The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society (SSCS) is a non-profit, marine conservation activism organization based in Friday Harbor on San Juan Island, Washington, in the United States. Sea Shepherd employs direct action tactics to achieve its goals, most famously by deploying its fleet of ships to track, report on and actively impede the work of fishing vessels believed to be engaged in illegal and unregulated activities causing the unsustainable exploitation of marine life.
Paul Franklin Watson is a Canadian-American environmental, conservation and animal rights 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.
RV Farley Mowat was a long-range, ice class ship. Originally built as a Norwegian fisheries research and enforcement vessel, she was purchased by the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society in Edinburgh, Scotland, in August 1996. Originally named Sea Shepherd III, the name was changed in 1999 to Ocean Warrior, before eventually being renamed in 2002 after Canadian writer Farley Mowat.
Neptune's Navy is the name that the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society uses to refer to the ships it operates.
Marine conservation activism is the efforts of non-governmental organizations and individuals to bring about social and political change in the area of marine conservation. Marine conservation is properly conceived as a set of management strategies for the protection and preservation of ecosystems in oceans and seas. Activists raise public awareness and support for conservation, while pushing governments and corporations to practice sound ocean management, create conservation policy, and enforce existing laws and policy through effective regulation. There are many different kinds of organizations and agencies that work toward these common goals. They all are a part of the growing movement that is ocean conservation. These organizations fight for many causes including stopping pollution, overfishing, whaling and by-catching, and supporting marine protected areas.
The MV Steve Irwin was the 59-metre (194 ft) flagship of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, and was used in their direct action campaigns against whaling and against illegal fisheries activities. The vessel was built in 1975 and formerly served as a Scottish Fisheries Protection Agency conservation enforcement patrol boat, the FPV Westra, for 28 years.
The Yūshin Maru No. 2 is a Japanese-registered whale catcher that undertakes whaling operations in the North Pacific Ocean and Southern Ocean. Along with other vessels of the Japanese whaling fleet, she has been featured on American television since 2008, in the documentary-style reality series Whale Wars.
MV Brigitte Bardot is a high-tech 35 m (115 ft) stabilized monohull twin diesel engine powered vessel designed by Nigel Irens. Construction of the vessel began in June 1997 and she was launched on 16 March 1998. The official naming ceremony took place on 3 April 1998 in London's West India Dock. In 2021, the vessel was sold to a private owner.
The MY Bob Barker was a ship owned and operated by the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, named after American television game show host and animal rights activist Bob Barker, whose donation of $5 million to the society facilitated the purchase of the ship. She began operating for the group in late 2009 / early 2010 in its campaign against whaling by Japanese fisheries. In October 2010, Sea Shepherd stated that Bob Barker had completed a major refit in Hobart, Tasmania. Hobart became the ship's honorary home port in 2014.
The Shōnan Maru 2 is a Japanese security vessel, operated by the Japanese Fisheries Agency.
The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society engages in various demonstrations, campaigns, and tactical operations at sea and elsewhere, including conventional protests and direct actions to protect marine wildlife. Sea Shepherd operations have included interdiction against commercial fishing, shark poaching and finning, seal hunting and whaling. Many of their activities have been called piracy or terrorism by their targets and by the ICRW. Sea Shepherd says that they have taken more than 4,000 volunteers on operations over a period of 30 years.
United Activists for Animal Rights is an animal rights group led by its president Nancy Burnet and based in California, United States. It was founded in 1987.
Jane Tipson was a conservationist and animal rights activist who was murdered in the Caribbean island nation Saint Lucia in 2003. It is alleged that she was victim of a contract killing for her work against the construction of dolphinarium tourist attractions by the Dolphin Fantaseas group, and the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society has offered a $25,000 reward for information leading to her killer being brought to justice. They also alleged that Saint Lucia police contaminated the crime scene, and were treating the investigation as a low priority. Tipson was stopped on a private road that led to her home, and shot at close range in the back of her neck. Police were not discounting an anti-environmentalism motive, as there is substantial evidence to suggest that the murder was related to a proposed dolphinarium being built in St. Lucia.
Sea Shepherd II was a former 657-ton fishing trawler owned by the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society. Sea Shepherd II was registered in the UK port of Glasgow. The ship took part in numerous campaigns, most of which were anti-sealing campaigns in Canada. She was acquired in 1980 with money received for the film rights to the story of the Sierra campaign, and replaced the nearly identical Sea Shepherd I. Sea Shepherd reports that equipment from the ship was sold in 1992 and the hull was sold later. In 2004 the ship was considered derelict and in danger of sinking resulting in the vessel being broken up at Esquimalt graving dock in July 2004.
Lamya Essemlali is a French environmental activist, of Moroccan origin. She's the co-founder and president of Sea Shepherd France, the French branch of the anti-poaching organisation Sea Shepherd Conservation Society. She is also co-director of Sea Shepherd Global and co-president of the non-governmental organisation Rewild.
MV John Paul DeJoria was a former United States Coast Guard cutter owned and operated by the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society. Until scrapped, she was used in their direct action campaigns against illegal fisheries activities.
MYFarley Mowat is a cutter owned and operated by the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society. She is being used in their direct action campaigns against whaling and against illegal fisheries activities.
RV Martin Sheen is a sailboat owned and operated by the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society. It is being used as a research vessel to study the plastic debris and microplastics contamination in the oceans, as well as researching marine oil spills.
The MV Sharpie is a vessel owned and operated by the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society since December 2017. She is being used in their direct action campaigns against illegal fisheries activities.
The MV White Holly was a 421-ton vessel owned and operated by the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society since September 2018.
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