Interview with Captain Paul Watson

'We depart for Antarctica on December 5th with the intention of doing our best to defend the whales from the criminal activities of the Japanese whaling fleet'

26 November 2007

EVANA: Here we go again. The Japanese whalers show once more their remarkable talent of upsetting the world community and have even upped the score: this year they intend to kill 1000 whales, including 50 humpbacks. This bloodbath is going to be committed in the southern ocean whale sanctuary. Is there really no legislation to stop this?

Captain Watson: This whaling operation is illegal under International Conservation Law. The Japanese whalers are targeting endangered species in the Southern Oceans Whale Sanctuary in violation of the global moratorium on commercial whaling. The governments of the world do have the power to stop this but are refusing to act. Australia could stop the whaling in the Australian Antarctic Territory. They intervene against fishermen poaching Patagonia Toothfish but do nothing about Japanese whalers. The U.S. has Dept of Commerce regulations that would impose economic sanctions on Japan but they choose to discriminate on the application of the law.


EVANA: Would you know of any reason why the Japanese consider whales and dolphins their property which they can destroy at will?

Captain Watson: The Japanese are demonstrating an incredible arrogance and asserting an imperial attitude over the resources of the sea.


EVANA: You have certainly given it a lot of thought why Japan insists on creating more international disgust every year. Their massacre at sea does not bring any economic advantage, the meat is too tainted to eat safely, and large parts of the world community are starting to think twice before buying Japanese goods. What in your opinion could be the motivation?

Captain Watson: They have freely admitted that the whaling industry is not an economic necessity. They have even admitted that it is a question of national pride. They say they have absolute authority to exploit marine resources in the world's oceans and no other nation or non-governmental organization has the right to question their activities.


EVANA: How is the tracking done?

Captain Watson: The Japanese have different areas that they hunt in each year. This year it is the area bordered on the East by the Ross Sea going across to the West to just below South Africa. This area is known as Jarpa 4 and 5.


EVANA: Who are the decision makers? What companies are powering the executions?

Captain Watson: The Japanese fleet is owned by the Institute for Cetacean Research which is owned by the government of Japan. Last year Nissui divested themselves of their shares in the whaling fleet after a successful boycott of Sea Lord (New Zealand) and Gortons (USA), both companies owned by Nissui. They turned over their shares in the fleet to the Japanese government in return for tax concessions. The Yakusa (Japanese mafia) controls the union that represents the crew on the whaling ships and they keep pressure to continue the operation of the fleet to provide jobs for the union members.


EVANA: It is obvious that your defence-strategy needs to keep some surprises but is there something you can tell us about your plans how to stop the Japanese whalers?

Captain Watson: Our objective is to uphold international conservation law against the illegal activities of the Japanese whaling fleet. Unfortunately we cannot divulge tactics but we can say that our tactics are designed to not cause physical injury to any of the whaling crew.


EVANA: In spite of global protest, pleading, coaxing, twisting Japanese whalers’ arms, the massacres continue. Magnificent animals belonging to the world community are turned into hamburgers so full of poison that they belong on the toxic waste dump and not on the table. A lamenting international community watches from safe distance. Sea Shepherd remains the only real defender of the whales. How do you cope with this responsibility?

Captain Watson: It is difficult. Greenpeace refuses to cooperate with us but we are getting incredible support from people in Australia. Our support on this issue increases each year. I keep hoping that every year will be the last. This will mark the fourth holiday season that my crew and I have spent in Antarctica although we are not complaining, it is one of the most beautiful most fascinating places on the planet.


EVANA: What kind of boycotts, if any, do you find appropriate in this situation?

Captain Watson: I personally try to boycott every Japanese product that I can. The most effective is to boycott Japanese cars. The best tactic is to order a new car (especially a hybrid) and then a few weeks later cancel the order and cite killing of the whales as the reason. Enough of that and the government will get the message.


EVANA: What would you like to see concerned politicians do for the whales?

Captain Watson: The answer to that is simple. The governments of the world should uphold their responsibility to enforce the international conservation laws that they have agreed to enforce. They signed the laws, they need to take action on these laws.


EVANA: How can all the many millions of compassionate individuals help?

Captain Watson: Every person who speaks up for the whales contributes to defending the whales. The Japanese and the Norwegian embassies need to hear from people constantly. People can write, they can protest, they can boycott products and they can use their own skills, abilities, imagination and talents to stand up for the whales.


EVANA: Is there any way to improve public knowledge about the threat to whale-survival, the cruelty of whaling, the dangers of toxic whale meat etc?

Captain Watson: The more actions, the more exposure, the more media coverage, the more awareness.


EVANA: Whales have been around much longer than humans. Now they are hunted into oblivion, they are dying of starvation, they are poisoned, and their habitats are seriously disturbed by a growing number of whale watchers…. For how long will the species manage to resist the pressure put on them by humans?

Captain Watson: We are presently living in the midst of what paleoanthropologist Richard Leakey has described as the Sixth Major Extinction Event in World History. We will lose more species of plants and animals in the period between 1980 and 2045, than we have lost in the last 65 millions years. Whales are on the list of species that our arrogance and our ignorance are condemning. We either fight to defend them or we lose them forever.


EVANA: And now a more personal matter: For many years you have been risking your life for campaigns which many may consider as lost causes because of the almighty and omnipresent human greed. What keeps you going?

Captain Watson: The only causes really worth fighting for are lost causes. We do what we do because it is the right thing to do. We cannot focus on winning or losing, only on fighting to win and sometimes against impossible odds but sometimes the only solution is the impossible solution and the passion and dedication of devoted activists can prevail against impossible odds.


EVANA: The human species is eagerly destroying its own basis. Even though today there is huge ado about ecological threats, there is tiny action, if any. Will we be able to turn the tide in time to ascertain our own survival? And how?

Captain Watson: We either turn the tide or die as a species. The choice is collectively the responsibility of the human species. We may go extinct because of our ignorance and our arrogance.


EVANA: Do you share the hope that in the not too far future we’ll witness a change in human behavior towards animals?

Captain Watson: We can only hope. Veganism is a movement that is growing stronger every year. I remember when no one knew what a vegan was.


EVANA: Any final remarks?

Captain Watson: We depart for Antarctica on December 5th with the intention of doing our best to defend the whales from the criminal activities of the Japanese whaling fleet.


Captain Watson, we thank you for this interview and wish you a whale of success!

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Sea Shepherd Conservation Society
P.O. Box 2616,
Friday Harbor, WA 98250 (USA)
Tel: 360-370-5650 Fax: 360-370-5651

+61 3 9445 0323 - Melbourne Office
+61 (0) 423506200 - Australian Mobile

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A Japanese and a Russian translation of this interview is available.

Source: Sea Shepherd Conservation Society
Author: Herma Caelen asked the questions on behalf of the European Vegetarian and Animal News Agency (EVANA)

Link: Captain Watson - photo
Link: Embassies international - addresses and contacts
Link: European Vegetarian and Animal News Agency (EVANA)
Link: Japan Says Whaling Will Not Halt Despite Australia
Link: Video/Captain Paul Watson; founder and president of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society. Here he shares his experiences in campaigns against the illegal whaling operations of the Russian and Icelandic whaling fleets....