Sea Shepherd Flagship Steve Irwin Needs Your Help! from SEA SHEPHERD 2FEB11

IF anyone can help please click the header or the links to go to the Sea Shepherd website and make a donation...I  did, because I want their Operation No Compromise to be the most successful campaign ever! PLEASE HELP IF YOU CAN, AND SHARE THIS APPEAL WITH OTHERS!

I'm writing to you today from the Southern Ocean, as my crew and I head north to New Zealand, to ask for your help to refuel our flagship the Steve Irwin so that we can go back to the sanctuary and keep the illegal Japanese whaling operations shut down for the entire season. Last year, we were able to save 528 whales, which is more than the whalers were able to kill, but this year we have almost completely shut them down. So far the Japanese kill figures are very close to zero. We intercepted and then tailed their refueling and resupply vessel for three weeks, thus cutting off their ability to extend their operations. As my crew and I head north, the Bob Barker and the Gojira remain in pursuit of the whaling fleet, keeping them on the move and preventing them from whaling.  Maintaining three ships, a helicopter, and 88 crewmembers in the Southern Ocean is enormously expensive. When you donate a dollar to Sea Shepherd, nearly all of it is used primarily to keep our ships and our crews in the field where they can make a difference. This approach keeps us small, but more importantly - it keeps us effective!   The Steve Irwin needs to purchase 240 tons of marine diesel fuel. It costs about USD$800 for a ton of fuel, so this means we need to raise over $192,000 to fill the tanks and enable us to return.   Whatever you can donate will make a difference! Reducing the kill quota to very close to zero is an enduring investment. To start this off, I have donated $5000 towards this effort myself. Just as I would never ask any of my crew to do anything I would not do myself, I will not ask any of our supporters to donate without donating myself. Your support in keeping our ships and crew at sea is the only guarantee that the whales have of survival and to be free from cruel slaughter by the ruthless killing machines from Japan. Your efforts will help us abolish whaling in the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary. Please donate today to get us fueled-up!   Thank-you for investing in life, in our oceans, and in our efforts to police the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary. For the oceans,      Captain Paul Watson Founder and President

Sea Shepherd Conservation Society

PO Box 2616, Friday Harbor, WA 98250 USA

Tel: +1-360-370-5650 Fax: +1-360-370-5651

www.seashepherd.org