Direct Action on the High Seas: Sea Shepherd Conservation Society
Sometime early in the fall we got an email from a fellow named Stephen Bennett asking if we’d like to help out with some books for a library. Different from other library requests, this one was for the Steve Irwin—one of the ships the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society has been using to thwart illegal whaling in the Antarctic. During this recent campaign they managed to prevent Japanese whalers from killing half of their quota—saving over 500 whales! In the last few years, their efforts have also been noticed by Animal Planet, who air their show Whale Wars, on which you can sometimes spot AK stickers! Pretty funny. Now that we are all friends, this seemed like a good opportunity to interview Stephen. He works in the engine room and is now about to start his fourth campaign.
What is Sea Shepherd?
The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society is a marine conservation organization whose mission is to stop the slaughter of marine wildlife and to protect marine habitat from destruction. We are a direct action group, meaning that we do whatever we can—short of causing physical injury to another being—to stop those who seek to slaughter sea creatures and exploit the oceans for profit. We use a variety of methods to act out our mission, from media to property destruction. A lot of the time the activities that we intervene against are illegal, so we can use the laws that are already in place, designed to protect animals and ecosystems, to our advantage too.
How did you get involved?
I got involved with Sea Shepherd about four years ago now. I remember first learning of the group though when I was a teenager. I grew up on punk rock and remember seeing a little write up about Sea Shepherd in a CD booklet, which I guess was always in the back of my mind. Then later on I became involved in animal rights, and at some point one of Sea Shepherd’s older vessels pulled into a port near my hometown to re-supply. I rode down to the ship for a look and to give donations and ended up going aboard for a tour of the ship. After meeting one of the crew and having an excellent conversation I felt very inspired and adamant that crewing was something I could and should commit to doing. Within a year I had put everything else on hold and joined the ship… And here I still am.
Can you tell us a little about your recent campaign?
We just got back from a Southern Ocean anti-whaling campaign to intervene against whaling conducted by a Japanese fleet. We departed from the port of Fremantle, Western Australia December 7th and headed south to Antarctica to intercept and disrupt them. This year we went down there with three vessels. Our flag ship, the Steve Irwin (which I’m based on); another steel-hulled ship that was secretly purchased and was a surprise for the whalers, the Bob Barker; and the other a small, fast tri-maran named Ady Gil. On January the 6th, after several days of the Ady Gil harassing the harpoon ship Shonan Maru #2, the kill ship made a hard turn and ran straight over the much smaller vessel, cutting several meters off its bow. The Ady had to be abandoned and shortly after sank. It was pure luck that nobody died at that point of the campaign.
With the three ships we were able to cause them so much grief, keeping them from hunting, forcing them to waste fuel and use up supplies. During the last leg of the campaign we sat in formation just off the stern of the factory ship with our two remaining vessels, blocking the slipway—which is used to haul the killed whales up onto the deck for butchering—for about three weeks which halted all of their operations entirely. We must have cost them so much money—I hope they are really hurting. We are still waiting for the figures, but we should have at least cut their self imposed quota of over 900 whales in half, if not more [see the final report here ]. I’m really pleased about that. On top of that, in the middle of the night, under darkness, one of our crew boarded the harpoon vessel Shonan Maru #2 and the whalers proceeded to play right into our hands by abandoning their hunt to turn north, taking our crew to Japan under arrest. That meant one of the four harpoon ships was out of action. Now with a looming trial of some sort, international attention should get stirred up once again. I think [Captain] Paul Watson is quite looking forward to a trial.
It turned out to be the longest campaign we’ve done down there. We set out on December the 7th and made it back to land March the 6th. It can get pretty tiring being at sea for so long, but when you stop and ponder what you’re doing and why, it doesn’t seem to matter how long it’s been.
It’s insane that whaling is still happening. It’s total madness, but sadly just another example of how far some people will go in pursuit of profit and power at the expense of other beings, and well, all of us really. The entire planet. Life itself.
Unfortunately, there seems to be some talk within the IWC (International Whaling Commission) right now of overturning the ban on commercial whaling.
What were the hairiest moments?
One of the hairiest moments for me this year was when I believed we were about to be smashed by the Nishan Maru—the factory ship. I had just come off watch, had just gotten changed, and decided to step out onto deck for some fresh air. I knew we were following the Nishan Maru, but 5 minutes earlier when I looked out of my porthole they were quite a way off. I proceeded to go through the aft hatch onto deck, and when I stepped out I just saw a wall of black steel plate, the hull of the Nishan Maru blocking out the sky (we are like a toy dinghy compared to the Nishan Maru.) I saw a bunch of people gripping on to railings. Others squeezing quickly through the hatch to get off deck, and I just remember wrapping my arms around a railing and bracing my head against the super structure waiting for the hit… Fortunately, the water pressure between the two ships, and turning away slightly, meant we didn’t contact. I swear I could have reached out and touched the factory ship’s hull. It was that close. I doubt we would survive a collision with that ship.
Other times that are quite stressful are when we have to go through ice. Our ship has no ice classification and is over 30 years old. When you’re down below in the engine room you can hear the ice. You see the hull warping and bending under its impact and force. The paint on the inside of the hull cracks and flakes off. It’s not a good time.
What were the best?
One of the best times for me this year happened whilst we had the Nishan Maru sitting dead in the water. We were circling it, and just out of nowhere a pod of whales breached the surface between us and the processing ship. The whalers just had to watch them swim on. That moment filled me with such energy.
Another happened while I was out on deck alone early one morning. I was leaning over the side and two or three meters right in front of me an Orca came out of the water. That was amazing, and the first time I’ve ever seen an Orca.
Mostly though, it’s just great when we have the whalers on the run, and everyone’s pulling together, and things are working well. That keeps you going.
Like me, do you wish Bob Barker was your grandpa? [Bob Barker donated $5,000,000 and also funded a helicopter!]
Haha, well I can’t say that I’ve ever met Bob Barker, and I must confess that I had no idea who he was until recently. He did just buy us a new ship so he is pretty awesome in my book. The Steve Irwin is currently on its way north and will be stopping in the U.S. so maybe I’ll meet him. Perhaps I could find out if he’s adopting and put in a good word for you! Seriously though, it’s one thing talking, but he has put his money where his mouth is so to speak. I respect that. I hear that he has been involved in animal rights for years. Awesome!
Whale Wars is pretty great for propaganda purposes. Have you ever watched it? Anything to say about it?
I have to admit that I’ve not seen all that much of Whale Wars but as far as spreading the word and getting people aware of what goes on down in the Southern Ocean each year with the whaling, and giving people an opportunity to discover Sea Shepherd, it’s been good. I personally am not really one for TV shows. I prefer more straight-up documentary type media, but that’s not everyone’s cup of tea. I think Whale Wars has turned out to be something that a large number of people will take the time to check out, or perhaps even stumble across, and it’s a way people can be exposed to what we do and some of the things we fight against. It has definitely helped us and allowed us some growth due to an increase in support.
Honestly, it wasn’t that long ago that we had to dumpster to try and get our food. Things like rice milk…whoa, forget that! You’d have to choose between replacing the spark plug or the water pump. We really stretch what we’ve got to work with, but now we have a little more breathing room, which is nice.
An individual example of a Whale Wars reaction is that just before a campaign, someone who saw Whale Wars came down to the ship whilst we were in port and saw that on our “wish list” we had some electrical parts for our water cannon. Turns out that this person was an electrician and ran a business. He got together with some other colleagues and rounded up all the parts for us. Not only that, but he took a break from work and spent a lot of time in port helping us fit it all. He even ended up crewing for the campaign, and turned out great.
So due to Whale Wars a lot of things like this have happened, and it definitely makes life easier, and gives us more time and resources to be more effective.
I’ve also met a lot of people who’ve said to me that after seeing Whale Wars they were inspired to think about things, to research into what’s going on, and to try and start making a difference in the world. A lot of those people also told me that it made them question their own life and challenge their own consumption of animals, and that they ultimately ended up going veg.
Also, getting support from people within different states, like the United States, could be beneficial in other ways. Whether I like it or not, those like the U.S. government are very powerful and could have a strong effect with what happens with the IWC, and further than that, could interact with whaling nations’ governments in ways to stop the hunt—Don’t get me wrong, I don’t count on any of that, but it doesn’t hurt. I think of that as the idea of making a new world within the shell of the old. Just use what we can now to try and better things, but still always keeping a bigger vision ahead—So if people within the U.S. support us and condemn whaling… well, the more the merrier! The more people know about what happens on the planet where they live, the better. If Whale Wars can contribute to this, then great.
I think that due to this current way of life, and society, people have been made to feel so isolated and disconnected that it makes it harder for them to feel courageous or energetic enough to challenge and resist. Maybe they feel that they are alone, and everything is just too big to face. Perhaps in some small way Whale Wars has contributed to undoing that. It’s given people a look into what some other, pretty regular people are doing to try and make a difference. How they are following through on their sentiment.
How can people help?
Well there are lots of ways that people can help. Firstly, I’d recommend that they learn about the plight of the oceans and of those other beings who live within them. Learn about what’s going on and make yourself more knowledgeable so that you can make your point well and talk with others. Because if people don’t even know what’s going on, nothing will change.
If you want to help Sea Shepherd there are lots of ways you can get involved. Firstly, like I said earlier, not everyone can crew on the ships. But that doesn’t matter. The ship wouldn’t go anywhere without a large number of people’s support and hard work. You can do tabling at events, set up stalls and give out information. People can look on our website and there is normally always a “wish list” of things we need, from light bulbs to radios—all sorts. Not only goods and materials, but also sometimes special skills. So for example, we may need some electrical help and ask if there are any electricians in such and such a port. You can put on benefit gigs, become a member, make donations, lend a hand down at the ship if we come into a port near where you live … lots of stuff. For more specific information on all this, our website should put you in the right direction.
Basically though, if we can’t fill the fuel tanks and the fridge, we ain’t going anywhere! So any contribution that people make keeps us going and makes them a part of what we do.
There is so much that can be done in the world. People should learn about what is taking place. I’m sure it won’t be long before they come across something that really strikes them, and fires them to act. From there, just do what you feel you should. Use your individual tools and talents and get to it. Everything helps, even if you think it’s small. Our combined efforts all add up!
What are the plans now?
So, right now the Steve Irwin is headed to the northern hemisphere [docking in New York City April 22–May 1], making its way to the Mediterranean Sea to carry out an anti-Bluefin Tuna fishing campaign. Bluefin tuna are listed as critically endangered but still heavily commercially caught. I’m not entirely sure what will happen, but there are so many poachers taking tons and tons of Bluefin out of there—a lot of the time illegally—that I’m sure we’ll have our work cut out for us. But if something doesn’t start happening soon, Bluefin Tuna are going to become extinct, and I’m not talking about some way off thing, we’re looking at that happening within the next few years. In the last 50 years over 80% of the Bluefin Tuna population has disappeared as a result of industrial fishing. If things don’t change soon Bluefin Tuna are going to end up as just another name on the growing list of species that have become extinct at human hands…
People’s monetary greed, inane taste bud following, and our so called “progress and growth” is so out of hand it’s psychotic.
Last words?
Thanks again to yourself and all at AK for the very kind donation of books! Out at sea a good book goes a long way, and after a few months living in a tin can the books are being treasured. Thank you!
I ask people to check out the following articles and books below. And please, if you eat “seafood” (or any animals for that matter), maybe it’s time to reconsider….
“The Empty Ocean” by Richard Ellis
“Tuna: A Love Story” by Richard Ellis
“Harpoon: Into the Heart of Whaling” by Andrew Darby
http://news.mongabay.com/2009/0608-hance_abstain_seafood.html