October 22 2018: At approximately 3am while conducting their nightly beach patrol, three volunteer crew members were attacked with a machete and knife by a turtle poacher.
Sea Shepherd Crew Attacked by Turtle Poacher
Category: Jairo
Sea Shepherd Fleet Receives Marine Conservation Ship Designation by Dominica Registry – A World First
ROSEAU AUGUST 9TH, 2018 – Sea Shepherd Conservation Society’s vessel M/V BRIGITTE BARDOT has become the third ship in history to obtain registry as a Private Marine Conservation Yacht by the Dominica Maritime Registry (the other two being the group’s ships M/V John Paul DeJoria and M/V Sharpie.)
Today, while anchored in the roadstead anchorage in front of Roseau, Dominica, the vessel’s new home port, Dominica MP Denise Charles officially raised the Brigitte Bardot’s flag, which bears the image of the island’s national bird, the Imperial Amazon Parrot. Found only on the island of Dominica, the parrot, also known as the Sisserou, symbolizes biodiversity, resilience and environmental awareness.
While ships are routinely designated as private yachts, commercial yachts and other similar titles, Dominica’s certificate of registry lists the M/V Brigitte Bardot as a private marine conservation yacht, reflecting the anti-poaching organization’s unique work in defending, conserving and protecting the world’s oceans.
“It was a great honour indeed to have Dominica MP Denise Charles on board to raise the Dominica flag on the Brigitte Bardot,” said Locky Maclean, the group’s Ship Operations Director.
The dedication ceremony comes on the heels of Sea Shepherd’s successful Operation Jairo Caribbean, protecting nesting sea turtles in Antigua and Barbuda.
“Registering the vessel to Dominica was a natural decision for Sea Shepherd as we formed a close relationship with the island a year ago during our Hurricane Irma and Maria relief effort, Operation Good Pirates of the Caribbean”. Added Maclean, “Sea Shepherd would like to thank Minister for Tourism Robert Tonge, MP Denise Charles, Gilda and Arthlyn Nesty, Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerritt, and all our friends in Dominica as well as the Dominica registry for supporting our marine conservation efforts and granting us the privilege to fly her national flag.”
Sea Shepherd Saves Endangered Turtle on Final Jairo Patrol
Sea Shepherd and Antigua Sea Turtle Project (ASTP)rescued a critically endangered hawksbill turtle while conducting surveys and conservation patrols of key sea turtle nesting sites on Antigua and Barbuda.
Operation Jairo Concludes Extensive Study of Threatened Sea Turtle Nesting Sites on Barbuda
Sea Shepherd is partnering with researchers from the Antigua Sea Turtle Project (ASTP) to conduct surveys and conservation patrols of key sea turtle nesting sites on Antigua and Barbuda.
Antigua July 27th, 2018 – Sea Shepherd Conservation Society and Antigua Sea Turtle Project (ASTP) are now in the final week of Operation Jairo Caribbean, a three-week effort to protect and monitor endangered sea turtles nesting on the shores of Barbuda, from on board Sea Shepherd’s interceptor vessel the M/V Brigitte Bardot. The team of researchers and Sea Shepherd crew have been conducting night and day patrols along 11miles of beach, collecting critical baseline data on numbers of nesting Hawksbill, Green, and Leatherback sea turtles that use the coast.
Brigitte Bardot Crew in Codrington Educating the Youth About Turtles
While field teams in Barbuda have continued to keep up night and day patrols on the 11-mile survey site, the involvement of local youth and communities is also an important priority for Operation Jairo campaign. Three local college students were invited to join the expert team of turtle researchers as interns, learning hands on conservation research methods and experiencing ship life aboard the Brigitte Bardot. The team have also been reaching out to youth in the Barbuda community, providing interactive turtle talks to children in the main town of Codrington. Chris Holt, Captain of the Brigitte Bardot said that “It is a privilege to provide a vessel and home base for this research. I really support the idea of getting the youth involved, they are the future of ecological protection”. The Barbuda Council has welcomed the campaign’s efforts, recognizing the importance of marine conservation in rebuilding a resilient community. With the commitment of the local community, we are hoping that the future of marine conservation in Barbuda will be bright!
Operation Jairo Update
Operation Jairo has been patrolling the shores of Barbuda for close to one week now and is starting to get a better picture of the season’s sea turtle nesting activity. Barbuda was severely impacted by Hurricane Maria in 2017, which destroyed 90% of structures on the island and devastated the shoreline. One year later, we were surprised to see that the vegetation lining the beach was still severely damaged. Where we expected new shoots and regrowth, many of the coastal shrubs appeared brown and shriveled, and low lying beach grasses and vines were almost absent. For hawksbill turtles, which nest at the vegetation line, this is significant. Nonetheless, combing some 11 miles of shoreline, by night and early mornings, the team has recorded 59 nesting activities so far.
Mike Galesi and the Big G Charitable Foundation Issues Matching Gift Challenge to Sea Shepherd Supporters!
To honor Sea Shepherd’s brave volunteers and campaigns, Mike Galesi and the Big G Charitable Foundation is issuing a challenge grant to Sea Shepherd supporters. The foundation will match donations to Sea Shepherd Conservation Society dollar-for-dollar, up to $30,000!
This generous donation comes at a very important time, as we urgently raise funds for our latest campaign, Operation Jairo II. This is our largest sea turtle defense campaign to date and we need your help to support our ground crew in three countries, to save endangered sea turtles. Help us save these amazing creatures that have called our oceans “home” since dinosaurs roamed the Earth over 500 million years ago. While humans are the biggest threat to sea turtles, we also hold the key to their survival. Donate Now >
Sea Shepherd Announces Operation Jairo II
LOS ANGELES, CA – JUNE 8, 2016: Today, on World Oceans Day, Sea Shepherd Conservation Society is proud to announce its latest campaign to defend, conserve and protect our oceans.
The campaign, Operation Jairo II, will span three countries including the United States, Honduras and Costa Rica to protect endangered sea turtles. The launch comes on the heels of Sea Shepherd’s announcement of its first full-length feature film, Why Just One?, chronicling the organization’s successful 2015 Operation Jairo campaign.
Television Star Richard Dean Anderson to Executive Produce Sea Turtle Documentary Why Just One?
Actress Holly Marie Combs boards as Associate Producer of the first feature length film produced by Sea Sea Shepherd Conservation Society
Premiering July 2016
Sea Shepherd Conservation Society supporters Richard Dean Anderson and Holly Marie Combs are lending their names as producers on the company’s crowd-funded documentary feature Why Just One?
The documentary follows Sea Shepherd’s 2015 sea turtle defense campaign, Operation Jairo, which took place in Honduras, Florida and Costa Rica. Why Just One? focuses specifically on the sea turtle defenders’ successes and struggles of the ground campaign in Costa Rica.
Sea Shepherd Conservation Society Announces Sea Turtle Defense Documentary ‘Why Just One?’
Sea Shepherd Conservation Society announced the release of its first feature-length, in-house documentary, titled Why Just One?. The documentary addresses the dramatic decline in sea turtles and the organization’s efforts to defend them.
Today’s announcement corresponds with the launching of an Indiegogo crowdfunding campaign to raise funds to finish post-production on its groundbreaking new documentary. Scheduled for release in the summer 2016, this documentary will change the way people see sea turtles and those who risk their lives to defend the turtles.