Sea Shepherds
so I actively support Sea Shepherds and their quest to protect ocean creatures. I also like the fact that the crew eats a vegan diet.I had learned about them in high school, when one of my friends was thinking about joining the crew, and have on and off followed them since then, and I was really excited when they came out with the show. I watched the show the first two seasons, which kinda makes them look ineffectual, but the numbers of the whales brought in by Whalers in Japan(I hate when they refer to them as "the Japanese," since I'm sure not everyone in Japan is supporting the killing, and it makes the Sea Shepherds sound racist,) seem to decrease with their presence. I also like that they make the show because it provides gruesome footage of whales being caught and their blood running out of the boats, which all though hard to watch makes it harder for people to distance themselves from the whales' suffering. I like to look at their website and learn about other projects they have going on, I came across this article about fisherman in France using dogs and cats as bait for catching sharks, and it made me very sick. (There are some pictures of dead dogs with hooks in their mouths, to warn everyone...its very, very sad, but enrages me and reminds me to get involved and donate, but please proceed with caution)
http://www.seashepherd.org/get-involved/rewards.html
General opinions?
My husband and I are followers of the Sea Shepherd and are huge fans of Paul Watson and all of his crew.
I agree that their show does make them look very ineffectual, even though I believe they are one of very few groups (possibly only group) that actually does anything to stop these whaling fleets....while Greenpeace just holds up a sign, the Sea Shepherds are physically trying to cease their entire operation...
and that article you linked makes me sick....I know you warned me about the pictures...but dear god, how sick are some of these people!?!?!
Christ--did I just see dogs and cats as bait? I'm a weiny, and I got upset and left quickly. I think I'm going to cry.
Interestingly, back in the day when Greenpeace was more hardcore (doing stuff like Sea Shepherd), that was Paul Watson too.
How effective are they? =/ Not sure. It's almost sad that they have to exist, because a number of the things they do is about upholding international laws that no one enforces.
Yeah, Greenpeace forced Paul out because they didn't agree with his tactics....that's when I stopped donating to Greenpeace...
Not sure if anyone wants to follow them on fb or not, but here's their page
http://www.facebook.com/seashepherdconservationsociety
whenever you get a bunch of vegan hippies out on the sea to try to do anything will always be comical.
Interestingly, back in the day when Greenpeace was more hardcore (doing stuff like Sea Shepherd), that was Paul Watson too.
How effective are they? =/ Not sure. It's almost sad that they have to exist, because a number of the things they do is about upholding international laws that no one enforces.
Paul founded Greenpeace, but was voted out, (of his own group) because of his invasive tactics. But yes, they do more than hold up a sign. (sorry about the pictures, its pretty F-ing horrible, seriously) I heard on NPR that the whalers only brought in 679 out of their desired/expected quota of 935 Minke whales, and only 1 out of their desired quota of 50.
heres an article about that, (no dog bait pictures on this one,)
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/outposts/2009/04/whale-watchers-and-marine-mammal-enthusiasts-around-the-world-will-be-pleased-to-learn-that-japan-fell-substantially-short-o.html
heres a bio of Paul Watson that gives some of the Greenpeace/Sea Shepard history. I'm interested to see this season, starts June 1st, I think....they have a new boat to add to their fleet.
http://www.seashepherd.org/who-we-are/captain-watsons-biography.html
Christ--did I just see dogs and cats as bait? I'm a weiny, and I got upset and left quickly. I think I'm going to cry.
I'm so sorry! I should have given a better warning, I don't want to upset anyone, I will edit the post to make sure people realize just what they are going to look at.
I can't look at this, fair warning or not... Is it wrong for me to hate my own species? 'cause that's where I'm at, a lot of the time... WHY are we LIKE this??!!
To all other creatures on the planet:
1. I am so, so, so, so sorry!
and
2. I'm not actually with them! I drove separately...
(sigh) :(
Morally, criminally, and karmically wrong...but, Sea Shepards rock for offering a reward to catch the bastards who do it.
Hotcookinmama: I totally agree!
NLVeganmama: I know its insane, I think they do have creative methods in their activisim, like the rewards, and as hard as it is to look at the pictures they put up, they help put people closer to the situation. Hearing about the whaling and the dogs and cats being used as bait is, of course,horrible, but SEEING it is unbearable. I think Paul Watson is a hero...did you see those pictures of him when he was younger, after he handcuffed himself to a ship and then they dragged him? Hes truely an inspiration!
So the show has started again, with lots of things happening. One of the memebers is in Japan being held in jail and going through a trial. OWW mentioned that he is facing 15 years in jail, and some right wing people are protesting that he should be hung. On the sea Shepherds' website you can write him an email of encouragment and write a letter of protest.
More people need to stand up for sustainable oceans, or humanity will be the next endangered species. I'm so excited to see the new episodes, and hope for the continued success of the Sea Shepherds.
More people need to stand up for sustainable oceans, or humanity will be the next endangered species. I'm so excited to see the new episodes, and hope for the continued success of the Sea Shepherds.
Agreed X 2!
I know this properly goes on the book thread -- forgive -- but read these if you want more info about modern ocean issues -- it's good adjunct info, to the stuff raised in Shepherds:
Seasick: Ocean Change and the Extinction of Life on Earth (Alanna Mitchell)
The World Is Blue: How Our Fate and the Ocean's Are One (Sylvia A. Earle)
Swimming In Circles: Aquaculture and the End of Wild Oceans (Paul Molyneaux)
Very disturbing... but... (pardon one more Ani quote from me! I'll adopt another artist soon, honestly): "if you don't understand then/ how can you act?"... I have to admit, I read these slowly; still working on the last part of Seasick: maddening! But... ignorance is only bliss until it bites you in the ass, right?
those look interesting Hotcookinmama! I agree! Knowledge is power! I will definetely check those out. I would like to read Captain Watson's book too.
I don't really believe in the bible, but sometimes I get this horrible feeling inside that God is planning something, similar to what He did with the Noah's Ark story, only this time, it will be a drout. The human race definatley needs to be culled.
The only people to be saved will be vegans because all the livestock will die from lack of food and the animals in the ocean will all be fished to extiction for human consuption because of the drout, and then what will be left? Plants, but not enough to feed livestock, or even all of humanity, but only those who are smart, vegan, and willing to be very conservative woth water recourses will survive.
Wow, seriously....sharks are my favorite animals and all I can do is picture my dogs and cat being used as bait. There is SO much wrong with this!
For the record, I LOVE SSCS and fully support them 100%!
For an ironic thought, my crazy conservative, republican, really religious nan thinks what they're doing is great and wishes she had a chance to do those things when she was younger.
Thats great about your Nan! How sweet!
Knowing that sharks are sea creatures which feed on sea animals, what idiot fisherman is going to think dogs and cats are good bait. The mercury must be accumulating in their brains and affecting their thought process.
I believe they are using dogs and cats because they will be thrashing around trying to live while they're in excrutiating pain. Thrashing attracks sharks because they think it's an injured animal that they're going to want to eat.
Couldn't they just use chum? I mean, it's still an animal but I guess it's the better of two evils...(I feel terrible saying that).
I also like the fact that the crew eats a vegan diet.
How do you know the crew is vegan? My husband has been really into this show and after watching an episode with him, I asked him why they never show the people eating on the ship. He speculated about them eating fish and how that would show the opposite of what they're trying to portray, so that got us to wondering if any of them might be vegetarians... if true, that is awesome, and they should really say something about it on the show! It seems to be consistent with their cause, so it sucks they're leaving it out.
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