Some moments define an era: the Moon landing, 9/11. For the natural world, a new milestone has surfaced from the ocean’s past, the oldest known recording of a humpback whale. Listen to the historic recoding played over a modern video of whales, above.

Scientists at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI), one of the world’s leading marine research centers, have uncovered a recording captured on March 7, 1949, near Bermuda.

The sound was preserved on a fragile but remarkably intact audograph disc found in the institute’s archives. At the time, researchers aboard the research vessel Atlantis were testing sonar systems, measuring explosive charges, and conducting acoustic experiments in collaboration with the US Office of Naval Research.

Underwater recording technology was then in its infancy, and scientists still struggled to identify the sources of many ocean sounds.

Around that same period, WHOI scientist William Schevill and his wife Barbara Lawrence — a pioneering mammalogist — were laying the foundations of marine mammal bioacoustics. In 1949 they used a crude hydrophone and dictating machine to record beluga whales from a small boat in Canada’s Saguenay River, the first confirmed recording of wild marine mammals. Many recordings from the late 1940s were poorly preserved or lost, reflecting how early ocean acoustics research struggled with both technology and storage.

“Data from this time period simply don’t exist in most cases,” said Laela Sayigh, a marine bioacoustician and senior research specialist at WHOI. “The ocean is much louder now, with increases in both the number and types of sound sources. This recording can provide insight into how humpback whale sounds have changed over time, and serve as a baseline for measuring how human activity shapes the ocean soundscape.”

Today, WHOI scientists deploy passive acoustic buoys, Slocum gliders, and autonomous hydrophones to monitor ocean soundscapes at scale. These systems generate vast datasets used to study marine life, track ship noise and industrial impacts, and understand long-term environmental change.

The WHOI-led Robots4Whales program focuses specifically on protecting marine mammals using autonomous ocean robots equipped with the Digital Acoustic Monitoring Instrument (DMON). These systems detect whale calls in real time by tracking frequency changes in sound — producing “pitch tracks” from spectrograms that can be matched to known species libraries and transmitted ashore via satellite.

“Underwater sound recordings are a powerful tool for understanding and protecting vulnerable whale populations,” said marine bioacoustician Peter Tyack, emeritus research scholar at WHOI. “By listening to the ocean, we can detect whales where they cannot easily be seen. At the same time, these acoustic tools let us track how human activity — from shipping to industrial noise — alters the ocean soundscape and affects how whales communicate, navigate, and survive.”

Unlike most recordings from this era, which were lost as early media deteriorated, the audograph discs survived and appear to have been uniquely used for underwater sound — making them a rare, possibly singular example of early ocean listening preserved from the dawn of marine acoustics.

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Washington State made history, becoming the first—and only—place in the world to successfully remove and permanently ban commercial net pen aquaculture.

Farmed fish can occur at sea and on land in pools, rainfed ponds, in tanks or in raceways. The approach is called aquaculture and for decades has been sold as a viable, and sustainable alternative to fishing from seas that are overfished. But not all environments are suitable for marine aquaculture, where fish live in cages and their effluent discharges at high concentrations in the coastal areas.

In addition to sea lice and viruses, a number of other pathogens found in farmed fish may pose a risk to wild salmon. Bacteria: Two bacterial diseases have the potential to impact wild salmon. The first, bacterial kidney disease (BKD) is caused by Renibacterium salmoninarum.

Because of the reduction of wild salmon in areas like Puget Sound, local orcas are starving as wild populations dwindle.

On January 7, the Washington State Board of Natural Resources cast a landmark vote to adopt a new rule prohibiting commercial finfish net pen aquaculture in all state-managed marine waters. Fish pens endandered Puget Sound’s ecosystems, and the activists who brought this decision to life say they are safeguarding the health of Washington’s public waters for generations to come.

Related: fishing for peace and fish farms for Gaza?

“This is a landmark moment for environmental protection,” said Emma Helverson, Executive Director of Wild Fish Conservancy who led the change in law. “Thanks to the commitment of the public and the leadership of Tribal Nations, we have achieved something extraordinary. This victory is not just for Puget Sound—it’s for every community, every species, and every ecosystem that has been impacted by the harmful practice of commercial net pens.”

Puget Sound is home to wild salmon and Southern Resident orcas.

This week’s victory is the direct result of Commissioner of Public Lands Hilary Franz’s 2022 decision to deny the industry new decade-long leases for net pens, and her subsequent executive order directing the Department of Natural Resources to develop rules to permanently ban this practice.

These actions resulted in the complete removal of commercial net pens in Washington, making 2024 the first year in four decades that Puget Sound was free from daily pollution and the devastating impacts that net pens cause.

Just days before the vote, Tahlequah (J35), the Southern Resident orca who made global headlines in 2018 after she carried her stillborn calf for 17 days straight, was observed once again grieving her newest dead calf. Recent research shows an alarming 69% of Southern Resident orca pregnancies end in miscarriage due to malnutrition and that miscarriages far outnumber births of endangered orcas. J35 “Tahlequah” (pronounced tah-le-KWAH) is a 25-year-old female Southern resident killer whale. She is the matriarch of the J17 matriline.

The stark reality of mother orcas losing their calves is a painful reminder that these whales are starving and struggling to survive due to the depletion of large, quality, and abundant wild Chinook salmon, their primary food source.

“I hope the public will join us in thanking Commissioner Hilary Franz and her committed agency staff. From the very first steps she took in response to the 2017 Cypress Island net pen collapse, Commissioner Franz has been a fierce and unwavering leader, holding the industry accountable for their harmful actions, listening to the public’s voices, and ultimately making this historic victory possible,” says Helverson.

In a conflicting report from 2011, Green Prophet reported that farmed fishing isn’t so evil after all.

The rule was adopted by a majority 4-2 vote, with Commissioner Franz, Skagit County Commissioner Lisa Janicki, University of Washington’s Dan Brown, and Governor Jay Inslee’s financial advisor Jim Cahill all voting to approve the ban. The decision was informed by overwhelming public support, with over 80% of public comments submitted in favor of the permanent ban and is a direct response to the ongoing crisis facing wild salmon populations and Southern Resident killer whales, which rely on healthy, abundant runs for survival.

“In casting their votes for the permanent ban, these leaders set a new standard of environmental stewardship for governments and leaders, emphasizing that merely minimizing risks isn’t enough given the crisis facing wild salmon and the orcas who depend on them, “says Helverson. “These leaders recognize completely avoiding risk and harm is the only way to prevent the further decline toward extinction for these iconic species and to protect the public’s immense sacrifices and investments in their recovery.”

Since 2017, Wild Fish Conservancy has led the Our Sound, Our Salmon (OSOS) campaign and coalition to protect wild salmon and Puget Sound from the harm of net pen aquaculture. Over the past decade, this dedicated coalition has worked alongside Washington’s Tribal Nations in the legislature, courts, and countless advocacy efforts.

Washington’s success will also serve as a powerful model providing important momentum for the global movement to eliminate open water net pens, an industry that poses a threat to marine ecosystems everywhere in the world they exist.

Similar efforts to protect public waters and ecosystems from this industry are already underway in countries such as British Columbia, Chile, Scotland, Norway, Finland, and Tasmania and through the Global Salmon Farming Resistance.

How we can help? According to the Global Salmon Institute, the farmed salmon industry has grown substantially in the past 60 years. Approximately 70% of salmon produced worldwide is farmed. In 2021, more than 2.8 million tons of farmed salmonids were produced. In comparison, only around 705,000 tons of wild salmonids were caught.

Outside the United States in developing economies in the Middle East like Saudi Arabia, farmed fishing is growing quickly and there are non-existent activist groups to protect nature. Saudi Arabia’s fish farming industry, the production of fish farmed in saltwater and inland waters has surged by 56.4% since 2021, reaching an unprecedented 140,000 tons in 2023. In addition to aquaculture, marine fisheries in the Red Sea and Arabian Gulf contributed 74,700 tons, which represents a 16.2% increase over 2022. This brings the total fish production from aquaculture and marine fishing to 214,000 tons in 2023 –– yet how many activists or researchers are documenting the harm to the whales and sharks in the Red Sea?

Meanwhile the goal in Saudi Arabia, according to its Ministry of Environment, Water, and Agriculture is to increase the per capita fish consumption to 30 pounds annually. Popular fish varieties in Saudi Arabia include Nile tilapia, sea bass, dentex, and shrimp.

Over in Lebanon, the situation is bleak. Fishermen target Mediterranean fish using dynamite.

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Blast fishing or dynamite fishing is believed to be the cause of more shark sightings off the coast of Lebanon. In this exclusive report on dynamite fishing we uncovered the extent of the problem in Tripoli –– how fishers are using illegal, handmade dynamite to blast fish out of nature reserves. The Mediterranean Sea is overfished. And blast fishing is having an impact on other sea life, including sharks and possibly whales and sea lions.

On social media people in Lebanon are worried about getting attacked by sharks, with resorts this past summer warning bathers about the danger at sea. Blast fishing or dynamite fishing is when fishermen drop handmade explosives into the water making it easier to kill tonnes of fish using one blast. The blast damages the fish gills and they float to the surface making for an easy but deadly haul. The method also kills fishermen when not detonated correctly.

Sharks are getting closer to the shore now and locals in Lebanon blame blast fishing: “This makes it easier for sharks to compete with fishermen for their fish,” one local in Lebanon said. “This changes the behavior of sharks.”

There has not been a fatal attack by shark in Lebanon, but predators can be a threat to humans if they get too close. Some large sea creatures like orca whales are fighting back against humans by deliberately sinking boats off the coast of Morocco. One orca attacked by a fishing boat is teaching other orcas how to fight back.

Tel Aviv is 250 miles from Beirut and just last year there was an unusual sighting of a sea lion which lingered for several days on a beach of Jaffa, the sister city to Tel Aviv. We visited her there as she languished in the sun. Although veterinarians say that she appeared to be unharmed perhaps she was a victim of Lebanon’s blast fishing? Sea lions are rarely seen in Israel, and live in clusters further north. Sea lions do compete with fishermen for fish.

Also in May, 2022 a dead sperm whale washed up on the shore of Tel Aviv. It was the third dead whale to wash up on Israel’s shore that year. Dr. Aviad Scheinin, the head of the marine biology department at Haifa University, told the Maariv news site that it was a young sperm whale and that its advanced state of decomposing made it difficult to immediately determine the cause of death. Scheinin noted that sperm whales are endangered in the Mediterranean Sea.

Blast fishing in Lebanon may be the cause for dead sperm whales, sea lions on shore and new shark sightings. Time to stop the barbaric practice. But with Lebanon hosting a terror group Hezbollah within its own state, it is obviously impotent when it comes to enforcing laws that protect citizens. Remember the 2020 bomb blast in Beirut due to negligence? We can’t expect Lebanese biologists to have any power in stopping blast fishing at sea so international organisations should be getting involved.

These researchers in Tanzania heard blasts from dynamite fishing more often that whale calls. They say that blast fishing kills all marine life. Seal bombs are also used in California. How can we stop the practice of blast fishing globally?

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They say that loose lips sink ships, and for the fourth time in two years, it’s not just lips but orca whales sinking ships. A pod of orcas attacked a sailing boat off the coast of Morocco on Oct. 31 and didn’t stop for 45 minutes until the boat sunk. Luckily the crew sent out a mayday and everyone on board was rescued in time. We wrote about avenging orcas just this past May and see the orcas have struck again.

It wasn’t a Halloween prank, says the company that runs cruises on Grazie Mamma — a sailing yacht owned by Polish cruise company Morskie Mile. Marine zoologists believe that a specific orca was attacked by a fishing boat some years ago. She carries her trauma and has taught other orcas how to help get revenge.

The company announced, “Yesterday in the Strait of Gibraltar early afternoon our yacht was attacked by a herd of orcas. They hit the steering fin for 45 minutes, causing major damage and leakage. Despite attempts to bring the yacht to the port by the captain, crew and rescuers, port tugs and the Moroccan Navy, the unit sunk near the entrance to the port of Tanger Med. The crew is safe, unharmed and safe in Spain.

It’s been reported that orcas in the Strait of Gibraltar have been harassing boats for over three years. Most of them don’t sink.

The orcas (Orcinus orca), also known as killer whales, hit the Polish yacht’s rudder causing major damage, allowing water to enter the hull.

Attacks have been reported as early as 2020, and all come from the Strait of Gibraltar — a narrow strait between Spain and Morocco that connects the Atlantic Ocean to the Mediterranean Sea.

The attack highlights the intelligence of killer whales.

Since 2020, this orca pod has been regularly harassing boats believed to be started by White Gladis, a female orca who may have been traumatized by a past boat collision. The whales are becoming better at sinking ships, sinking three boats since 2022. In June a rudder was ripped off a yacht in 15 minutes. We reported earlier how the whales appear to be teaching each other how to maximise damage.

Witnesses have also reported seeing orcas “teach” other individuals how to maximise the damage they cause.

 

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Earth’s oceans cover over 70 percent of the planet’s surface and hold more than 1.3 billion cubic kilometers of water. Inside these vast waters inhabitants over 236,878 marine species, but likely way more as we have only explored 20 percent of the oceans. Today, we estimate that the ocean is roughly 11,000 meters at its deepest point.

Just like any other ecosystem, it is imperative to protect the numerous species that inhabit the deep sea. Deep sea mining is now threatening these species due to the discovery of rich minerals such as cobalt and lithium that can be found in seabeds.

The International Sea Bed Council has already put in approval of plans for work as early as September. Luckily, the DSCC is working amongst other NGOs to stop companies from committing these devastating ocean effects.

There are three types of mining that are in the plans to take place. Polymetallic nodules from the abyssal plains, cobalt crusts from seamounts, and polymetallic sulphides from hydrothermal vents. These underwater areas are rich in biodiversity and threatened to be destroyed if the mining takes place. Since much of the ocean has not been explored, we don’t know the severity of the mining, and can be more destructive than we expect.

This is why it is so important to get on board with the DSCC, fisheries, and law and policy enforcement to ensure that permits do not go out to allow this mining. According to the DSCC, scientists have warned us that the impacts of deep-sea mining are inevitable and most likely irreversible.

“The last thing we need is deep sea mining digging ourselves into a deeper hole,” says Louisa Casson at GreenPeace on a conference call Green Prophet joined recently.

The risks that deep sea mining imposes are numerous: The disturbance of natural seabeds and ecosystems creates plumes of sediment that can threaten species’ habitats and threaten extinction. Plumes can also be created through the deposit of wastewater in the mining process that can spread hundreds of square kilometers. It also generates a lot of noise pollution which greatly disturbs species.

According to a study released by Green Peace, the noise pollution that deep sea mining creates can disrupt whales’ ability for frequency navigation, communication between breeding partners, and communication between mothers and calves. And with these frequencies operating 24 hours a day, there is significant detrimental harm to species of whales for the long haul.

“Seabed mining is not a climate solution, it’s a potential climate disaster,” said Bobbi-Jo of The Ocean Foundation on the same call we jumped in on meant to bring journalists up to date with the latest research. With the goal of seabed mining being to provide cobalt and nickel to the EV electric vehicle industry, seabed mining is not going to help these industries much because lithium is most important to this industry for its batteries and is not found in large quantities in the polymetallic nodules of ocean beds. For this reason, seabed mining would be disturbing the sea floor and the marine ecosystems unnecessarily.

Seabed mining can not be marketed as a climate solution because it does not make mining on Earth any less. Although seabed mining may take away from mining on land, it shifts it to mining underwater and further disrupts the earth’s surface, just now underwater.

This makes people think that we are finding solutions to climate issues on land, but they are just moving it underwater where people can not visibly see the damage.

The Canadian company The Metals Company or TMC is a leading proponent of seabed mining. TMC has been called out numerous times because they have put out misleading statements to investors. The company has had two class action cases after failing to disclose information and downplaying reality. They make themselves look like they are doing good work for the metals industry, when in actuality they are heading towards massive blocks from moratorium and difficulties financing their commissions.

Fortunately, countries all over the world are coming together to address and moratorium deep sea mining. “We are seeing a coalition of countries from the Pacific, Latin America, and Europe all making statements,” said Casson from GreenPeace. There is cross-regional support for a moratorium on deep sea mining as statements are being released and a silent majority were against deep sea mining. Governmental and NGO officers showed overwhelming support for the moratorium. Specifically in France and Germany, governments were for deep-sea mining, but as evidence was released that proved the destructive effects of deep-sea mining, these countries turned around and decided there was no future for deep-sea mining.

It is in the hands of activists, NGOs, and others to speak up against deep-sea mining and continue to push for a moratorium on deep-sea mining. As long as we continue to push these scientific facts globally, we can convince nations all over the world to a global moratorium. Deep sea mining is destructive to marine ecosystems and cannot be allowed in any way, shape, or form.

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Whales, the earth’s largest marine mammals, have had more than their share of ecological problems in all parts of the world’s seas and oceans. One of their biggest risks is noise in marine habitats caused by drilling for oil and gas. 

Who’s at risk? Those in unlikely marine habitats such as the Eastern Mediterranean, where a rare grey whale was sighted.

A previously unknown sub-species of humpback whale, named Arabian Whale, was also found swimming in waters off Oman. Sites of regular oil drilling.

Whales communicate and find their way by emitting sounds to one another as well as off marine objects such as reefs. Studies made by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) found that migrating  Western Grey Whales are greatly disturbed by underwater intense  seismic sounds produced by oil and gas exploration companies in areas where they  often frequent; such as near Sakhalin Island, north of Japan.

The seismic surveys conducted by these oil and gas exploration companies involve using intense underwater sound blasts when searching for subterranean oil and gas deposits.

The intense sounds affect the whales, which rely on sound for communication, navigation and foraging for food.

Exposure to loud noise from seismic surveys can result in stress and behavior changes,  which affect foraging and nursing calves. The intense noise can also cause direct physical damage to the animals themselves. The company carrying out the surveys, Energy Investment Company Ltd, claims that the surveys are carried out in a manner that  “has not revealed significant impact on the whales”.

Migrating whales are often seen swimming together with other marine mammals like dolphins.

Other whale species, such as Pilot Whales, have been involved in numerous incidents involving being stranded on beaches.

The most recent incident occurred off Ft. Myers Florida January 21. Marine biologists believe that Pilot Whale beachings may be the result of the animal’s communication and direction finding senses being “confused” by various factors; including marine pollution and possibly by conflicting undersea noises as well.

The IUCN study was published in the Journal of Aquatic Mammals; and based its research on the migration routes and prime feeding grounds of the Western Grey Whale species.

The survey co-author, Dr Greg Donovan, is Chairman of the Western Grey Whale Advisory Panel (WGWAP) Seismic Survey and Noise Task Force. He is also Head of Science at the International Whaling Commission. To reduce the chance of seismic soundings disturbing the whales, he recommends that: “In the Sakhalin case it is advisable to conduct the surveys as soon as the winter ice has melted but most of the whales have not yet arrived.”

More articles about whales and other marine mammals in the Mediterranean and Middle East:

New Arabian Humpback Whale Species Located in Oman

Iron-rich Whale Poop Essential in Middle Eastern Marine Habitats

Is Willie the Grey Whale Lost of Looking for Club Med?

Image via WWF

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The Arabian and Persian Gulf waters off countries like Abu Dhabi, Iran, and Oman are home to a number of different types of marine animals. These include dolphins, at least 600 dugongs, several species of sharks, and sea turtles living in and around the Bu Tinah atolls. An even larger and more exotic marine mammal species, such as whales, may be sharing these waters as well. As reported recently in the English edition of the global Arab Network, a species of the Humpback whale, now known as the Arabian Sea Humpback Whale, have been located in the Arabian Gulf waters off Oman.

The whales, which were given their official name by the International Whaling Commission  (IWC) are said to be distinct in that they do not migrate as most whale populations do, but tend to breed and remain in the same geographical area, which in this case is the Arabian Gulf.

Because of this uniqueness, it makes them one of the most vulnerable whale populations in world, according to the IWC.

As reported in the Global Arab Network article:”The scientists have just returned from breath-taking field research for the Renaissance Whale and Dolphin Project where they have recorded whale songs, behavioural patterns, DNA samples and over 10,000 photographs of this unique Arabian Sea Humpback Whale population that Baldwin and his team are dedicated to preserving.

“Oman marine biologists say that due to the vulnerability of these mammals, very careful planning must be done to help ensure the survival of these animals. This includes seeing that commercial development in the region does not endanger the whales, along with other species of marine life, including dolphins and dugongs.”

Bu Tinah dugongs: also vulnerable

Previous Green Prophet articles by Arwa have taken stock of the decimation of large numbers of sharks from fishermen who kill them for their fins, which are sold to ready markets in the Far East.

We’ve also reported a mass killing of dolphins off the Straits of  Hormuz back in November 2007, which some articles say could have been caused by experimentation of a “death ray” that was the result of a project called HAARP or High Frequency Active Auroral Research Program, that began near the town of Gakona Alaska in the early 1990s and are still continuing today in various parts of the world – including possibly the Arabian/Persian Gulf region.

HAARP injured dolphins?

Like dolphins, whales are also attracted to high frequency sonar-type sounds, such as those being emitted by such atmospheric magnetic wave experimentation as that produced by HAARP.

The discovery and study of the Arabian Sea humpbacked whales is part of the Renaissance Whale and Dolphin Project sponsored by Omani listed company Renaissance Services. Most of the whales have been seen near Muscat and other coastal regions, particularly the Dhofar region and Gulf of Masirah.

::Global Arab Network

Read more on threatened Gulf marine life:

Rare Sea Turtles and Other Wildlife Living Happily on Persian Gulf Island Atoll

Persian Gulf “Mermaids” Face Man-made Environmental Threats

Death Ray” Dolphin in Persian Gulf May be Worse than Shark Slaughter

Sharks Under Attack in the Middle East

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Humans engage in all manner of self-destructive behavior, and whales beach themselves. What’s worse, because they are deeply attached to other members of their pod, when senior whales beach themselves, the rest of the “family” will follow suit. The results are devastating, not only for the whales but also for onlookers who watch as these gentle giants struggle, slowly, against death on the beach.

Saving them is no easy feat. Whales, whose poop is essential to marine environments, can weigh thousands of pounds. Not only does this make them difficult to move, but often their internal organs and ribs are compromised by the force of their own weight. Since they endure significant anxiety and have to be handled very carefully, UK experts traveled last week to the UAE to teach 50 well-meaning participants how to avoid doing more harm than good while protecting their favorite dolphins, dugongs, and whales.

One of the first things that divers, environmentalists, aquarium representatives, schoolteachers, and wildlife experts learn is that marine mammals are not fish. They need to breathe. People that rush to splash water on beached mammals – a good thing to do – they inadvertently drown them instead by plugging up their blowholes.

The British Divers Marine Life Rescue group was invited by the Emirates Natural History Group. The deputy Chairman, Mr. Keith Taylor, arranged courses in Dubai and in Abu Dhabi, according to The National.

“There are a lot of people who spend time by the sea – divers, fishermen, beachcombers and natural history buffs – so we thought it would be a good idea to teach people how to care for the mammals of the sea,” he said. “It wasn’t in response to a perceived need for rescuing mammals, so much as when we got people together we realised there was such a need, and now we are working on building up a network of concerned people.”

Mr. Marsh and Richard Ilderton gave participants both practical and theoretical lessons. In addition to learning how to identify various species of whale, dolphin, and dugong, they were taught how to life and move a beached creature.

Since there weren’t a steady supply of beached mammals with which to demonstrate, learners lifted inflatable creatures filled with water and air in order to get a sense of their weight.

They also learned to use pontoons, which makes the difference between being able to save a beach mammal and not.

“You have little time to act when a mammal becomes beached,” Mr. Ilderton told the paper. “One pontoon system costs around Dh20,000, but, he said, it would radically alter the chances of survival for any beached mammal.”

“Currently, the survival rate is pretty much zero,” he said. “With one of these, it could potentially be 100 per cent if the animal is fit enough to go back in the water.

The UK representatives hope that the UAE will set an example for the rest of the Middle East.

:: The National

More about whales in the Middle East:

More Whale Fossils in The Egyptian Desert

Is Willie the Grey Whale Lost or Looking for Club Med? (VIDEO)

Iron-Rich Whale Poop Essential in Middle Eastern Marine Habitats

The post UAE Residents Learn To Save Inflatable Dolphins And Whales appeared first on Green Prophet.

In the 3rd of this series of water-related posts, following on from our recent news of a whale dying in the Mediterranean Sea (which you can read here) on the sad death of a whale off the coast of Ashkelon, Israel we look at the pioneering activism of the sea Shepherd Conservation Society, who exist under the directorship of Captain Paul Watson, to protect and preserve whales and all the creatures of the sea, from human cruelty and exploitation.

Originally formed in 1977 by ex-Greenpeace co-founder Watson, the work of Sea Shepherd ranges from baby seal protection, preventing illegal poaching, whaling and shark hunting, and upholding and enforcing all International laws governing the World’s oceans (see ocean despoliation here) and marine life. (Why are hundreds of whale fetuses in a museum in Norway?)

The Society and its leader are controversial due to their methods of engagement with whaling vessels and those involved in these activities. The International laws are very shady and circumspect, and several Countries over the years have backtracked on their commitment to end whaling. Japan and Norway are particularly guilty of this.

Japan in particular reserves the right to kill a set number of whales annually ‘in the name of research’. Sea Shepherd and Independent sources claim that this whale meat is then sold on the open market.

Watson and his committed crew of volunteers from all around the world, ram whaling ships, try to divert them off course, fly (in a helicopter) at them, spray smoke flares over the ships, and come close to the letter of the law in activist action.

Sea Shepherd is run entirely on the donations it receives from worldwide supporters, and this includes the 4 ships currently in the society’s fleet, called Neptune’s Navy.

Volunteer crew members on the ships speak of the “moral need” to be doing the work they do, sometimes risking their own lives in harsh conditions to try to protect the lives of whales and other ocean inhabitants.

Green Prophet commends the organisation, and seeing the work that they do is hopeful both for the marine environment and the morality of humanity.

Check out their website here: www.seashepherd.org

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