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CANIS interview 03/2003 with Captain Paul Watson September
1st , 2003
"The
Ocean Warrior"
CANIS:
Paul, twenty-four years ago, you were the only person in the entire
environmentalist movement who literally went head to head against poachers.
Just to mention one example: In July 1979, you captained the "Sea
Shepherd" which intentionally rammed the illegal whaling vessel
"Sierra" in a Portuguese harbour. By wrecking this notorious
pirate ship you saved the lives of thousands of whales. Nowadays, there
seems to be a silver lining on the horizon that your message has been
spiritualised, or heard, at least. After all, an official Australian
patrol vessel hunted the Uruguayan "Viasra", a Patagonian
toothfish poacher, for nearly three weeks and 4.000 kilometres all across the stormy Southern Polar Ocean till it captured the
pirates off the South African coast halfway to Antarctica. Do you believe
that your interventionist approach has raised consciousness, has paved the
way for governmental actions like this? Paul
Watson: One of
our objectives has always been to set an example and sometimes to
embarrass governments into intervening. In 1993, I organized a campaign to
chase foreign draggers off the Grand Banks of Newfoundland. This
embarrassed the Canadian government and I believe influenced Canadian
Fisheries Minister Brian Tobin to undertake a dramatic seizure of the
Spanish trawler “Estai” on the Grand Banks in 1995. We applaud the
actions of the Australians and the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society has
awarded the Australian captain and his crew – the Sea Shepherd Order of
Neptune medal for their actions.
CANIS:
In 1986 two of your crew members sank half of the Icelandic whaling fleet, which was kind
of an ignition spark to challenge the so-called "legal" whaling.
Can you describe your feelings when you hear that Iceland, after fourteen
years of absence, is about to restart "scientific whaling" of
Minke whales? Will "Neptune's Army", aka SSCS, attack the
whaling vessels again? Paul
Watson: In the
conservation movement, victories are always temporary and defeats are most
often permanent. Extinction is forever. We were happy that our actions
stopped whaling for seventeen years. Now that Iceland has once again
declared contempt for International conservation law, we must begin the
struggle over again. First step, officially request that the United States
censure Iceland in accordance with U.S. Department of Commerce regulations.
Second step is to see what steps the International Whaling Commission will
take to discipline Iceland. The third step is that we plan to take our
ship the “Farley Mowat” to Iceland for the summer of 2004 to directly
confront the Icelandic whalers.
CANIS:
You are the figurehead of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society (SSCS).
One can read on your website that SSCS has been running "Operation
Grindstop" since 2000. The campaign is directed towards an end of the
annual whale massacre off the Faeroe Islands. Would you please tell our
readers what this "grind" is all about? Paul
Watson: The
Grind is the sport slaughter of thousands of pilot whales each year by the
residents of the Danish Protectorate of the Faeroe Islands. It is the
cruellest and most unnecessary whale kill in the world. The Faeroese
defend the hunt as a gift from God yet so far they have not demonstrated
just where in the Bible God has bestowed this gift. In fact, the Old
Testament specifically forbids the eating of whale flesh because whales do
not have scales. We have been fighting this horrific slaughter since 1983.
It has been two decades of defending these innocent whales from some of
the most ruthless and barbaric whalers we have ever encountered. We do not
intend to give up this opposition and we will continue for as long as this massacre of these gentle giants continues. CANIS:
The indigenous Makah nation in the state of Washington insists on its
"traditional" whaling rights. Is this not just a severe
deception of the public, since the Makah had not whaled for seven decades?
So where is the tradition at all? What or who is behind this sudden
craving for whaling? Paul
Watson: The
Makah were not interested in whaling until their business partners in
commercial fishing – the Japanese lobbied them to reinstate their
traditional whaling practises. We had many Makah elders on our side that
saw the argument of "tradition" as a cover for an opportunity to
sell whale meat to the Japanese. One whale was killed in May of 1999 and
no whales since. We fought this hunt on the water and then in the courts
and the higher courts ruled in favour of the whales and the hunt is now
considered illegal both in the United States and in accordance to the
regulations of the International Whaling Commission. In 1995, Elder Dottie
Chamblin said that "it is part of our tradition to weave baskets
and pick berries in the mountains but no one want to do that. They do not
even want to learn the language. They just want to kill something."
The Japanese are now working on the Nootka tribes on Vancouver Island.
They have hired a Nootka named Tom Mexis Happynook to head the World
Council of Whalers. This is a Japanese and Norwegian front group that is
dedicated to promoting whaling among indigenous peoples. I don't know if
the Makah qualify for the term indigenous. They are from Vancouver Island
and about 500 years ago, around the time of the European invasion, the
Nootka speaking whaling people who landed on the tip of the Olympic
Peninsula found the non-whaling Ozette people living there. They
exterminated the Ozettes and stole their land so I don't see how their
actions differ from that of the Europeans who did the exact same thing.
Whaling may be a tradition of the Makah but it is a relatively new
practise for the Olympic peninsula. I have almost completed my book,
“Bury My Myth at Makah Bay” about this campaign. The book will explore
the myth of the ecological Indian. In my opinion we are all equally guilty
of waging war on the Earth and her species. All peoples have contributed to the extinction of species and to
the destruction of habitat. CANIS:
Is it true that the Makah had to be trained how to hunt whales by Faeroese
whalers? What a shame for a so-called "traditional whaling nation". Paul
Watson: Yes,
the World Council for Whalers that claims to represent indigenous whalers
but is financed by the Japanese and Norwegians hosted a conference in the
Faeroe Islands where Makah, Canadian Indians, and New Zealand Maori were
taught how to slaughter and butcher pilot whales. CANIS:
SSCS's activists are very creative bunch of people, i.e. during a football
qualifier between the Faeroe Islands and Scotland they handed out
information flyers to the audience, eventually resulting in "Save the
whales!" chants by the Scottish fans. Do you think an activity like
this one could draw more attention to the protection of whales, open the
interest of people who normally are not into environmental issues? Paul
Watson: The Sea
Shepherd Conservation Society encourages the initiative and imaginative
tactics of individual activists. The flyers at the football game were the
brainchild of German whale defender Jürgen Ortmüller who has been
passionately working to oppose the Faeroes whale slaughter. I have always
looked upon the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society as a means to inspire
and empower individuals. Many Sea Shepherd crew went on to become
effective and powerful activists. PETA co-founder Alex Pacheco got his
start as a volunteer on my first ship. Rod Coronado began his activist
career with Sea Shepherd and there have been many others.
CANIS:
Often media and representatives of whaling nations label you "pirate"
or "terrorist" On your flag ship "Farley Mowat" you
fly the Jolly Roger. Do you define yourself as a pirate? Is this labelling
a kind of laudatory for the missions you have accomplished so far? What is
terrorism in your opinion? Paul
Watson: I don't
really care what people call us. Being called a pirate is not an insult.
Remember that the British and Spanish navies were unable to control piracy
in the Caribbean in the 17th Century. They were to busy taking bribes.
Piracy in the Caribbean was shut down by a pirate – Henry Morgan. You
need pirates to shut down piracy. There are two kinds of pirates. Good
ones and bad ones. We are good pirates in pursuit of bad pirates. Bad
pirates, motivated by greed break the laws for profit. Good pirates
motivated by compassion intervene against those who are destroying our
oceans. Terrorism
is unorthodox warfare. If poor people toss a Molotov cocktail into a tank,
they are labelled terrorists. If a $100 million dollar jet fighter plane
drops a napalm bomb onto a school bus, it's called friendly fire. I oppose
terrorism because I oppose war. The real eco-terrorists are those
companies like Exxon or Union Carbide that cause massive death and
destruction in the name of profits. There are no eco-terrorists in the
environmental movement because not one person has ever been injured or
killed by an environmental activist. CANIS:
There are nations that truly appreciate the assistance of the Sea Shepherd
Conservation Society, for example Ecuador. Your vessel "Sirenian"
cruises off the coast of this South American country. Would you tell us a
bit about the "Sirenian's" mission? Paul
Watson: In the
year 2000, the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society signed an agreement with
the Galapagos National Park to provide our high speed patrol boat
“Sirenian” to the Galapagos National Park Marine Reserve for five
years. The ship is crewed by Galapagos Park Rangers, Ecuadorian Naval
officers and Sea Shepherd crew. We are now half way through this five-year
contract and the program has been very successful. We have jointly
intervened against dozens of illegal operations and we have seized dozens
of poaching vessels. These seizures have resulted in court ordered
confiscations. We also have exposed corruption in the Navy and our
evidence forced the removal of a high-ranking admiral from the Ecuadorian
Navy for accepting bribes. CANIS:
Paul, you are Canadian by birth and began your career with direct actions
for wolves in British Columbia and seals along the coast of Newfoundland.
What made you shift your main focus on cetaceans? Paul
Watson:
Actually I began my ocean going campaigns with whales in 1974 and our
first campaigns were against the Soviet whaling fleet in 1975 and 1976. I
organized the first direct intervention against the Canadian seal hunt in
1976 and the intervention against the British Columbian wolf hunt was in
1984. I have also worked with caribou, elephants, fish, sea birds, turtles
and invertebrates. My main focus is not whales. It is the defence and
protection of oceanic eco-systems. CANIS:
Some animal protection groups accuse you of being pro-dolphinarium? What
is your attitude towards dolphinariums? Paul
Watson: I am
opposed to dolphinariums. There are two reasons that some groups accuse me
of favouring dolphinariums. The first is that I ask difficult questions
about the practicality of releasing captive dolphins back into the wild,
especially captive born dolphins. Dolphins are like people and like
people; their behaviour is learned. All that I have asked is that a
well-planned strategy be worked out for release prior to releasing the
animals. You can't just cut the nets and expect them to survive. The
second reason is that the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society concentrates
on opposing the illegal slaughter of dolphins on the high seas and we do
not have the time or resources to focus on captivity issues. However there
are many groups that do focus on captivity issues and we are the only
group doing what we do. I don't criticise other groups for not ramming and
sinking whaling ships so I don't think it is fair for other groups to
focus on what we don't do instead of on what we do. The official Sea
Shepherd Conservation Society position is that we are 100% opposed to the
principle of confining dolphins in captivity. However we also believe that
dolphins held in captivity should receive the best treatment and care
possible and that dolphinariums be continually encouraged and pressured to
release their captives. I just had a team return from the Solomon Islands
where there were investigating the mass round up of dolphins for the
aquarium industry. It is an ugly business. CANIS:
What is your impression when you watch the daily disputes between
conservationists and animal protectors, welfarists versus animal
rightists, vegetarians versus vegans? Are these skirmishes
counterproductive or positive symptoms of an ongoing ethic evolution
within the movement? Paul
Watson: I think
the disputes are counter productive and illustrate the lack of tolerance
in both the conservation and animal rights movements. One of the laws of
ecology is the Law of Diversity. Another is the Law of Interdependence.
Both these laws can apply to movements. Strength lies in diversity of
approaches. All of these approaches are interdependent. The problem is
that people have disputes over strategy, tactics and philosophy. People in
the movement need to learn to agree to disagree. Of course some of this
conflict is generated by the Third Law of Ecology – the Law of Finite
Resources. Many groups and individuals are competing for funding. One area
that disturbs me the most is when people allow anthropocentric concerns to
influence their relationship to people in the movement. Social causes have
their place but not within the conservation or the animal rights movement.
You don't go to a feminist meeting to discuss protecting a coral reef. You
don't go to a Gay Rights meeting to discuss veganism; therefore feminism
and gay rights discussions should not be a cause for conflict in the
conservation and animal rights movements. CANIS:
Are you a vegetarian, a vegan? Paul
Watson: I am a
vegan and my ship is run as a vegetarian/vegan vessel. My wife Allison has
been a vegan for over fifteen years. My one daughter is a vegan. I believe
that veganism is morally the right thing to do but most importantly I
believe that veganism is something we must adopt to cleanse the earth of
the damage that the meat, fishing and dairy industries have cause to
global eco-systems. CANIS:
Recently, you said that anthropocentrism must be rejected, since it
promotes the ravaging of the planet. What is your philosophic/ethical
alternative: pathocentrism?, biocentrism?, holism? Paul
Watson: I
promote biocentrism – the idea that all species on the planet have an
equal right to exist and that all species must have the right to exist. I
also believe that habitats must have the right to exist. The interest of a
species must take precedence over the interest of an individual or a group
of individuals within any one species. The rights of any species must take
precedence over the desires and concerns of any one group of human beings.
Culture is not a justification for exploitation of a habitat or a species.
CANIS:
In an interview with the animal rights magazine "Bite Back" you
defined yourself politically as a Conservative in the spirit of Thomas
Jefferson. It was president Jefferson who said that a healthy political system
should undergo a "revolution" every twenty years, otherwise it
would fall victim to bureaucracy and corruption. Do you think big NGOs
like Greenpeace or WWF have missed this Jeffersonian revolution? What is
SSCS doing about this luring danger? What keeps your organization
idealistic and determined? Paul
Watson: What is
a conservative? It is a person who seeks to conserve. You can't be more
conservative than a conservationist. The Republican Party in the United
States is not a conservative party – it is a right wing Christian
fundamentalist party hiding behind the mask of conservatism. Large
conservation organizations are a part of the conservation movement. They
are a part of the diversity of the movement and they have their place
within the movement. But we should always remember what famed
anthropologist Margaret Mead once said: She warned people to not depend
upon government or institutions to change anything. All social revolutions
are inspired by and led by passionate and dedicated individuals. I have
deliberately kept the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society small. We have not
done large direct mail campaigns. We don't invest in expensive advertising
or promotional campaigns. We don't do large door-to-door solicitation
projects. We remain a small independent organization of volunteers. CANIS:
By which means do you motivate yourself when you see, for example, the
recklessness of Japanese whalers or the ignorance of the Bush
administration all around? Don't you sometimes think we are fighting
against windmills? Paul
Watson: I
believe that the solutions to impossible problems are impossible answers.
Dare to believe that these things can be overcome. In 1970, the very idea
that Nelson Mandela would one day be President of South Africa was so
impossible it was not even thought of as a possibility. Yet he became
President of South Africa. I believe that President George Bush will be
defeated in 2004. I believe that we will end whaling in the world. I
believe that we can change the world. We take ground a foot at a time. We
buy time an hour at a time. We take two steps forward and one step
backwards. Sometimes we take two steps forward and five steps backwards
but we bounce back and continue to strive forward. Victory is built upon a
history of failures. I have always been inspired by a quote from President
Teddy Roosevelt when he said: "It is not the critic who counts;
not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer
of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is
actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood,
who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again; because
there is not effort without error and shortcomings; but who does actually
strive to do the deed; who knows the great enthusiasm, the great devotion,
who spends himself in a worthy cause, who at the best knows in the end the
triumph of high achievement and who at the worst, if he fails, at least he
fails while daring greatly. So that his place shall never be with those
cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat." CANIS:
What is your vision of planet Earth in the near future? Will there be a
sufficient change of human consciousness, say, over the next fifty years
to stop the ongoing extinction of species? Or is the big ecological crush
inevitable? Paul
Watson: Sadly,
I think there will be an ecological collapse because I have not seen a
significant indication that human beings have an ecological intelligence.
We're big on technology and short on environmental common sense. We want
solutions just so long as we don't have to make any sacrifices. We are in
the midst of a period of major species extinctions yet most people are
oblivious of this fact. They are busy with trivial circuses; those
anthropocentric pastimes of sport, art, gossip, politics, and wining and
dining and having fun. Humans fiddle while the Earth burns. I am comforted
by the fact that the Earth will abide and although we are and we will
cause immense destruction, we do not have the power to destroy this
planet. Our destructive behaviour will destroy us first. CANIS:
What about your personal future: Will you retire to the SSCS's own Orkney
island Little Green Holm (*just kidding*)?. Or will your pioneer spirit
sustain and stand ground further on against violators of the environment? Paul
Watson: My
vision of the future is so far reaching that my own lifetime and my own
future is insignificant in comparison. A conservationist must see the
world a thousand years from now, ten thousand years from now, ten million
years from now and we must understand that our actions in the present will
define what kind of future that will be. When I dream of the future, it is
a future far from the present when the planet will be restored to a
relative ecological harmony in a world defined by ecological law. We do
live in such a world. Ecological law is influencing our collective future
now and the consequences will be upon us in a very short time, within
decades and centuries. I do not see the human species surviving as master
of the planet for more than a few hundred years longer, and I believe we
are in danger of realizing our own extinction within a few thousand years.
I don't see us around a hundred thousand years from now. Hopefully our
niche will be filled by a more deserving species. CANIS:
Paul, if some of our readers are caught by euphoria now, what requirements
do they have to meet to be accepted on board as volunteers on your ships?
Besides, by which means could less adventurous persons contribute to your
cause? Paul
Watson: Anyone who is a
member of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society can volunteer to be a
crewmember on a campaign. Information on crewing and supporting Sea
Shepherd can be found on our website at www.seashepherd.org
. CANIS: Paul, thank you very much for the interview. On behalf of our organization: Thrice hooray to Captain Paul Watson and his good pirates! interviewer:
Alexander Willer, www.canis.info German version of this interview: www.canis.info/interviews/paul_watson_deutsch.htm
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