On Sat 31st of October Sea Shepherd hosted a Fund raising Dinner on the HMS Belfast which was part of the British Navel Fleet during World War II in London. The best way to describe Sea Shepherd is to simply quote their mission Statement:*
Sea Shepherd's Mission Statement***
"Established in 1977, Sea Shepherd Conservation Society (SSCS) is an international non-profit, marine wildlife conservation organization. Our mission is to end the destruction of habitat and slaughter of wildlife in the world's oceans in order to conserve and protect ecosystems and species.
Sea Shepherd uses innovative direct-action tactics to investigate, document, and take action when necessary to expose and confront illegal activities on the high seas. By safeguarding the biodiversity of our delicately-balanced ocean ecosystems, Sea Shepherd works to ensure their survival for future generations."
During the evening certificates were given to fund raisers and one benefactor even donated 50,000 GBP to their worthy cause. Hemp Hoodlamb presented a custom bullet proof arctic canno Hemp Hoodlamb jacket to help protect Captain Paul Watson. The highlight of the evening was the talk given by Captain Watson.
The Captain explained that most international treaties concerning Whales, other Sea Animals, and the ocean itself have proved to be completely ineffective. In one case, not one of the agreements made has ever been followed by the countries who signed the agreement. Therefore, Captain Watson takes a much more direct approach to enforcing the ban on killing Whales and other Sea Creatures. This direct approach can now be watched on Whale Wars which shows on both Animal Planet and Discovery channel. This approach has resulted in taking the profits away from the Japanese Whaling Fleet, who now owe the Japanese government millions of dollars. Hopefully, this coming season's effort by Captain Watson, the Crew of Sea Shepherd, and the rest of us who pass on this important message can completely stop this illegal and unwarranted killing of the intelligent Whales. To quote The Captain, "the killing of the Whales is no different from the poaching of protected animals on the Serengeti in Africa." There is too much more information given by Captain Watson to quote here so please go to
www.seashepherd.org to find out more and how you can help this worthy cause. Also many thanks to Steve Roest, Laurens de Groot, and the numerous other Crew and volunteers who helped make this possible. Douglas Mignola
