Paul Watson facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Paul Watson
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Watson, with the MY Steve Irwin docked in Hobart, in 2009
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Paul Franklin Watson
December 2, 1950 |
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| Known for | Environmental, conservational and animal rights activism |
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| Children | 3 |
Paul Franklin Watson, born on December 2, 1950, is a Canadian-American activist. He works to protect the environment, save wildlife, and support animal rights. He is famous for starting the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society. This group works to stop illegal hunting and fishing in the oceans. They use "direct action" to protect marine life. This means they actively get involved to stop harmful activities.
Watson has been an environmental activist since he was a teenager. He joined a protest against nuclear testing in 1969. In 1972, he helped start Greenpeace, another well-known environmental group. However, he later left Greenpeace because he believed in more direct and active ways to protect nature. In 1977, he created the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society. His group's work was even featured in a TV show called Whale Wars.
Watson believes in using strong, but non-violent, actions to defend ocean animals and their homes. He also supports "biocentrism," which means he believes all living things have value, not just humans. His actions have sometimes led to legal issues in different countries. Despite many arrests, he has never been found guilty of a serious crime.
In 2019, Costa Rica removed all charges against Watson. He also left Sea Shepherd Conservation Society and Sea Shepherd Global. He then started his own group, the Captain Paul Watson Foundation. In July 2024, he was held in Denmark due to an old request from Japan. However, in December 2024, Denmark decided not to send him to Japan. He was released and went back to France. Today, he lives in Paris, writes books, gives talks, and works on ocean protection campaigns. He focuses on stopping illegal whaling and deep-sea mining.
Contents
Paul Watson's Early Life
Paul Watson was born in Toronto, Canada. He was the oldest of seven children. He grew up in St. Andrews, New Brunswick. As a child, he was part of the Kindness Club. He says this club taught him to respect and protect animals. After working at the World's Fair in Montreal in 1967, he traveled to Vancouver.
In the late 1960s and early 1970s, he joined the Canadian Coast Guard. He worked on weather ships and rescue hovercraft. He also worked as a merchant seaman on large cargo ships. These experiences helped him learn about the ocean.
Watson has three children. His first wife, Starlet Lum, helped start several environmental groups. His third wife, Allison Lance, is also an animal rights activist. Watson married his fourth wife, Yana Rusinovich, in 2015. They have two sons. Watson also has two grandchildren. He has run for political office twice in Vancouver for the Green Party.
Paul Watson's Activism
Starting His Journey
In 1969, Watson joined a protest against nuclear testing. This protest led to the creation of the "Don't Make a Wave Committee." This group later became known as Greenpeace. Watson sailed on Greenpeace ships in the early 1970s. He continued to be a crew member and officer on many Greenpeace trips.
Some sources say Watson was a founding member of Greenpeace. However, Greenpeace itself says he was an important early member, but not a founder. Watson believes Greenpeace has changed its history. A documentary called How to Change the World shows him as an early founding member.
Sea Shepherd Conservation Society
The first Sea Shepherd ship was bought in 1978. It was named the Sea Shepherd. This group quickly became known for its bold actions. They would sometimes throw things onto whaling ships. They also used "prop foulers" to try and stop ships. They even boarded whaling vessels and sank two ships in an Icelandic harbor.
In 2013, Watson stopped being the captain of the Steve Irwin, a famous Sea Shepherd ship. The group's efforts to stop whaling were shown in the TV series Whale Wars. In September 2022, Paul Watson was removed as the head of Sea Shepherd Conservation Society. Many parts of Sea Shepherd around the world then followed Watson. They started new campaigns under his new group, the Captain Paul Watson Foundation.
Other Environmental Work
Watson worked for other environmental groups in the 1970s and 1980s. He helped start "Friends of the Wolf" and "Earthforce Environmental Society." He also supported the group Earth First!. He called Sea Shepherd the "navy" of Earth First!
In 2003, Watson was elected to the board of directors for the Sierra Club. He resigned in 2006. He did this to protest a contest the group sponsored about hunting. In 2008, The Guardian newspaper named him one of "50 people who could save the planet." This was for his work with Sea Shepherd. In 2007, he received the Amazon Peace Prize from Ecuador.
Watson's Writings
Watson has written several books about his activism. In his 1993 book, Earthforce!, he shared strategies for environmental activists. He talked about "monkeywrenching," which involves actions like sabotage. He said he used his own experiences to write the book.
Watson also wrote about how he saw the media. He believed that what the media reported became "true" for the public. He felt that facts were not always important to the media. He even suggested that if you don't know an answer, you can "make it up on the spot." He said that to succeed in a media-driven world, you need to understand and use the media to reach your goals.
In 2007, Watson shared his thoughts on human population. He believed that human numbers have grown too large. He suggested that human populations should be much smaller. He compared fixing the planet to curing a body of cancer, saying it needs a "radical and invasive approach."
Reactions to Watson's Leadership
Watson says he is not a "protester" but an "interventionist." He feels that he steps in when laws are not being enforced. Some people have called his leadership style arrogant. They say he puts himself too much in the spotlight. This was one reason he was asked to leave Greenpeace.
A former Sea Shepherd captain, Pete Bethune, once said Watson would intentionally sink his own ships. Bethune claimed this was to get public sympathy and make better TV. Watson denied this, saying the captain of the ship made his own decisions.
Awards and Recognition
Paul Watson has received many awards for his work.
- In 2012, he received the Jules Verne Award. He was only the second person, after Jacques Cousteau, to get this award for environmental work.
- In 2010, he received the Defense of Marine Life Award.
- In 2002, he was added to the US Animal Rights Hall of Fame.
- In 1999, he received the George H. W. Bush Daily Points of Light Award.
- In 2000, Time Magazine named him one of the Top 20 Environmental Heroes of the 20th Century.
- In 2019, he received an official commendation from the Governor of Connecticut.
- In September 2024, he was announced to receive the 2025 Perfect World Foundation Award.
- In November 2024, he was made an Honorary Citizen of Paris.
- In February 2025, he received The Medal of the National Assembly in France.
- In March 2025, he was awarded the medal for the city of Nice.
Media Portrayals
Several documentaries have been made about Paul Watson:
- Pirate for the Sea (2008) looked at his early life.
- At the Edge of the World (2008) followed his efforts against Japanese whaling.
- Confessions of an Eco-Terrorist (2010) was a satirical look at his actions.
- Eco-Pirate: The Story of Paul Watson (2011) included interviews with early Greenpeace members.
- Watson (2019) featured interviews with him and aired on Animal Planet.
Watson and Whale Wars were made fun of in a South Park episode. Watson said he was happy if the whalers and dolphin hunters didn't like the show. In 2013, a 60 Minutes episode showed Watson's role in helping humpback whale populations recover in the South Pacific.
Books by Paul Watson
- Sea Shepherd: My Fight for Whales and Seals (1981)
- Earthforce! An Earth Warrior's Guide to Strategy (1993)
- Ocean Warrior: My Battle to End the Illegal Slaughter on the High Seas (1994)
- Seal Wars: Twenty-Five Years on the Front Lines With the Harp Seals (2002)
- Contributor to Terrorists or Freedom Fighters?: Reflections on the Liberations of Animals (2004)
- Earthforce! An Earth Warrior's Guide to Strategy 2nd Edition (2012)
- The War That Saved the Whales (2019)
- Songs from the Southern Ocean (2020)
- The Haunted Mariner (2020)
- Dealing with Climate Change and Stress (2020)
- Orcapedia (2020)
- Desperate Mythologies: Theology, Ecology and the General Insanity of Humanity (2020)
- Death of a Whale (2021)
- URGENT! Save Our Ocean to Survive Climate Change (2021)
- Mr. Mindbomb -Eco-Hero and Greenpeace Co-Founder Bob Hunter (2023)
- Introduction and Chapter Contributor to Wildeor – The Wild Life and Living Legacy of Dave Foreman (2023)
- We Are the Ocean (2022) Children’s Book
- We Are the Ocesn Wir sind der Ozean (German edition) (2024)
Interesting Facts About Paul Watson
- Watson is a citizen of both Canada and the United States.
- As a child, he was part of the Kindness Club. This club taught him to respect and protect animals.
- In January 2008, The Guardian newspaper named Paul Watson as one of "50 people who could save the planet." This was for the work of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society.
Paul Watson Quotes
- "In the great scheme of things, what matters is not how long you live but why you live, what you stand for and what you are willing to die for."
- "Intelligence is the ability of a species to live in harmony with its environment."
- "I can't think of a greater legacy than, "Because you lived, another species survived."
- "What we need now is heroes - millions of them. Sentiment without action is the ruin of the soul."
- "Be a voice for the future and a voice for the planet."
See also
In Spanish: Paul Watson para niños
