A brief note from Captain Paul Watson aboard the Steve Irwin en route to the Southern Ocean for Operation Divine Wind.

Sea Shepherd and Greenpeace Go Toe-to-Toe

Things have never been cordial between Sea Shepherd and Greenpeace (at least I can’t recall a time). But the fire is super hot right now. Greenpeace is accusing Sea Shepherd of being disgraceful for calling out Japan on spending Tsunami relief funds on whaling.

Executive Director of Greenpeace Japan, Junichi Sato, had some words for Japan’s inexcusable dispersion of relief funds to the whaling industry:

Not only is the whaling industry unable to survive without large increases in government handouts, now it’s siphoning money away from the victims of the March 11 triple disaster—at a time when they need it most. This is a new low for the shameful whaling industry and the callous politicians who support it.

Shortly thereafter he said Sea Shepherd’s same position was “really disgraceful.” Is that disgraceful like when Greenpeace tried whale meat in the name of their campaign? Or disgraceful like when Greenpeace protected whalers from Sea Shepherd?

All I know is that Sea Shepherd puts their lives on the line every winter in a true venture to save whales and, in turn, the human race. Greenpeace, as Paul Watson puts it:

They raise some $40 million dollars a year on their anti-whaling campaigns and all they do is produce mail-outs asking for funds. They have not sent a ship to the Southern Ocean to hang banners for years.

Captain Paul Watson shares some information about the dolphin massacres in Taiji and becoming a Sea Shepherd Cove Guardian. The production is a mite strange switching from dark music to happy music then back to the dark music again, but it’s an excellent introduction to those interested in becoming Cove Guardians.

Let’s Nominate Sea Shepherd as an Ocean Hero

I recently discovered this nice resource, Save My Oceans, which shares information about the destruction of our oceans and how people can act to help keep them healthy. It’s an accompaniment to a Disney film (believe it or not) called Oceans.

It’s a nice resource. However, I found something really odd about the site. It houses a page dedicated to “ocean heroes” which showcases a limited list of people they believe are “taking a stand to protect the future of our oceans.” So why isn’t Sea Shepherd on that list?

I have to assume it boils down to corporate red tape and whatnot because Sea Shepherd is obviously one of the largest ocean activist organizations on the planet. While the list comprises individuals, it could at a minimum include Paul Watson. Seriously, the guy has dedicated most of his life to ocean preservation.

It appears Take Part is managing the Save My Oceans website. I say we flood their inbox with email nominations for Paul Watson and/or Sea Shepherd to appear on their “ocean heroes” list. If we can get enough people to reblog this maybe we’ll make a large enough splash (pun intended) to get Sea Shepherd on the list. Maybe?

Sea Shepherd Art Show Benefit in Riverside, CA

Over 100 artists will be showing pieces in an art show to benefit Sea Shepherd called See No Evil. The show will occur on June 25th in Riverside, CA. In addition to artwork, photographs by Sea Shepherd campaign photographer Gary Stokes will also be available for purchase.

The show—in its fifth year—will also feature live music and special guest speaker, Captain Paul Watson. That’s right—you can support Sea Shepherd, get some artwork, hear some music, and enjoy a lecture by Paul. What an evening. And if you have an extra $100 available they’re selling VIP tickets which include a show poster signed by Paul, an even t-shirt, and VIP entry to the show.

So there you go, Southern Californians and nomadic Sea Shepherd supporters. Here’s an opportunity for big wins on the Sea Shepherd front.

Illustration: See No Evil

Love Thy Enemy

One of the things I love about Sea Shepherd is their overall sense of compassion. Everything they do is about compassion for animals, and for the human race who can not survive without them.

When it comes time to get dirty Sea Shepherd does not hold back. They are as aggressive as necessary with people who murder animals for pleasure or industry. Yet they have no hatred for these people, which is an important factor that many fail to acknowledge. While Sea Shepherd recognizes these offenders must be stopped at any cost, they do not curse them into the depths of hell.

Two cases in point:

1. Just last week, while protecting Bluefin tuna in militarily-hostile waters off the Libyan coast, Sea Shepherd saved the life of one of the very fisherman they were hunting down. He had severely severed his wrist and was treated by Megan Jolley, the medic aboard the Brigitte Bardot. Then he was returned to his fishing vessel and advised that he must seek hospitalization to avoid a life-threatening evolution of his wound.
2. Back in 2009 Japanese whaler Hajime Shiraskai reportedly fell off the Kyoshin Maru No. 2 and a distress call was issued. Captain Paul Watson offered to help search for Hajime and assured the whalers they would not harass them during their search, even though the Yushin Maru 3 said they “would not accept help from an eco-terrorist organization.” They even deployed their helicopter to aid in the search.

However aggressive Sea Shepherd seems, their actions are in the name of compassion. They “love thy enemy” even as they exhaust all of their efforts and resources to stop them. How many activist organizations can say that?

Welcome Home Event for Sea Shepherd

If you live in the Hobart area of Australia, mark your calendars for this Sunday, March 6th. Hobart is hosting a welcome-home event and party for Sea Shepherd from 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. There will be speeches, a party with a “special guest” musician, and a press conference at 11:00 a.m. with Australian Senator Bob Brown, Captain Paul Watson, Captain Alex Cornelissen, and First Officer Peter Hammarstedt.

[Flash 10 is required to watch video]

Paul Watson thanks me for all of my support! Well, he actually thanks everyone who helps them. But I happen to be one of those people. And so do you if you’re reading Sea Shepherd Advocate. (Video: Sea Shepherd)

Sea Shepherd is running this loop on the CBS Spectacular video billboard in Times Square. This must have cost a pretty penny, but it’s a great video. Paul Watson describes why:

The image of a breathtaking whale breach followed by a harpoon exploding into a whale’s back, sends a powerful message to passersby in a visual language that we can all understand.

And by “all” Paul means 1.8 million daily passersby and 32 million annual tourists, according to CBS. That’s a whole lot of people seeing this powerful imagery.

Nisshin Maru Found!

About 24 hours ago the Steve Irwin located the grand prize: the Nisshin Maru. The Bob Barker is a mere 300 miles from the Steve Irwin and is on route to meet up with them as they tail the Nisshin Maru. And this, of course, is where things will begin to get crazy.

We already know that Japanese whalers have armed guards on board with them. But we also know that they have been very tentative in their confrontations with Sea Shepherd this winter. So who knows what will go down.

What we do know is that once Sea Shepherd has all of its vessels in close proximity to the Nisshin Maru, things will get hairy for everyone. After locating the Nisshin Maru Paul Watson noted:

This whaling fleet belongs to us now—lock, stock, and smoking harpoon gun. We will now chase them through the frozen gates of hell if need be, but we will stop their illegal whaling operations…I am confident of that!

Confidence is something Sea Shepherd definitely exhibits. Now that they’ve located their prize you can be sure Japanese whalers are feeling sick to their stomachs. And not because the swells are high, but because their own personal demons are within striking distance. Psuedo Corpse anyone?

Photo: Barbara Veiga, Sea Shepherd (Nisshin Maru trying to lose Sea Shepherd in a field of ice)