The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society (SSCS) is a nonprofit group that works to protect ocean life. It is based in Friday Harbor on San Juan Island, Washington, in the United States. Sea Shepherd uses direct actions to reach its goals, most notably by using its ships to follow, report on, and stop fishing boats that are suspected of engaging in illegal or uncontrolled activities that harm marine life.

Some environmental groups and national governments have criticized Sea Shepherd for its methods. The Japanese government, which is a major target of Sea Shepherd’s efforts due to its whaling industry, has called the group "eco-terrorists" for stopping their whaling research.

History

The earlier group that became Sea Shepherd was called the "Earth Force Society." It was created in 1977 after its founder, Paul Watson, was removed from Greenpeace's board because of disagreements over his approach to activism, which involved direct actions that conflicted with Greenpeace's pacifist stance. Watson left Greenpeace soon after. Without funding and with few supporters, Watson persuaded Cleveland Amory, who led the Fund for Animals, to help pay for Watson's first boat, the Sea Shepherd, in 1978.

The Sea Shepherd's first direct action was against Canadian seal hunting in the Gulf of St. Lawrence in March 1979. That same year, the group also intentionally rammed an unregulated Portuguese whaling ship called the Sierra. After the campaign in Portugal, the first Sea Shepherd boat was sunk intentionally, but Watson sold the story to raise money for a new vessel. During the 1980s, Watson led many controversial and dangerous missions to protect marine life, including physically confronting whalers from Russia, Spain, Norway, Iceland, the Makah, the Faroe Islands, and Japan.

In the 1990s, the group changed its public image. Earlier, it focused on ethical arguments, but it began calling itself an anti-poaching agency, based on its interpretation of maritime and conservation laws. During this time, the group made progress in protecting wildlife, such as working with others to reduce driftnet fishing. In 1994, Sea Shepherd sank an illegal Norwegian whaling vessel, but no charges were filed because the ship had committed even more illegal acts than expected.

In the 2000s, Sea Shepherd helped clean up the Petrobras oil spill, which was the worst in Brazil's history, after being hired by the Rio government. The group also worked with governments to stop maritime poaching, including in Costa Rica, though some efforts were not successful. In 2008, Sea Shepherd conducted two trips to Antarctica to stop illegal whaling.

Since 2016, Sea Shepherd has worked more closely with national governments to stop poaching in territorial waters and marine reserves. This included partnerships with the Italian Coast Guard in Sicily (Operation Siracusa), the Mexican Navy (Operation Milagro), and the Coastguards of Gabon and São Tomé and Príncipe (Operation Albacore), where Gabonese military marines joined Sea Shepherd vessels.

In late 2022, a split occurred after Paul Watson was removed from the board of Sea Shepherd Global. Watson claimed this happened because the organization moved away from his focus on independent, direct action toward working with governments. Watson then created his own group, the Captain Paul Watson Foundation, and a competing Sea Shepherd group called Sea Shepherd Origins. Chapters in France, the UK, and Brazil have joined Watson and Sea Shepherd Origins, leaving Sea Shepherd Global. Neither Sea Shepherd Global nor the remaining chapters have commented on these events.

Organization

Sea Shepherd is a non-governmental and non-profit environmental organization. In the United States, it has a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status. In 2019, 89.9% of the money was used for programs. Only 10.1% was used for running the organization and fundraising. Sea Shepherd is also known for being clear and responsible with its finances. The group receives support from private and corporate donations, lectures by Watson, internet advertising, and grants. It is run by volunteers and a small group of paid workers. Sea Shepherd aims to stay small and spend little on fundraising or recruitment.

Sea Shepherd is managed by a board of directors and several advisory boards, each focusing on a specific area. The Scientific, Technical, and Conservation Advisory Board includes Dave Foreman, founder of Earth First!, and Horst Klienschmidt, a former deputy chair of the International Whaling Commission (2006). The Legal and Law Enforcement Advisory Board includes Ian Campbell, a former Australian Minister of the Environment and Heritage (2004–07). The Animal Welfare, Humane, and Animal Rights Advisory Board included Tom Regan, an animal rights philosopher, until his death in 2017. Other advisory boards include the Media and Arts Advisory Board, Photography Advisory Board, and Financial and Management Advisory Board.

Direct action activism

Sea Shepherd uses protests and direct actions to protect ocean animals. The group has worked to stop harmful activities like illegal fishing, shark hunting, seal hunting, and whaling. Sea Shepherd has operated in areas such as the South Pacific, the Mediterranean, and near the Galapagos Islands. The group also helps reduce ocean pollution by organizing cleanups near oceans, rivers, and streams. In April 2018, Sea Shepherd shared a public service announcement showing that over one million marine animals die each year from plastic waste.

According to its mission, Sea Shepherd uses direct actions to investigate, record, and stop illegal activities at sea. The group has documented violations of conservation laws and used non-lethal tactics, such as sinking or disabling whaling ships, shining lights at whalers, throwing bottles of a strong-smelling chemical onto vessels, boarding whaling ships to protest, and destroying illegal fishing nets. Sea Shepherd says these actions are needed to stop harmful practices because international laws are not always followed.

Sea Shepherd members have faced violence from people in the fishing industry. In 1998, a group called Makah took a Sea Shepherd boat and threw rocks at it during protests against a whale hunt. In 2005, 11 Sea Shepherd crew members were arrested after getting too close to a seal hunt. In 2008, fishermen in Saint Pierre and Miquelon cut the mooring lines of a Sea Shepherd ship after a crew member made negative comments about seal hunters.

Sea Shepherd claims it has sunk ten whaling ships and destroyed equipment worth millions of dollars. These actions have sometimes caused injuries to sailors, including concussions and harm from chemical attacks. Paul Watson, the group’s leader, says Sea Shepherd acts against illegal activities and calls the group an anti-poaching organization. However, some people say Sea Shepherd breaks international laws. Watson argues that Sea Shepherd is trying to enforce conservation and maritime laws, including the World Charter for Nature.

Australia has said Japan’s whale hunt in the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary is illegal. A judge noted that there is no way to enforce court orders against Japan. Because of this, Sea Shepherd decided to take action on its own to stop illegal whaling. A 2008 study by researchers at Monash University suggested Sea Shepherd’s actions might be considered vigilantism, as the group tries to enforce laws when the international community fails to do so.

Paul Watson left Greenpeace in 1977 after disagreements over his methods. Greenpeace has criticized Sea Shepherd for its aggressive tactics, saying the group endangers fishermen and whalers. Greenpeace also claims Sea Shepherd’s actions may harm efforts to stop whaling in Japan by making anti-whaling groups seem dangerous. In his 2009 book, Whaling in Japan, Jun Morikawa wrote that Sea Shepherd’s actions have made Japanese citizens more supportive of whaling.

In 2014, the International Court of Justice ruled that Japan’s whaling program was not for scientific research and ordered Japan to stop all whaling. Japan reduced its annual whaling limit from 915 to 333 whales, focusing only on minke whales and stopping the hunting of humpback and fin whales. Paul Watson said Sea Shepherd’s work helped reduce Japan’s whaling quotas. In 2017, Sea Shepherd said it would stop sending ships to the Antarctic Ocean because Japan used military technology, like satellite surveillance and anti-terrorism laws, to stop Sea Shepherd’s operations. Japan passed anti-terrorism laws in preparation for the 2020 Olympics, and these laws made it illegal for eco-activist ships to approach whalers. Watson said Sea Shepherd could not compete with Japan’s advanced technology.

Public relations

The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society is known for using the media effectively to share its message. The group works with journalists and uses press releases to inform the public about its campaigns.

Paul Watson, a leader of Sea Shepherd, is shown in the television series Whale Wars creating a large media event after two Sea Shepherd crew members were detained on a Japanese whaling ship. In his book Earthforce!, Watson suggests that people can create facts and share them confidently with reporters, even if they are not true. He also says that the truth is not always important in mass media. When asked about using the media this way, Watson explained that Sea Shepherd gives the media stories that are hard to ignore, which helps raise awareness about whales, seals, sharks, and other marine conservation efforts.

Sea Shepherd has used satellite connections, webcams, and internet blogs during its operations in the Southern Ocean. The group has invited journalists to join its missions. In 2006, media representatives from Seven Network, National Geographic, and documentary filmmakers traveled with Sea Shepherd. A television series called Whale Wars, produced by Discovery Communications, Inc., followed Sea Shepherd’s 2008/09 campaign against Japanese whalers on the ship Steve Irwin. The show first aired on November 7, 2008, on Discovery’s Animal Planet channel.

Sea Shepherd has received financial support from celebrities and business leaders, including entrepreneur Steve Wynn, television host Bob Barker, and businessman John Paul DeJoria. Actors such as Martin Sheen, Daryl Hannah, and Richard Dean Anderson have participated in Sea Shepherd protests. Other actors, including Edward Norton, Pierce Brosnan, Christian Bale, Clive Standen, and Emily Deschanel, have supported the group through donations. William Shatner has also been linked to Sea Shepherd. Pamela Anderson, an actress and model, is an active spokesperson for the group, has taken part in campaigns, and serves on its board of directors. She is also a close friend of Paul Watson. In 2007, actor Heath Ledger planned and directed a music video for the song "King Rat" by Modest Mouse to raise awareness about whale hunts near Australia. After Ledger’s death, others completed the video, which was released online in August 2009. Money from the video’s first month of sales on iTunes was donated to Sea Shepherd.

Musicians and bands have also supported Sea Shepherd. Anthony Kiedis of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, singer Leona Lewis, music producer Rick Rubin, and bands like Hawkwind, Propagandhi, Gojira, and Architects have financially helped the group. Architects’ lead singer, Sam Carter, is one of Sea Shepherd’s British ambassadors. Vegan band Earth Crisis and musician Zoltán Téglás of Ignite have dedicated songs to Sea Shepherd and other environmental groups. Giacomo "Josh" Giorgi, the lead singer of the Italian band To Kill, works as a bosun’s mate on the ship MY Steve Irwin. In 2009, professional surfer Kelly Slater joined a partnership between Quiksilver Australia and Sea Shepherd, which included a fundraising clothing line with board shorts designed by Slater. In 2013, the band Klogr began supporting Sea Shepherd in Europe through music videos that included images from Sea Shepherd documentaries filmed in Taiji and other locations.

The Lush cosmetics company partnered with Sea Shepherd in 2008 to raise awareness about shark finning. Lush created a product called "Shark Fin Soap" (a play on the phrase "shark fin soup"), and all money from its sales went to Sea Shepherd.

In Tasmania, Sea Shepherd has been banned from the Australian Wooden Boat Festival because its presence might harm the festival’s goal of celebrating maritime heritage, not modern environmental issues in Australian waters.

For many years, Mexico relied on Sea Shepherd to remove illegal fishing nets that trap and kill vaquita porpoises in the Gulf of California. In January 2021, Sea Shepherd had to leave the Gulf after a New Year’s Eve attack in which a fisherman crashed into a Sea Shepherd vessel. One fisherman died in the attack. Although Mexico has invited Sea Shepherd to return to help save the vaquita, it will no longer allow the group to remove nets.

Fleet of ships

Sea Shepherd calls the ships it has used "Neptune's Navy." As of 2021, the conservation group operates 12 ships: Ocean Warrior, Brigitte Bardot, Bob Barker, Steve Irwin, Sam Simon, John Paul DeJoria, Farley Mowat, Sharpie, Jairo Mora Sandoval, White Holly, Martin Sheen, and Sea Eagle.

The Steve Irwin was acquired in 2007. It was originally named the Robert Hunter, in honor of Robert Hunter, a co-founder of Greenpeace. Steve Irwin’s wife, Terri, supported Sea Shepherd, stating that Steve always cared about whales and had considered joining Sea Shepherd’s mission to protect them in 2006. The Bob Barker, a 1,200-ton ship, was named after Bob Barker, a famous television game show host and animal rights advocate. Bob Barker helped fund the purchase of a retired Norwegian whaling ship in Ghana with a $5 million donation. In February 2010, the Bob Barker collided with a Japanese whaling ship, damaging its hull. In December 2014, the Bob Barker chased the illegal fishing vessel FV Thunder, part of the Bandit 6 group, for 110 days over 10,000 nautical miles, making it the longest chase in history.

Sea Shepherd previously operated the Farley Mowat, which was taken by the Canadian government. Sea Shepherd said it would not pay the legal fees to reclaim the ship. Another ship, the Ady Gil (formerly called Earthrace), was sunk in 2010 after colliding with a Japanese whaling security vessel. The group also used other ships before these.

In 2010, Sea Shepherd acquired the Ocean 7 Adventurer for its campaign against Japanese whaling in the Antarctic. In November 2010, the ship was renamed Gojira, with Fremantle, Australia, as its home port. This was the first Sea Shepherd ship registered in Australia with an Australian crew. In May 2011, the ship was renamed MV Brigitte Bardot after a copyright dispute with Toho.

For the 2011–2012 Antarctic campaign, Sea Shepherd used drone aircraft to monitor whaling ships.

In July 2012, Sam Simon, a co-creator of The Simpsons, donated money to buy a fourth ship, a former German icebreaker. However, the actual ship was a retired Japanese weather survey vessel, now called MY Sam Simon.

In October 2014, actor Martin Sheen unveiled Sea Shepherd’s newest ship, R/V Martin Sheen, named in his honor. The ship is captained by Oona Layolle of France. The "R/V" prefix indicates it will serve as a research vessel.

In January 2015, two retired U.S. Coast Guard cutters flying the Sea Shepherd flag were spotted in Annapolis, Maryland. In June 2015, Sea Shepherd confirmed it had purchased these ships. One was named MY Farley Mowat, after a previous ship taken by Canada, and the other was named MY Jules Verne, after the author of Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas. This ship was later renamed MV John Paul DeJoria in 2017.

In December 2017, Sea Shepherd announced the purchase of a third U.S. Coast Guard cutter, donated by Chris Sharp, a biotech businessman. The ship was named MV Sharpie and will join Operation Milagro in the Gulf of California to protect the endangered vaquita porpoise.

The ships in Sea Shepherd’s fleet have flown flags from many countries. Canada, Belize, the UK, and Togo have stopped the registration of some vessels. The Steve Irwin and Bob Barker now sail under the Dutch flag, leading to complaints from Japan to Dutch officials. The Netherlands considered stopping the registration of these ships but ultimately decided not to.

Government response

In 2002, during a US congressional hearing about "The Threat of Eco-Terrorism," an FBI official mentioned Sea Shepherd as the first group accused of attacking commercial fishing operations by cutting drift nets. A Canadian intelligence report from earlier described Paul Watson and his supporters as having taken militant actions against whale hunting, driftnet fishing, seal hunting, and logging in Canada. In 2007, Ian Campbell, then Australia’s Environment Minister, criticized Sea Shepherd’s tactics, saying they harmed conservation efforts. In 2008, Danny Williams, Premier of Newfoundland and Labrador, called Watson a terrorist and said Sea Shepherd was not welcome in his province. The Japanese government has accused Sea Shepherd of eco-terrorism, as Japan’s banned whaling program is a major focus of the group. Australia and New Zealand, which also oppose whaling, have criticized Sea Shepherd.

Sea Shepherd has conducted many operations from Australia, with foreign crew members entering the country on tourist visas. In 2009, Australia’s Immigration Department added criminal background checks for Watson and his first officer, Peter Hammarstedt, when they applied for visas. Watson claimed the action was due to Japanese pressure on the Australian government. Australia denied delaying the visas, and they were issued on October 20, 2009. Meanwhile, the Tasmanian Greens and former Greens Senator Bob Brown supported Sea Shepherd through advocacy and public statements. In 2009, when the Steve Irwin returned to Tasmania, Australian Federal Police seized film footage and ship logs, reportedly due to complaints from Japan. Bob Brown demanded the footage’s return, but officials said it was a police matter. In 2013, Australia’s Foreign Minister, Julie Bishop, stated that the government does not support "reckless, dangerous, unlawful behavior" by Sea Shepherd, even though some of its ships are registered in Australia. In 2017, when Sea Shepherd stopped pursuing Japanese whalers, Watson claimed hostility from US, Australian, and New Zealand governments, accusing them of acting "in league with Japan."

Japanese officials have tried to stop Sea Shepherd by discussing the group’s tax-exempt status with US counterparts. In 2011, Japan’s whaling groups asked a US court to stop Sea Shepherd’s actions against Japanese whalers. The court denied the request. Japan appealed, and in 2012, a US court ordered Sea Shepherd to stay at least 500 yards away from Japanese whaling vessels. Paul Watson stepped down as leader, and Bob Brown took over. Sea Shepherd’s appeal was rejected, and the court called their actions "the very embodiment of piracy." As a result, US members of Sea Shepherd are now banned from approaching Japanese whalers, even if they break international laws.

In 2012, Malta’s Prime Minister, Lawrence Gonzi, announced legal action against Paul Watson after Watson accused Maltese politicians of accepting bribes from the bluefin tuna industry. In the same year, Watson was detained in Germany at Frankfurt Airport based on a request from Costa Rica, which accused him of violating navigational rules. The charge came from a 2002 incident during filming for the documentary Sharkwater, where Sea Shepherd claimed another vessel was illegally shark finning in Guatemalan waters. Watson skipped bail and went into hiding, leading Costa Rica to request an Interpol Red Notice for his arrest.

In 2009, Watson told the Discovery Channel that the Dalai Lama sent a letter of support for Sea Shepherd, including a statue of Hayagriva, a deity symbolizing compassion and determination. However, during a 2010 visit to Japan, the Dalai Lama said he supported stopping whaling but disagreed with Sea Shepherd’s use of violence to achieve that goal.

In the media

Sea Shepherd's efforts have been covered in the Netflix documentary Seaspiracy, the TV series Whale Wars, and the TV series Ocean Warriors produced by Animal Planet and Discovery Channel. Books written by current and past members include:

• Laura Dakin, Cookin' Up a Storm: Stories and Recipes from Sea Shepherd's Anti-Whaling Campaigns (March 16, 2015; Book Publishing Company). ISBN 978-1570673122
• Raffaella Tolicetti, Think! Eat! Act!: A Sea Shepherd Chef's Vegan Cookbook (July 24, 2014; Microcosm Publishing). ISBN 9781621066668
• Laurens de Groot, Hunting the Hunters: At War With the Whalers (January 2, 2014; Adlard Coles). ISBN 978-1472903648
• Rik Scarce, Eco-Warriors: Understanding the Radical Environmental Movement, second revised ed. (1990; Left Coast Press, 2005), Ch. 6. ISBN 978-1-59874-028-8
• Paul Watson, Seal Wars: Twenty-five Years in the Front Lines with the Harp Seals (2002; Firefly Books, 2003). ISBN 978-1-55297-751-4
• Paul Watson, Ocean Warrior: My Battle to End the Illegal Slaughter on the High Seas (1994; Key Porter Books, 1996). ISBN 978-1-55013-599-2
• David B. Morris, Earth Warrior: Overboard with Paul Watson and the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society (1995; Golden, CO: Fulcrum Publishing). ISBN 1-55591-203-6
• Paul Watson, Earthforce! An Earth Warrior's Guide to Strategy (1993; Los Angeles: Chaco Press). ISBN 0-9616019-5-7
• Paul Watson, Sea Shepherd: My Fight For Whales And Seals (1980; W. W. Norton and Company). ISBN 978-0393335804