Sea Shepherd E-News: Saving lives and protecting biodiversity 19OKT12

THE latest e mail newsletter from Sea Shepherd. By the by, Captain Paul Watson is still in hiding due to the ongoing extradition / jumping bail case involving Germany and Costa Rica. Corporations threatened by Sea Shepherd are controlling courts and justice ministries, not surprising in Costa Rica but extremely disappointing in Germany and the EU. 

When we put out a call to action — Sea Shepherd supporters rally in droves! Just last week, our Cove Guardians had their computer gear confiscated by the police in Taiji in a ploy to try to disable our communications and stop us from internationally exposing the plight of the dolphins in the infamous Cove. In just a few days' time, people like you came through for us and raised the $4,000 USD necessary to replace our gear and reinstate our communications immediately. On behalf of the dolphins, thank-you for that! Now we need to continue to raise funds for our most expensive campaign of the year, Operation Zero Tolerance, which takes place in the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary, and to continue to finance our ongoing efforts in the Galapagos, Brazil, Namibia, Europe, Costa Rica, and La Reunion Island. We go up against poachers and pirates who pillage and plunder the great oceans for profit and greed. Support Sea Shepherd today to ensure our campaigns continue to be strong and effective, and our oceans are alive and healthy for future generations! Captain Paul Watson Honored in Paris with Jules Verne Award Captain Watson makes history again! Throughout his career, Captain Paul Watson has drawn great inspiration from fellow ocean explorer, the legendary Captain Jacques Cousteau. So it was only fitting that Captain Watson was honored in Paris recently as the second recipient ever of the prestigious Jules Verne Award in the category of Environmentalists and Adventurers, second only to the iconic Captain Cousteau himself. Sea Shepherd France President Lamya Essemlali was on hand to accept the award on behalf of Captain Watson, along with Advisory Board member and long-time Sea Shepherd friend, Richard Dean Anderson, who was also honored. Read Essemlali’s review of the ceremonies… Sea Shepherd at the Heart of a Japanese Scandal Last year, Captain Paul Watson was one of the first individuals to call attention to the fact that $30 million USD in Tsunami Relief Funds that was donated from well-meaning individuals around the globe to help victims of Japan’s earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear crisis were instead being funneled to support Japan’s dying whaling industry and to wage a public relations and legal war against Sea Shepherd. Now it seems critics inside and outside of Japan are finally questioning the gross misuse of funds. Get the full story on the scandal here… Australia's Sharks Under Attack... Again On the heels of a controversial move to kill any sharks caught swimming too close to Western Australia’s (WA) beaches, the region’s government is again putting the bite on shark populations, already down by as much as 90% worldwide. In an ill-conceived plan, WA is negotiating with China to supply shark fin that has been “green-stamped” as having come from “sustainable sources.” But there’s no such thing as sustainable shark fin, and to suggest such a thing is to undermine all the work being done by Sea Shepherd and other conservation groups around the globe to safeguard imperiled sharks from extinction. Learn how you can help sharks in WA fend off yet another attack… Xavier Rudd Helps Sea Shepherd's Education and Outreach Efforts with Spirit Bird Tour Australian musician and avid Sea Shepherd supporter Xavier Rudd's Spirit Bird tour is underway, and local Sea Shepherd chapters will hold education and outreach tables at many of his North American shows! If you have never heard the enchanting and uplifting sounds of Xavier Rudd's music, you are in for a treat! He ties in aboriginal themes with environmentalism, creating a sound and energy like no one else. His newest album, Spirit Bird, even features a song called Creating a Dream where he pays homage to Captain Watson's vision. Check to see if the tour is coming to a town near you! The Sea Shepherd Fall Sale Continues Help us raise essential funds for our upcoming Antarctic Whale Defense Campaign, Operation Zero Tolerance, by purchasing our discounted Sea Shepherd merchandise. Many more sale items are available! A lot of these pieces will be retired, so this may be your last chance to own some of these unique items. All proceeds from Sea Shepherd e-Stores support our efforts to defend ocean wildlife worldwide! Zero tolerance. Zero cruelty. Zero kills. That is our mission this year in the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary as we go up against the illegal Japanese whalers for the ninth season with our Antarctic Whale Defense Campaign aptly dubbed Operation Zero Tolerance. Our Antarctic campaigns have saved the lives of more than 3,600 whales and this year, with the addition of a new vessel and our best tactics yet, we plan to be even more effective than we have ever been! The time is now! Stand strong with Sea Shepherd and help us fund our campaigns to defend the oceans from the poachers and pirates of greed. Your investment is an investment in the future. Together we are saving lives and protecting biodiversity in our oceans. Thank-you! For the oceans, Captain Paul Watson Founder and President Sea Shop Accessorize your wardrobe and support Sea Shepherd's mission with our Jolly Roger Earrings Video Become a Cove Guardian! You can join the Cove Guardians from wherever you are. Take action to help stop the slaughter of innocent dolphins and whales! Commentary Costa Rica Bans Shark Finning. Or Have They? Give Events   Show your support in person, and join us at a Sea Shepherd event in one of the following areas: Australia • Nov 9 - Sydney • Nov 10 - Melbourne • Nov 16 - Adelaide • Nov 17 - Fremantle • Nov 18 - Albany • Nov 30 - Hobart Belgium & Netherlands • Oct 20 - Lochristi • Oct 20-21 - Lebbeke • Oct 29 - Zwijnaarde Brazil • Oct 27-28 - Prai • Oct 28-30 - Bahia France • Oct 19-22 - Paris • Oct 21 - Tournefeuille • Oct 24 - Marseille • Oct 26-28 - Clermont-Ferrand • Oct 27 - Saint-Etienne • Oct 31 - Grenoble Germany • Oct 21 - Linz • Oct 23 - Augsburg • Oct 26 - Karlsruhe • Oct 27 - Stuttgart • Oct 27 - Hamburg • Oct 29 - Frankfurt • Oct 31 - Münster Ireland • Nov 8 - Kildare Italy • Oct 20 - Torino • Oct 21 - Forte dei Marmi • Oct 26 - Milano • Oct 27-28 - Pordenone New Zealand • Nov 13 - Auckland North America • Oct 20 - Houston, TX • Oct 21 - Boulder, CO • Oct 21 - Dallas, TX • Oct 22 - Orlando, FL • Oct 27 - Orlando, FL • Oct 28 - New York, NY • Oct 31 - Brooklyn, NY United Kingdom • Oct 27 - Birmingham • Oct 27 - Wolverhampton We're Hiring!  We are currently seeking an experienced Business Development Director and an Outreach Assistant. Find out more!  Become a Member Sign up for the Direct Action Crew Monthly Giving Program and we'll send you a free Direct Action Crew T-shirt and a 20% off code for our e-Stores. Join today! Follow Us Sea Shepherd Conservation Society P.O. Box 2616, Friday Harbor, WA 98250 USA (USA) Tel: 360-370-5650 Fax: 360-370-5651   Share on Facebook Not on our list? Sign up for the Sea Shepherd e-News!

Sea Shepherd Log No. 69 is here 25JUL12

HERE is Sea Shepherd's log No. 69, you can access it by following the instruction in the e mail. Feel free to access it and if you do I hope you will be inspired to support Sea Shepherd's work with a donation, and you can be sure your donation will be will spent because Sea Shepherd has Charity Navigator's highest rating, 4 stars.
 

Dear Craig, Thank-you for supporting Sea Shepherd! Because you contributed at least $25 to us in 2011, we are e-mailing you the new edition of the Sea Shepherd Log 69. We are sending this Log electronically in an effort to minimize our environmental impact in the production and distribution of it as well as conserve our vital resources and use more of your hard-earned donation dollars on the ocean wildlife defense campaigns that you love. Last year, 86% of our total expenses went directly to our mission! It has been, and always will be, a core value of Sea Shepherd to spend donor funds effectively on program activities. We hope we have made you proud and will continue to do so. Here is a preview of the Log 69. Please read on for more details about the Log and instructions for accessing it: The new Sea Shepherd Log 69 covers 2011-2012 campaigns, finances, volunteer efforts, events, media, and so much more! Get the details on the seven campaigns we launched during this time frame; learn about what Cove Guardian Erwin Vermeulen did with the $10,000 he was given by the Japanese Court for wrongful incarceration; find out what our international chapters are up to; and learn who was awarded Crewmember of the Year on each of our vessels. All of this and lots more interesting and inspiring information can be found in the new Log 69. To access the Sea Shepherd Log 69, please do the following: Using Firefox or Internet Explorer, browse to www.seashepherd.org/Log69 User Name = log Password = log69 The Log will then automatically download to your computer as a PDF file or you may be prompted to save the PDF file Once you have downloaded the Log, you may print it if you choose to do so. Please keep the User Name and Password private though; it is because of your support for Sea Shepherd that we are giving you first access to our annual newsletter. You are our lifeblood! Please be sure to donate at least $25 in 2012 or make a recurring gift so that you can remain an active supporter and receive the Log next year, and more importantly — so we can keep our ships at sea and our campaigns incredibly successful. Thank-you for all you have done for us. It is only through the support of concerned citizens such as yourself that we are able to persist in our efforts to protect our planet's marine wildlife.

Sea Shepherd Conservation Society | PO Box 2616 | Friday Harbor | WA | 98250 | USA

SEA SHEPHERD E NEWS 19JUL12 & Whaling in Norway 12JUL12

E MAIL news letter from Sea Shepherd covering the continuing detention in Germany and pending extradition to Costa Rica of Captain Paul Watson, illegal Norwegian whaling continues, last months IWC meeting and the threat to the largest humpback whale nursery off the coast of Western Australia. Be sure to read the article Whaling In Norway, an expose of the illegal whaling industry in that supposedly civilized nation....

Dear Friend of Sea Shepherd, Sea Shepherd is about passion. It is about taking risks and giving time, money and materials to save lives on the high seas, to defend the survival of marine species and to protect the integrity of the biodiversity of our ocean, for if biodiversity is diminished the ocean is diminished, and if the ocean dies, we die. We cannot survive on this planet with a dead ocean and the ocean is dying. Our duty, objective and responsibility is to prevent any further diminishment of life and habitat and to take a stand to aggressively and non-violently to make a difference. You are part of that difference when you support us, and you are part of what will protect the oceans and preserve them for future generations. Sea Shepherd Prepares to Defend Largest Humpback Whale Nursery in the World We are launching a new campaign to protect the world's greatest humpback whale nursery, which is under threat due to gas refinery development!  Operation Kimberley Miinimbi will commence this Saturday to call the world’s attention to a proposed gas hub construction in the environmentally sensitive region of James Price Point in Western Australia.  Former Australian Greens Party Senator Bob Brown is leading Operation Kimberley Miinimbi on the Steve Irwin, to try to stop this ill-conceived plan before it’s too late. Get the details... Measures to Protect New Zealand’s Maui’s and Hector’s Dolphin Fall Short at IWC This month’s International Whaling Commission (IWC) meeting was ineffective in establishing much-needed safeguards for the Maui’s and Hector’s Dolphin species, which have seen steady decline in recent decades, primarily due to human-induced threats like gill nets and trawling. The IWC established some so-called “protections” for these majestic creatures, but the measures are only temporary and not far-reaching enough. Read about how your actions can effect REAL change for these imperiled species… July 20 is “Free Capt. Watson” Global Day of Action & Deadline for Visual Petition Contest It’s time the United States steps up to assist one of its citizens. Captain Watson has been under German custody for 67 days on the outrageous, alleged a violation of ship traffic in 2002. German officials have recently determined Captain Watson will indeed be extradited to an uncertain fate to the seemingly lawless nation of Costa Rica. To date, we have received hundreds of entries to our online Visual Petition Contest answering one of the questions, “Why is Captain Watson important to our planet?” or “Why does Sea Shepherd matter to you?” You can see some of those entries below. The deadline for entries is Friday, July 20 at 5 pm PST to coincide with our second “Free Captain Paul Watson” Day of Action. Numerous vigils and protests are planned at German Embassies and Consulates around the world. If you don’t live near an embassy, gather at local parks and private homes to support our modern-day hero. Together we will set him free! We’ve been focusing all of our attention on Germany, but now we would like to request that you please write to US government officials to politely ask for their assistance in gaining Captain Watson’s freedom. We have also provided a new sample letter for you. Don't delay! Whale Wars Season Finale Friday Be sure to catch the last episode in the 5th season of Whale Wars, this Friday, July 20th, on Animal Planet. This season has chronicled our efforts to end whaling in the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary during Operation Divine Wind. Learn more about Whale Wars... Handcrafted SSCS Wooden Model Ships Proudly display in your home or office one or more of these scaled, handcrafted, wooden models of the Steve Irwin, Bob Barker, and the Brigitte Bardot as a tribute to our efforts to save whales in the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary. A sure collector’s item for any Sea Shepherd supporter! These models are only offered for a limited time, so get yours today before they are gone. All proceeds from the Sea Shepherd e-Stores support our mission to defend ocean wildlife worldwide! There are sacred places in this world that should not be scarred with the ugliness of greed and disrespect for nature. Together we are part of a movement to restore sanity in returning humankind's natural role of living in harmony with other species and the natural world. I wish I could join my crew on the current Operation Requiem campaign and upcoming Operation Kimberley Miinimbi campaign, but I am being held under house arrest in Germany for defending sharks off the coast of Guatemala ten years ago, an incident that has been exploited by Japan and Costa Rica to keep me away from my ships and crew. As many of my enemies have learned time and again — Sea Shepherd is more than myself, and I am happy that because of the passion from people like you we have hundreds of crewmembers in place and multiple ships gearing up or currently operating in defense of marine wildlife worldwide. We know evil prevails when good people do nothing. Thank-you for continuing to support our very important work. Your dedication to our mission is making a difference. For the oceans, Captain Paul Watson Founder and President Sea Shop New! Confessions of an Eco-Terrorist DVD — Special Sea Shepherd Deluxe Edition Campaign Get news straight from the field during our current South Pacific Shark Defense Campaign: Operation Requiem Commentary Whaling in Norway Commentary by Crewmember Erwin Vermeulen Give Events Show your support in person, and join us at a Sea Shepherd event in one of the following areas: Worldwide • Jul 20 - Intl Day of Action Australia • Jul 21 - Brisbane • Jul 22 - Cairns • Jul 22 - Peregian • Jul 28 - Brisbane • Jul 29 - Cairns • Jul 29 - Peregian • Aug 4 - Brisbane • Aug 5 - Cairns • Aug 5 - Peregian • Aug 5 - Canberra Belgium & Netherlands • Jul 21 - Schuttenbergstraat 2, As • Jul 21 - Den Haag • Jul 31 - Brugge • Aug 10 - Glabbeek • Aug 10-12 - Leper • Aug 19 - Meer Brazil • Aug - 18-19 - São Paulo France • Jul 13-19 - Brest • Aug 8 Montpellier • Aug 8 - Couiza • Aug 9 - Lorient Germany • Jul 21 - Iserlohn • Jul 21 - Hanover • Jul 28 - Nuremberg • Aug 2-4 - Waken Open Air • Aug 10-12 - Dresden • Aug 17-19 - Berlin Ireland • Aug 18 - Kildare • Aug 23 - Dublin Italy • Jul 21 - Forte dei Marmi • Jul 21 - Arona North America • Jul 27-29 - Seattle, WA • Jul 30 - Denver, CO • Aug 4 - Dallas, TX • Aug 4 - Friday Hbr, WA • Aug 6 - Clarksville, MD • Aug 11 - Los Angeles, CA • Aug 15 - Oakland, CA United Kingdom • Jul 27 - Surrey • Aug 16 - Isle of Wight Video Sea Shepherd Australian Director Jeff Hansen and former Greens Senator Bob Brown share their thoughts on Op Kimberley Miinimbi Watch now! Join the DAC Our Direct Action Crew donors are a significant part of what keeps our ships at sea and our campaigns successful! Join the DAC with your monthly or quarterly gift and as a token of our appreciation we'll send you a free Sea Shepherd Direct Action Crew t-shirt and a discount code for 20% off in our e-Stores. Follow Us Remove My Name from Future Mailings | Privacy Policy Sea Shepherd Conservation Society P.O. Box 2616, Friday Harbor, WA 98250 USA (USA) Tel: 360-370-5650 Fax: 360-370-5651   Share on Facebook Not on our list? Sign up for the Sea Shepherd e-News!      July 12, 2012 Whaling in Norway Commentary by Erwin Vermeulen The whale-killing ship, Reinefangst - photo: Erwin VermeulenYou can’t say Spitsbergen is unspoiled. The massacres perpetrated by the Dutch and other European countries since the 17th century made sure that even now the once plentiful Bowhead whale is rarely spotted among these islands in the Arctic. There are beaches here, full of the bleached and weathered skulls and bones of hundreds of slaughtered belugas, and the walrus was almost hunted to local extinction.  Still it is the scenic beauty and remaining wildlife that today attracts thousands of tourists to these snow-covered peaks jutting from the cold waters. You would think that mankind and especially Norway, that governs these isles under the geo-political name of Svalbard, would have drawn lessons from that ignorant, destructive past and that the tourist money would be an extra incentive to protect all that is left…Not so! There are still hunting seasons here, still arctic foxes are being trapped for their fur and, yes, the whaling continues. Therefore, it was hardly a surprise when I sailed into Hornsund in the South West of Spitsbergen last month, to find in that bay the whale poachers Ann-Brita and Reinefangst with their murderous harpoons uncovered. Even though it has been almost two decades since Sea Shepherd and the Norwegian whale poachers met steel to steel, that does not mean we do not keep track of what they are up to. Over the last decade we have seen the number of boats partaking in the slaughter dwindle to 21 licensed vessels this year. Some are giving up because of the lack in demand for whale meat; others saw their ships sunk in their homeports. We witnessed the struggle of the poachers to fill the quotas, variously blaming fuel costs, bad weather and distance to the whaling grounds for their failures. Still Norway has killed almost 10.000 whales since the moratorium came into effect in 1986. Although Norway is a member of the IWC, it does not abide by that body’s decisions. In 1982, it filed a formal objection against the proposed ban on commercial whaling. The insane rules of this ineffective and corrupt organization basically say that if you don’t like their rulings, you can object and just on the basis of that objection you are not bound by these rulings. Norway has also exempted itself from the trade bans imposed by another ineffective and corrupt organization, namely CITES, and exports whale meat to Japan. Norway tried their hand at Japanese-style, scientific whaling for a brief period before returning in 1993 to overtly commercial whaling. They peaked in 2005 with 639 whales and last year took the lives of 533 animals. The Norwegian Ministry of Fisheries and Coastal affairs has set the quota for the 2012 season that lasts from May 1st to August 30th, again at 1286 Minke whales. Besides ignoring the moratorium on commercial whaling, Norway sets much higher catch limits than even the IWC’s ‘scientific’ calculations (A system ominously called Revised Management Procedure (RMP)) allow for. On top of that, Norway has allowed catches to be concentrated in areas most convenient for the poachers, especially the area West of Spitsbergen. Still the poachers fail to meet even half of their quota. So to placate them even further and in complete disregard for the fate of the whales the government has this year merged two separate whaling zones to make it more cost-effective for the poachers to concentrate their killing business on the waters around Spitsbergen. The whaling apologists in the Norwegian government have thus made a joke of the already much prostituted word ‘sustainability’. Of course, if that cliché doesn’t hold up there are always other excuses, like blaming whales for eating the fishermen’s fish. Haven’t we heard similar cries from the Japanese whaling industry, from the seal and sea lion clubbers in Newfoundland and Namibia, from the dolphin killers in Taiji, from the fishery agencies in Chile and from the officials at the Bonneville dam, to draw the attention away from the real problem: overfishing by man? Just as preposterous are the tiresome, old arguments of tradition and culture, used around the world to justify brutality and cruelty and to repeat, over and over again, the mistakes of the past. One official even claimed that Norwegian whaling could be considered aboriginal. Nothing on the diesel-powered, steel ships, full of modern, electronic equipment and with explosive-grenade harpoons on their bow that I met in these waters, struck me as aboriginal or traditional. As everywhere where senseless slaughter takes place, you can smell the greed, the stubbornness, the misplaced national pride and the willful ignorance. It should not be tolerated in the Europe of today. The whale-killing ship, Ann-Brita photo: Erwin Vermeulen Explosive tip harpoon on the bow of the Ann-Brita - photo: Erwin Vermeulen 91