Paul Watson, the founder of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society

Sea Shepherd Conservation Society distances itself from its founder, Paul Watson, and his controversial attitude

UNITED STATES
Saturday, July 30, 2022, 01:00 (GMT + 9)

seashepherd.org/Nearly a half century ago, Paul Watson, the founder of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, formally resigned from the group he founded.

Wikipedia describes him as follows "Paul Franklin Watson (born December 2, 1950) is a Canadian-American conservation and environmental activist, who founded the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, an anti-poaching and direct action group focused on marine conservation activism. The tactics used by Sea Shepherd have attracted opposition, with the group accused of eco-terrorism by both the Japanese government and Greenpeace. Watson is a citizen of Canada and the United States.

The Toronto native joined a Sierra Club protest against nuclear testing in 1969. He was a co-founder of Greenpeace in 1972. Because Watson argued for a strategy of direct action that conflicted with the Greenpeace interpretation of nonviolence, he was ousted from the board in 1977. That same year, I formed the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society. The group was the subject of a reality show named Whale Wars.

He promotes veganism, population reduction and a biocentric, rather than anthropocentric, worldview.

Watson's activities have led to legal action from authorities in countries including the United States, Canada, Norway, Costa Rica and Japan. He was detained in Germany on an extradition request by Costa Rica in May 2012. An Interpol red notice was issued on September 14, 2012, at the request of Japan and Costa Rica.

After staying at sea for 15 months following his escape from Germany, where he was released on bail, he returned to Los Angeles in late October 2013, going through customs and "was not arrested". He appeared before a US appeals court on November 6, 2013, stating that neither he nor the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society violated a 2012 order requiring them to leave whaling vessels alone. Although the United States is a signatory member of Interpol, Watson has not been detained for extradition to Japan or Costa Rica. He is living in Vermont, writing books. He was residing in Paris as of July 1, 2014 but has since returned to the USA.

In March 2019, Costa Rica dropped all charges against Watson and has removed the Interpol red notice."

This week Sea Shepherd Conservation Society and Paul Watson have published press releases that we proceed to reproduce:
 

Sea Shepherd Conservation Society remains focused on the mission that has driven all our direct action campaigns since 1981; protecting all marine wildlife particularly endangered species such as the vaquita porpoise, and continuing our partnerships with NGOs and governments in combating Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated fishing (IUU).

Sea Shepherd’s work in the Gulf of California, in partnership with the Mexican Navy, is expanding and giving the vaquita a significantly improved chance for survival. Over the coming weeks, we will be releasing the details of the next enhanced phase of Operation Milagro.

In reference to Captain Paul Watson’s recent resignation, our founder took a substantial step back from SSCS management in 2014, and in 2019 reduced his role to primarily archiving the organization’s history. Along with Paul Watson, we support the work of all Sea Shepherd Global efforts around the world.

SSCS is very proud of our campaigns and continued growth. As recently as July 8th 2022, we took possession of the MV Sharkwater, now the largest ship in the SSCS fleet of five vessels. This historic vessel will help us in Operation Milagro to protect the world’s most endangered marine mammal, the vaquita porpoise. This vessel will be particularly effective in the fight against IUU in the Pacific Ocean. SSCS also partners with Sea Shepherd UK in fighting the slaughter of White Dolphins and Pilot Whales in the Faroe Islands and Sea Shepherd Brazil in protecting the River Dolphin of the Amazon.

SSCS’s growing fleet remains focused on direct action campaigns conducted by our captains, crews and volunteers every day. Together, we are on the front lines protecting endangered wildlife in some of the most challenging and fragile ecosystems in the world. Our work is only made possible by our supporters, donors, volunteers and crews. We are deeply in your debt.

Look for more news about the fleet expansion and new campaign developments in the coming weeks.

It is with great relief that as of July 27th, 2022, I have ceased my employment and cut all ties with the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society (USA).
 
Since 1977, when I founded Sea Shepherd nearly a half century ago, I have dedicated my entire life to the aggressive and determined preservation and protection of biodiversity of marine life and our ocean.
 
Over the last few years, I have been slowly marginalized from the organization that I created in the USA. I was removed from the Board of Directors, my advice ignored, my close associates terminated and directors that supported me were removed. I was reduced to being a paid figurehead, denied the freedom to organize campaigns and the freedom to express the strong opinions that I have held for decades, opinions and campaigns that have shaped what Sea Shepherd has become and continues to be outside the borders of the United States.
 
As I said in the documentary movie Watson, my role is to rock the boat, to make waves, to provoke people to think about the damage we are collectively inflicting upon diversity and interdependence of life in the ocean.
 
The current Board seeks to turn our vessels away from confronting illegal poachers that prey on endangered species and instead seeks to turn our fleet into non-controversial research vessels. Research has always been a part of Sea Shepherd efforts, but it has not and should not be our priority. What we have provided is a unique function: a fearless leadership to intervene against poachers on the high seas, to document and to stop illegal acts that would otherwise go unnoticed and unchallenged.  Sea Shepherd has always, and must always go where others fear to go, to say the things that must be said and to tackle the obstacles fearlessly and with great resolve.
 
The new direction that the present Board of Sea Shepherd USA has decided upon is not a path that I can in good conscience support nor participate in. I have not changed my objectives or resolve, and I refuse to change and adopt an approach that diminishes the incredible movement that we have created over the last four and a half decades, a movement that continues to grow outside the borders of the United States.
 
I remain a director of Sea Shepherd Global, and I remain a supporter of Global ships, officers, and crew. Together with all other national Sea Shepherd entities, with the exception of the USA, I will continue to support our campaigns around the world utilizing our unique philosophy of aggressive non-violence and cooperation with governments and NGOs.
 
We are Sea Shepherd. We are direct action motivated by imagination, persistence, and courage.
 
My future lies with the people from around the world who have made and continue to make Sea Shepherd the most influential, passionate, and effective marine conservation movement on this planet.

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