New ‘Whale Wars’ TV Series Documents Anti-Whaling Activists
The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, a direct action animal rights organization led by Captain Paul Watson, will get some well-deserved attention in an upcoming seven-part Animal Planet television series titled “Whale Wars,” set to premier November 7th.
The group formed in 1977 after Watson, one of the founders of Greenpeace, became frustrated with the seminal environmental group’s hesitation to engage in direct action. Since then the group has faced down whalers year-after-year by literally chasing their ships around the open seas.
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Unlike most direct action activism, Watson insists that Sea Shepherd’s anti-whaling campaigns are entirely legal. He cites international treaties under the International Whaling Commission that state that any human has the right to interfere with illegal poaching or whaling. While the laws exist, Watson says that Sea Shepherd are the only ones enforcing them. He has been arrested numerous times across the globe but has never been convicted of any wrongdoing.
Last winter, the crew prevented the Japanese from killing at least 300 whales, but not without a fight. The television show documents all the action, including a dramatic hostage situation, flash grenades, gunfire, and full-throttled chases through to antarctic seas. Quite frankly, I wish I had cable.
This teaser gives you a taste of what to expect:
Looking for more on Sea Shepherd? Check out some related posts:
- Greenpeace vs. Sea Shepherd: An Unfortunate Conflict
- Japan Plans to Arrest Sea Shepherd Crew
- Sea Shepherd Now has Former US Navy Lieutenant Onboard
- Animal Planet, Daryl Hannah Join Sea Shepherd Crew For More Whale Wars
- “Madagascar Two” Movie Inaccurate According to Sea Shepherd
- Australia, Greenpeace Opt Out of This Winter’s ‘Whale Wars’
- Japan Accuses Animal Planet of EcoTerrorism Prior to “Whale Wars” Premiere
Image Credit: Paul Watson via Wiki Commons
Watching captain Shepard and his crew perform their duties is like rubber-necking an automotive fatality on the side of the highway. It’s just a matter of time before some poor volunteer crew is seriously hurt and/or killed in the process. Having served in the maritime profession for 18 years, both as crew and master captain, I can tell you that there is no way I’d step foot on this guys ship or call him qualified to make safe decisions. Greenpeace should break there relationship with this rogue and instead put their money into marketing the next generation of Asians to frown upon eating whale meat.
Having watched the first 3 eps now, I’m inclined to say the show will do more harm than good to the ’cause’. Mostly because of Watson himself, but also the ‘caliber’ of individuals on his ‘crew’. Ironically, it might have gone over better if not for Discovery Channel’s ‘Deadliest Catch’ series.
Prior to the premiere of ‘Dealiest Catch’, I doubt many people had any real knowledge of how a crabbing ship operated, what the crews endured, what the captains do, etc. I know it was an eye opener for me. (I will never grumble at the cost of crab again;) That said, we *have* seen it now, and it paints Watson and his ‘crew’ in a very poor light.
Their objectives may be worlds apart, but a good leader is a good leader, and a good crew is a good crew. Watson and his bunch of mostly giddy airheads are neither. They’re not just embarrassingly bad, they give environmentalists a bad name (by fitting the stereotype to a ‘t’.)
If I had to choose - and ‘cook’ would probably be the ONLY position I would be capable of filling on one of these ships - I would choose to crew with ANY of the crab ship captains over Watson. Watching the last eps of Whale Wars, I was dumbfounded at how he handled the crisis. Or maybe I should say, didn’t handle it. He stayed in his bunk. Had that been Sig or Jonathan, or any of the other crab ship captains, it might have taken a couple gallons of coffee and a case of Red Bull, but they WOULD have been on bridge, in charge, on top of the situation no matter what. Watson slept on…
Not sure where Watson finds his ‘crew’, but they make me cringe. Most of them are inexperienced, and the ‘volunteers’ are walking, talking caricatures of uber-liberal, too-much-time-on-their-hands airheads playing at being ‘environmental warriors’.
I support the idea of protecting the whales, but have little confidence, or respect, for Watson’s group.
My ‘fantasy’? The lot of them sent to sea under Captain Sig;) I’d pay to watch that;)
The Whale Wars are informative and Animal Planet is doing an educational service to the public. The series illustrates how important protecting the whales from extinction and preventing the Japanese whaling industry from violating international agreements by whaling in protected waters and far exceeding quotas.
The Sea Shepherd, led by Captain Watson, deserves the respect and gratitude of us all in protecting a mammal whose brain is larger than our cars, from a cruel death by harpoons with attached grenades. It takes the whale often hours to die an agonizing death.
The whales belong to all of us not Japans taste for whale meat. Greenpeace has been collecting money under false pretences from me for one by alluding they are there as well to protect the whales. NO so. My donations will now go to the Sea Shepherd Society.
Thank you to the Sea Shepherd Society and to Animal Planet for making us aware of the struggle which hopefully will be resolved with world attention to the problem.
This apparently serious show often appears to be a parody of itself. Given the rampant incompetence of the crew it will be a minor miracle if they survive their voyage. Reminds me of the occasional sad and pathetic story of a person who can’t swim but nonetheless jumps in the water to save someone. Well intentioned but idiotic. The solemn pledges of their willingness to die for the whales lost the effect when the one fellow called to ask the whaling ship for help because the fools in the delta did not turn on their phone and were lost.
I suggest Paul Watson, aka the Nappin’ Cap’n, shorten the crew’s leash.
I’d also enjoy hearing the crew’s opinions about waterboarding or Guantanamo, say, right after they’ve returned from one of their oh-so-honorable “missions” to disable or destroy the whaling ships.
I watch the show but not for the same reasons as most I guess. First off that captain is about the most incompetent boob in the world. He IS going to get someone killed. I watch the show to see who dies.
I do disagree with the whaling, but for starters they are legal. If you truly want to make the change then make it ILLEAGLE if you truly have the support that you claim. Boarding a ship on the high sea is ILLEGAL and an act of piracy, in which I would have fully supported the Japanese if they would have treated them as such, like shooting, hanging or taking them back to Japan to be tried for international piracy.
That crew consists of people with great ideals but no seamanship ability. I wonder about their real intelligence. Would I go to sea with a captain that has very little command experience commanding a vessel? (NO!) also with someone that was kicked out of a similar radical organization for being too radical even for them. The guy is a real nut job. To me he isn’t qualified to be the captain of a row boat.
Also look at the training OMFG ROFLMAO there isn’t any. They tried to launch the rib and had only one person that had a clue and only a clue on what he was doing. And he was in the rib. All this while they were underway. When I saw that happening I started laughing because Ray Charles could see what was coming next. Those guys almost lost their lives due to the incompetence of their skipper.
Has anyone wondered why they say they sail with new crews that have never been to sea before? My guess is that by the end of their trip the volunteers have come to their senses and cant wait to get as far from that Usama Bin Laden of the environmentalist organization as they possibly can. I am glad that the Animal Planet is showing this, it makes for good comic relief as well as showing what true Eco terrorism is. I sure hope that either the Australian government stops these quack jobs or that the Japanese actually retaliate with real force. If they did, then the sea shepherds have no one to blame but themselves.
If you want to call yourselves pirates and engage in hostel actions, then be prepared to be treated a such.
I have seen the first three episodes and quit frankley these guys and girls (Sea Shepherds) are a bunch of idiots. In the first couple of episodes they flipped their small boat, almost crippled a helicopter, and endangered the lives of crewman by illegally embarking on a foreign vessel. I am suprised that no one has been killed yet. That is the reason I a keep watching. As for the issue of whaling, I do not see the problem. We kill animals for food all the time. Obviously if there was a problem govenrments would put more strict sanctions on the whalers. What the Sea Shepherds are doing is blantant terrorism. I think the captain of the japanese harpoon boat should of shot them as soon as they illegally boarded rather tresspassed on Japanese teritory. He would of been in the right in my eyes. What is the difference between the sea shepherd’s tactics and that of one of the terrorist groups that we are currently at war with. They should all be arrested.
RADICAL TERRORISTS
For those of you who think Paul Watson is a “hero”, I did a little research on your beloved eco-hero. Paul Watson is an attempted murderer who holds absolutely zero value on human life and actually hates the entire human race. He is quoted as saying that he values earthworms over human life. This is a man who actually LIKES terrorists!! Don”t believe me? He’’s quoted as saying, “There’’s nothing wrong with being a terrorist, as long as you win.” Those of you that support this wildly fanatical and DANGEROUS terrorist, here’’s a news flash for you: This man has not one problem killing you off, even if you are affiliated with his organization, to fulfill his goals of eliminating humanity from the planet. Don”t believe me? http://www.discoverthenetworks.org/individualProfile.asp?indid=1217 If these guys have tax exempt status it needs to be revoked NOW! THEY ARE NOT HERO’S THEY ARE CRIMINALS!
I agree with Jamie. I watch in horror as these morons sail about trying to be “eco-police”. I am in a sea-going lifesaving service. And I work abord a ship. I am apauled about the way this ship is ran. I agree that whale fishing is wrong -BUT- I am certin that if these idiots keep it up, there will be a whole crew and ship at the bottom of the ocean because of their own failures. Then they will have a REAL eco problem.
Just watched a couple of episodes of this series. Its obvious that Paul Watson is so busy feed ing his ego he fails to plan, implement and execute proper safety checklists and protocols before putting members of his crew in harms way. Ie: the fast boat flipping over during launch, the fast boat getting lost in the dark.
I support what they are trying to do, just don’t believe thay have thought out their methods well enough. Just the fact that they are only putting one fast boat in the water at a time is shortsighted. If the fast boat were to be damaged and/or swamped by the Japanese it would take too long for their ship to get to them before they froze in the water. Having a second fast boat already in the water would allow it to serve as a rescue vehicle if necessary.
The captain is blinded by the heat of the pursuit, the safety of his crew is fourth on his list.
great effore but fuck… what a pathetic group of fucking pacifist hippies… sorry but this is an agressor job for people with a vicious heart and skill in anything militant… his crew is completly imcompitant… how much equipment was broken on the first voyage out… way to be prepared.. so lame… kick off the hippies and buy some real soliders… enough of this pussyfoot BS…way to go paul wattson… you have a crack team