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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...

“Whale Wars” seems to be sinking into a legal battle. According to TMZ, a new lawsuit claims Paul Watson, star of the Animal Planet series, lied about the fate of his ship, telling media that it sank after a run in with Japanese whalers. The ship’s owner Ady Gil alleges Watson actually ordered for the ship to be sunk in order to create publicity. The lawsuit, filed yesterday in a Los Angeles Superior Court, claims that while the ship—also named Ady Gil--- was indeed struck by a Japanese whaling boat, the damage could have been repaired, however Watson sabotaged the...

After months of frustration, Sea Shepherd finally find their target - the Nisshin Maru.

With three activists aboard the Japanese security vessel, Captain Paul Watson hopes the media frenzy will force the Shonan Maru 2 to back off. Meanwhile, the crew of the Steve Irwin are plunged into their most violent battle yet.

The exhausted crew of the Brigitte Bardot scramble to evacuate the ailing vessel. And Captain Paul Watson goes on the offensive, sending a team to board the heavily armed security vessel: the Shonan Maru.

The Sea Shepherds' scout vessel, the Brigitte Bardot, is slammed by a 30-foot wave, and water is entering the vessel through a crack in the pontoon. The terrified crew issues a distress call to the rest of the Sea Shepherd fleet, but help is more than 20 hours away. Fighting swells and brutal cold, the crew hopes to hold the outrigger in place with rope and straps. If the damaged piece is ripped from its slender mount, the crew fears the vulnerable craft may be torn to pieces.

The Sea Shepherds' scout vessel, the Brigitte Bardot, is slammed by a 30-foot wave, and water is entering the vessel through a crack in the pontoon. The terrified crew issues a distress call to the rest of the Sea Shepherd fleet, but help is more than 20 hours away. Fighting swells and brutal cold, the crew hopes to hold the outrigger in place with rope and straps. If the damaged piece is ripped from its slender mount, the crew fears the vulnerable craft may be torn to pieces.

The Season Premier of Whale Wars on now.

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.

The Sea Shepherd anti-whaling group said three Australian activists were being held as "prisoners" by the Japanese harpoon fleet Sunday after sneaking aboard one of their vessels overnight to protest. Sea Shepherd said they had helped the three men from the Forest Rescue Australia environmental group to board the Shonan Maru No.2 16 miles (26 kilometres) off Australia's west coast. "The boats approached the Shonan Maru under the cover of darkness and the three negotiated their way past the razor wire and spikes and over the rails to successfully board the Japanese whaling vessel," Sea Shepherd said of the Forest...

The Australian government says it is its priority to make sure the three West Australian protesters who have spent more than 24 hours detained on a Japanese whaling security ship were being well cared for. The three West Australian men boarded the Shonan Maru No.2 in the early hours of Sunday morning off the coast of Bunbury in an attempt to force it to abandon its pursuit of the Sea Shepherd ship Steve Irwin. Attorney-General Nicola Roxon said the government had been in touch with the Japanese government to find out exactly where the ship was in Australia's exclusive economic...

A Japanese whale research group filed a lawsuit with a U.S. federal court Thursday against Sea Shepherd Conservation Society and founder Paul Watson, demanding they be ordered to cease disrupting its whaling activities. The Institute of Cetacean Research and another plaintiff, Kyodo Senpaku Kaisha Ltd., are seeking a court order to prevent Sea Shepherd and Watson from "engaging in activities at sea that could cause injuries to the crews and damage to the vessels," the research group said in a statement. Japan's whaling missions, conducted by the institute as part of what it calls research whaling, have often been obstructed...

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...

The Sea Shepherd has become increasingly successful in recent years in disrupting the Japanese whaling, last summer forcing Japan's whaling fleet to head home early, and led Japanese whalers to obtain only 17 percent of their whaling quota. Japanese government on Tuesday announced the research whaling program will go ahead later in December, and there are reports that an extra 27 million U.S. dollars worth of security will be added to the whaling fleet.

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...

Welcome to Hippies Failing Badly!TMWhale Wars: The Battle Unfolds August 12, 2011 8 PM E/P An exciting crash course on the Sea Shepherds' last four Antarctic campaigns, that chronicles the explosive battles that have led up to the season finale of Whale Wars and highlights the most unbelievable moments on the Antarctic se   DELIVERING THE FINAL BLOWPremiering Friday, August 12, 9PM e/p Captain Paul Watson's crew of volunteers refuses to back down from the whalers, vowing to follow the fleet to the ends of the earth. After 30 years of fighting whaling, will Watson see his life's work pay...

Welcome to Hippies Failing Badly!TM   BATTLE CRYPremiering Friday, June 3, 9PM 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...

Welcome to Hippies Failing Badly!TM   BATTLE CRYPremiering Friday, June 3, 9PM 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...

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...

  BATTLE CRYPremiering Friday, June 3, 9PM 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 makes the call...