Image Courtesy of Sea Shepherd Global
Image Courtesy of Sea Shepherd Global
- CHANGING THE TIDE -
Japan, a haven of unsustainable whaling, has emerged as an opposition to Sea Shepherd. Connecting the organization to "terrorism," Japan has repeatedly harassed Sea Shepherd for their interference on whaling operations.
"...their actions are very dangerous and interfere with legal activities conducted in the public ocean... the Japanese government strongly condemns these acts."
- Nobutaka Machimura, Japanese Government Spokesman, 2008
"The Sea Shepherd is a terrorist organization. We do not consider anything they say as credible."
- Hideki Moronuki, Head of the Whaling Division at the Japan's Fisheries Agency, 2008
"There are people from all over the world, including Japan, on our ships, not getting paid, and yet they just have this common passion to give the planet some sort of hope that we can maintain our life support systems for humanity - and just a love of nature and a love of the whales."
- Jeff Hansen, Managing Director at Sea Shepherd Australia, 2015
Despite this pressure, Sea Shepherd is unrelenting and has achieved some success.
Data Showing the Downward Trend in Japanese Whaling Incidents in Recent Years. Graph Courtesy of Whale and Dolphin Conservation
"I have been honoured to serve the whales, dolphins, seals and all the other creatures on this Earth. Their beauty, intelligence, strength, and spirit have inspired me."
- Captain Paul Watson, Founder of Sea Shepherd, 2021
Overall, in the last few decades, Sea Shepherd has had a prominent impact - triggering milestone after milestone in marine conservation. Effectively stationing patrols and influencing government legislation worldwide, Sea Shepherd has been instrumental in reducing overfishing and illegal activity worldwide. Because of Sea Shepherd, we are in the midst of a 21st-century turning point. In place of fraudulent organizations merely posing as sustainable, Sea Shepherd is rising, presenting us with the first opportunity for direct action in defending our oceans. No other organization has ventured onto the front lines, physically demonstrating their devotion to protecting the oceans. The battle is far from over, but Sea Shepherd has brought hope into a situation once considered hopeless.
Slideshow Created Using Keynote; Images Courtesy of Sea Shepherd Global
Excerpt from Interview with Paul Goodenough - Environmentalist, Founder of Rewriting Extinction, and Collaborator with Sea Shepherd, 2024 (Personal Interview)