Eco-Crime Fighters

Captain Paul Watson, the Canadian-born, 58-year-old co-founder of Greenpeace, will literally do just about anything to defend animals. His efforts to end the killing of whales through the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, a green group he founded in 1979, have included sinking eight whaling ships. Its worth the time to read up more about the philosophy and efforts of this rare eco-hero.

Sea Shepherd is active on a lot of fronts, with campaigns to protect dolphins, seals, whales, sharks and the Galapagos Islands off the coast of Ecuador. Their forte is direct action. Last week, for example, they helped the Ecuadorian police bust a fisherman responsible for the illegal fishing of sharks at Galapagos, a fragile marine park containing unique species of life such as giant tortoises. The police found 52 shark fins inside the fisherman’s home. In the same week, Sea Shepherd eco-investigators exposed a fisherman illegally catching and preparing to sell 100 pounds of lobster.

In addition to donations or volunteer opportunities, ordinary citizens can support Sea Shepherd’s Eco-Crime Watch program, which offers rewards ranging from a $1,000 to $25,000 for information that helps prosecute those responsible for eco-crimes, such as the vicious killings of seals or tiger sharks, and the heinous use of live dogs as bait for sharks by some fishermen on the French Island of La Reunion in the Indian Ocean.