They’re doing their cause no good either.
Most Australians probably don’t like the Japanese whalers. I’m one of them. But the Japanese aren’t breaking the law and so what I like and dislike is irrelevant - they have the right to do what they are doing.
What Sea Shepherd and similar groups try to do does break laws, and while I might agree with their goal, their methods means I can’t support them.
It may make good eco-theater, but I refuse to watch the shows on Tv after having sat through one.
The anti-whalers seem unhinged to me. If they have a grievance, the place to air it is over whaling in an international forum, not through the terroristic disruption of legal activities which endangers all who are involved.