorded the incident and sent the video to police, but say the sealers were not charged.
The MV Farley Mowat operated during Canadian seal hunting
Seal hunting
Seal hunting, or sealing, is the personal or commercial hunting of seals. The hunt is currently practiced in five countries: Canada, where most of the world's seal hunting takes place, Namibia, the Danish region of Greenland, Norway and Russia...
in March and April 2008. The group contends it was in international waters observing Canada's seal hunt, while Canadian authorities allege the vessel was harassing the seal hunters.
On 29 March 2008 the MV Farley Mowat and a Canadian Coast Guard
Canadian Coast Guard
The Canadian Coast Guard is the coast guard of Canada. It is a federal agency responsible for providing maritime search and rescue , aids to navigation, marine pollution response, marine radio, and icebreaking...
ship collided. The coast guard icebreaker had put itself between the Farley Mowat and a smaller seal hunter's boat. The group says their vessel was rammed while the Canadian Fisheries and Oceans department
Fisheries and Oceans Canada
Fisheries and Oceans Canada, frequently referred to as DFO , is the department within the government of Canada that is responsible for developing and implementing policies and programs in support of Canada's economic, ecological and scientific interests in oceans and inland waters...
says the coast guard ship was grazed by the Farley Mowat.
The captain and first officer were arrested for bringing their vessel to within one-half nautical mile of seal hunters on March 30, April 11, and April 12. The location of the boat at the time of the seizure is controversial. Sea Shepherd says the boat was seized illegally in international waters, while the Fisheries minister says that the boat was seized in Canadian waters. On 2 July 2008, they entered a plea of not guilty. The lawyer set to defend the Captain and First Mate withdrew from the case. They did not want to be represented by a Sydney lawyer and were not represented during their four-day trial. On June 30, they were convicted of endangering lives by bringing the Farley Mowat to within one-half nautical mile from sealing activities without an official permit. The judge found that they had been warned to back away from the sealers but ignored the radioed commands. The MV Farley Mowat, which was forfeited and to be sold by the Canadian Government to Green Ship LLC.
Whaling (1979 - present)
Sea Shepherd has protested against whalingWhaling
Whaling is the hunting of whales mainly for meat and oil. Its earliest forms date to at least 3000 BC. Various coastal communities have long histories of sustenance whaling and harvesting beached whales...
throughout the world. Some of its first actions were against whalers. The group has also acted against whaling by countries who they feel have not followed the 1986 internationally recognized nonbinding moratorium on commercial whaling. Dr. Sidney Holt, formerly of the International Whaling Commission and a chief architect of the moratorium, has called Watson's involvement in anti-whaling an "absolute disaster" for the cause. He referenced "blowback" for those who want to see an end to whaling by "playing piracy on the ocean."
Spain and Portugal-area whaling (1979-1980)
Sea Shepherd spent part of 1979 hunting for the whaling ship Sierra which was notorious for having undetermined ownership, ignoring whaling agreements, hunting indiscriminately, and using non-explosive harpoons. To increase the effect of a ramming, the bow of the Sea Shepherd was filled with approximately 100 tonnes of cement. In July, the Sierra was found off the port of Oporto, Portugal. Sea Shepherd put non-essential crew ashore and manned by three crew (Paul WatsonPaul Watson
Paul Watson is a Canadian animal rights and environmental activist, who founded and is president of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, a direct action group devoted to marine conservation....
, Peter Woof, and Jerry Doran), returned to ram and cripple the Sierra. The Sea Shepherd then attempted to reach the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, but was intercepted by the Portuguese Navy
Portuguese Navy
The Portuguese Navy is the naval branch of the Portuguese Armed Forces which, in cooperation and integrated with the other branches of the Portuguese military, is charged with the military defence of Portugal....
and escorted back to Oporto. The ship and crew were not arrested but the ship was held for what was called an "informal inquiry." The Sierra was able to make it back to port for extensive repairs. In Oporto, Watson learned that one of the Sea Shepherd crew, Richard Morrison, had been beaten and left severely concussed by members of the Sierra crew. In December, Watson and Peter Woof returned to Portugal intending to steal the seized ship. They found the ship had been stripped of equipment and the Portuguese police advised them to leave, as they could not guarantee their safety. Watson decided to scuttle the ship rather than have it be sold for scrap and potentially used to compensate the owners of the Sierra.
While in Lisbon in February 1980, the Sierra was sunk with limpet mines. The Sierra's chief engineer, Luis Mendes, told reporters that he believed "the blast was set by crew members of the Sea Shepherd." In a 2004 interview Paul Watson said, "Meanwhile, the Sierra had been repaired and was ready to return to sea. It never did so: on February 6, 1980, my crew blew the bottom out of her and permanently ended her career. We traded a ship for a ship, but it was a great trade because we also traded our ship for the lives of hundreds of whales."
In April 1980, explosives were used to sink the whalers Isba I and Isba II in Vigo, Spain. Watson said that the boats were "victims of magnetic mines, one of them homemade, which had been planted by the same trio that destroyed the Sierra." Sea Shepherd does show these vessels on the tally of vessels "sunk" on the side of the Farley Mowat and the back of some Sea Shepherd shirts. The whalers Susan and Theresa are also shown on these tallies. No one was injured during the attacks.
Soviet Union-fleet whaling (1981-1982)
In July 1981, The Sea Shepherd II sailed for the Bering SeaBering Sea
The Bering Sea is a marginal sea of the Pacific Ocean. It comprises a deep water basin, which then rises through a narrow slope into the shallower water above the continental shelves....
with the intention of harassing the Soviet whaler Sevetny. The IWC had authorized a Soviet take of 179 migrating whales off the Siberian coast. On August 10, the group photographed what they considered an illegal whaling operation at an onshore packing plant. The Sea Shepherd II was pursued towards American waters by Soviet helicopter gunship
Attack helicopter
An attack helicopter is a military helicopter with the primary role of an attack aircraft, with the capability of engaging targets on the ground, such as enemy infantry and armored vehicles...
s and a frigate. The Soviets signaled for the Sea Shepherd vessel to stop, dropped flares on the deck, and attempted to foul its propeller. The Sea Shepherd II remained in the area for several days despite the Soviet warning of "decisive action" and potential espionage charges.
In the summer of 1982, Watson offered a reporter an exclusive story on the group's plan to ram a Soviet vessel. The reporter informed authorities and the ramming did not take place. On September 13, 1982, Watson dropped paint filled light bulbs from an airplane onto a Soviet vessel to protest the country's whaling. The ship was positioned off the coast of Washington state's Cape Flattery and believed to have been monitoring a nearby submarine base. Watson and Sea Shepherd were charged with violations of Canada's Aeronautics Act. The charges were dismissed by a provincial court judge because they did not specify where the act had occurred.
Norwegian whaling (1992, 1994)
In late December 1992, O.R.C.A Force (Sea Shepherd) sabotaged the whaler Nybraena in response to Norway's decision to resume commercial whalingWhaling in Norway
Whaling in Norway involves the hunting of the Minke whale for the purpose of using the whale meat for human consumption, generally in Northern Norway. This hunting has occurred since the early 20th Century, and some still continue the practice in the modern day.- History :Norwegian whaling has a...
of minke whale
Minke Whale
Minke whale , or lesser rorqual, is a name given to two species of marine mammal belonging to a clade within the suborder of baleen whales. The minke whale was given its official designation by Lacepède in 1804, who described a dwarf form of Balænoptera acuto-rostrata...
s in 1993. Police found the vessel's engine room nearly full of water at her moorings in the Lofoten
Lofoten
Lofoten is an archipelago and a traditional district in the county of Nordland, Norway. Though lying within the Arctic Circle, the archipelago experiences one of the world's largest elevated temperature anomalies relative to its high latitude.-Etymology:...
Islands but were able to keep it afloat. The crew was at a Christmas party during the attempted sinking, which Watson described as a "Christmas gift to the Atlantic and to the children of the world, so that they can have whales in the future." Watson and Lisa Distefano were charged with gross destruction of property. Five years later Norway sentenced Watson and DiStefano, in absentia
In absentia
In absentia is Latin for "in the absence". In legal use, it usually means a trial at which the defendant is not physically present. The phrase is not ordinarily a mere observation, but suggests recognition of violation to a defendant's right to be present in court proceedings in a criminal trial.In...
, to four months in prison. Watson was held in Holland on a Norwegian-issued Interpol
Interpol
Interpol, whose full name is the International Criminal Police Organization – INTERPOL, is an organization facilitating international police cooperation...
extradition notice, but after 80 days in detention the notice was denied.
In July 1994, Sea Shepherd operated the ship Whales Forever off the coast of Norway to protest the renewed commercial whaling of minke whales. The ship was intercepted by the Norwegian Coast Guard
Norwegian Coast Guard
The Norwegian Coast Guard, or Kystvakten in Norwegian, is a military force and part of the Royal Norwegian Navy, but has separate vessels, many of which are purpose-built. All coast guard vessels have the prefix KV. Four of these vessels are capable of embarking one or more helicopters...
patrol ship Andenes since it had not requested permission to enter Norwegian waters. The Whales Forever rammed the Andenes, and the Andenes fired two nonexplosive warning shots. The Norwegian Coast Guard warned that they would follow the Sea Shepherd vessel to the Shetland Islands
Shetland Islands
Shetland is a subarctic archipelago of Scotland that lies north and east of mainland Great Britain. The islands lie some to the northeast of Orkney and southeast of the Faroe Islands and form part of the division between the Atlantic Ocean to the west and the North Sea to the east. The total...
if necessary to arrest the activists. The next day, the Foreign Ministry issued a communique calling Watson a "terrorist.” Sea Shepherd claimed the vessel was attacked in international waters while the Coast Guard claimed that Whales Forever had rammed their vessel in Vestfjord
Vestfjord
Vestfjord is a Norwegian fjord, which would be described as a firth or an open bight of sea between the Lofoten archipelago and mainland Norway, northwest of Bodø...
. Both ships were slightly damaged but injuries were not reported. (The Whales Forever was later sold due to the extensive repair costs.)
In 1994, the Sea Shepherd unsuccessfully attempted to scuttle another Norwegian whaling vessel called the Senet at its wharf in Gressvic.
Faroe Islands whaling (1986, 2000, 2010)
In 1986, Sea Shepherd went to document and obstruct whaling in the Faroe IslandsWhaling in the Faroe Islands
Whaling in the Faroe Islands in the North Atlantic has been practiced since about the time of the first Norse settlements on the islands. It is regulated by Faroese authorities but not by the International Whaling Commission as there are disagreements about the Commission's competency for small...
. In a hunt known as the Grindadráp, islanders drive pilot whales ashore and kill them with knives. The Faroese Coast Guard claim the vessel defied orders to leave territorial waters. The Faroese Coast Guard claimed that they were fired upon with pistols while attempting to board, while Sea Shepherd claimed that they had been repelled by cannons firing chocolate and banana cream pie. The police responded with tear gas canisters. A spokesman for the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society said they were driven away when the police fired machine guns and tear gas, and denied that there were any weapons on board.
In 2000, Sea Shepherd put pressure on the Faroe Islands to stop the hunting of pilot whale
Pilot whale
Pilot whales are cetaceans belonging to the genus Globicephala. There are two extant species, the long-finned pilot whale and the short-finned pilot whale . The two are not readily distinguished at sea and analysis of the skulls is the best way to tell the difference between them...
s.
In 2010, Sea Shepherd member Peter Hammarstedt posed as a film student in order to film the pilot whale hunt. He counted 236 dead whales before he was recognised. Hammarstedt released the graphic images that documented the nature of the event.
Icelandic whaling (1986)
In November 1986, the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society claimed responsibility for actions against a whaling station in HvalfjörðurHvalfjörður
Hvalfjörður is situated in the west of Iceland between Mosfellsbær and Akranes. The fjord is approximately 30 km long and 5 km wide....
, Iceland. Computers were destroyed with sledgehammers and records were doused with acid. The Hvalur 6 and Hvalur 7
1986 Hvalur sinkings
The 1986 Hvalur sinkings occurred in Iceland's Reykjavík harbour in November 1986, when anti-whaling activists from the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society sank two unoccupied whaling vessels, Hvalur 6 and Hvalur 7, and sabotaged a whale processing station in Hvalfjörður...
, two of the nation's four whaling ships, were sunk by opening their seacock
Seacock
A seacock is a valve on the hull of a boat, permitting water to flow into the boat, such as for cooling an engine or for a salt water faucet; or out of the boat, such as for a sink drain or a toilet....
s while they were moored in Reykjavík
Reykjavík
Reykjavík is the capital and largest city in Iceland.Its latitude at 64°08' N makes it the world's northernmost capital of a sovereign state. It is located in southwestern Iceland, on the southern shore of Faxaflói Bay...
harbor. The Icelandic National Police did not arrive until the agents had left, and allowed them to pass through a routine traffic stop en route to an airport, after officers found nothing suspicious. Both ships were later raised by a salvaging company and returned to service. Watson was deported from Iceland after having turned himself in to the police for the incident. Kristjan Loftsson of Iceland's largest whaling company told The New Yorker that Watson is persona non grata
Persona non grata
Persona non grata , literally meaning "an unwelcome person", is a legal term used in diplomacy that indicates a proscription against a person entering the country...
in the country.
Makah tribe whaling (1988)
In 1998, the group and other activists protested the Makah Native American tribe's reestablished traditional hunt of Gray whaleGray Whale
The gray whale, Eschrichtius robustus, is a baleen whale that migrates between feeding and breeding grounds yearly. It reaches a length of about , a weight of , and lives 50–70 years. The common name of the whale comes from the gray patches and white mottling on its dark skin. Gray whales were...
s off the coast of the Olympic Peninsula
Olympic Peninsula
The Olympic Peninsula is the large arm of land in western Washington state of the USA, that lies across Puget Sound from Seattle. It is bounded on the west by the Pacific Ocean, the north by the Strait of Juan de Fuca, and the east by Puget Sound. Cape Alava, the westernmost point in the contiguous...
. The Makah have received international sanction and federal support for a plan to take 20 whales over the course of five years. The hunts had not occurred in 70 years due to the diminishment of the whale population by commercial whaling. In an attempt to scare the whales from the area, the group originally intended to use underwater speakers blasting the sounds of killer whales as well as a small submarine painted to look like a killer whale.
On November 2, Makah Tribal Police arrested four protesters who entered the reservation during the demonstration. All four were later released. Angry Makah seized an inflatable boat belonging to the group and threw rocks at the Sea Shepherd's 95-foot former Coast Guard vessel Sirenian. Sea Shepherd had two ships involved in a standoff that lasted 57 days before agreeing to withdraw on November 26.
Japanese whaling (2003 - present)
In its anti-whaling efforts, Sea Shepherd attempts to deter JapaneseWhaling in Japan
Whaling in Japan may have begun as early as the 12th century. During the 20th century, Japan was heavily involved in commercial whaling until the International Whaling Commission moratorium on commercial whaling went into effect in 1986...
ships that hunt minke
Minke Whale
Minke whale , or lesser rorqual, is a name given to two species of marine mammal belonging to a clade within the suborder of baleen whales. The minke whale was given its official designation by Lacepède in 1804, who described a dwarf form of Balænoptera acuto-rostrata...
and fin
Fin Whale
The fin whale , also called the finback whale, razorback, or common rorqual, is a marine mammal belonging to the suborder of baleen whales. It is the second longest whale and the sixth largest living animal after the blue whale, bowhead whale, and right whales, growing to nearly 27 metres long...
whales in the Southern Ocean
Southern Ocean
The Southern Ocean comprises the southernmost waters of the World Ocean, generally taken to be south of 60°S latitude and encircling Antarctica. It is usually regarded as the fourth-largest of the five principal oceanic divisions...
. In 2005, Japan decided to double its quota from the previous year to 935 minke whales and ten endangered fin whales. In 2007, they planned a take of 50 fin whales and 50 endangered humpback whales. Sea Shepherd claims that its activities reduced catches to a level where the Japanese had not been able to make a profit from the whaling for three years running as of 2010.
The Japanese fleet of the Institute of Cetacean Research
Institute of Cetacean Research
The is a Japanese government-sponsored institution. It took over from the Whale Research Institute , which grew out of the Nakabe Scientific Research Centre ....
consists of a factory ship, two spotter vessels, and three harpoon boats. The whalers say that lethal research is needed to accurately measure the whale population, health, and response to global warming and is essential for the sustainable management of the world's cetacean stocks. Australia and New Zealand have started a non-lethal whale research program to show that the Japanese lethal research program is no longer necessary. Sea Shepherd and other environmental groups dispute the Japanese statement of research "as a disguise for commercial whaling, which is banned."
Article III.2 of the ICRW, however, requires that no meat from caught whales is wasted, and in order to meet this requirement as well as fund their efforts, the whalers sell the meat on the open market. Among other places, it can be found at Tokyo's famed Tsukiji fish market
Tsukiji fish market
The , commonly known as the , is the biggest wholesale fish and seafood market in the world and also one of the largest wholesale food markets of any kind. The market is located in Tsukiji in central Tokyo, and is a major attraction for foreign visitors....
and Japanese restaurants. Sea Shepherd has stated that one of the main aims of their operations is to make commercial whaling financially unviable.
In his 2009 book, Whaling in Japan, Jun Morikawa states that Sea Shepherd's confrontational tactics have actually strengthened Japan's resolve to continue with its whaling program. According to Morikawa, Sea Shepherd's activities against Japan's whaling ships have allowed the Japanese government to rally domestic support for the program from Japanese who were otherwise ambivalent about the practice of hunting and eating whales.
Taiji-area dolphin hunts (2003)
In October 2003, Sea Shepherd documented the method used to kill dolphins in the Japanese historic whaling town of TaijiTaiji, Wakayama
is a town located in Higashimuro District, Wakayama, Japan.As of 1 January 2011, the town has an estimated population of 3,225 and a population density of 541 persons per km². The total area is 5.96 km². Taiji is the smallest local government by area in Wakayama Prefecture because, unlike others,...
. They say that Japanese fishermen use unnecessarily brutal methods to hunt dolphins.
In November, two members, including Watson's wife, were arrested for trying to free whales penned in a bay. It was also unclear exactly what species was involved. Watson stated they were dolphins, but Japanese officials said they were probably pilot whales.
In 2004, The Cetacean Society International claimed that the Sea Shepherd's release of captured dolphins "played into the hands of the authorities" and prevented other groups from documenting the activities at Taiji. In 2009, Ian Campbell
Ian Campbell
Ian or Iain Campbell may refer to:*Iain Campbell, Scottish footballer*Iain Campbell Smith, Australian diplomat, singer/songwriter and comedian*Ian Campbell, 12th Duke of Argyll , Scottish Peer and Chief of Clan Campbell...
, a Sea Shepherd board member, called for a boycott of Japan's 2016 Olympic bid because of the reported 23,000 dolphins killed each year at Taiji
Southern Ocean (2005-2006)
Between December 2005 and January 2006, a crew of 43 aboard the Farley Mowat attempted to stop the Japanese whaling fleet in the Southern OceanSouthern Ocean
The Southern Ocean comprises the southernmost waters of the World Ocean, generally taken to be south of 60°S latitude and encircling Antarctica. It is usually regarded as the fourth-largest of the five principal oceanic divisions...
. During the campaign, the Farley Mowat 'sideswiped' a Japanese supply ship called the Oriental Bluebird. No damage or injuries were reported. New Zealand Conservation Minister Chris Carter criticized Sea Shepherd as irresponsible for using tactics such as running into the other vessel with a "can opener" device, a seven-foot steel blade on the starboard bow designed to damage the hull of an enemy ship.
Ian Campbell, Australia's environment minister, said Watson's threats to attack the Japanese fleet reflected poorly on legitimate anti-whaling groups and risked "setting back the cause of whale conservation many years.” After Watson called the New Zealand government "contemptible" for allowing Japan to continue killing whales, Campbell called Watson a "lunatic" and "rogue pirate on the seas." Watson dispatched a press release that he would stop his attacks if the governments of New Zealand and Australia would initiate legal action to stop the whaling.
On January 16, the organization declared that its fuel supplies had run out and that they were heading to shore. They claimed credit for chasing the whalers from whaling grounds and hindering operations for over 15 days. The vessel covered more than 4000 km over a six-week period.
Operation Leviathan (2007)
In February 2007, the Robert Hunter and Farley Mowat participated in "Operation Leviathan" against Japanese whaling in the Southern Ocean. The group stated it had spotted the Japanese vessel Kaiko Maru as it pursued a pod of minke whales and moved its vessels to intercept the hunt. The Institute for Cetacean Research in Tokyo said the Robert Hunter rammed the Kaiko Maru and that afterwards, both Sea Shepherd ships came to either side of the Kaiko Maru, stopping her from continuing. The Japanese stated that they then threw smoke pots on to the deck and released ropes and nets. The Japanese had already put out several distress calls due to a propeller they say was damaged during the attacks. Watson told the press that the Farley Mowat chased the whaler into the ice and that the Kaiko Maru then sideswiped the Robert Hunter to push the ship into the ice. The Robert Hunter sustained a one-metre gash in the starboard bow region according to Watson. He also said that shortly after that, the Kaiko Maru reversed and collided deliberately into the port stern section of the Robert Hunter causing a metre-long gash in the hull.Operation Migaloo (2007-2008)
Animal Planet
Animal Planet is an American cable tv specialty channel that launched on October 1, 1996. It is distributed by Discovery Communications. A high-definition simulcast of the channel launched on September 1, 2007.-History:...
's reality TV
Reality television
Reality television is a genre of television programming that presents purportedly unscripted dramatic or humorous situations, documents actual events, and usually features ordinary people instead of professional actors, sometimes in a contest or other situation where a prize is awarded...
series Whale Wars
Whale Wars
Whale Wars is a weekly American documentary-style reality television series that premiered on November 7, 2008 on the Animal Planet cable channel. The program follows Paul Watson, founder of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, as he and his crew aboard their various vessels harass Japanese...
, which premiered on November 7, 2008.
On January 15, 2008, after attempting to entangle the whaling vessel's propeller and throwing containers of butyric acid
Butyric acid
Butyric acid , also known under the systematic name butanoic acid, is a carboxylic acid with the structural formula CH3CH2CH2-COOH. Salts and esters of butyric acid are known as butyrates or butanoates...
onto the decks, two Sea Shepherd members, Benjamin Potts and Giles Lane, from the Sea Shepherd vessel MV Steve Irwin
MV Steve Irwin
The MY Steve Irwin is the flagship of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, and used in their direct action campaigns against whaling and other activities the group opposes...
boarded the Japanese whaling vessel Yushin Maru No. 2
Yushin Maru No. 2
) is a Japanese registered whaling harpoon ship that undertakes whaling operations in the Southern Ocean.- Sea Shepherd confrontations :On January 15, 2008, two members of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, traveling on the MV Steve Irwin, boarded the Yushin Maru № 2 without permission...
from a rigid-hulled inflatable boat. The pair were delivering a letter advising the Japanese that they were "whaling illegally" with the hope of creating an international incident. The Japanese responded by saying that the men would be held until Sea Shepherd stopped what they called "dangerous and illegal activities."
The crew of the Yushin Maru No. 2 detained the men for two days, before turning them over to the Australian customs vessel MV Oceanic Viking
MV Oceanic Viking
The MV Oceanic Viking is an armed patrol vessel of the Australian Customs Service. Originally built in 1996 as the offshore supply vessel Viking Lady for Norwegian shipping company Eidesvik Shipping AS, the ship was converted into a cable layer in 2000 and renamed Oceanic Viking...
on the orders of Japanese authorities; subsequently, the Steve Irwin rendezvoused with the Oceanic Viking and the two crewmembers were returned to Sea Shepherd. On April 9, first mate Peter Brown was described in a newspaper article as saying that the incident only became a hostage situation because the Sea Shepherd vessel left the scene, so the Japanese would be forced to hold the two crewmen longer. He was quoted as saying, "It's all giant street theater."
On March 3, Sea Shepherd members threw bottles of butyric acid and packages of slippery methyl cellulose powder onto the Japanese vessel Nisshin Maru
Nisshin Maru
The 23-year-old, 8,030-ton vessel is the primary research vessel of the Japanese whaling fleet. It is a converted stern trawler and is the world's only whale factory ship. It is also the largest member, and flagship of the seven-member whaling fleet, headed by research leader Shigetoshi Nishiwaki,...
. Australian foreign minister Stephen Smith
Stephen Smith (Australian politician)
Stephen Francis Smith , is the Australian Minister for Defence. He has been an Australian Labor Party member of the Australian House of Representatives since March 1993, representing the Division of Perth, Western Australia....
condemned Sea Shepherd's actions for potentially causing injury The Japanese Government called in the Australian and Netherlands ambassadors to protest the actions and urge those countries to prevent any violence. Watson said: "They are so full of crap. We filmed and photographed the entire thing. Not a single thing landed anywhere near their crew ... It is their way of trying to get sympathy."
The International Whaling Commission issued a statement on March 8, 2008 that "called upon the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society to refrain from dangerous actions that jeopardise safety at sea, and on vessels and crews concerned to exercise restraint." The statement also reiterated earlier IWC resolutions from May and July 2007 that read in part, "The commission and its contracting governments do not condone and in fact condemn any actions that are a risk to human life and property in relation to the activities of vessels at sea." The Australian Government also called for all parties to "exercise restraint" and "responsible behaviour" in the Southern Ocean.
On March 17, 2008 Paul Watson claimed that he was shot by the Japanese crew or coast guard personnel during the campaign. The incident is heavily documented during the show in the final episode, and the first six episodes are covered as a buildup to what is portrayed as the major incident during the campaign. The footage in "Whale Wars" shows Watson standing on the deck of the Steve Irwin while Sea Shepherd crew throws glass bottles filled with butyric acid
Butyric acid
Butyric acid , also known under the systematic name butanoic acid, is a carboxylic acid with the structural formula CH3CH2CH2-COOH. Salts and esters of butyric acid are known as butyrates or butanoates...
at the Nisshin Maru whaling vessel. The Japanese respond by throwing flashbang devices. Watson is then shown reaching inside his jacket and bullet-proof vest and remarking "I've been hit." Back inside the bridge of the Steve Irwin, a metal fragment is found inside the vest. The Institute of Cetacean Research has dismissed Sea Shepherd's statements as lies. The Institute and Coast Guard said that they used seven flashbang devices designed to flash and make noise in the air without causing harm. Neither of the two conflicting accounts have been independently verified. The Australian Foreign Affairs Department had condemned "actions by crew members of any vessel that cause injury.” Two media releases were made on the same day from the office. One said that the Australian Embassy in Tokyo had been informed by the Japanese that the whalers had "fired warning shots" while the updated version used the phrase "'warning balls' – also known as 'flashbangs' – had been fired,” and that no gunshots had occurred.
The Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department
Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department
The Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department serves as the police force for the entire Tokyo metropolis. Founded in 1874, it is headed by a superintendent general, who is appointed by the National Public Safety Commission and approved by the prime minister.The Metropolitan Police, with a staff of more...
obtained arrest warrants for three Sea Shepherd crew (Daniel Bebawi, Jon Batchelor and Ralph Koo), for allegedly attempting to foul the propeller of the Keiko Maru and throwing smoke bombs. Japanese authorities also requested to have the men placed on the Interpol
Interpol
Interpol, whose full name is the International Criminal Police Organization – INTERPOL, is an organization facilitating international police cooperation...
'red notice
Red notice
An Interpol notice or international notice is issued by Interpol to share information between its members. There are seven types, six of which are known by their colour codes: Red, Blue, Green, Yellow, Black, Orange....
' list.
Operation Musashi (2008-2009)
The 2008-2009 Antarctic campaign was named Operation Musashi after the 17th-century Japanese strategist Miyamoto MusashiMiyamoto Musashi
, also known as Shinmen Takezō, Miyamoto Bennosuke or, by his Buddhist name, Niten Dōraku, was a Japanese swordsman and rōnin. Musashi, as he was often simply known, became renowned through stories of his excellent swordsmanship in numerous duels, even from a very young age...
. On December 4, 2008, actress Daryl Hannah
Daryl Hannah
Daryl Christine Hannah is an American film actress. After making her screen debut in 1978, Hannah starred in a number of Hollywood films throughout the 1980s, notably Blade Runner, Splash, Wall Street and Roxanne and Kill Bill.-Early life:Hannah was born in Chicago, Illinois, the daughter of Susan...
joined Sea Shepherd's crew aboard the Steve Irwin to take part in this season's operation.
On February 6, 2009, Watson reported that the Steve Irwin had collided with the Yushin Maru 2 as the Steve Irwin tried to block its attempt to prevent the transfer of a dead whale up the slipway of the factory ship Nisshin Maru. As Watson explained the incident, "We were in the process of blocking the transfer from the Yushin Maru 2 when the Yushin Maru 1 moved directly in front of the bow to block us. I could not turn to starboard without hitting the Yushin Maru 1. I tried to back down but the movement of the Yushin Maru 2 made the collision unavoidable." The Japanese whalers blamed Sea Shepherd for the crash, characterizing the incident as a "deliberate ramming." The collision was filmed by cameramen for the Whale Wars
Whale Wars
Whale Wars is a weekly American documentary-style reality television series that premiered on November 7, 2008 on the Animal Planet cable channel. The program follows Paul Watson, founder of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, as he and his crew aboard their various vessels harass Japanese...
reality series, and formed part of a multi-day conflict during which Sea Shepherd attempted to prevent the Japanese fleet from harpooning whales, respectively tried to block whales from being transferred to the factory ship for processing by blockading the Japanese' vessel's slipway
Slipway
A slipway, boat slip or just a slip, is a ramp on the shore by which ships or boats can be moved to and from the water. They are used for building and repairing ships and boats. They are also used for launching and retrieving small boats on trailers and flying boats on their undercarriage. The...
. The Japanese made extensive use of LRAD
Long range acoustic device
The Long Range Acoustic Device is a distance hailing device and non-lethal crowd control weapon developed by LRAD Corporation to send messages, warnings, and harmful, pain inducing tones over longer distances than normal loudspeakers....
s to deter Sea Shepherd. They were also accused of aiming the device at the Steve Irwin's helicopter while in flight, something the group especially condemned, seeing that the helicopter was only engaged in filming, and could have crashed if the pilot had lost control.
Also in February, the president of the company overseeing the whale hunt used a media release to call upon the government of Australia to prevent what he considered violations of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea
United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea
The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea , also called the Law of the Sea Convention or the Law of the Sea treaty, is the international agreement that resulted from the third United Nations Conference on the Law of the Sea , which took place from 1973 through 1982...
. He expressed concerns over what he called "deliberately ramming vessels and trying to disable their propellers.” When the Steve Irwin returned to Hobart
Hobart
Hobart is the state capital and most populous city of the Australian island state of Tasmania. Founded in 1804 as a penal colony,Hobart is Australia's second oldest capital city after Sydney. In 2009, the city had a greater area population of approximately 212,019. A resident of Hobart is known as...
, Australian Federal Police seized film footage and the ships logs.
Operation Waltzing Matilda (2009-2010)
In June 2009, Sea Shepherd announced its 2009-10 Antarctic campaign, called Operation Waltzing MatildaWaltzing Matilda
"Waltzing Matilda" is Australia's most widely known bush ballad. A country folk song, the song has been referred to as "the unofficial national anthem of Australia"....
. The campaign would include the record-breaking Earthrace
Earthrace
MY Ady Gil was a , wave-piercing trimaran, which was originally created as part of a project to break the world record for circumnavigating the globe in a powerboat. The vessel was powered by biodiesel fuel, but was also capable of running on regular diesel fuel...
vessel, now renamed Ady Gil in honor of the benefactor who helped acquire the vessel for Sea Shepherd. The Ady Gil was a futuristic styled ship that held the world record for circumnavigation of the globe by a motorized vessel. The eco-friendly vessel usually ran on a low emission fuel "derived mainly from animal fat, soybeans or other forms of bio-diesel
Biodiesel
Biodiesel refers to a vegetable oil- or animal fat-based diesel fuel consisting of long-chain alkyl esters. Biodiesel is typically made by chemically reacting lipids with an alcohol....
" but was forced by operational reasons to switch to a more polluting petroleum diesel. Pete Bethune
Peter James Bethune
Peter James "Pete" Bethune is a New Zealand promoter of bio-fuels and conservationist. He is the holder of the world record for the fastest trip around the world in a powerboat and was involved with the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society...
, the operator, said that an agreement was reached with Sea Shepherd for the boat to adopt a support role. Watson indicated that the Ady Gil would be used to intercept and block harpoons. It was also reported that the MV Steve Irwin was equipped with a new water cannon for this operation.
On January 5, 2010, Sea Shepherd announced that TV personality Bob Barker
Bob Barker
Robert William "Bob" Barker is a former American television game show host. He is best known for hosting CBS's The Price Is Right from 1972 to 2007, making it the longest-running daytime game show in North American television history, and for hosting Truth or Consequences from 1956 to 1975.Born...
had earlier donated $5 million to Sea Shepherd to buy in secret an ex-Norwegian whaling vessel, now named Bob Barker
MY Bob Barker
The MY Bob Barker is a ship owned and operated by the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, named for former television game show host Bob Barker, whose donation of $5 million to the society facilitated the purchase of the ship. It first started operating for the group in late 2009 / early 2010 in its...
after the donor, and that the ship located the Nisshin Maru
Nisshin Maru
The 23-year-old, 8,030-ton vessel is the primary research vessel of the Japanese whaling fleet. It is a converted stern trawler and is the world's only whale factory ship. It is also the largest member, and flagship of the seven-member whaling fleet, headed by research leader Shigetoshi Nishiwaki,...
Japanese whaling vessel. The Bob Barker reportedly flew the Norwegian flag when within range of the Nisshin Maru. The Norwegian flag was then lowered and the 'Jolly Roger
Jolly Roger
The Jolly Roger is any of various flags flown to identify a ship's crew as pirates. The flag most commonly identified as the Jolly Roger today is the skull and crossbones, a flag consisting of a human skull above two long bones set in an x-mark arrangement on a black field. This design was used by...
' Sea Shepherd flag raised. The Bob Barkers search for the whaling fleet was aided by a tip sent in from the MV Orion
MV Orion
The MV Orion is currently based in Australia and operated by Orion Expedition Cruises . The ship has been described by the Berlitz Guide to Cruising as "the latest in the quest to build the perfect expedition vessel".-History:Built by Cassens shipyard in Germany for the Marshall Islands registered...
, which happened upon the whaling fleet while on a cruise to Antarctica.
In December 2009 and early 2010, New Zealand representatives of the Institute of Cetacean Research
Institute of Cetacean Research
The is a Japanese government-sponsored institution. It took over from the Whale Research Institute , which grew out of the Nakabe Scientific Research Centre ....
, including PR specialist Glenn Inwood
Glenn Inwood
Glenn Hema Inwood is a New Zealand public relations specialist and the founder of Omeka Public Relations. His duties with the Wellington-based Omeka include acting as the speaker for the Institute of Cetacean Research, the Japanese organisation that lobbies on behalf of the whaling industry...
, chartered Australian planes to search for the other Sea Shepherd ship, MV Steve Irwin. Sea Shepherd claims that while doing so, they fraudulently posed as New Zealand government agents - but in any case failed to find the vessel. The plane hire by the Institute sparked protest from conservation groups and rival political parties of the Australian Government. While the Australian Government itself criticised the hire after it became known, the incident was still seen as failure of the current Labor government of Prime Minister Rudd to follow up on their election promises to strongly oppose Japanese whaling. The incident led to the introduction by Rachel Siewert
Rachel Siewert
Rachel Mary Siewert is an Australian Greens politician who was elected to represent Western Australia in the Australian Senate at the 2004 federal election....
of a Parliament bill to ban Japanese whalers from using Australian planes to spy on protesters.
Sea Shepherd reported that in this last season, the group had increasingly received information from private persons about the whereabouts of the Japanese fleet, such as by ship passengers on an Antarctic cruise who noted the fleet refueling.
Japan's Fisheries Agency announced on 12 April 2010 that the whaling fleet had caught about half of the 985 whales it has hoped to catch during the 2009-2010 whaling research season as a result of obstruction by Sea Shepherd operations. The whalers harvested 506 southern minke whales and one finback whale.
Ady Gil collision (2010)
On January 6, 2010, the Ady Gil was severely damaged in the Antarctic Ocean after the Japanese security vessel the Shōnan Maru 2 collided with it; both sides blamed each other for the incident. One of the six crewmen was injured. Sea Shepherd attempted to tow the stricken vessel to an Antarctic research base where it could have been lifted aboard a larger ship, but the boat took on too much water and became too heavy on the tow. The Ady Gil was abandoned on January 7, 2010 at 17:20 GMT.
The Australian Government
Government of Australia
The Commonwealth of Australia is a federal constitutional monarchy under a parliamentary democracy. The Commonwealth of Australia was formed in 1901 as a result of an agreement among six self-governing British colonies, which became the six states...
, and the New Zealand Government
Governments of New Zealand
The Government of New Zealand , formally Her Majesty's Government in New Zealand, is based on the Westminster system of responsible government...
called for restraint and expressed concern at the risk of human lives in the hostile environment. The New Zealand government also repeated its opposition to whaling in the Sanctuary. However, New Zealand's Foreign Minister Murray McCully
Murray McCully
Murray Stuart McCully is a New Zealand politician. He is a member of the National Party, and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Minister for Sport and Recreation, and Minister for the Rugby World Cup.-Early life:...
later stated that:
- "If people [referring to Sea Shepherd] are determined to break the law and determined to kill other people on the high seas, then it is not the responsibility of the New Zealand Government or any other Government to send armed vessels down there or something of that sort to stop them."
This brought a heated response by Paul Watson
Paul Watson
Paul Watson is a Canadian animal rights and environmental activist, who founded and is president of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, a direct action group devoted to marine conservation....
, who accused the "know-nothing politician" McCully of ignoring the fact that Sea Shepherd had not killed anyone in over three decades of direct action
Direct action
Direct action is activity undertaken by individuals, groups, or governments to achieve political, economic, or social goals outside of normal social/political channels. This can include nonviolent and violent activities which target persons, groups, or property deemed offensive to the direct action...
- and stated that McCully's comments were instead giving Japanese whalers a green light to endanger the lives of Sea Shepherd crews.
A New Zealand spokesman for the Institute of Cetacean Research noted that Japan would continue to protect their operations "in whatever way it can" and that further clashes would be likely unless Sea Shepherd stopped its operations.
On January 9, 2010, Sea Shepherd lodged a piracy complaint against the captain and the crew of the Shōnan Maru 2 in the Dutch courts. It has also asked Australia and New Zealand to investigate charges against the Japanese, including for attempted murder
Attempted murder
Attempted murder is a crime in England and Wales and Northern Ireland.-Today:In English criminal law, attempted murder is the crime of more than merely preparing to commit unlawful killing and at the same time having a specific intention to cause the death of human being under the Queen's Peace...
, and proclaimed that had the situation been reversed, the Australian Navy would now be sending a ship to arrest him. After requests from the Australian Government, the Government of Japan
Government of Japan
The government of Japan is a constitutional monarchy where the power of the Emperor is very limited. As a ceremonial figurehead, he is defined by the 1947 constitution as "the symbol of the state and of the unity of the people". Power is held chiefly by the Prime Minister of Japan and other elected...
has stated that it would undertake "appropriate inquiries" into how the collision occurred, but accused Sea Shepherd of intentionally endangering the lives of crew. However, they also protested against the call for restraint on both sides, as they consider Sea Shepherd to blame for the "unlawful rampage.”
Sea Shepherd noted that after the loss of the vessel, a flood of donations had arrived for the group, with $170,000 being given in the first few hours after the collision.
On February 15, 2010, it was reported that Pete Bethune
Peter James Bethune
Peter James "Pete" Bethune is a New Zealand promoter of bio-fuels and conservationist. He is the holder of the world record for the fastest trip around the world in a powerboat and was involved with the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society...
, the former captain of the Ady Gil, boarded the Shonan Maru at night for the purpose of making a citizen's arrest
Citizen's arrest
A citizen's arrest is an arrest made by a person who is not acting as a sworn law-enforcement official. In common law jurisdictions, the practice dates back to medieval Britain and the English common law, in which sheriffs encouraged ordinary citizens to help apprehend law breakers.Despite the...
of its captain for attempted murder of his own crew and the destruction of the Ady Gil. Bethune, who reportedly had to overcome spikes and anti-boarding nets to board the Japanese vessel, was also to present the captain with a bill for $3 million USD and a letter outlining the findings of maritime experts who found that the Japanese vessel was at fault for the collision as it was the overtaking vessel and did not have right of way. According to the crew of the Shonan Maru, Bethune had thrown butyric acid onto the ship, giving a chemical burn to one sailor. Paul Watson, group founder and captain of the Steve Irwin, said that the mission was intended as a message to the New Zealand government which the SSCS accuses of hypocrisy and failure to represent the interests of the Ady Gil and its captain. In an interview, Watson said, ”If we had sunk a Japanese vessel we would now be under arrest by the Australian navy.” Meanwhile, New Zealand's government was being criticised by the main opposition party of "washing their hands" of Mr. Bethune's fate (despite the government offering consular assistance), after Foreign Minister McCully declared that Bethune must have been well aware of the consequences of his actions.
Japan's foreign minister, Katsuya Okada
Katsuya Okada
is a Japanese politician. A member of the House of Representatives of Japan, he is Secretary-General of the Democratic Party of Japan and was previously its President. From September 2009 to September 2010, he was Foreign Minister of Japan....
, announced that Bethune was being detained under international maritime law and would be transported to Japan, where he would face charges, possibly of piracy.
Bethune arrived in Japan approximately a month after his boarding. Bethune was interrogated, then brought to trial at the Tokyo District Court
Tokyo District Court
is a district court located at 1-1-4 Kasumigaseki, Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan. -References:...
, where he was charged with trespassing, causing injuries, obstructing commercial activities, vandalism, and carrying a weapon. Sea Shepherd called these charges "bogus," and described Bethune as a "political prisoner." In a statement, it said "Shame on Japan for blowing Captain Bethune's case out of proportion, and shame on the Japanese maritime authorities for failing to investigate the serious criminal actions of the Shonan Maru 2."
Operation No Compromise (2010-2011)
Sea Shepherd's 2010-2011 campaign, dubbed "Operation No Compromise", consisted of 90 Sea Shepherd crew. Japan decided to end the hunt early after catching only 172 whales from its quota of up to 985. The Institute of Cetacean Research called Sea Shepherd's activities "eco-terrorism", and the Japanese IWC Commissioner said the government made the decision to protect human lives.Atsushi Ishii, Japanese political scientist and professor at Tohoku University
Tohoku University
, abbreviated to , located in the city of Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture in the Tōhoku Region, Japan, is a Japanese national university. It is the third oldest Imperial University in Japan and is a member of the National Seven Universities...
's Center for Northeast Asian Studies stated in his 2011 book, Kaitai Shinso: Hogei Ronso ("Anatomy of the Whaling Debate"), however, that Japan used the activities by conservationists like Sea Shepherd as a face-saving excuse to stop the unprofitable Antarctic hunt. Ishii asserts that the activities of environmental and animal rights activists were actually counterproductive because they fueled nationalism and increased the demand for whale meat in Japan. Ishii predicted that Japan would shift its whale hunting efforts to coastal waters and the Northwest Pacific.