The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society (SSCS), which has gained international fame from the Animal Planet documentary/reality series, Whale Wars, has been engaged in non-violent interventions against marine wildlife poachers, whalers, and other over-killers for over 35 years. Since its foundation was established in 1977 by the now infamous Captain Paul Watson they have the led the way in anti-whaling efforts worldwide. Watson, known for his 'never back down' attitude, takes to the ocean and battles poachers on the front line as the commander of the organization’s flagship vessel, the Steve Irwin. 

Captain Watson, who had been the pioneering co-founder of Greenpeace prior to founding Sea Shepherd, finally parted ways with the organization in opposition to new policies preventing use of direct-action tactics against whalers. Guided by a fierce conviction that employing direct-action tactics against poachers was crucial for achieving the goals set forth by marine conservationists, and for effectively enforcing international charters, laws, and resolutions designed to protect the endangered species of the world's oceans. 

Today, Sea Shepherd runs diverse campaigns to protect the endangered biospheres of the oceans, including a massive effort to end illegal Japanese whaling in the Southern Ocean. Other efforts include tactics to prevent the mass-scale slaughter of dolphins and smaller whale species off the coast of Japan and in the Faeroe Islands. Sea Shepherd has also been a longtime defender of sharks and seals, saving thousands throughout the years in an effort to stave off the increasing threat of extinction for these species.  The organization has also been collaborating with the National Marine Park Service in the Galapagos Islands to protect and preserve the delicate ecosystem, which is currently protected as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. [courtesy seashepherd.org]

Season after season, Whale Wars features the thrilling lifestyles and adventures of Sea Shepherd's frontline wildlife defenders as they battle whalers on the high seas.  Using disruptive, direct-action interventions and tactics, Sea Shepherd's ships and members confront the problem of wildlife poaching and whaling with non-violence as a guiding principle upheld by the organization's official mandate. These tactics have often included tactical positioning of sea vessels and other supportive transport vehicles in order to interrupt the activities of animal poachers while they are in progress, compromising whaling ships' propellers and other crucial structures, dousing ships with slippery, non-harmful liquid agents in order to obstruct whalers' movements, in addition to a variety of improvised, situation-specific disruptions. 

 

Sea Shepherd will also sponsor the New York Vegetarian Food Festival on March 3rd and 4th. (click here for more information). 

 

In addition, the annual Beneath the Sea Dive Show is set to take place at Meadowlands Expo Center in Secaucus, NJ from March 23-25. The show will be backed heavily by the presence of Sea Shepherd activists and volunteers, and will feature a whole host of different diving and marine-life related underwater seminars, screenings, performances, and gala events. [beneaththesea.org]