Sea Shepherd Australia to lead campaign

At a press conference alongside the SSS Sam Simon today (Jan 8) in Hobart, the Australian Chapter of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, announced it will direct the organisation’s ninth Antarctic Whale Defence Campaign, Operation Zero Tolerance.

Sea Shepherd founder and President, Captain Paul Watson, has stepped down from Sea Shepherd U.S. and Sea Shepherd Australia. The SSS Steve Irwin, typically captained by Captain Watson, will be manned by Captain Siddharth Chakravarty for the extent of the campaign. Captain Watson will remain aboard to document the campaign.

Long-time colleague and advisor of Captain Watson, current board member Marnie Gaede will assume the role of President of Sea Shepherd U.S.

Former Greens Party leader and former Australian Senator Bob Brown has joined the Board of Directors of Sea Shepherd Australia and will direct Operation Zero Tolerance along with Director of Sea Shepherd Australia, Jeff Hansen. These changes are being adopted in order for Sea Shepherd to continue its vital mission of defending at-risk whales in the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary.

"I am honoured to serve the great whales of the Southern Ocean and Sea Shepherd in this way," said Bob Brown. "I ask Australians to support generously so that this great mission can continue."

Over the past eight seasons, Sea Shepherd’s work defending whales has been endorsed by the majority of Australian citizens, hence Sea Shepherd is doing the job that most Australians want to see done to protect whales, the media was told.

In a press release Sea Shepherd said that Sea Shepherd Australia has always been heavily involved in the planning and fundraising for the Southern Ocean campaign. Sea Shepherd Australia’s directorship of the Antarctic Whale Defence Campaign is a natural evolution of Sea Shepherd’s growth around the world and in regions such as Australia.
 
"This is one of Sea Shepherd’s most widely followed campaigns, endorsed by hundreds of thousands of citizens around the world, but the fact remains the whales of the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary reside in Australia’s backyard," Hansen said. "In fact, the whales at risk in the Southern Ocean are some of the very same whales which migrate there from the waters off the coast of Western Australia. It makes sense that Australians should take up the gauntlet and defend them," he added.
 
Sea Shepherd has been engaging in interventions on the high seas in defense of marine wildlife for 35 years and for eight seasons against Japan’s Institute for Cetacean Research (ICR).

Each December, Sea Shepherd journeys to Antarctica to defend the whales inside a marine sanctuary from being killed by the ICR. Over the past eight campaigns in the Southern Ocean, Sea Shepherd estimates it has saved the lives of nearly 4,000 whales and exposed illegal Japanese whaling activities to the world.

In addition to Hansen and Brown, former Federal Environment Minister of Australia Ian Campbell spoke at the press conference and had this to say about the campaign: "Sea Shepherd Australia has one mission this summer and that is 'Zero Tolerance' of blood in the Southern Ocean. The Japanese have armed their vessels with harpoons that maim and kill whales, and guns that can maim and kill humans," he said.

Encouraged by the worldwide support being expressed for this campaign, Captain Paul Watson said: "Sea Shepherd Australia is in a very good position to lead this campaign in the Southern Ocean. We have every faith they will ensure Operation Zero Tolerance is a complete success."