Sea Shepherd


Sea Shepherd Conservation Society

Martin Vadam, Peter Carrett, Eva Rinaldi and Greg Tingle - Sea Shepherd, Bondi No Compromise! - 19th November 2010
(Credit: Jezmark Photography)

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News

October 2009

Contact:

Vanessa Pearce
Sydney Coordinator
Sea Shepherd
Sydney Chapter
sydney@seashepherd.org

Really need...


AAA batteries.
Portable battery charger 6,12,24 volt.
Good quality hand held marine radios.

The ships Communication Officer needs one days free access to a high speed
connection for downloads

And he is also in desperate need of three new computers.

Need..

Sour dough starter
Industrial blender
Wooden Chopping boards
Tea towels
Scissors
Blender
Hand blender
Food processor
Green power champion juicer
Black polar fleece balaclavas
Lap tops

Food..

All vegan only:

Tempe
Tofu
Soy milk
olive oil
Handwash
Brown rice
Icing sugar
Smoked Paprika
Braggs Bullion-amino acids
Lemons
Limes
Soft drink
Fruit juice
Fresh herbs (parsley, basil, celanto etc)
Asian fake meat products
Tofutti products - cream cheese, sour cream, cheese slices)
Soy/vege hot dogs/sausages
Nuts and seeds (cashews, almonds etc)
Dark vegan chocolate


Wants..

New release cds and dvds
Dvd projector
ipod for Galley

Contact:

Vanessa Pearce
Sydney Coordinator
Sea Shepherd
Sydney Chapter
sydney@seashepherd.org

 

Fundraising Event

18th November 2008 - Sydney, Australia

Profile

Paul Watson

News

Ben Potts of Sea Shepherd to appear on ABC Australian Story - 11th Feb 2008

Captain Paul Watson interviewed on Channel Nine 'Today' - 30th November 2007'

Sea Shepherd missing crew found alive and well (9th Feb 2007) The Age

Established in 1977, Sea Shepherd Conservation Society (SSCS) is an International non-profit conservation organization whose mission is to end the destruction of habitat and slaughter of wildlife in the world's oceans in order to conserve and protects ecosystems and species. Sea Shepherd uses innovative direct-action tactics to investigate, document, and take action when necessary to expose and confront illegal activities on the high seas. By safeguarding the biodiversity of our delicately-balanced ocean ecosystems, Sea Shepherd works to ensure their survival for future generations. Founder and President Captain Paul Watson, also co-founder of Greenpeace Foundation, is a renowned, respected leader in environmental issues. Visit www.seashepherd.org for more information.

 

ABC Australian Story

Monday 11 February
8pm

'Hell or High Water'

Australian Story returns to the ABC's screens on Monday night with the inside story of Ben Potts, the young Sea Shepherd activist who sailed into worldwide controversy when he boarded a Japanese whaling ship in the Southern Ocean.

For the first time, Potts and his family reveal surprising behind-the-scenes details of what took place on the high seas.

You can watch Australian Story's broadband edition here: http://www.abc.net.au/austory after the television broadcast.

 

Press Release

SEA SHEPHERD FLAGSHIP TO DEPART MELBOURNE


Farley Mowat Heading To The Antarctic To Defend Whales


Departure scheduled from Victoria Harbor, Dock 3 for 9:00 AM Saturday Morning

This Saturday, the 23rd of December, the Farley Mowat will depart Melbourne to sail to the Southern Oceans to intervene against the illegal Japanese whaling in the Antarctic Whale Sanctuary. There, the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society's flagship will rendezvous with its newly acquired 2nd ship, code-named Leviathan, and the two ships with over 60 international volunteer crewmembers, a helicopter, and numerous smaller vessels will confront the Japanese whalers on the high seas.

The Japanese whaling fleet is determined to slaughter more than 1,000 whales in the Antarctic Whale Sanctuary. Japan has doubled its illegal quota of piked (Minke) whales to just over a thousand, and will be targeting endangered fin whales, and for the first time since the early eighties, 50 endangered humpback whales. "Sea Shepherd is the only organization in the world willing to go to the Antarctic to intercept the Japanese whaling fleet and shut them down," said Paul Watson, Sea Shepherd's President and Founder.

Australians have come out in force to support Sea Shepherd in the past several months. Over 30,000 people have visited the Farley Mowat since its arrival in mid-July. The ship's crew has given numerous tours and participated at events around the country over the past several months. Thousands of new Oz supporters have joined the Society. Among them, John Singleton and Blue Tongue Brewery are supporting the campaign through the launch of their website www.whalesafebeer.com . The citizens of Melbourne have been so very generous to the Sea Shepherds by contributing tons of food, supplies, and donations that are so vital to the campaign. .Australian media coverage has been unprecedented as the momentum of the anti-whaling movement is reaching a critical mass. "We are upholding international conservation law when no one else will," said Jonny Vasic, International Director.

The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society and the crew of the Farley Mowat would like to say a big thank you to Australia for its support. To follow Sea Shepherd's progress on the most ambitious, most expensive, most important campaign in its 30-year history of defending whales, visit: www.Seashepherd.org

Sea Shepherd would like to invite all members of the media and anti-whaling advocates to come to the dock for a send off in support of the Whales' Navy.

What: Send-off for Sea Shepherd Conservation Society's flagship Farley Mowat

Where: Victoria Harbor, Dock 3 off of Collins Street

When: 9:00 AM Saturday Morning, December 23, 2006

About Sea Shepherd Conservation Society
Established in 1977, Sea Shepherd Conservation Society (SSCS) is an International non-profit conservation organization whose mission is to end the destruction of habitat and slaughter of wildlife in the world's oceans in order to conserve and protects ecosystems and species. Sea Shepherd uses innovative direct-action tactics to investigate, document, and take action when necessary to expose and confront illegal activities on the high seas. By safeguarding the biodiversity of our delicately-balanced ocean ecosystems, Sea Shepherd works to ensure their survival for future generations. Founder and President Captain Paul Watson, also co-founder of Greenpeace Foundation, is a renowned, respected leader in environmental issues. Visit www.seashepherd.org for more information.

 

February 8th 2007

JAPANESE WHALING FLEET FORCED TO RUN FROM SEA SHEPHERD

ABOARD THE FARLEY MOWAT, 0420 Hours. February 9th, 2007 (0730 Hours, February 8th, PST)

The Sea Shepherd ship Robert Hunter has closed in on the Japanese whaling fleet. The Sea Shepherd helicopter Kookaburra has flown over the Japanese whaling ship the Nisshin Maru and the three harpoon vessels accompanying it. The identification of the Japanese fleet is 100% positive. The Sea Shepherd ships have covered thousands of square miles and have been searching for the whaling fleet for over 6 weeks.

The Nisshin Maru is the factory ship of the fleet. The kill ships bring the dead whales back to this factory vessel and transfer them to the 130m long processing ship where the whales are butchered and stored. The Japanese whaling fleet plans to illegally slaughter over 900 whales in the Antarctic Whale Sanctuary this year ? including 935 piked (Minke) whales and 10 fin whales.

This Japanese whaling operation is in violation of many international laws and regulations, including:
They are violating the Southern Ocean Sanctuary
They are violating the International Whaling Commission (IWC) moratorium on commercial whaling.
They are targeting endangered fin and humpback whales that are protected under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora. (CITES).

The Farley Mowat is also closing in on the fleet and moving towards their position. The Robert Hunter can easily outrun the Nisshin Maru. The Nisshin Maru was forced to stop its whaling activity and is attempting to flee the area. Both Sea Shepherd ships are now in full pursuit and closing in on the illegal whaling vessels of the Japanese whale killing fleet. Photos are now available.

The Japanese whaling fleet position is 66 Degrees 46 Minutes South and 169 Degrees 52 Minutes East. 122 East northeast of Sturge Island.

The objectives of the Sea Shepherd vessels are to enforce international conservation law against illegal Japanese whaling operations in accordance with the principles established by the United Nations World Charter for Nature.

The Farley Mowat has a crew of 20 under the command of Captain Paul Watson. The Robert Hunter has a crew of 37 under the command of Captain Alex Cornelissen of the Netherlands.

 

Sea Shepherd on top in PR war, by Jamie Walker and Siobhain Ryan - January 18, 2008
(Credit: The Australian)


THE heat between Japanese whalers and environmental activists reaches far beyond the icy Southern Ocean: it's in the cutting edge battle to harpoon public opinion.

Satellite up-links, webcams, around-the-clock internet blogging and dragooned reporters are the weapons of choice in this struggle for hearts and minds.

Sea Shepherd's images have been plastered on the front pages of metropolitan newspapers and in television news bulletins, often without right of reply by the whalers.

The man supplying the pictures, Sea Shepherd's volatile Paul Watson, is accessible by satellite phone. Between playing his increasingly high-stakes game of bluff with the Japanese whaling fleet, he makes time to regularly update his blog from the MV Steve Irwin.

The nerve centre of the media operation is a one-room office in Melbourne where Watson's American sidekick, Jonny Vasic, downloads dispatches from the Antarctic and punches them on to the Sea Shepherd website. Watson's satellite number is given to any reporter who asks.

Aboard the Steve Irwin - the 53m cutter bought from the Scottish fisheries service in 2005 and rebadged after its British maritime registration was revoked - there's a dedicated photographer and separate video camera operator.

Space has also been made on the cramped ship for a six-strong documentary crew from the US Discovery Channel.

"Media is one of our main tools," said Vasic, who has flown from the US with wife Christine to manage the on-shore operation from Sea Shepherd's office in inner-Melbourne Fitzroy.

"We are not delusional that we can solve this problem on our own.

"At best, we can be a spark, a catalyst, and we have to get this out to the world so people know what's going on down there with Paul and the crew."

Sea Shepherd includes Lonely Planet, outdoor gear retailer Patagonia, and Swiss-based Save Our Seas Foundation among its sponsors, supporters and partners, which number almost 30.

More than 3000 volunteers and staff have worked for the organisation since the original Sea Shepherd's first voyage in the late 1970s, according to its website.

The media saturation tactic has worked. Kevin Rudd, his deputy, Julia Gillard, and Foreign Minister Stephen Smith all fronted the media yesterday on the whaling dispute.

Former journalist Greg Smith, who lectures in public relations at Edith Cowan University, said the media's remoteness from the action, and reliance on activists for photos, risked pushing the debate "out of balance".

"We fall for the cute and cuddly animal story, and having it on the high seas adds to the drama," Smith said.

But "when they're strong pictures like that, the other side doesn't have much chance".

Australian National University marketing lecturer Andrew Hughes said it was not just awareness Sea Shepherd had created. The organisation was generating "a lot of money" by linking its powerful images, blog updates, and promise of instant action to online donations.

It has even converted former Howard government environment minister Ian Campbell, now on the Sea Shepherd's board of advisers. When he was a minister, Campbell slammed Watson's verbal offensive against whalers as "deranged" and hinted at legal action against him.

 

Coke may join anti-whaling bout, by Julian Lee - 24th January 2008
(Credit: The Sydney Morning Herald)


Whoever said large corporations such as Coca-Cola don't engage in risky marketing might have to swallow their words. The company's Australian bottler, Coca-Cola Amatil, has not ruled out sponsoring, of all things, anti-whaling activism.

Fresh back from a holiday in Africa, CCA's nature-loving boss, Terry Davis, has equated the killing of whales to that of poaching elephants and has said he might reactivate Bluetongue's sponsorship of the anti-whaling group Sea Shepherd after it finished last year.

Pacific Beverages - a joint venture between CCA and SABMiller - paid $30 million late last year for Bluetongue Brewery.

This time last year Bluetongue's previous owner, John Singleton, handed the Sea Shepherd activists - who are battling Japanese whalers in the Antarctic - a large cheque and promised an extra $1 for every case sold. A graphic internet ad showing a harpooned Japanese diner proclaimed Bluetongue as the whale-safe beer.

But, given the size of the story in the past 10 days, it looks like Bluetongue and Pacific might have missed the boat, so to speak.

Patrick Baume of Media Monitors said: "The story was by far and away the biggest non-sport story of the week. It was at least three times as big as the nearest story, which was the floods."

Compare that to the week when Mr Singleton launched the whale-safe campaign, widely held as a thinly veiled attack on the fact rival brewer Lion Nathan is 46 per cent owned by Japanese brewer, Kirin. That week the drought, high toll of P-plater deaths and bushfires dominated the news.

Yesterday, Mr Singleton, who has been retained by Pacific as a marketing consultant on Bluetongue, issued a short statement which also failed to shed light on Bluetongue's silence. "Bluetongue did their bit when it counted: we donated $250,000 and helped raise awareness of Sea Shepherd's campaign to stop whaling in the Southern Ocean," he said. "But it is Sea Shepherd who deserve the applause - we have no intention of stealing their thunder."

In his own statement Mr Davis, CCA's group managing director, said he supported the Government's efforts to stop whaling in Australian waters. "Having just returned home after a holiday in Africa, my personal view is that killing whales in Australian waters is no different to poaching elephants: unacceptable," he said. "We are currently reviewing our brand strategy for 2008. Nothing is being ruled in or out."

But time is running out, says one public relations expert, Judi Hausmann, founder of the eponymous PR agency. "It's unlikely a big company like that [Coca-Cola Amatil] would make a commitment of that size so quickly … these things take time."

"In my experience the companies that are showing themselves to be flexible are technology companies because the shorter lifespan of their products has forced them to do so."

A Sea Shepherd spokeswoman, Kristine Vasic, did not want to talk about corporate sponsorship, saying she was "focused on the story about saving whales".

 

Actor was tipped for role as anti-whaling captain, by Phillipa Prior
(Credit: The West)


Nature-loving Heath Ledger was the hot favourite to play the Sea Shepherd’s Capt. Paul Watson in a swashbuckling biopic based on the renegade anti-whaling campaigner’s life, the film’s LA-based producer said yesterday.

On the phone from Los Angeles, Kingsborough Pictures co-owner Pieter Kroonenburg confirmed he had intended to “vigorously pursue” Ledger for the title role after the actor expressed strong interest in it during a meeting with Capt. Watson last October to discuss a documentary Ledger was making about whales.

Ledger became a member of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society advisory board after the meeting and was “very intrigued by the character of Paul”, Kroonenburg said.

“He was certainly on the short-list of actors to play the part . . . we have just finished the last draft of our script but we hadn’t sent it to him yet.”

Under the direction of filmmaker and actor Stuart Townsend, the movie Mighty Hearts could have had Ledger as Capt. Watson ramming driftnet fishing trawlers, smashing illegal whaling boats and sailing boldly into Soviet waters in his bid to stop whalers.

Kroonenburg said Ledger would have been perfect for the lead role in the film, now in pre-production, as he was a gifted actor who had a genuine interest in whales and had demonstrated a capacity to “age beautifully” in Brokeback Mountain.

“His age was absolutely perfect because the film takes off at a time when Paul Watson strayed off from Greenpeace . . . he was 26 at the time . . . but you totally accept (Heath) as someone in his late 30s and early 40s,” he said.

“It’s horrible, because more than anything Heath was such a promising actor and his life was just too short.”

Capt. Watson said he was “sad indeed” when news reached him in the Southern Ocean that Ledger had died. It was only months ago the actor had been “extremely enthusiastic” about showing him the animated documentary about whales he was working on.

“He was a great actor and a great activist and he was a friend of the whales and the planet,” he said.

Articles

Activists will ram Japanese whalers - mX

Profiles

Paul Watson

John Singleton

Environmentalists and the Environment

Coastal Directory