End of the Line? Paul Watson and the Future of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.18533/journal.v3i2.258Keywords:
Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, Paul Watson, whaling, eco-violenceAbstract
This paper critically examines the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society (‘SSCS’) and the legal challenges they are currently facing to continue its self-appointed role to protect oceanic life through direct action. In Part One, the article examines the history of this radical environmental group and; the role performed by its charismatic leader Paul Watson; it’s organisational structure and its strategies and tactics; its governing philosophy and its attitudes to violence. Part Two provides a history of the various direct actions carried out by the group; it further examines the organisation’s ongoing confrontations with the Japanese whaling fleet; documents the current legal travails the group and its leader are experiencing; and lastly asks what impact these issues will have on the group’s viability as a direct action group going forward.
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