Anti-Whaling Warrior, Captain Paul Watson

"doesn't extreme injustice (i.e. whaling) sometimes call for extreme measures? "

No.

... Extreme injustice = extreme measures "sometimes"

I would say yes. Particularly in this case...

Support The Sea Sheperd Conservation Society!

"non-manipulative intelligence"

I am going to use that phrase in the future. Great stuff.

Why shouldn't the Japanese eat whale while we eat chickens?

Variety is good for the planet.
Middle class Western poseurs acting out their cathartic "radical" pantomime against sustainable whale hunting has nothing to do with saving the planet.
Watson blames "greed" for whales being hunted for food but strangely he's the one with his hand out shilling for my credit card number.
No one is hunting whales for industrial oils and corsets any more and whaling was on its way out until Greenpeace and Watson tapped it as a major fund rai$er and gave birth to the modern day commercial animal protest industry.
Peddling prejudice and racism for fun and profit is what should be outlawed and the Discovery channel should be ashamed.
Twerps like Watson and his Sea Schlepper racket are exactly what the environment does NOT need.
If Watson and his groupies feel they can dictate what people can and can't eat then I should be entitled to take "direct action" against any company that sponsors this seven part puff piece or indeed against any assets of the Discovery Channel.

I look forward to all these intellectually confused "progressives" clamouring for a seven part series on a radical group of anti-abortionists and their followers crashing cars into clinics threatening and demonising pregnant women and doctors whilst simultaneously making themselves out to be valiant, selfless heroes and hustling me for cash.

The world is a big place with many views and cultures. Some folks eat whales and cows while others worship them.

Stop the Sea Schleppers and the Discovery Channel from peddling racism, prejudice and hatred at the expense of cooperation and mutual tolerance!

Our planet demands it!

Why shouldn't the Japanese eat whale while we eat chickens?

Variety is good for the planet.
Middle class Western poseurs acting out their cathartic "radical" pantomime against sustainable whale hunting has nothing to do with saving the planet.
Watson blames "greed" for whales being hunted for food but strangely he's the one with his hand out shilling for my credit card number.
No one is hunting whales for industrial oils and corsets any more and whaling was on its way out until Greenpeace and Watson tapped it as a major fund rai$er and gave birth to the modern day commercial animal protest industry.
Peddling prejudice and racism for fun and profit is what should be outlawed and the Discovery channel should be ashamed.
Twerps like Watson and his Sea Schlepper racket are exactly what the environment does NOT need.
If Watson and his groupies feel they can dictate what people can and can't eat then I should be entitled to take "direct action" against any company that sponsors this seven part puff piece or indeed against any assets of the Discovery Channel.

I look forward to all these intellectually confused "progressives" clamouring for a seven part series on a radical group of anti-abortionists and their followers crashing cars into clinics threatening and demonising pregnant women and doctors whilst simultaneously making themselves out to be valiant, selfless heroes and hustling me for cash.

The world is a big place with many views and cultures. Some folks eat whales and cows while others worship them.

Stop the Sea Schleppers and the Discovery Channel from peddling racism, prejudice and hatred at the expense of cooperation and mutual tolerance!

Our planet demands it!

I think that it is a stretch to analogize chickens to whales. Right or wrong, chickens are generally, purposefully raised as a food source, unlike whales. I also think that it is a stretch to say that Watson and his effort are prejudicial. It may be their efforts are a form of "reverse discrimination," making up for the many decades our culture hunted whales for lipstick and corsets, but their efforts do not appear to be an attempt to prejudice other cultures. I won't comment on the extreme nature of Watson's actions, extreme or not, right or wrong, I appreciate the fact that he is doing something (as misguided as it may or may not be) to help a species which cannot help itself.

I think that it is a stretch to analogize chickens to whales. Right or wrong, chickens are generally, purposefully raised as a food source, unlike whales. I also think that it is a stretch to say that Watson and his effort are prejudicial. It may be their efforts are a form of "reverse discrimination," making up for the many decades our culture hunted whales for lipstick and corsets, but their efforts do not appear to be an attempt to prejudice other cultures. I won't comment on the extreme nature of Watson's actions, extreme or not, right or wrong, I appreciate the fact that he is doing something (as misguided as it may or may not be) to help a species which cannot help itself.

A few of things to remember here:

"Captain" Paul Watson is not a captain. He has awarded himself this title and is not officially recognised by any country (should give you an idea as to Mr PW's megalomaniacal tendencies).

He is not a founding member of Greenpeace. He joined in the very early years, and was unanimously voted off (12 - 1) the Greenpeace board because of his violent tendencies and creating friction within the organisation.

He claims to ram ships. I am not against extreme action. But if you say you do something then do it. There have been only 2 recorded cases of the Sea Shepherd ramming ships in their 20 years or so of operation.

"Lets get the Japs" is not a way to fight this problem. Yet this is the kind of racist crap that is constantly on SS literature.

If you want to save whales - support Greenpeace. Effective, professional, non-violent but extremely passionate.

Bravo for Captain Paul Watson!

In this day and age, when supposedly educated people seem more interested in just their own children and investments, it is immensely refreshing to read and watch accounts of brave and principled individuals like Captain Watson and his crew. I further commend Animal Planet for finally carrying an excellent show.

It is a tragedy of our day when heroes, however tormented, like Watson (whether or not he’s a “real” Captain) are called "radicals". It is even more appalling that nations of great history and principles (i.e., Japan, Norway & Iceland) are still carrying out such barbaric activities as whaling. Japan's argument that they are doing "studies" is about as believable as the Chinese accusing the Dalai Lama for being a "separatist".

Also, comparing the, albeit inhumane, treatment of chickens to whaling is an absurdity. One does not need to be a neuroscientist to recognize that whales have a far more developed brain than our little feathered friends. True marine biologists do NOT need to kill, for science (on a single mission), +/- 1,000 endangered mammals with such large and well-developed brains.

It is an irony that in Japan, if one gets caught with a marijuana cigarette they are incarcerated for perhaps decades; yet, it is entirely acceptable to go and slaughter noble creatures in a recognized sanctuary. In the meantime, the US & Australia also arrest and incarcerate individuals for victim-less crimes while allowing the slaughter of innocent victims, as in whaling, to go on unabated. This has to end.

One more thing should end, the child-like fighting between Greenpeace and the Sea Shephard. However much the means differ, stop pissing away your resources and credibility on bickering. Both organizations share similar goals, work toward them. Otherwise, both factions appear more interested self-aggrandizement than in ending whaling.

Finally, for the Sea Shephard: Avoid coming across as racist; watch your catch phrases and use some of the time on the ship learning basic Japanese. You will enjoy greater success, sympathy and better PR. Yelling over a blow-horn in English to a ship full of Japanese sailors looks foolish.

It used to be that whales were hunted out of necessity, but nowadays, they are just hunted because of the incredibly high prices they fetch back in port. Many groups have been protesting this, but one truly stands out. Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, is a group dedicated to “protecting marine wildlife worldwide.” They believe that whaling is not only detrimental to this species, but will impact even more forms of wildlife. Continued whaling could drastically affect the food chain, in the fact that if the whales don’t eat sea plankton it will over spawn to the point of killing other needed marine wildlife. Is combating illegal whaling with tactics that not all might find morally correct, justified ? When we examine the acts these pirate whalers are committing, you might just change your mind. The Sea Shepherd organization is justified in its fight against illegal whaling, because of the atrocities of crimes committed by the whalers and its negative affect on marine wildlife.

Whaling started in 600 b.c., but became a large scale international industry by the nineteenth and early twentieth century. Whales were originally hunted in small numbers, using harpoons. The whale oil would be used to fuel stoves and lanterns. The meat was a significant source of food protein. The fat was used for making soap, and the skin of the whale for clothing. In these modern times, however, whales are hunted for profit. A good catch can bring as much as three million dollars on the Japanese market. The Japanese believe the whale meat to be a delicacy. Whaling is not only bad because of the fact that these endangered species are being needlessly killed, but also by the inhumane way the Japanese are doing it. How would you like to be subject to high voltage electric shocks and numerous rifle shots before actually dying? And what about the significant affect whaling has on the marine environment?

In 1946, the International Whaling Commission was started in the United States.The purpose of the commission is to provide for the proper conservation of whale stocks. More than 11 species of whale are already listed as endangered. In 1986, the IWC enacted a ban on all commercial whaling. Many member nations, such as Norway and Japan, blatantly disregard this law by exploiting a loop hole in the ban that allows whaling for scientific purposes. The Japanese whalers are presently using a scientific permit to whale for almost 400 Minke whales each year,having hunted other species in the past, that are now subsequently few and far between. As a member nation of the IWC, Japan agreed to stop all commercial whaling, but continues to whale for profit under the guise of this permit.

The Sea Shepherd crew, or “the whale warriors”, as referred to by National Geographic Adventure magazine journalist, Peter Heller ,would give there life for a whale. Spending weeks on the stormy open seas,off the coast of Antarctica , their mission is to defend the world’s largest mammal and stop Japanese fleets from illegal commercial whaling, using nonviolent means. Sea Shepherd Conservation Society was started in 1977, by Paul Watson. One of it main goals is to defend the International Whaling Commissions conservation moratorium, on commercial whaling, that was enacted in 1986. Paul Watson,Captain of Sea Shepherds Flagship, also states, that not only is Japan abusing there scientific permit for whaling , they are whaling in the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary. The Sanctuary forbids whaling of all kinds. Journalist Heller adds, that in June 2005, the Japanese acted to double their “research kill”, allowing a take of 935 Minke whales and 10 endangered Fin whales. The Japanese claim, “ Lethal research is the only way to accurately measure whale population,health, and response to global warming and is essential for the sustainable management of the world’s cetacean stocks.” As for Captain Watson,there is no doubt in his mind that the Japanese are commercially whaling under “bogus research” permits.

“I don’t give a damn what you think,” says Sea Shepherd founder Paul Watson. “If you can find me one whale that disagrees with what were doing, then we might reconsider”.

I believe the strategies that Sea Shepherd is using are justified, because of the severity of the crimes committed by the Japanese whalers. Methods such as stink and smoke bombs,prop foulers, used to disable the whaling vessels , and spraying fire hoses loaded with pie filling, to humiliate the whalers, are relatively harmless, given what is at stake. There are certainly other instances in history where illegal acts have been used for the protection of nature. For example , members of Earth First, a group devoted to defending “our Mother Earth, her fauna and her flora”, organize tree sits, where members of the organization erect chairs in large trees to prevent the logging . This method has had some positive results, including the stopping or delaying of logging in certain areas,allowing further consideration of its effect on our natural resources. This supports my belief that Sea Shepherd should continue it efforts, harsh as they may seem, as this may eventually benefit our dwindling marine wildlife populations.

Sea Shepherd believes that all whaling is illegal. Although whaling has been going on for centuries, as a means to supply necessary resources throughout the world, it is time to stop! Whaling is no longer vital for human survival. Preserving the natural balance of marine wildlife is dependent on the whales survival. The IWC resolution is not legally binding and they cannot stop the illegal whaling. I believe it is up to third party groups, such as the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, to halt them, and serve the important role of marine wildlife conservation. In this case, as in other similar acts against nature, one illegal act does justify another. The whales have served us well, it is now time for us to save them.

My end of year eight grade history paper

Many whale species are endangered, that's the difference with Chickens.

There is not justification whatsoever to hunt whales within a sanctuary, that is a crime according to the laws that are in place.

If no government enforces the law, than I am glad the Sea Shephard organization is doing it.

Support them!

I just watched the mini-marathon last night. What do you say about a man who puts his crew at risk to put other ships into danger (disabling a ship by fouling their prop in the Anarctic could be a death sentence)? What do you call a man who has his crew illegally board a ship on the open ocean right after trying to disable it, and then cry that his crew are "hostages"?



A man more intent on gaining media attention for himself than anything else.

I think Paul Watson is a hero for whales and as an animal rights activist I truly admire his determination.

He's doing the most effective and direct thing you can do to help stop whale hunting...which is literally trying to stop the hunters! We should all appreciate the fact that the Sea Shepperd activists are risking their lives for whales.

So now tell me what are you doing to help save whales?

I think people should stop complaining, get off their ass and do something about animal cruelty! Every tactic is good as it reaches different people. So pick one, get off your ass, and do it!!!

Besides, you're not a real environmental if you're not vegan! We all know by now that the best thing you can do to fight Global Warming is to be on a plant-based diet. A vegetarian in a Hummer produces less carbon emissions than a meat-eater in a Toyota Hybrid. So think about it...do you really care for the environment? Do you really care for animals? If so, go vegan.

For more info visit: http://www.goveg.com/environment-globalWarming.asp

I find it offensive that Paul Watson uses massive amounts of diesel fuel in pursuit of his goals. Just think of the greenhouse gases his old ship produces. Further, his vessel discharges waste and petro products directly into the ocean through the vessel's bilge. Can't he find a more ecologically friendly way of saving his whales? This guy is damaging the environment.

get over yourselves you juveniles, your "fearless leader" was not shot. I saw the show, that was not a bullet, it was either a fishing weight you put in there or a piece of a flash bang, in which case you deserved. your pretentious attitudes regarding hard working people trying to make a living by harvesting whales legaly was enough to make me post a comment, which I don't do much of. A better use of that big black boat, would be to look for new places to drill for oil. p.s. on a very fruitfull sportfishing/hunting trip to Ak.I ate whale, it was delectable,whale meat is chock full of good stuff,one day I will go to Japan and have whale sushi, also whale bone makes beautiful knife handles,fish hooks and sewing needles, for the inuit eskimos.

I saw this show. I heard one of the women on the boat say "There's billions of people in the world, but only we care enough to do something". Yeah, only your parents left you enough money to not have a job and chase people around the ocean. These deranged people are what happens when trust fund kids lose interest in coke.
Look at the American civil rights movement? How violent was that? How extreme was that? These self-righteous nuts need to get over themselves.
Why worry about whales when people all over the world are suffering needlessly. Poverty, hunger, sickness, war... Aren't those worthy causes? I bet these people don't even know poverty exists.

It is really surprising. Watching Whale Wars, Paul Watson looks like a very poor leader, a lousy manager of people and an incompetent sailor. I was suprised to read more about him and oto learn that he is suxch a terrorist.

It is really surprising. Watching Whale Wars, Paul Watson looks like a very poor leader, a lousy manager of people and an incompetent sailor. I was suprised to read more about him and to learn that he is such a terrorist.

Damn Pirates, no more no less.

I despise the whalers and I find commercial whaling to be inexcusable. But I understand the traditions and history of the people who have done it for eons.

The Sea Shepard and the Captain are pirates by definition. I wouldn't be surprised if a whaling ship puts an explosive harpoon through the helm on day! They should be captured and hung by the yardarm as an example to all pirates...

But we don't even do it to armed Somali ones do we?

Where do Donations to the HSUS Go?.
How to Support Animal Rights Groups

Granted I don't watch the show very often or really follow the environmental cause...but it did seem a tad hypocritical to me that on the one episode of the show I watched I saw the "vegan" crew mixing BUTTER with byteric acid...probably spelled that wrong. Isn't butter an animal byproduct? So why would a VEGAN society use it??