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Environmental activist group Sea Shepherd announced late Monday it is abandoning its annual anti-whaling activities in Antarctic waters, citing increased use of sophisticated technology by Japanese whalers and lackluster support from the Australian government... Watson said that while anti-whaling vessels will not be going into Antarctic waters this year, the group will not be abandoning its goals. "We need to cultivate the resources, the tactics and the ability to significantly shut down the illegal whaling operations of the Japanese whaling fleet," he said.

The anti-whaling organisation Sea Shepherd will not contest the Southern Ocean against Japanese whalers this season, Captain Paul Watson has announced, accusing “hostile governments” in the US, Australia and New Zealand of acting “in league with Japan” against the protest vessel. Sea Shepherd has been obstructing Japanese whaling vessels in the Southern Ocean each year since 2005, but Watson said the cost of sending vessels south, Japan’s increased use of military technology to track them, and new anti-terrorism laws passed specifically to thwart Sea Shepherd’s activities made physically tracking the ships impossible.

The controversial Sea Shepherd Conservation Society has kicked off its 11th Antarctic whale defense campaign with two Sea Shepherd vessels now on their way to the Southern Ocean to intercept the Japanese whaling fleet. The two vessels, the Steve Irwin and the new Ocean Warrior, departed over the weekend from Melbourne and Hobart, respectively. The vessels are headed for the Southern Ocean to confront the Japanese whaling fleet, which departed last month.

The unfortunate drama surrounding the collision and sinking of the Ady Gil has finally reached a conclusion. An arbitrator last week ruled that the Sea Shepherd acted “wrongful” in their decision to scuttle the ship and not allow for proper salvage efforts. The trimaran, named for its benefactor and owner Ady Gil, a Hollywood TV businessman and animal activist, famously collided on January 7th, 2010 with a Japanese whaling vessel. The event, captured on film for Animal Planet’s “Whale Wars” reality series, drew international attention for both the conservation organization and its anti-whaling mission. While the Ady Gil was disabled...

CANBERRA, Australia (AP) -- The founder of Sea Shepherd left the environmental group's fleet of anti-whaling ships before they docked in Australia on Wednesday, though the government says it has no reason to arrest him at the moment. Three Sea Shepherd ships docked at the southern port of Williamstown after weeks of harassing Japanese whalers in the Antarctic Ocean during the annual whaling season. The Washington state-based organization, which the United States' largest federal court last month labeled "pirates," said [Paul] Watson, a 62-year-old Canadian, had left the fleet before it reached Australia for fear of arrest. His whereabouts have...

Video and slideshow at link. A federal appeals court panel has branded a Northwest anti-whaling group "pirates," ordering a halt to attacks on Japanese whalers in Antarctic waters. The outspoken opinion, which reads at times more like "Moby Dick" than a court decision, hands a victory to Miller Nash, a Portland law firm that took the controversial step of representing Japan's whale hunters . The 9th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals opinion issued late Monday is also unusual for ordering the transfer of a lower-court judge from the case, finding that U.S. District Judge Richard A. Jones made "numerous, serious...

A controversial group opposing Japanese whaling in the Antarctic region on Monday released video showing one of its ships, the Bob Barker, being sandwiched tightly between two larger vessels: a Japanese whaling ship and a Korean refueling tanker. It also shows what's said to be a flash-bang grenade explosion near the stern of the refueling ship, Sun Laurel. The dramatic incident surely ranks as among the most tense in the years-long history of clashes between the whalers and the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society.

The Sierra Club has announced its approval for a "one-time" use of civil disobedience. The civil disobedience is intended to step up their efforts to oppose the Keystone pipeline. Many of the other groups opposing Keystone have been engaging in civil disobedience as a tactic, including arson-based ecoterrorism. This will be the first time in the Sierra Club's history that they have approved violating the law.

There is a "growing radicalized environmentalist faction" in Canada that is opposed to the country's energy sector policies, warns a newly declassified intelligence report. The RCMP criminal intelligence assessment, focusing on Canadian waters, cites potential dangers from environmental activists to offshore oil platforms and hazardous marine shipments, representing perhaps the starkest assessment of such threats by the Canadian security community to date. The report drew a sharp dismissal from Greenpeace — a prominent environmental group singled out in the document

A FOUNDER of anti-whaling group Sea Shepherd, Paul Watson, has been arrested in Germany, the group has said. Captain Watson was arrested for the alleged violation of ships traffic in Guatemalan waters in 2002, over his involvement in interrupting the activities of a shark finning operation. A statement released by the group said Captain Watson had been given orders by Guatemalan authorities to intercept the boat, Varadero, and escort the crew to port to be prosecuted. "While escorting the Varadero back to port, the tables were turned and a Guatemalan gunboat was dispatched to intercept the Sea Shepherd crew," the...

Hippies Failing Badly!TM Please let me know if you want on or off the Whale Wars ping list. The hippies return tonight at 8 EST and 9 EST the first being a Whale Wars Operation Bluefin And then a Whale Wars Spinoff - Whale Wars Viking Shores.

Japan has grounded its F-15 fighters for the second time in three months after a fuel tank and parts of a mock missile fell off a jet on a training mission, officials said Saturday. Japan Air Self-Defense Force officials said that the flight suspension involves all missions except emergency scrambles and will last until the safety of Japan's 202 F-15 fighters has been confirmed. No one was injured in Friday's incident near Komatsu base in western Japan and the pilot landed safely. In July, Japan's F-15s were grounded after one of the jets crashed into the East China Sea. The...

Sea Shepherd Conservation Society’s Operation Ferocious Isles pilot whale defense campaign is almost over and it looks like our objective has been achieved. Not a single whale or dolphin has been killed on the beaches or in the waters of the Faeroe Islands under our watch this July and August. Earlier in the summer, the Faeroese police ordered that no grinds (pilot whale drives and slaughter) would be allowed for as long as the Sea Shepherd ships were in Faeroese waters. Thus, our mere watchful presence prevented any killings this summer saving hundreds of whales as a result. Not a...

All signs pointed to this development earlier this summer and now Animal Planet has gone and made it official: “Whale Wars” is getting a spin-off series. The cable network, obviously eager to expand one of its longest-running hit series, will focus on the Sea Shepherd’s efforts to to stop an annual whale hunt known as “The Grind” in the Faroes Islands. The Lizard Trading Company, which produces the series for Animal Planet, started filming for the tentatively titled “Faroe Island Project” back on July 15th. As the press release notes, the Sea Shepherd’s Faroes campaign has gotten off to a...

After last year's successful actions against illegal bluefin tuna fishing in the Mediterranean, Sea Shepherd is facing a legal setback. The activist organization, subject on Animal Planet's Whale Wars series, has been hit by a lawsuit brought by Maltese fishermen who claim Sea Shepherd caused them commercial damage. As a result the Shepherd's ship the Steve Irwin is being detained in the Shetland Islands by a British court. Should the bond of over $1.4 million not be posted the ship will be held until the trial and possibly sold. Sea Shepherd is soliciting donations to help raise the money to...

The International Whaling Commission's (IWC) annual meeting has closed after a tense final day when relations between opposing blocs came close to collapse. Latin American nations attempted to force a vote on a proposal to create a whale sanctuary in the South Atlantic. Pro-whaling countries walked out, but eventually it was decided to shelve any vote until next year's meeting. Earlier in the meeting, governments agreed new regulations designed to prevent "cash for votes" scandals that have plagued the IWC in the past, and passed a resolution censuring the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society for putting safety at risk during its...

Welcome to Hippies Failing Badly!TM   BATTLE CRYFriday, June 10, 8PM e/p The Sea Shepherds depart on their 2010/2011 ant-whaling campaign with a new, fast interceptor vessel. Early on, they find two harpoon ships before the whaling fleet has killed a single whale. Could they be set up for their most successful campaign ever? Video: Operation No Compromise Video: Blood and Sweat Video: Testing the Spud Gun Video: Whaling Fleet Found Deleted: Security Breach Deleted: Tailed by Mystery Boat   NO ESCAPEPremiering Friday, June 10, 9PM e/p After engaging the harpoon ships using the small boat teams, Captain Paul Watson...

On June 3rd, 2011, Animal Planet’s popular series Whale Wars just may enter into its fourth and final season. The new ten-episode season continues to follow Captain Paul Watson and the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society as they attempt to stop the Japanese from whaling in the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary. Last year, when the Japanese whale meat processing ship – the Nisshin Maru – turned around and set its course back to its homeport in mid-February, Captain Paul Watson and the Sea Shepherds declared a cautious victory. The whalers’ actions not only signaled a possible victory for the Sea Shepherd,...

VSO Day Victory in the Southern Ocean Day for the Whales Pilot Chris Aultman and crewmember Mark Cullivan in an emotional embrace. Photo: Barbara VeigaPilot Chris Aultman and crewmember Mark Cullivan in an emotional embrace. Photo: Barbara VeigaIt’s official – the Japanese whaling fleet has called it quits in the Southern Ocean, at least for this season. And if they return next season, Sea Shepherd Conservation Society will be ready to resume their efforts to obstruct and disable illegal Japanese whaling operations. “The Nisshin Maru made a significant course change immediately after the Japanese government made it official that the...

The Sea Shepherd scout vessel Gojira found the illegal Japanese whaling ship Sea Shepherd calls the Cetacean Death Star at 2115 NZST on February 9th. The Nisshin Maru was caught in the process of unlawfully flensing a whale on their aft deck at the position of 74 degrees 16 minutes south and 149 degrees 2 minutes west. The Gojira immediately gave chase as the Nisshin Maru attempted to escape by entering a field of ice. The Gojira attempted to block the huge factory ship to buy time for the Bob Barker to arrive from some 28 miles away. Captain Locky...