Sea Shepherd Conservation Society facts for kids
 |
|
| Founded | 1977 |
|---|---|
| Founder | Paul Watson |
| Type | Public charity (US); registered charity (UK) |
| Focus | Marine conservation activism |
| Location |
|
|
Area served
|
Global |
| Method | Direct action |
The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society (often called Sea Shepherd) is a group that works to protect ocean animals. It is a non-profit organization, which means it uses its money to help its cause, not to make a profit. Sea Shepherd is based in Friday Harbor, USA.
Sea Shepherd uses a special way of working called direct action. This means they actively stop things they believe are harming marine life. For example, they use their ships to find and stop fishing boats that are fishing illegally. They focus on activities that hurt the ocean and its creatures.
Some groups and governments do not agree with Sea Shepherd's methods. For example, the Japanese government has called them "eco-terrorists." This is because Sea Shepherd tries to stop Japanese whaling ships. However, in 2014, a big court called the International Court of Justice said that Japan's whaling program was not for science, as Japan claimed. The court told Japan to stop whaling right away.
Contents
How Sea Shepherd Started
The group that came before Sea Shepherd was called the "Earth Force Society." It was started in 1977 by Paul Watson. He had left another group, Greenpeace, because he wanted to take stronger action to protect animals. Greenpeace preferred peaceful protests.
At first, Paul Watson did not have much money or many helpers. But he convinced a man named Cleveland Amory to help him buy his first ship, the Sea Shepherd, in 1978.
The first time Sea Shepherd took direct action was in 1979. They went to the Gulf of Saint Lawrence to stop Canadian seal hunting. In the same year, the Sea Shepherd ship also crashed into a Portuguese whaling ship that was fishing illegally. After that, the first Sea Shepherd ship had to be sunk. But Watson used the story to get money for his next ship.
In the 1980s, Sea Shepherd did many brave and sometimes risky things. They worked to protect marine life and stopped whalers from different countries. These included whalers from Russia, Spain, Norway, Iceland, and Japan.
In the 1990s, Sea Shepherd started to describe itself as a group that fights against poaching. Poaching means illegally hunting or fishing. They said they were helping to enforce laws that protect the ocean. During this time, they also worked with other groups to stop harmful driftnet fishing. In 1994, Sea Shepherd even sank an illegal Norwegian whaling ship. No one was charged because the ship was involved in many other illegal activities.
In the 2000s, Sea Shepherd helped clean up a big oil spill in Brazil. They also worked with governments to fight against poaching. For example, they helped in Costa Rica. In 2008, Sea Shepherd sailed around Antarctica twice to stop illegal whaling.
Since 2016, Sea Shepherd has worked more and more with governments. They help countries stop poaching in their own waters. For example, they have worked with the Italian Coast Guard in Sicily and the Mexican Navy. They even had Gabonese military marines sail on their ships.
How Sea Shepherd Works
Sea Shepherd is a non-profit organization. This means they use all their money to help their cause. Most of the money they get goes directly to their programs. Only a small part is used for office costs or asking for donations.
Sea Shepherd gets money from people and companies who donate. They also get money from Paul Watson's talks and from advertising on the internet. The group is mostly run by volunteers. They try to keep their costs low.
Sea Shepherd has a group of leaders called a board of directors. They also have many expert advisers. These advisers help with things like science, law, and animal welfare. For example, a former Australian Minister of the Environment, Ian Campbell, is on their legal advisory board.
Taking Direct Action to Protect the Ocean
Sea Shepherd uses protests and direct actions to protect ocean animals. They work to stop illegal commercial fishing, shark poaching, and shark finning. They also try to stop seal hunting and whaling.
The group has been active in places like the South Pacific, the Mediterranean Sea, and around the Galapagos Islands. Besides their direct actions, Sea Shepherd also works on other ocean problems. For example, they help clean up plastic pollution. Sea Shepherd groups around the world organize beach cleanups. In 2018, they made a public announcement to show that over a million marine animals die each year from plastic trash.
Sea Shepherd says its goal is to "investigate, document, and take action" against illegal activities in the ocean. They record what is happening and share it with the world. They also use non-harmful ways to stop illegal actions. For example, they have disabled whaling ships in harbors. They have also stopped seal hunts and used laser lights to bother whalers. They have thrown bad-smelling liquid onto ships and boarded whaling vessels to protest. They also find and destroy illegal drift nets at sea.
Sea Shepherd believes these actions are needed because international groups sometimes cannot or will not stop illegal whaling and fishing.
Sometimes, Sea Shepherd's crew and equipment have been attacked by people in the fishing industry. In 1998, some people threw rocks at Sea Shepherd's ship, the Sirenian. In 2005, some Sea Shepherd crew members were hurt in a fight with seal hunters. In 2008, fishermen cut the ropes of a Sea Shepherd ship after hearing Paul Watson say bad things about some seal hunters who had died.
Paul Watson has said that Sea Shepherd has sunk ten whaling ships and destroyed millions of dollars worth of equipment. He sees Sea Shepherd's actions as fighting against criminal groups. He calls his group an anti-poaching organization.
Some people say Sea Shepherd's actions break international laws. But Watson says Sea Shepherd believes they are helping to enforce international laws that protect wildlife. These laws are part of the World Charter for Nature from the United Nations. Because there is no official way to enforce these laws, Sea Shepherd feels it must do the job itself. Some experts have said that Sea Shepherd's approach could be seen as vigilantism. This means they are trying to enforce laws when official groups cannot or will not.
Sharing Their Message
Sea Shepherd is very good at getting attention from the news. They work with reporters and send out press releases to share their message.
For example, in the TV show Whale Wars, Paul Watson created a big "media storm." This happened when two of his crew members were held on a Japanese whaling ship. Watson has said that he gives the media exciting stories they cannot ignore. This helps bring attention to what is happening to whales, seals, and sharks.
Sea Shepherd also uses satellite connections, webcams, and online blogs during their missions. They invite reporters to join them on their ships. In 2006, people from TV networks and National Geographic magazine joined the group. A TV series called Whale Wars showed Sea Shepherd's 2008-2009 mission against Japanese whalers. The show started in 2008 on Animal Planet.
Many famous people have given money to Sea Shepherd. These include TV host Bob Barker and actor Martin Sheen. Other actors like Daryl Hannah and Richard Dean Anderson have joined protests. Actors like Edward Norton, Pierce Brosnan, and Christian Bale have also supported the group. Actress Pamela Anderson is a spokesperson for Sea Shepherd and has helped in many campaigns.
In 2007, actor Heath Ledger started making a music video to raise awareness about whale hunting. After he passed away, others finished the video in his honor. Money from the video's sales went to Sea Shepherd.
Many musicians and bands have also supported Sea Shepherd with money. These include Anthony Kiedis from the Red Hot Chili Peppers and singer Leona Lewis. Bands like Hawkwind and Gojira have also helped.
The cosmetics company Lush worked with Sea Shepherd in 2008. They wanted to raise awareness about shark finning. Lush made a special soap called 'Shark Fin Soap'. All the money from selling the soap went to Sea Shepherd.
In Mexico, Sea Shepherd used to help remove illegal nets that trap and drown vaquita porpoises. But in 2021, Sea Shepherd had to leave the area after a fisherman attacked one of their ships. One fisherman died in the attack. Mexico has invited Sea Shepherd back, but they are not allowed to remove nets anymore.
Sea Shepherd's Fleet of Ships
Sea Shepherd calls its ships "Neptune's Navy" (Neptune is the Roman god of the sea). As of 2021, Sea Shepherd has 12 ships. Some of their ships are named after famous people who support their cause. These include the Ocean Warrior, Brigitte Bardot, Bob Barker, Steve Irwin, and Sam Simon.
The Steve Irwin ship was bought in 2007. It was first named the Robert Hunter. The widow of famous wildlife expert Steve Irwin, Terri Irwin, supported Sea Shepherd. She said Steve always cared about whales.
Another ship, the Bob Barker, was named after the TV host and animal activist Bob Barker. He gave $5 million to help buy the ship. In 2010, the Bob Barker crashed into a Japanese whaling ship, which caused a hole in its side. In 2014, the Bob Barker chased an illegal fishing vessel for 110 days. This was the longest chase in sea history!
Sea Shepherd used to have other ships, like the Farley Mowat and the Ady Gil. The Ady Gil sank after it crashed with a whaling security vessel in 2010.
For their 2010-2011 mission, Sea Shepherd bought the Ocean 7 Adventurer. This ship was later renamed MV Brigitte Bardot. For their 2011-2012 mission, they also started using drone aircraft to watch the whaling ships.
In 2012, Sam Simon, who helped create The Simpsons, gave money to buy a fourth ship. This ship was a former Japanese weather survey vessel and is now called the MY Sam Simon.
In 2014, actor Martin Sheen helped show off Sea Shepherd's newest ship, the R/V Martin Sheen. It was named after him. This ship is used for research and direct action.
In 2015, Sea Shepherd bought two old Coast Guard patrol boats. One was named MY Farley Mowat and the other was named MV John Paul DeJoria. In 2017, they got a third patrol boat, named MV Sharpie. This ship helps save the endangered vaquita porpoise.
Sea Shepherd's ships have flown flags from different countries. But some countries have taken away their ship registrations. Now, the Steve Irwin and Bob Barker ships sail under the Dutch flag.
Sea Shepherd in the Media
Sea Shepherd's missions have been shown in many documentaries and TV shows. These include the Netflix documentary Seaspiracy, the TV series Whale Wars, and Ocean Warriors.
There are also many books written by people who have worked with Sea Shepherd. Some of these books are:
- Laura Dakin, Cookin' Up a Storm: Stories and Recipes from Sea Shepherd's Anti-Whaling Campaigns (2015)
- Raffaella Tolicetti, Think! Eat! Act!: A Sea Shepherd Chef's Vegan Cookbook (2014)
- Laurens de Groot, Hunting the Hunters: At war with the whalers (2014)
- Paul Watson, Seal Wars: Twenty-five Years in the Front Lines with the Harp Seals (2002)
- Paul Watson, Ocean Warrior: My Battle to End the Illegal Slaughter on the High Seas (1994)
- David B. Morris, Earth Warrior: Overboard with Paul Watson and the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society (1995)
- Paul Watson, Earthforce! An Earth Warrior's Guide to Strategy (1993)
- Paul Watson, Sea Shepherd : My Fight For Whales And Seals (1980)
See also
In Spanish: Sea Shepherd Conservation Society para niños
