For over 30 years, Captain Paul Watson has been at the helm of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society. Founded in 1977, Sea Shepherd's mission is to end the destruction of habitat and slaughter of wildlife in the world's oceans in order to conserve and protect ecosystems and species. Sea Shepherd uses direct-action tactics -- which the organization says are innovative but which Japanese whalers say are unlawful -- to investigate, document, research and enforce laws, treaties, resolutions and regulations established to protect ocean wildlife and their habitats worldwide.
Master and Commander
In 1972, Watson co-founded the Greenpeace Foundation. From 1971-77, Watson served as First Officer on all Greenpeace voyages, where he implemented his idea of putting activists in a zodiac between the harpoon and the whale. He has been the Master and Commander of over 200 voyages. He has authored six books including Ocean Warrior (1994) and Seal Wars (2002). Captain Paul Watson and Sea Shepherd's conservation work have been covered in the mass media worldwide. In the year 2000 Watson was included by Time as one of the environmental heroes of the 20th Century and in 2007 he was featured in an in-depth article in the New Yorker.