June 9, 2023 Day One: 16 hours since departure from NYC. The sea is calm, glassy flat. Saw two whales this morning and a pod of dolphins. The air is still heavy with smoke and it looks like the smoke from the Canadian fires will stay with us offshore at least until past Nova Scotia. All systems are running smoothly. It has been wonderful to smell the sea breeze again, despite the smoke. Did the 8 to 12 watch and…
June 8, 2023 Like Earth Day in April, we have a day for the Ocean in June. One Day. I have a few journalists call me up to ask if we have a anything special planned for World Ocean Day. I am not a big advocate for either Earth Day or Ocean Day. I spend 365 days a year working to defend and protect the planet and the Ocean, so I am not doing anything special except: Heading to Iceland…
June 7, 2023 Some people are asking me if I would ever want to return to SSCS and SS Global, and if given the chance to regain control of both, would I do so? The answer is very much a “NO.” Although I created the organization in 1977 and built it into a global movement, and although I had the classic logo designed and designed the Jolly Roger logo myself, I simply do not need the name or the logo….
June 5, 2023 Last summer when Sea Shepherd France President Lamya Essemlali told Sea Shepherd Global director Alex Cornelissen that I was forming the Captain Paul Watson Foundation, Alex laughed and said, “Right, who’s going to organize that? Omar Todd? Good luck with that!!” Alex told Lamya that I was no longer the face of Sea Shepherd, that he and Peter Hammarstedt were the new face of Sea Shepherd. “When we go to events, no one knows who Paul Watson is…
June 1, 2023 The crew of the John Paul DeJoria II along with Captain Paul Watson, will depart from New York City on June 3rd, bound for the waters between Iceland and Greenland, where a modern-day Captain Ahab, an Icelander named Kristján Loftsson plans to kill between 145 and 200 endangered Fin whales. We plan to stop him. Loftsson is an 80-year-old businessman and one of the wealthiest men in Iceland. He does not need to kill whales, but he openly boasts that…
May 31, 2023 It’s been 10 years since I last sat in the Captain’s Chair: that was in 2013 on the STEVE IRWIN in the Southern Ocean. It’s good to be back, this time on the JOHN PAUL DEJORIA preparing to depart for the North Atlantic to defend endangered Fin whales in the waters between Iceland and Greenland. This is an incredible ship. Fast, strong, and long range. The wheelhouse is spectacular with a 360 degrees view.
May 24, 2023 The scrapping of the White Holly was heart breaking. This ship had a colorful history going back to 1944. The ship was generously donated by Benoît Vulliet. Literally thousands of hours of volunteer labor went into refitting the ship in Florida, and I sent it to Cocos Island off the coast of Costa Rica to remove some 40 tons of marine debris. The ship had so much potential but, without any explantation, the ship was scrapped. Another…
May 23, 2023 Just putting this out there, but has anyone heard from any of these guys about why they did what they did? Since last summer I have sent them messages – No Response. I have challenged them to a public debate – No Response. Lamya Essemlali has challenged them to a public debate – No Response. She has messaged them – No Response. I would love to know why Jeff Hansen partnered with SS Australia with Austral Fisheries…
May 22, 2023 Bob Barker – Scrapped disgracefully John Paul DeJoria I – Scrapped disgracefully Sharpie – Scrapped disgracefully Farley Mowat II – Scrapped disgracefully White Holly – Scrapped disgracefully Brigitte Bardot – Sold disgracefully What did they all have in common? All of them were found, purchased and refitted by Captain Paul Watson. They were his legacy, and they were seized and destroyed – not by the enemies of life in the seas, BUT by those who betrayed the…
“It’s undeniable: the science shows that industrial fishing of tropical tuna is a catastrophe for the oceans and the biodiversity they host.” The new report, Canned Brutality, tells of “the human tragedy associated with our reckless consumption of tuna.” “Numerous reports published over the years have denounced human trafficking, beatings, verbal abuse, debt bondage, and inhumane working conditions throughout the global tuna supply chain, from fishing boats to canning plants.” The Canned Brutality report demonstrates the willful ignorance of States…