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Ocean Warrior: My Battle to End the Illegal Slaughter on the High Seas
"We're looking at a biological holocaust of unprecedented magnitude."
- Paul Watson Paul Watson has rammed fishing trawlers, sunk whaling ships, sailed boldly into Soviet waters (when the Cold War still brewed) and brazenly taunted the governments of several powerful countries. He has stood in the path of oncoming icebreakers to protect seal nurseries, and overturned the law that shielded hunters of baby seals from protest and active intervention to stop slaughter. He is the environmentalist who scathingly referred to Greenpeace, an organization he helped found, as "the Avon ladies of the environmental movement." Now he owns a submarine. Why? Paul Watson's unswerving mission is to publicize -- and stop -- the atrocities committed against the creatures who inhabit the world's oceans. His life story is one of a man with more than the courage of his convictions -- time and time again he has risked his life for his beliefs. He rammed the Sierra, a whaling vessel whose masters illegally slaughtered 25,000 whales; he sailed up to a whale processing plant in the former Soviet Union and calmly snapped photographs when confronted with armed guards; he drove a Cuban fishing boat off the Grand Banks to protect the depleted cod population and he founded the radical and confrontationalist Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, after he became disillusioned with Greenpeace tactics. Ocean Warrior is the story of Paul Watson's conservation career -- an amazing chronicle of bravery, horrifying slaughter and international intrigue. A story of passion and principles, it will not easily be forgotten by anyone who cares about the fate of our oceans -- or our planet.
- Paul Watson Paul Watson has rammed fishing trawlers, sunk whaling ships, sailed boldly into Soviet waters (when the Cold War still brewed) and brazenly taunted the governments of several powerful countries. He has stood in the path of oncoming icebreakers to protect seal nurseries, and overturned the law that shielded hunters of baby seals from protest and active intervention to stop slaughter. He is the environmentalist who scathingly referred to Greenpeace, an organization he helped found, as "the Avon ladies of the environmental movement." Now he owns a submarine. Why? Paul Watson's unswerving mission is to publicize -- and stop -- the atrocities committed against the creatures who inhabit the world's oceans. His life story is one of a man with more than the courage of his convictions -- time and time again he has risked his life for his beliefs. He rammed the Sierra, a whaling vessel whose masters illegally slaughtered 25,000 whales; he sailed up to a whale processing plant in the former Soviet Union and calmly snapped photographs when confronted with armed guards; he drove a Cuban fishing boat off the Grand Banks to protect the depleted cod population and he founded the radical and confrontationalist Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, after he became disillusioned with Greenpeace tactics. Ocean Warrior is the story of Paul Watson's conservation career -- an amazing chronicle of bravery, horrifying slaughter and international intrigue. A story of passion and principles, it will not easily be forgotten by anyone who cares about the fate of our oceans -- or our planet.
264 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1994
About the author
Paul Watson
62 books6 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name. This profile may contain books from multiple authors of this name.
Other authors publishing under this name are:
Paul Watson
Paul Watson, Nature Preservationist
Paul Watson
Paul Watson
Paul Watson
Paul Watson
Paul Watson, Guitar Courses
Paul Watson, Erotic Pictures
Paul Watson, Software
Paul Watson, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist
Other authors publishing under this name are:
Paul Watson
Paul Watson, Nature Preservationist
Paul Watson
Paul Watson
Paul Watson
Paul Watson
Paul Watson, Guitar Courses
Paul Watson, Erotic Pictures
Paul Watson, Software
Paul Watson, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist
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May 10, 2024
THE SEA SHEPHERD CAPTAIN FRANKLY EXPOUNDS ON MANY TOPICS
Paul Franklin Watson (born 1950) is a Canadian-American environmental activist, who was a co-founder of Greenpeace in 1972, but was ousted from its board in 1977; he then founded the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, a more radical anti-whaling project, which was the subject of a 6-season reality show, ‘Whale Wars.’ (Not surprisingly, he has had numerous clashes with the authorities of various countries.)
He wrote in the Preface to this 1994 book, “I intend to change the world… My passion is the living Earth, especially her oceans. I am a conservationist, a protector of species and ecological systems, and a defender of the rights of nature… In 1977, after leading many Greenpeace campaigns, I left the Greenpeace Foundation. My experience… [supports the] belief that established institutions were not to be relied upon to bring about change… I now give my energy and leadership to the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, and organization dedicated to… direct-action campaigns that challenge those who illegally explore marine wildlife… To some I am a hero. To others I am a pirate, a villain, even a terrorist… I look forward to cultivating many more enemies in my career on behalf of the Earth… In this book, I have tried to explain what motivates people like us to serve and protect the natural world. At the same time, I have tried to show the political, social and philosophical opposition that environmental activists encounter. This book documents the oceanic campaigns I have led since 1979… I hope to persuade readers of this book of something already known to the pirate whalers of Norway, the dolphin killers of Japan… that the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society is the most aggressive, no-nonsense and determined conservation organization in the world.”
He recounts a conversation with David McTaggart (chairman of Greenpeace in 1979 until his retirement in 1991): “McTaggart proposed that Sea Shepherd become a supplier of information to Greenpeace. His idea was that Sea Shepherd volunteers would take risks for the sake of the cause that his people wouldn’t consider… I reminded McTaggart that I had asked him a year ago to work with us and he had refused… I saw no reason now to put my organization at his beck and call… [McTaggart said’ ‘You have a nothing group, no name, no money—nothing. I’ll let you work with us, but first you demonstrate to me that you deserve our support’ … [Watson replied] ‘David… I may have a nothing group without any money. But we stopped the Sierra. Greenpeace didn’t. We are the only group to take a ship in to confront the sealers in the icepacks, not Greenpeace.’ … McTaggart laughed. ‘Suit yourself, but you’ll be sorry. I’ll have Sea Shepherd blacklisted within this movement… Think about it.’ ‘I don’t need to think about it, David. Screw you.’ I returned to the hotel… leaving McTaggart sipping a drink by the poolside.” (Pg. 8)
He tells two friends, “There isn’t any point in ramming a whaler if you can’t tell the world that you did so. In a media culture, a thing just doesn’t happen unless the media covers it. We need to send a message loud and clear that whaling isn’t going to be tolerated any longer.” (Pg. 21)
He has an exchange with Jack, a member of the media, and observes, “Jack, sometimes it takes a pirate to stop a pirate…’ ‘So you have no remorse, no regrets?’ ‘Absolutely none. I did what had to be done, didn’t hurt anybody and saved the lives of many whales… Jack wasn’t going to let me off easy. ‘You haven’t accomplished anything permanent. The whalers will collect insurance, repair their ship and they’ll be back killing whales. You got yourself a bit of publicity, but… you haven’t accomplished very much in the long run.’ ‘The Sierra will not collect insurance… Their underwriters have already declared that deliberate sabotage is not covered under their policy. It will cost a million dollars to repair that whaler… We cost them. And I’ll hit them again and again if need be.’” (Pg. 22-23)
He explains, “We had been criticized by mainstream groups for being radical. They had told me that education, not confrontation, was the solution. It appeared to me that we were, in fact, a highly effective educational organization… we had publicized whaling through confrontation, making it a dramatic news story… Most important, we had managed to educate a whaler and motivate him to change his way of life… to teach a whaler to… lay down the harpoon and become a saver of whales---in my book, that’s an educational achievement.” (Pg. 24)
He continues, “In less than a year, Sea Shepherd … had shut down every single whaling operation in the North Atlantic. We had achieved in one year what 10 years of rhetoric and game playing between nations had failed to do. I felt good… Hundreds of whales would live because we had taken action… Greenpeacers called me a terrorist. Some members of the media called me a fanatic. Others called me a hero. The mainstream environmental movement accused me of setting the cause of whale protection back a decade. It meant nothing to me. The knowledge that we had made a difference made… [us] completely immune to the … hypocrites who made their living from selling misery, doom, gloom and the spectre of extinction.” (Pg. 32-33)
He recounts an encounter with a Russian whaler: “It looked to me as if the Soviets now intended to rake [our] deck with 50-calibre machine-gun fire and then board us… Then the miracle occurred… A large California grey [whale] had surfaced between the two ships… Nobody who experienced this moment could help but feel that something mystical had taken place… Just as I had put my body between harpooners and cetaceans, Leviathan now had placed its body between mine and the naval vessel that would have destroyed us. We could not have been more astonished, more awed, if an angel had intervened.” (Pg. 82)
He explains, “[His then-wife] insisted that I abandon Sea Shepherd and get… a ‘real job.’ Since it was her way or the highway, I took the highway. I also assumed the responsibility of coming up with… child support in return for unrestricted visitation rights with my daughter… This financial obligation meant that I had to find more lectures, which had been my only source of income. I absolutely refused to be paid by the Sean Shepherd Conservation Society. I set it up as a volunteer organization and that was the way it had to be. I would not see the primary purpose of the organization being to provide a livelihood for me or anyone else. We were in business to put ourselves out of business.” (Pg. 128-129)
He again recounts his 1975 encounter with a sperm whale they were trying to save: “The massive head … rolled and the water parted, revealing a single solitary eye. The gaze of the whale seized control of my soul… I was overcome with pity, not for the whale but for ourselves… I wept… Overwhelmed with horror at this revelation of the cruel blasphemy of my species. I realized them and there that my allegiance lay with this dying child of the sea and his kind… It is both my burden and my joy to pledge my allegiance to the most intelligent and profoundly sensitive species of beings to have ever inhabited the Earth---the great whales.” (Pg. 165-166)
He recalls a conversation with the Dalai Lama, who gave him a small statue called ‘Hayagriva,’ and told him, “Hayagriva is the compassionate aspect of Buddhist wrath… you do not wish to cause injury but sometimes when people refuse to become enlightened, you might frighten them into seeing the light… It is sometimes the only way.” Watson mused, “His Holiness had understood precisely what the strategy of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society was… I had the small statue fastened to the top of the foremast, the highest point of our ship.” (Pg. 191) But he soon adds, “I don’t believe in putting faith in spirituality. That’s just a crutch for those who don’t belong. I can assure you, I’m no advocate of New Age spirituality.” (Pg. 195)
He argued with a reporter who was upset that the Sea Shepherd crew had guns on board: “That’s easy for you to say, sitting comfortably at home in Redondo Beach, while we slug it out with the Taiwanese. How would you feel if they shot and killed some of the crew and we had not way of defending ourselves. A rifle can be a tool that saves lives. That’s why I’ve got two AK-47s. Just looking at them can be intimidating, and the more intimidating, the less chance there will be of using them.” (Pg. 215)
Ultimately, when back on land, “The first thing I did upon returning was call a board of directors meeting… [He accepted two ‘resignations’] I would no longer allow myself to be put into a position where my hands were tied, where I could not take action and where I had to fear denunciation by my own directors and crew. I had pretended that the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society could be run by a group… The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society was my organization… thus I chose dictatorship over consensus. I had a vision in 1977 when I created the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society. I had absolutely no intention of having that vision diluted… The days of being manipulated by the moderates was over. The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society was a proudly maverick organization… We sank ships, we rammed ships… and stood up to proclaim that we were mad as hell and we definitely did not intend to take it any more.” (Pg. 221)
He recounts attending an Earth Summit at which the Dalai Lama would be attending, as well as Greenpeace: “I was hoping that after so many years of bitter feelings … this might be a perfect opportunity to heal the wounds between us… I had reason to believe that the long rift that separated us had been healed… The Dalai Lama arrived… I intended to renew our peace greetings and … our willingness to cooperate on campaigns and actions. I never got the chance… I was violently pushed out of the line and off to the side by a Brazilian soldier… ‘Get this man out of here. He is a terrorist,’ I heard… I shouted… over my shoulder, ‘This is really what it’s all about and Greenpeace symbolizes it perfectly. You have the illusion of peace and harmony and goodwill… The reality is very different. Greenpeace and this conference go well together. Both are illusions.’ … Greenpeace accuses Sea Shepherd of being violent, yet Sea Shepherd has never threatened, injured or killed any person… Sadly, I realized that I would never be able to cooperate peacefully with Greenpeace… [which was now] a mindless monster motivated by eco-buck profits… and a dynamic threat to the integrity of the green movement overall.” (Pg. 226-228)
He concludes, “There are many people who say that what we do is futile, that there is no way to stop the rising tide of human-spawned destruction. There are many who condemn my crew and I for taking the law into our own hands… There are some who would like to see us jailed, or even dead, so blinded are they to the conceit and folly of their own anthropocentrism. I don’t care. I do what I do because it is the right thing to do… I am a warrior … I know that the rate of extinction on this Earth increases daily. This knowledge makes me angry. As a warrior… it is anger that gives me courage and strengthens my resolve… And yet there is hope. Perhaps… our efforts will buy a little time and a little space… I have refused to side with humanity in her war against the Earth. I fully expect to be killed one day by one of my own species. A whaler, sealer, shark poacher or member of the crew… will kill me. Or it may be a government agent acting as the hired thug of a corporation. But the only thing that matters to me is that I use my life to save lives…” (Pg. 258-259)
While this book (even by Watson’s own standards) is a bit ‘self-congratulatory,’ it will be of great interest to those studying the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, and other types of radical environmental activism.
Paul Franklin Watson (born 1950) is a Canadian-American environmental activist, who was a co-founder of Greenpeace in 1972, but was ousted from its board in 1977; he then founded the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, a more radical anti-whaling project, which was the subject of a 6-season reality show, ‘Whale Wars.’ (Not surprisingly, he has had numerous clashes with the authorities of various countries.)
He wrote in the Preface to this 1994 book, “I intend to change the world… My passion is the living Earth, especially her oceans. I am a conservationist, a protector of species and ecological systems, and a defender of the rights of nature… In 1977, after leading many Greenpeace campaigns, I left the Greenpeace Foundation. My experience… [supports the] belief that established institutions were not to be relied upon to bring about change… I now give my energy and leadership to the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, and organization dedicated to… direct-action campaigns that challenge those who illegally explore marine wildlife… To some I am a hero. To others I am a pirate, a villain, even a terrorist… I look forward to cultivating many more enemies in my career on behalf of the Earth… In this book, I have tried to explain what motivates people like us to serve and protect the natural world. At the same time, I have tried to show the political, social and philosophical opposition that environmental activists encounter. This book documents the oceanic campaigns I have led since 1979… I hope to persuade readers of this book of something already known to the pirate whalers of Norway, the dolphin killers of Japan… that the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society is the most aggressive, no-nonsense and determined conservation organization in the world.”
He recounts a conversation with David McTaggart (chairman of Greenpeace in 1979 until his retirement in 1991): “McTaggart proposed that Sea Shepherd become a supplier of information to Greenpeace. His idea was that Sea Shepherd volunteers would take risks for the sake of the cause that his people wouldn’t consider… I reminded McTaggart that I had asked him a year ago to work with us and he had refused… I saw no reason now to put my organization at his beck and call… [McTaggart said’ ‘You have a nothing group, no name, no money—nothing. I’ll let you work with us, but first you demonstrate to me that you deserve our support’ … [Watson replied] ‘David… I may have a nothing group without any money. But we stopped the Sierra. Greenpeace didn’t. We are the only group to take a ship in to confront the sealers in the icepacks, not Greenpeace.’ … McTaggart laughed. ‘Suit yourself, but you’ll be sorry. I’ll have Sea Shepherd blacklisted within this movement… Think about it.’ ‘I don’t need to think about it, David. Screw you.’ I returned to the hotel… leaving McTaggart sipping a drink by the poolside.” (Pg. 8)
He tells two friends, “There isn’t any point in ramming a whaler if you can’t tell the world that you did so. In a media culture, a thing just doesn’t happen unless the media covers it. We need to send a message loud and clear that whaling isn’t going to be tolerated any longer.” (Pg. 21)
He has an exchange with Jack, a member of the media, and observes, “Jack, sometimes it takes a pirate to stop a pirate…’ ‘So you have no remorse, no regrets?’ ‘Absolutely none. I did what had to be done, didn’t hurt anybody and saved the lives of many whales… Jack wasn’t going to let me off easy. ‘You haven’t accomplished anything permanent. The whalers will collect insurance, repair their ship and they’ll be back killing whales. You got yourself a bit of publicity, but… you haven’t accomplished very much in the long run.’ ‘The Sierra will not collect insurance… Their underwriters have already declared that deliberate sabotage is not covered under their policy. It will cost a million dollars to repair that whaler… We cost them. And I’ll hit them again and again if need be.’” (Pg. 22-23)
He explains, “We had been criticized by mainstream groups for being radical. They had told me that education, not confrontation, was the solution. It appeared to me that we were, in fact, a highly effective educational organization… we had publicized whaling through confrontation, making it a dramatic news story… Most important, we had managed to educate a whaler and motivate him to change his way of life… to teach a whaler to… lay down the harpoon and become a saver of whales---in my book, that’s an educational achievement.” (Pg. 24)
He continues, “In less than a year, Sea Shepherd … had shut down every single whaling operation in the North Atlantic. We had achieved in one year what 10 years of rhetoric and game playing between nations had failed to do. I felt good… Hundreds of whales would live because we had taken action… Greenpeacers called me a terrorist. Some members of the media called me a fanatic. Others called me a hero. The mainstream environmental movement accused me of setting the cause of whale protection back a decade. It meant nothing to me. The knowledge that we had made a difference made… [us] completely immune to the … hypocrites who made their living from selling misery, doom, gloom and the spectre of extinction.” (Pg. 32-33)
He recounts an encounter with a Russian whaler: “It looked to me as if the Soviets now intended to rake [our] deck with 50-calibre machine-gun fire and then board us… Then the miracle occurred… A large California grey [whale] had surfaced between the two ships… Nobody who experienced this moment could help but feel that something mystical had taken place… Just as I had put my body between harpooners and cetaceans, Leviathan now had placed its body between mine and the naval vessel that would have destroyed us. We could not have been more astonished, more awed, if an angel had intervened.” (Pg. 82)
He explains, “[His then-wife] insisted that I abandon Sea Shepherd and get… a ‘real job.’ Since it was her way or the highway, I took the highway. I also assumed the responsibility of coming up with… child support in return for unrestricted visitation rights with my daughter… This financial obligation meant that I had to find more lectures, which had been my only source of income. I absolutely refused to be paid by the Sean Shepherd Conservation Society. I set it up as a volunteer organization and that was the way it had to be. I would not see the primary purpose of the organization being to provide a livelihood for me or anyone else. We were in business to put ourselves out of business.” (Pg. 128-129)
He again recounts his 1975 encounter with a sperm whale they were trying to save: “The massive head … rolled and the water parted, revealing a single solitary eye. The gaze of the whale seized control of my soul… I was overcome with pity, not for the whale but for ourselves… I wept… Overwhelmed with horror at this revelation of the cruel blasphemy of my species. I realized them and there that my allegiance lay with this dying child of the sea and his kind… It is both my burden and my joy to pledge my allegiance to the most intelligent and profoundly sensitive species of beings to have ever inhabited the Earth---the great whales.” (Pg. 165-166)
He recalls a conversation with the Dalai Lama, who gave him a small statue called ‘Hayagriva,’ and told him, “Hayagriva is the compassionate aspect of Buddhist wrath… you do not wish to cause injury but sometimes when people refuse to become enlightened, you might frighten them into seeing the light… It is sometimes the only way.” Watson mused, “His Holiness had understood precisely what the strategy of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society was… I had the small statue fastened to the top of the foremast, the highest point of our ship.” (Pg. 191) But he soon adds, “I don’t believe in putting faith in spirituality. That’s just a crutch for those who don’t belong. I can assure you, I’m no advocate of New Age spirituality.” (Pg. 195)
He argued with a reporter who was upset that the Sea Shepherd crew had guns on board: “That’s easy for you to say, sitting comfortably at home in Redondo Beach, while we slug it out with the Taiwanese. How would you feel if they shot and killed some of the crew and we had not way of defending ourselves. A rifle can be a tool that saves lives. That’s why I’ve got two AK-47s. Just looking at them can be intimidating, and the more intimidating, the less chance there will be of using them.” (Pg. 215)
Ultimately, when back on land, “The first thing I did upon returning was call a board of directors meeting… [He accepted two ‘resignations’] I would no longer allow myself to be put into a position where my hands were tied, where I could not take action and where I had to fear denunciation by my own directors and crew. I had pretended that the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society could be run by a group… The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society was my organization… thus I chose dictatorship over consensus. I had a vision in 1977 when I created the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society. I had absolutely no intention of having that vision diluted… The days of being manipulated by the moderates was over. The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society was a proudly maverick organization… We sank ships, we rammed ships… and stood up to proclaim that we were mad as hell and we definitely did not intend to take it any more.” (Pg. 221)
He recounts attending an Earth Summit at which the Dalai Lama would be attending, as well as Greenpeace: “I was hoping that after so many years of bitter feelings … this might be a perfect opportunity to heal the wounds between us… I had reason to believe that the long rift that separated us had been healed… The Dalai Lama arrived… I intended to renew our peace greetings and … our willingness to cooperate on campaigns and actions. I never got the chance… I was violently pushed out of the line and off to the side by a Brazilian soldier… ‘Get this man out of here. He is a terrorist,’ I heard… I shouted… over my shoulder, ‘This is really what it’s all about and Greenpeace symbolizes it perfectly. You have the illusion of peace and harmony and goodwill… The reality is very different. Greenpeace and this conference go well together. Both are illusions.’ … Greenpeace accuses Sea Shepherd of being violent, yet Sea Shepherd has never threatened, injured or killed any person… Sadly, I realized that I would never be able to cooperate peacefully with Greenpeace… [which was now] a mindless monster motivated by eco-buck profits… and a dynamic threat to the integrity of the green movement overall.” (Pg. 226-228)
He concludes, “There are many people who say that what we do is futile, that there is no way to stop the rising tide of human-spawned destruction. There are many who condemn my crew and I for taking the law into our own hands… There are some who would like to see us jailed, or even dead, so blinded are they to the conceit and folly of their own anthropocentrism. I don’t care. I do what I do because it is the right thing to do… I am a warrior … I know that the rate of extinction on this Earth increases daily. This knowledge makes me angry. As a warrior… it is anger that gives me courage and strengthens my resolve… And yet there is hope. Perhaps… our efforts will buy a little time and a little space… I have refused to side with humanity in her war against the Earth. I fully expect to be killed one day by one of my own species. A whaler, sealer, shark poacher or member of the crew… will kill me. Or it may be a government agent acting as the hired thug of a corporation. But the only thing that matters to me is that I use my life to save lives…” (Pg. 258-259)
While this book (even by Watson’s own standards) is a bit ‘self-congratulatory,’ it will be of great interest to those studying the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, and other types of radical environmental activism.
December 1, 2010
I liked this book a lot better than the Seal Wars book. Again, sometimes Paul's attitude gets tiresome to read (and I mean him being his own biggest fan) but he really has accomplished so much in the environmental movement so it is justified horn tooting. A great read. I can easily see myself reading this again in the future.
November 2, 2009
Hard to put into words the admiration I have for Paul Watson and the frustration I feel for all he has to go through in order to protect the lives of defenseless animals from the illegal and ruthless slaughter they constantly undergo in the name of a heartless economical profit.
April 18, 2021
Premessa: il Capitano Paul Watson resta una delle principali figure di riferimento all'interno del movimento ambientalista. Ne è tra i padri fondatori e ha dedicato tutta la propria vita e le proprie risorse agli oceani (e non solo). Ha fatto (non detto, FATTO) tantissimo e sempre in prima linea, mettendo davvero a repentaglio la vita, la salute e la libertà. Tutti gli dobbiamo un ringraziamento.
Leggere delle sue campagne è stato sicuramente importantissimo e molto piacevole, anche perché i diversi episodi sono presentati con uno stile e con delle introduzioni che richiamano i maggiori romanzi di mare e di avventura. Il tomo è abbastanza imponente ma estremamente scorrevole.
Detto ciò, ci sono stati momenti in cui non ho apprezzato i toni usati nel raccontare le diverse campagne. Spesso si suggerisce l'idea che Paul Watson sia l'unico individuo al mondo a fare qualcosa di concreto per il pianeta e gli oceani. Siamo tutti d'accordo nell'osservare il fallimento dei maggiori gruppi ambientalisti moderati che fanno tante parole e pochi fatti. Tutti d'accordo nel dire che bisogna scegliere una strada più radicale, soprattutto di fronte alla situazione di estrema emergenza raggiunta.
Ma da qui a presentare un individuo come unico difensore dell'ambiente ce ne passa. E quando si tratta di questioni etiche assumere un tono di superiorità è un gigantesco errore comunicativo.
Impegno diretto e concreto per l'ambiente è anche quello dei biologi, dei divulgatori, dei fotografi naturalistici, degli avvocati e dei giudici che si battono per i diritti dell'ambiente, degli insegnanti e dei genitori che parlano alle coscienze delle generazioni future, di chi si occupa di conservazione di aree protette, dei volontari, dei manifestanti, di chiunque prenda posizione e agisca di conseguenza anche solo boicottando la distruzione.
Concludo, però, ripetendo che il lavoro della Sea Shepherd Conservation Society è sempre stato e resta estremamente prezioso e ammirevole. Nessun dubbio su questo. Anzi, è sicuramente il gruppo ambientalista che personalmente apprezzo di più e sono felice di sostenerli ogni volta che posso. Però avrei preferito ben altri toni, specie per un'opera così divilgativa.
Leggere delle sue campagne è stato sicuramente importantissimo e molto piacevole, anche perché i diversi episodi sono presentati con uno stile e con delle introduzioni che richiamano i maggiori romanzi di mare e di avventura. Il tomo è abbastanza imponente ma estremamente scorrevole.
Detto ciò, ci sono stati momenti in cui non ho apprezzato i toni usati nel raccontare le diverse campagne. Spesso si suggerisce l'idea che Paul Watson sia l'unico individuo al mondo a fare qualcosa di concreto per il pianeta e gli oceani. Siamo tutti d'accordo nell'osservare il fallimento dei maggiori gruppi ambientalisti moderati che fanno tante parole e pochi fatti. Tutti d'accordo nel dire che bisogna scegliere una strada più radicale, soprattutto di fronte alla situazione di estrema emergenza raggiunta.
Ma da qui a presentare un individuo come unico difensore dell'ambiente ce ne passa. E quando si tratta di questioni etiche assumere un tono di superiorità è un gigantesco errore comunicativo.
Impegno diretto e concreto per l'ambiente è anche quello dei biologi, dei divulgatori, dei fotografi naturalistici, degli avvocati e dei giudici che si battono per i diritti dell'ambiente, degli insegnanti e dei genitori che parlano alle coscienze delle generazioni future, di chi si occupa di conservazione di aree protette, dei volontari, dei manifestanti, di chiunque prenda posizione e agisca di conseguenza anche solo boicottando la distruzione.
Concludo, però, ripetendo che il lavoro della Sea Shepherd Conservation Society è sempre stato e resta estremamente prezioso e ammirevole. Nessun dubbio su questo. Anzi, è sicuramente il gruppo ambientalista che personalmente apprezzo di più e sono felice di sostenerli ogni volta che posso. Però avrei preferito ben altri toni, specie per un'opera così divilgativa.
May 10, 2022
For some reason I had a feeling since I was a kid there was something about Sea Shepherd Society, even though I remember them being condamned for being militant. Now, after 20-25 years? I read this book and it all makes sense.
As a young idealist, years ago I got seduced by Greenpeace to donate. And I did. For many years even though there was also something about Greenpeace that didn’t feel right. Just below the surface. That also makes sense. My personal choice was to stop after all those years to donate to them. I haven’t yet decided if I’m entitely behind the SSCS, but I’m definately extremely disappointed by the politica of Greenpeace. It’s a giant factory of lies. And I’m not just saying this because I read this book. I already knew it, it just got confirmed. And I’m sure Greenpeace isn’t the only fake in the world of NGO’s. Disgusting…
As a young idealist, years ago I got seduced by Greenpeace to donate. And I did. For many years even though there was also something about Greenpeace that didn’t feel right. Just below the surface. That also makes sense. My personal choice was to stop after all those years to donate to them. I haven’t yet decided if I’m entitely behind the SSCS, but I’m definately extremely disappointed by the politica of Greenpeace. It’s a giant factory of lies. And I’m not just saying this because I read this book. I already knew it, it just got confirmed. And I’m sure Greenpeace isn’t the only fake in the world of NGO’s. Disgusting…
November 16, 2018
Une superbe lecture! Ce livre est à la fois un vrai roman d'aventures et le récit d'un activiste décidé à prendre de gros risques pour protéger la vie. La très forte personnalité de l'auteur ajoute de la saveur au récit. Malheureusement, plus de 20 ans après la parution de ce livre, leur(s) combat(s) est/sont encore loin d'être gagné(s)...
June 4, 2020
Ich bin großer Watson-"Fan" und dieses Buch hat mir nochmals gezeigt aus welchem Grund. Er steht für das ein, was er tut, gibt uns Einblicke und Informationen, die uns sonst nie jemand gegeben hätte und vor allem sein Sarkasmus und seine Schlagfertigkeit haben es mir angetan. Sehr empfehlenswert!!
January 7, 2017
I saw an episode on the TV about Paul Watson and decided to read one of his books. I stand between him and Greenpeace on the issue of saving our wildlife whether they be on land or in the water. If we can save the animals, birds, fish and other life without violence than that's a good thing. But sometimes to make a point, you have to use violence. That is what Paul Watson did.
This book tells of the founding of the Sea Shepherd Society and his courage to go against the whaling ships and the overfishing of cod as well as destruction of the life in the waters.He rammed ships, sunk some and stripped others of their nets without harming his crew or the lives on the other ships. He made his point. In some places he became a hero and in others a pirate. But what he did do is save wildlife for our children's children's children. (this book only follows his life up to 1994, you can check out his other books for more information).
This book tells of the founding of the Sea Shepherd Society and his courage to go against the whaling ships and the overfishing of cod as well as destruction of the life in the waters.He rammed ships, sunk some and stripped others of their nets without harming his crew or the lives on the other ships. He made his point. In some places he became a hero and in others a pirate. But what he did do is save wildlife for our children's children's children. (this book only follows his life up to 1994, you can check out his other books for more information).
August 1, 2007
Paul Watson is one of my heroes, so I was bound to like anything he wrote - even if it is a little self-aggrandizing. But, if anyone is entitled to a little boasting, it is Watson - who is probably one of the most courageous, determined, committed people on the planet and has dedicated his life to protecting our oceans and the animals who live there. However, he's not a writer.
May 21, 2013
If you sympathize with the work, you'll enjoy this book if you can get past the boasting and keep your eyeballs from barfing when he describes his romantic "love making" interludes. Gah. There is alot of heart and passion in what he does and it is definitely worth a read for that alone.
July 7, 2010
Great book. Watson is a true hero. This story was inspiring.
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