Archives: Timeline Express Announcements

January: Sea Shepherd receives approval from Australia to use drones to search for the whaling fleet in the Southern Ocean.

January: Sea Shepherd assists Forest Rescue Australia in a complex and daring move to board the Shonan Maru #2 in the waters off Bunbury, Western Australia. The Australian government is slow to respond, forcing the activist to spend nearly a week onboard the Japanese security vessel.

January: Three crewmembers are injured in a skirmish with the Japanese whaling fleet when the illegal whalers toss a grappling hook at one of Sea Shepherd’s small boats.

January: The judge who annulled the Fer Mary case in the Galapagos is suspended.

January: After 40 days in jail, the trial for Cove Guardian Erwin Vermeulen begins in Wakayama, Japan.

January: Sea Shepherd offers $10,000 reward for information leading to the conviction of sea lion killers in Puget Sound.

January:The two-way radios used by Cove Guardians in Taiji are confiscated and banned by the Japanese Police. Cove Guardians are informed they are only allowed to use Japanese-made radios, which would allow the authorities to tap all radio transmissions.

February: Crewmember Beck Straussner is knocked from a jet ski into frigid Antarctic waters by a Japanese water canon.

February: U.S. District Court judge denies the ICR’s request for a temporary injunction against Sea Shepherd’s activities in the Southern Ocean.

February: After being held for 60 days and undergoing trial for false accusations of assault, Cove Guardian Erwin Vermeulen is found not guilty. The acquittal is considered unprecedented.

February: Sea Shepherd receives 900,000 Euro from the Dutch Postcode Lottery.

February: Led by Gary Stokes, Sea Shepherd visits the corporate headquarters of Hong Kong Airlines to confront the airline for transporting live dolphins to captive facilities. Shortly after airline officials ban the transport of wild animals.

February: After keeping the whaling fleet on the run for two months, the Bob Barker finds the Nisshin Maru.

March: Under the cover of darkness, the Japanese whaling ships the Yushin Maru 2 and 3 aggressively engage in an attack on the Bob Barker. Luckily no one is injured in the confrontation.

March: The illegal Japanese Whalers head home. Operation Divine Wind is a success as Sea Shepherd saves the lives of 768 whales in the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary.

March: Cove Guardians are harassed and chased in vehicles by a group of Japanese Nationalists in Taiji.

March: U.S. District Court ruling allows state wildlife agencies in Oregon and Washington to kill 460 federally protected California Sea Lions.

March: Sea Shepherd Switzerland is instrumental in the banning of dolphin imports to the country.

April: Sea Shepherd France gathers with French citizens to oppose oil drilling in the south of France.

April: Sea Shepherd launches the first Dam Guardian campaign to defend California Sea Lions on the Columbia River. The campaign is in response to a court ruling allowing state wildlife agencies in Oregon and Washington to kill 460 federally protected California Sea Lions.

May: Captain Watson is arrested in Frankfurt, Germany on a warrant issued by Costa Rica.

May: Extradition process begins in Frankfurt for Captain Watson.

June: Sea Shepherd officially hands over the completed AIS system to Galapagos National Park.

June: Sea Shepherd UK wins lawsuit filed by Fish and Fish regarding the release of 800 illegally caught Bluefin tuna in the Mediterranean.

July: Operation Requiem, Sea Shepherd’s campaign to defend sharks in the South Pacific begins. The campaign will focus on patrolling the waters for illegal activity and bringing awareness to local communities about the importance of shark conservation.

July: Bob Brown and Sea Shepherd Australia launch Operation Kimberley Miinimbi to oppose the construction of a large gas hub amidst the largest Humpback whale nursery in the world.

July: Captain Watson leaves Germany, skipping bail, after learning Japan is attempting to extradite him.

July: Sea Shepherd is invited to join Aerosmith on the west coast leg of their “Global Warming Tour”.

August: An Interpol red notice is issued for Captain Watson in response to Costa Rica’s politically motivated warrant for his arrest.

August: Operation Desert Seal II, Sea Shepherd’s covert campaign to end the slaughter of Cape Fur Seals at the Cape Cross Seal Reserve in Namibia, begins.

September: Sea Shepherd partners with the nation of Kiribati to patrol the Phoenix Islands to protect the South Pacific shark population.

September: Operation Infinite Patience 2012-2013 begins in Taiji, Japan as the first Cove Guardians arrive.

October: In a New York Times article, the ICR confirms that the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society cost the illegal Japanese whalers $20.5 million in losses for the 2010-2011 whaling season in the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary.

October: The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeal in Seattle, Washington hears appeal from the ICR. The Japanese whalers seek to keep Sea Shepherd ships from the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary. The appeal comes as a result of ICR’s loss of a preliminary injunction they brought against Sea Shepherd in February of this year to try and prevent the organization’s whale defense fleet from protecting whales in Antarctica.

October: Six Bottlenose dolphins are taken from the waters around Taiji and placed in airline transport containers.  The dolphins are believed to have landed or passed through Heathrow Airport in London. A stark reminder of the direct connection between the captive trade and the dolphin slaughter.

October: Captain Paul Watson becomes only the second person, after Captain Jacques Cousteau, to be honored with the Jules Verne Award, dedicated to environmentalists and adventurers.

October: Sea Shepherd announces the opening of the Southern Operations Base at Seaworks in Williamstown, Australia. The base will serve to prepare our ships and crew for vital marine conservation work.

October: The Dutch Postcode Lottery chooses to prolong their annual contribution to Sea Shepherd Conservation Society for another five years.

January: Captain Watson’s offer to purchase enslaved dolphin Misty from Dolphin Base in Taiji, is rejected.

January: Through a classified U.S. State Department document quoting the Japanese Fisheries Agency, Wikileaks reveals that Sea Shepherd is a considered a serious threat by the illegal Japanese whaling fleet.

January: Gojira deploys weather balloons equipped with cameras and radar detection to track the Japanese whaling fleet.

January: Sea Shepherd ships intercept the Sun Laurel, the supply vessel for the Japanese whaling fleet

February: Sea Shepherd’s first outdoor advertising campaign is launched in Times Square in NYC. A large graphic depicting a breaching whale and a harpoon exploding into a whale’s back are featured on the CBS spectacular screen.

February: In what will become an on-going contribution, the Dutch Postcode Lottery donates one million Euros to Sea Shepherd.

February: After being tailed by the Bob Barker for nine days, the Japanese whaling fleet flees the Southern Ocean; Operation No Compromise is declared a victory.

February: The Steve Irwin assists in the search for missing Norwegian vessel Berserk. Sea Shepherd recovers the vessel’s life raft, however the Berserk is never found.

March: Gojira and crew are welcomed to Tahiti by the Minister for the Environment.

March: Members of Sea Shepherd’s Cove Guardian campaign witness the Tsunami in Japan. Campaign leader Scott West guides the crew to safety in Otsuchi.

April: Sea Shepherd awarded 4-star rating for the third consecutive year by Charity Navigator

May: The Steve Irwin is tailed by Somali pirates in the Gulf of Aden

May: Sea Shepherd Galapagos launches environmental law manual

May: Sea Shepherd vessel Gojira becomes the Brigitte Bardot, named after the dedicated animal rights activist.

May: Operation Blue Rage 2011 commences in the Mediterranean Sea.

June: Tunisian fishing vessels become hostile towards Sea Shepherd vessels throwing stones and steel chain links at the crew on deck. A French naval jet flies over several times to document the incident.

July: The Steve Irwin is detained in the Shetland Island after Maltese fishing company, Fish & Fish files a suit against Sea Shepherd in civil court for alleged damage to fishing gear caused during Operation Blue Rage.

July: The industrial fishing vessel Fer Mary is caught longlining in the Galapagos Marine Reserve. It is discovered to have the bodies of over 300 sharks onboard in what will become the biggest case of shark killing so far in the GMR.

July: The crew aboard the Brigitte Bardot discover a massive Pilot Whale graveyard in the Faeroe Islands where the whales are discarded after mass slaughters called grinds.

July: Operation Desert Seal begins in Namibia. Crews attempt to document and expose the largest slaughter of marine mammals in the world, Cape Fur Seals. Crewmembers are robbed, harassed, and chased.

August: The Steve Irwin is released after Sea Shepherd supporters raise $735,000 to free the ship.

August: Sea Shepherd celebrates 25 years of being banned from International Whaling Commission Meetings.

August: Operation Ferocious Isles, Sea Shepherd’s Pilot whale defense campaign in the Faeroe Islands comes to an end with no Pilot Whales slaughtered while Sea Shepherd was present.

September: Operation Infinite Patience begins its second season as Cove Guardian arrive in Taiji.

September: Sea Shepherd representatives meet with Namibia’s Ombudsman to discuss the county’s annual seal slaughter at Cape Cross Seal Reserve

September: Sea Shepherd Galapagos participates in the apprehension of longliner Reina del Cisne inside the Galapagos Marine Reserve.

October: Sea Shepherd offers an $11,000 reward for information leading to the conviction of a Pilot Whale killer in New Jersey.

October: Sea Shepherd Galapagos completes the installation of AIS sites to help track fishing vessels in the marine reserve.

November: Cove Guardian Rosie Kunneke is harassed in Taiji. Police believe it was an attempted kidnapping.

November: Sea Shepherd Australia is instrumental in raising awareness to prevent a proposed shark cull in Western Australia.

November: Sea Shepherd launches skateboard line with Sector 9.

December: Sea Shepherd welcomes Sean Connery, pro surfer Stephanie Gilmore, and Simpson’s co-creator Sam Simon to the Board of Directors.

December: Armed with $30 million dollars in tsunami relief funds, the ICR files a lawsuit against Sea Shepherd in U.S. court. The goal is to keep Sea Shepherd ships from harassing the illegal whaling fleet in the Southern Ocean.

December: Cellist Michael Goldschlager joins the Sea Shepherd Board of Advisors

December: Cove Guardian Erwin Vermeulen is arrested in Taiji for allegedly pushing a dolphin trainer. Erwin is later aquitted.

December: Operation Divine Wind, Sea Shepherd’s eighth Antarctic whale defense campaign kicks off as crews use drones to intercept the illegal Japanese whaling fleet.

December: The Brigitte Bardot is damaged by a rogue wave in the Southern Ocean and must be escorted back to Australia for repairs.

December: A Galapagos judge annuls the Fer Mary case, allowing the vessel and the defendants to go free.

January – March: Three Sea Shepherd ships (Steve Irwin, Bob Barker, Ady Gil) navigate to the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary to intervene against illegal whaling activities by the Japanese. The Shonan Maru No. 2 deliberately rams and sinks the Ady Gil. Captain Peter Bethune boards the Shonan Maru No. 2 to deliver an invoice for the loss of his sunken boat which results in his transport to a Japanese prison. For three weeks straight, not a single whale is killed while the Sea Shepherd ships follow the whaling fleet. Operation Waltzing Matilda is a success resulting in saving the lives of 528 whales and costing the Japanese tens of millions of dollar in losses.

January: The Cove, a documentary highlighting the dolphin massacre in Taiji and featuring Sea Shepherd, wins the 2010 Academy Award for Best Documentary.

February: Sea Shepherd receives an additional €1 Million Euros from the Dutch National Postcode Lottery to support ongoing project to protect the Galapagos Marine Reserve.

February: The crew of the Bob Barker remove buoys and confiscates illegal gill nets in the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary.

March: SeaShepherd Outreach Coordinator Zoli Teglas organizes a sting operation, recruiting Charles Hambleton from the Academy Award winning film “The Cove”, helping organize the covert purchase of a plate of sei whale meat. The Santa Monica restaurant, The Hump, closes its doors as a result of Sea Shepherd protests and the resulting public pressure.

April: Our vessel Steve Irwin recovers a FAD (Fish Aggregating Device) 3m x 2m wrapped in a black 12 meter long fishing net 400nm southeast of the Galapagos Islands World Heritage Site and Biosphere Reserve.

April: Captain Watson speaks at the TED Conference in San Francisco where some of the world’s leading thinkers and doers are invited to share what they are most passionate about.

May: A generous donation from LUSH Handmade Cosmetics enables Sea Shepherd to put a full-page ad in the local newspaper el Colono and run radio station ads raising awareness to the protection of sharks in the Galapagos Islands. Guidebooks for teachers are also being made in order to educate the local schoolchildren.

May: In Puerto Ayora, Galapagos Islands, Sea Shepherd organizes the conference titled “Criminal Environmental Law as a Conservation Tool in Galapagos and the Region”, where the Attorney General of Ecuador announces the designation of the first-ever prosecutor specialized in environmental law for the province of Galapagos. The Attorney General championed the signing the “Declaration of Galapagos,” in which the judicial authorities, army, and police agreed to initiatives aimed to strengthen the application of criminal environmental law in protected areas in Galapagos.

May: Captain Watson speaks at the ABC Courage Forum in NYC along with Richard Branson and Philippe Petit.

May: Scott West, former EPA investigator who was a whistleblower during the BP oil pipeline leak in Alaska’s North Slope and now lead investigator for Sea Shepherd, speaks to the media about how the Gulf Oil Spill could have been avoided.

June: The Steve Irwin patrols the waters of Malta looking for any illegal bluefin tuna poachers and continues to patrol the surrounding areas for the next month.

June: Animal Planet airs Whale Wars Season 3 in the United States on June 4^th and in Canada on June 9^th.

June:Sea Shepherd Galapagos launches an educational campaign to create awareness among local children and youth on the importance of sharks in the Galapagos Marine Reserve.

June: Operation Blue Rage, Sea Shepherd’s first campaign to defend endangered Bluefin tuna, takes place in the Mediterranean.

June: Sea Shepherd frees 800 illegally caught Bluefin tuna from floating cages below Libya’s infamous line of death.

July: Operation Gulf Rescue begins in the Gulf of Mexico after the horrific BP oil spill

July: Whale Wars nominated for two Emmy Awards

July: Sea Shepherd sends an undercover operative to the Faeroe Islands to document the cruel Pilot whale slaughter known as the Grind.

September: Scott West along with his daughter Elora arrive in Taiji, Japan to stand as the first Cove Guardians and begin the first season of Operation Infinite Patience.

September: Sea Shepherd calls for the creation of a specialized judiciary on rights of nature in Galapagos

November: Sea Shepherd Challenges Pro-whaling nations to debate.

November: Sea Shepherd welcomes fast interceptor vessel, Gojira to the fleet. The Mayor of Fremantle, Brad Pettitt, christens the vessel.

December: Sea Shepherd ships depart for Operation No Compromise, the seventh Antarctic whale defense campaign.

December: Sea Shepherd Germany website launched.

December: The Bob Barker confiscates illegal poaching gear from the Southern Ocean’s Waters. Pulling up hundreds of feet of long lines.

December: Sea Shepherd intercepts the illegal Japanese whaling fleet before a single whale is killed.

February: At theGoed Geld Gala in the Netherlands, the Dutch Postcode Lottery “Postcodeloterij” awards Sea Shepherd a grant for 2009 funding which included a check for €500,000.

April: Skarbakk, an outlaw whaling vessel, was scuttled in the Norwegian Lofoten Islands by the conservation commandos from Agenda 21.

April: Sea Shepherd and members of ARK II persuade Holista Health Inc. who sell health supplements in stores across Canada and the United States, including Costco, Shoppers Drug Mart, and WalMart to cease purchasing shark cartilage raw materials and will no longer be producing shark cartilage products.

April: At the2nd Annual Award Ceremony hosted by the Academy of Television Arts and Science, Tippi Hedren presents Animal Planets President Marjorie Kaplan with a Television Academy Award for Whale Wars.

May: The European Parliament votes 550 to 49 to ban seal product imports.

May: The Resorts World at Sentosa, Singapore, opts out of plans to install a major aquarium exhibit designed to display captive whale sharks. This victory is thanks in part to Sea Shepherd and other conservation-oriented groups who actively opposed the development in Singapore for months via an international whale shark petition that resulted in over 9,000 signatures.

May: Sea Shepherd and LUSH Handmade Cosmetics team up and hand Canadian Senator Mac Harb to get 38,015 postcard petitions and 9,681 online petitions by supporters opposing the Canadian commercial seal hunt with the assurance that each petition will be delivered directly to Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper at the nation’s capitol in Ottawa, Ontario. Supporters also buy First Swim bubble bars and Charity Pot lotions which result in LUSH donating US $36,894.02 to Sea Shepherd in order to oppose the seal hunt.

May: The Peruvian navy training ship the Mollendo runs aground in Academy Bay, Santa Cruz Island, Galapagos landing near a reef where white tip sharks are known to congregate. Thanks to the National Park together with the Ecuadorian navy, environmental police and the cargo ship Angelina, the ship was accessed for damages and luckily no fuel was leaked.

June: Whale Wars Season 2 premiere draws in 1.2 million viewers; Airing in the US on Friday, June 5th on Animal Planet and Premiering in Canada on Wednesday, June 10th on Animal Planet.

June: All charges are dropped in a Canadian court against Captain Watson for allegedly operating a Canadian-registered ship without a commercial license. Defense attorney Terry La Liberte was able to prove that Captain Watson upholds the law and furthermore keeps an unblemished record of never having a single criminal felony conviction or a conviction for a maritime related offense.

June: The tourist boat Evolution runs aground near Española in the south of Galápagos spilling an unknown amount of diesel into the frail waters.

June: Captain Paul Watson attends the 61st annual meeting of the International Whaling Commission in Madeira, Portugal, and announces our 6th Antarctic Whale Defense Campaign, Operation Waltzing Matilda.

June: The Ecuadorian Environmental Police, supported by the Galapagos National Park Service and the K9 Police Unit (which is supported by Sea Shepherd), raid a fisherman’s house on Santa Cruz Island and find 52 large shark fins. The same week, Environmental Police bust a lobster poacher and confiscate 176 illegally caught red and green lobsters on Isabela Island.

June: The commercial tuna boat Don Mario is caught illegally fishing inside the Galapagos Marine Reserve. The vessel was detected by the new satellite monitoring system which Sea Shepherd raised funding for, and the Don Mario was caught with tuna as well as sea turtles in its nets.

July: Performance artist Alice Newstead is hung from shark hooks in the window of Lush’s store on Avenue General du LeClerc in Paris to raise awareness about the crime of shark finning.

July: A Sea Shepherd supporter offers officially-recognized geocaching coins, whose funds are donated to present and future wildlife conservation campaigns.

August: Modest Mouse releases music video for “King Rat,” directed by Heath Ledger (a Sea Shepherd  Advisory Board Member), to support Sea Shepherd and to bring awareness to illegal whaling in Antarctica.

August: Captain Paul Watson presents the Environmentalist of the Year Award to freesurfer and activist David Rastovich at the 20th Annual SIMA Waterman’s Ball held in Laguna Niguel, CA.

August: Charity Navigator awards Sea Shepherd with the coveted 4-start charity rating in recognition of outperforming 75% of US charities and for sound fiscal management.

September: Captain Alex Cornelissen and 1st Officer Peter Hammarstedt are each fined $11,607 and forbidden to enter Canada for the “crime” of witnessing a seal hunt within 926 meters back in the spring of 2008.

September: The final phase of the Sea Shepherd-supported K-9 project is completed with all three islands of the Galapagos financed and the construction of the dog kennel on Isabela. Guides and dogs have been transported to the island and will commence their inspection on Isabela, which has the highest level of poaching in the Galapagos. Inspections are being carried out on all three islands at airports, in harbors, and during random checks in order to stop illegal poaching activities within this UN World Heritage Site.

October: Sea Shepherd unveils their newest ocean defense vessel: the Ady Gil, a trimaran that holds the world record for global circumnavigation and who is named after its benefactor, Mr. Ady Gil of Los Angeles, CA, who helped acquire the vessel.

October: Sea Shepherd is featured in a satirical South Park episode titled “Whale Whores”which aired on Comedy Central October 28, 2009.

November: With generous donations from ECWF, Marcel Wensveen, and LUSH Handmade Cosmetics, Sea Shepherd Galapagos has officially handed over a large amount of radio communication equipment to the National Police in Galapagos, making inter island communication possible which in turn will help protect the people and animals of the fragile Galapagos Islands.

December: Mayor Brad Pettitt of Fremantle presents our ship Steve Irwin with a plaque of the Fremantle Coat of Arms and the flag of Fremantle with a request that the Steve Irwin fly the city’s colors in the Southern Ocean which Captain Watson proudly agrees to do.

December: Our ships Steve Irwin and the Ady Gil depart for Antarctica in search of the Japanese whaling fleet while our newly-acquired ship Bob Barker secretly departs from Mauritius to locate and surprise the whaling fleet.

January – March: The Sea Shepherd ship Steve Irwin voyages twice to the coast of Antarctica to disrupt illegal Japanese whaling activities in the Southern Ocean Whale. Two Sea Shepherd crew board a Japanese harpoon boat and are detained for three days and then released. Japanese Coast Guard throws concussion grenades and fires on Sea Shepherd crew. The end result is over 500 whales saved and losses of profits for the Japanese fleet.

The Japanese crew ties up Sea Shepherd volunteers.

Two Sea Shepherd crewmembers board the Japanese research vessel to hand deliver a message to the captain because he refused to answer radio communication.

Japanese Coast Guard throwing concussion grenades.

Japanese Coast Guard throwing concussion grenades.

Captain Watson pulls a bullet out of his protective vest.

Captain Watson pulls a bullet out of his protective vest.

February: The Planktos Inc. scheme to dump 100 tons of iron dust in the waters off the Galapagos is stopped. The company cites Sea Shepherd interference as the reason they have gone out of business. The scheme was condemned by the USA EPA. Sea Shepherd harassed Planktos in the Galapagos, Miami, Bermuda, and the Canary Islands. Planktos was trying to artificially stimulate plankton blooms to make money on carbon credits. The scheme had no scientific credibility.

February: The Sea Shepherd ship Steve Irwin and crew discover, document and report the activities of illegal Patagonia tooth fish poachers off the coast of Antarctica inside the Australian Antarctic territorial limits.

March: Sea Shepherd organizes a K-9 unit in partnership with the Ecuadorian National Police to sniff our smuggled shark fins and sea cucumbers at ports and airports.

Sea Shepherd Galapagos Director Alex Cornelissen (back row, white shirt) with the entire team on the Detection Dogs for Poached Fauna Project.

The Farley Mowat departs Bermuda.

March: Captain Paul Watson receives the Steve Irwin Wildlife Warrior of the Year Award from Terri Irwin

March and April: The Sea Shepherd ship Farley Mowat departs from Bermuda for the ice floes of the Gulf of St. Lawrence to document illegal sealing operations. Although the ship never enters Canadian territorial waters, the Canadian government sends a swat team to board and seize the ship and to confiscate all video and photos taken of the seal slaughter. Dutch Captain Alex Cornelissen and Swedish First Officer Peter Hammarstedt are arrested and charged for approaching too close to a seal hunt. They are released on $10,000 that Captain Watson posts with doubloons (Canadian $2 coins). The ship is held and placed under 24 hour armed guard until the trial – scheduled for April 2009. The timely voyage focuses international attention on the Canadian seal slaughter and contributes to the European Parliament adopting a proposal to ban all seal products.

Coast Guard ramming the Farley Mowat.

Captain Watson deliver a sack of doubloons to pay bail.

The Farley Mowat in custody.

April: Sea Shepherd Brazil wins legal battle against illegal fishing operations in Brazil. Court fines the companies based on evidence gathered by Sea Shepherd crew.

June: Captain Watson attends the International Whaling Commission meeting in Santiago, Chile, along with Sea Shepherd Advisory Board member Ian Campbell who is a former Australian Minister for the Environment and former Australian Whaling Commissioner. Sea Shepherd announces Operation Musashi the return to the Southern Ocean to once again intervene against illegal Japanese whaling in December 2008.

June: Sea Shepherd UK convinces Hakkasan in London, one of the world’s most famous restaurants to drop shark fin from the menu.

July: The European Parliament votes in favor of a proposal to ban all seal products from inhumane hunting into Europe.

August: Sea Shepherd teams up with Lush Cosmetics to launch a worldwide campaign to protect sharks. Captain Paul Watson and Lush hold a media conference in Sydney, Australia, to focus opposition on plans in Queensland to open a dedicated shark fin fishery.

Captain Paul Watson of Sea Shepherd and Andrew Butler, the Global Campaigns Director for LUSH Fresh Handmade Cosmetics, launch the campaign to protect the sharks of the ocean.

Sea Shepherd Volunteer Tod Emko, Captain Rene Freire of the Sea Mar 2 (one of the launches of the Tiburon Martillo), engineer Colon Jimenez and Sea Shepherd Galapagos Director Alex Cornelissen.

 August: The film biography about Captain Watson entitled Pirate for the Sea by Ronald Colby premieres at the Telluride Film Festival.

September: Lush Cosmetics and Sea Shepherd generate international headlines when performance artist Alice Newstead is hung from shark hooks in the window of Lush’s store in central London. The global anti-shark-finning campaign raises awareness about the crime of shark finning.

September 2008: The film At the Edge of the World by Tim Gorski and Dan and Craig Stone premieres at the Toronto Film Festival. This film documents the 2006/2007 Operation Leviathan to protect whales in Antarctica.

September 2008: Sea Shepherd calls for a 20 year closure of the Grand Banks off Newfoundland to ensure the survival of the cod and other threatened fish species.

October 2008: Sea Shepherd Galapagos helps to establish a permanent floating base at Darwin and Wolf guard against poachers at the remote northern islands on a continuous basis.

November 7th, 2008: Animal Planet Begins airing the first of the seven-part series entitled Whale Wars at 9:00 PM ET/PT.   Animal Planet Canada will begin airing the series on November 9th at 8PM ET / 9PM PT.

 December 2008 – February 2009: The2008-2009 Antarctic Whale Defense Campaign,Operation Musashi, launches with Sea Shepherd ship Steve Irwin travels to the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary, intervenes against the illegal Japanese whaling fleet and saves the lives of 305 whales during.

January : The Robert Hunter refuels in Puntarenas, Chile, and then heads to the Ross Sea to search for the Japanese whaling fleet. The Farley Mowat departs from Tasmania for the Ross Sea on the same mission.

February: The Robert Hunter and the Farley Mowat locate the whaling fleet. The harpoon ships flee to the north. A pod of whales flees to the West and the Nisshin Maru flees to the East. Sea Shepherd chases and disrupts the activities of the Nisshin Maru shutting down their operations. Two Sea Shepherd crew are temporarily loss when heavy fog moves in but are located and rescued 8 hours later.

February: The Robert Hunter and the Farley Mowat find the Japanese vessel Kaiko Maru chasing whales. Both ships intervene. The whales escape. The Kaiko Maru rams the Robert Hunter twice causing damage to the hull.

The Robert Hunter returns to Melbourne on February 19^th and the Farley Mowat returns to Melbourne on February 21^st.

March: The film Sharkwater directed by Rob Stewart and co-produced by Sea Shepherd opens in Canadian theatres to rave reviews. Stewart’s film uses extensive footage that he took when he accompanied Sea Shepherd on the 2002 Costa Rica/Galapagos Campaign.

May to August: The Farley Mowat sails from Melbourne to Bermuda via Pitcairn Island, the Galapagos, and the Panama Canal. During the voyage the ship seizes illegal longlines in the Galapagos National Park and patrols off the Ecuadorian and Colombian coasts for shark fin poachers.

June and July: Sea Shepherd’s Galapagos Director Sean O’Hearn leads raids on the mainland of Ecuador that seizes 45,000 shark fins and 92,000 sea cucumbers, arresting more than a dozen poachers and exposing the operations of the Ecuadorian Shark Fin Mafia.

The crew reels in miles of longline.

On June 13, Sea Shepherd and the Environmental Police seized 19,018 shark fins.

Shark fins drying on roof top.

August: The arrest of ringleaders with political connections creates a scandal in Ecuador and an embarrassed President Correa orders Sean O’Hearn deported but then rescinds the order at the last minute just before O’Hearn boards a plane.

September: Captain Watson delivers the Robert Hunter from Melbourne to Tasmania for repairs and preparations for the 2007/2008 campaign to intervene against illegal Japanese whaling operations.

October: Sea Shepherd hosts a star-studded 30th Anniversary benefit in Santa Monica called Breaking the Ice.

October: Sea Shepherd works with world class surfers Kelly Slater and Dave Rastovich to oppose the horrific annual slaughter of dolphins at Taiji, Japan.

December: The Robert Hunter is renamed the Steve Irwin departs Melbourne, Australia, headed for the Ross Sea to intercept and obstruct illegal Japanese whaling efforts to kill humpbacks, fin, and piked whales.

January: The Farley Mowat chases the Nisshin Maru for three thousand miles along the Antarctic coast. On January 8, the Farley Mowat once again approaches the Nisshin Maru and deploys propeller foulers. The Nisshin Maru stops whaling activities and flees. On January 9, the Farley Mowat intercepts and rams the whaling fleet supply vessel Oriental Bluebird. The supply ship is ordered out of the Antarctic Whale Sanctuary and complies. The Oriental Bluebird does not return.

Farley Mowat intercepts the Oriental Bluebird.

Ramming the side of the Oriental Bluebird.

The Farley Mowat completes a 50 day voyage covering 8500 miles between Melbourne and Cape Town. The Japanese fleet was disrupted for 15 days and prevented from achieving their quota. (Because of pressure from the Japanese government, the Farley Mowat is detained by South African authorities.)

March/April: Sea Shepherd holds a press conference in Ottawa, Canada with Brigitte Bardot to oppose the slaughter of seals. Sea Shepherd convinces Costco to remove seal oil capsules from their store in Newfoundland creating a major controversy in Eastern Canada.

Captain Paul Watson and Brigitte Bardot.

Sea Shepherd Board Member Persia White, Captain Paul Watson, and Brigitte Bardot.

May/June: The Farley Mowat escapes from Cape Town, South Africa and the crew are welcomed as heroes upon arrival in Fremantle, Australia.

October: Sea Shepherd purchases the Scottish Fisheries Patrol vessel Westra in Rosyth, Scotland. The vessel is renamed Robert Hunter in honor of the man who was a journalist, co-found of Greenpeace, friend of Captain Watson and Sea Shepherd Advisory Board member.

The Farley Mowat in Cape Town.

The Robert Hunter departing Rosyth.

Bob Hunter on Sea Shepherd’s 1998 Makah Campaign.

December: The Robert Hunter departs from Scotland and voyages down the middle of the North and South Atlantic. The Farley Mowat departs from Melbourne, Australia to Hobart, Tasmania.

February – April: The Sea Shepherd ship Farley Mowat departs from Bermuda, refuels in Portland, Maine, battles bureaucrats in Halifax, and enters the Gulf of St. Lawrence to intervene against the slaughter of seal pups. A Sea Shepherd crew is attacked and violently assaulted on the ice. Eleven crewmembers are arrested and charged with documenting the killing of seals. The police refuse to lay charges against the sealers for assault. The ship then refuels in the French islands of St. Pierre et Miquelon and then heads north to Labrador marking the first time a ship has gone to the Labrador Front to oppose the seal slaughter. The crew battle heavy storms and harass sealers.

A crewmember enjoys a peaceful moment with a baby harp seal (the Sea Shepherd flagship Farley Mowat in the background).

Canadian Coast Guard gets between Sea Shepherd and the sealers.

A captain of a sealing vessel attacks Sea Shepherd volunteers–pictured here swinging his hakapik.

Crewmembers are arrested by the RCMP and transferred their government vessel.

April: The crew of the Farley Mowat drop 16 net rippers on the Tail of the Grand Banks of Newfoundland to deter drag trawl operations. The ship returns to Bermuda.

June – July: The Farley Mowat enters drydock in Jacksonville, Florida, for repairs suffered during the seal campaign.

July: The Farley Mowat transits the Panama Canal and drops supplies to the rangers at Colombia’s Malpelo Island National Park.

August – September: The Farley Mowat drops off supplies for the Sea Shepherd ship Sirenian in the Galapagos. Sea Shepherd opens a permanent office in the Galapagos and extends an agreement with the Galapagos National Park (GNP) to assist in the patrols of the Galapagos National Park Marine Reserve.

Sea Shepherd Galapagos Director Sean O’Hearn with Captain Watson in front of the new office.

Sea Shepherd Galapagos Director Sean O’Hearn with Captain Watson in front of the new office.

Captain Watson meets with the GNP to extend patrolling agreement.

Captain Watson meets with the GNP to extend patrolling agreement.

October – November: The Farley Mowat crosses the South Pacific bound for Melbourne, Australia. The ship searches for and confiscates illegal longlines enroute. The crew inspect the remote Henderson Island for evidence of illegal fishing activities and stop at Pitcairn Island. The Farley Mowat agrees to take Pitcairn Islands mail to New Zealand. After refueling in New Zealand the ship continues on to Melbourne.

Captains Cornelissen and Watson meet with Australian celebrity and whale watch advocate Mimi McPherson.

December: The Farley Mowat departs Melbourne and picks up a helicopter purchased by Sea Shepherd.

The ship then heads south to search for the Japanese fleet. The fleet is located on December 22 and then flees as Sea Shepherd approaches. On December 25^th, the Farley Mowat intercepts the course line of the Japanese factory ship Nisshin Maru and attempts to foul her props. The Nisshin Maru begins to run and once again the Farley Mowat pursues.

January – December: The Sea Shepherd patrol vessel Sirenian enters and completes her fourth year of service in partnership with the Galapagos National Park.

March: The Farley Mowat departs from Seattle for a voyage to the Galapagos.

April – June: The Farley Mowat patrols the Galapagos National Park to intercept poachers. The crew of the Farley Mowatintercept and assist in the arrest of a Costa Rican longliner, an Ecuadorian gillnetter, and an Ecuadorian- and American-owned tuna seiner. Sea Shepherd crew slash open the purse seine net to release the illegal catch of some ten tons of tuna.

Crewmember amidst piles of confiscated longlines.

Sea Shepherd crew places vessel under arrest.

June: The Farley Mowat travels to Malpelo Island off the coast of Colombia. The crew of the Farley Mowat arrives in time to set the broken leg of a Colombian ranger and to begin negotiations to secure a deliver a patrol boat for Malpelo National Park.

July: The Farley Mowat berths in Curacao to prepare for a campaign to the coast of Brazil..

August: The Farley Mowatdeparts Curacao for Sao Luis, Brazil.

September – October: The Farley Mowat patrols the coast of Brazil. Working with Instituto Sea Shepherd Brazil, a working relationship is developed with the rangers of San Fernando de Noronha National Park.

Volunteers from Sea Shepherd Brasil join Captain Watson and Sea Shepherd for the campaign.

Volunteers from Sea Shepherd Brasil join Captain Watson and Sea Shepherd for the campaign.

Dutch artist, Geert Von Jon, paints a whale and dolphin mural on the Farley Mowat.

Dutch artist, Geert Von Jon, paints a whale and dolphin mural on the Farley Mowat.

November: The Farley Mowat returns to Curacao where Dutch artist Geert Von Jon paints the ship with a whale and dolphin mural in preparation for a campaign to protect seals in 2005. A Sea Shepherd crew goes to Taiji, Japan, to protect dolphins and Sea Shepherd organized an international Day of protest against the dolphin kills in Japan on November 19.

December: The Farley Mowat departs Curacao for Bermuda for final preparations for the campaign to protect seals in Eastern Canada.

January – December: The Sea Shepherd patrol vessel Sirenianenters and completes her third year of service in partnership with the Galapagos National Park.

January: The Farley Mowat stays in Antarctica until the end of January. The campaign is unsuccessful in locating the Japanese whaling fleet. The Japanese being aware of the Sea Shepherd campaign changed their operating schedule and plans to avoid the Farley Mowat. 

January: Captain Watson is invited to meet with Conservation International in the Dominican Republic to discuss strategies for protecting the Galapagos Corridor.

March: Captain Watson leads a helicopter investigation of the escalated seal hunt on the East coast of Canada.

April: Captain Watson is elected to the Board of Directors of the Sierra Club USA.

April: The Farley Mowat crosses the Pacific from Auckland to Victoria, British Columbia, on a search and destroy mission for longlines. Hundreds of miles of longlines were intercepted and destroyed.

August: A Sea Shepherd crew from New Zealand travels to the Solomon Islands to document the illegal capture of dolphins.

October: A Sea Shepherd crew arrives in Taiji, Japan. Sea Shepherd documentation of the slaughter of dolphins is carried worldwide as front page photos in international newspapers and on television.

November – December: Allison Lance and Alex Cornelissen dive into the bay at Taiji to cut the nets to release 15 dolphins awaiting slaughter. Both Sea Shepherd crewmembers are arrested and spend three weeks in jail before being released.