Sea Shepherd Conservation Society (SSCS)
The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society (SSCS) is an international nonprofit organization, established in 1977, that is dedicated to the conservation of marine wildlife. Founded by Paul Watson, a former member of Greenpeace, SSCS employs direct action and confrontation to highlight the issues of illegal fishing, seal hunting, and whaling. Its early interventions set a precedent for continued efforts to disrupt activities deemed harmful to marine ecosystems, including actions such as marking seals to render their pelts worthless and harassing whalers in protected waters.
While the organization has garnered both support and controversy, with critics labeling it as a vigilante or ecoterrorist group, SSCS asserts that it plays a vital role in enforcing marine conservation laws and treaties. It has collaborated with various governments on anti-poaching operations, demonstrating a willingness to work within legal frameworks despite its unconventional methods. The organization cites the United Nations World Charter for Nature as a basis for its actions, although interpretations of this legal grounding have been debated. In recent developments, internal disagreements led to Watson's removal from SSCS's board in 2022, after which he established a new activist group called Sea Shepherd Origins. Overall, SSCS remains a prominent and polarizing force in marine conservation efforts.
Subject Terms
Sea Shepherd Conservation Society (SSCS)
IDENTIFICATION: International nonprofit organization devoted to the conservation of marine wildlife
DATE: Founded in 1977
The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society’s use of direct action and confrontation to disrupt fishing, seal hunting, and whaling operations have been the subject of controversy, but the group’s activities have nonetheless focused public and policy attention on overexploitation of the seas.
In 1977 Paul Watson, a founding member of the environmental organization Greenpeace, left that organization after a disagreement with other members and founded the Earthforce Society, the group that later became the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society (SSCS). One of the first interventions carried out by Earthforce was the ramming of a vessel hunting whales in contravention of the worldwide whaling moratorium, an incident that set the tone for subsequent campaigns. Other actions the group has carried out since then have included marking baby seals with an dye so their pelts would be worthless to hunters, exposing illegal shark finners, capturing and destroying drift nets, and harassing the Japanese whaling fleet in the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary.
SSCS has been controversial since its inception. Detractors often label it a vigilante organization (a label SSCS proudly adopts) or an ecoterrorism group, whereas supporters note that SSCS enforces marine conservation laws and treaties that would otherwise go unenforced. On occasion, SSCS has partnered with governments unable to police their own waters for illegal fishing, but it also operates on its own in national waters and on the high seas. SSCS cites Article 21 of the United Nations World Charter for Nature as the legal grounding for its activities, although legal scholars note that the organization’s interpretation is probably outside the spirit of the text. Despite efforts by governments of targeted operations to disenfranchise SSCS by impounding its vessels, arresting members, and protesting to the nations in which SSCS branches are located, the organization remains largely unhindered. In fact, it has often used its encounters with law-enforcement agencies and upset citizenry to increase its profile in the news media.
Beginning in 2016, the SSCS began regularly cooperating with national governments in anti-poaching operations. Notably, it conducted operations with the Italian Coast Guard and the Mexican Navy. In 2022, after repeated disagreements with the rest of the organization about cooperating with governments, Watson was removed from the board of directors of Sea Shepherd Global. He then founded his own activist group, Sea Shepherd Origins.
Kilvert, Nick. "He's Walked the Plank, But Ousted Sea Shepherd Captain Paul Watson Says He's Building a 'Navy.'" ABC, 26 Nov. 2022, www.abc.net.au/news/science/2022-11-27/sea-shepherd-paul-watson-exiled-building-navy/101570694. Accessed 23 July 2024.
Nousari, Malen. "From Pirate to Partner: Sea Shepherd's Evolution in Maritime Conservation and the Pursuit of High Seas Legitimacy." University of Miami Law Review, 27 Feb. 2024, lawreview.law.miami.edu/from-pirate-to-partner-sea-shepherds-evolution-in-maritime-conservation-and-the-pursuit-of-high-seas-legitimacy/. Accessed 23 July 2024.
Valo, Martine. "Ocean Defense NGO Sea Shepherd Torn Apart." Le Monde, 14 Feb. 2023, www.lemonde.fr/en/environment/article/2023/02/14/ocean-defense-ngo-sea-shepherd-torn-apart‗6015719‗114.html. Accessed 23 July 2024.