Wednesday, August 8, 2012

Paul Watson and Sea Shepherd, Cowardice Under Direct Action Fire?

Interpol, the worlds police, have issued a Red Notice for Paul Watson titular head of Sea Shepherd Conservation Society and Watson is currently on the run exhibiting a simply stunning display of abject cowardice in the face of Direct Action.

This is a wake up call to his donor base both large and small. Your conservation money, the money you had hoped would be used for change, has been taken from you by a slick conservation media machine.

And while no one wants to get inside the mind of the Sea Shepherd faithful for fear they will discover an overweight hamster on a giant wheel wheezing to a techno version of Kermit The Frogs, "It's not Easy Being Green," one has to ask, why run Paul?

Paul Watson is more than happy to send his volunteers/unpaid reality tv actors into situations that ultimately put then in harms way while he himself is unwilling to even step into a court room where he would get to explain his Direct Action policies to the widest audience he has ever had.

Watson instead has crafted a series of inane excuses for his lack of,  "Doushitemo" (at any cost), which flies in the face of far too many of Watsons own stump speeches to his donor base where he regales them with tales of personal bravery on the high seas.

About that, as it turns out Watson is also not above faking his own assassination attempts to bolster his claims of conservation bravery. This is an organization that, "at any cost," spends donor money to pump out slick conservation media fakery, year after year, to garner more donations.

It's a Conservation Möbius Loop of the worst kind.

After 30 years Sea Shepherd has proved an abject failure as an organization for actual and lasting changes to wildlife.

They have become unfortunate parodies of themselves and in the minds of their donor base, "too big to fail." There's a meme out there that suggests, and is propagated by Sea Shepherd, that if they stop their Direct Actions the entire world will go to hell in a hand-basket because there are no other organizations out there to fill the void.

It's a lie.

In fact there are plenty of small boots on the ground organizations out there, thanks in large part to social media and smart phones, that need your help now. They are the real face of conservation, not the donor paid vacations in the South Pacific with Sea Shepherds elite Shark Angels - an ongoing conservation sham where the biggest hurdle this "elite team" faces has been the lack of access to dwindling supplies of glitter lip gloss and SPF 50.

You have a choice, dig a bit deeper in your search for a conservation organization org that delivers change, or continue to support a bloated increasingly irrelevant organization that at it's core (Paul Watson) fails to live up to the ongoing hype.

Paul Watson as an conservation organization leader has shown to the world that his organization does not deserve your respect, admiration, or money.

For many out there in the conservation sphere this is not news. For the Sea Shepherd faithful who like the idea of wearing pirate shirts and being part of something grand, this is gut check time.

Support something new, try something small, grow an organization that delivers conservation change and one that you know will spend your conservation money wisely. Fact is when any organization gets to over 11 million dollars in revenue resources and it's Conservation CEO is placed on Interpols Red Notice you have to wonder...are the worlds animals really being served here?

About Shark Diver. As a global leader in commercial shark diving and conservation initiatives Shark Diver has spent the past decade engaged for sharks around the world. Our blog highlights all aspects of both of these dynamic and shifting worlds. You can reach us directly at sharkcrew@gmail.com.

14 comments:

Dave R said...

Finally, justice!

Harald Eide said...

What a lot of crap!
And whoever wrote this knows it! Why else would he/she be anonymous?
"Posted by Shark Diver" ROFL!!
This is a shit dirty way to try to get your hands on Sea Shepherd donations your selves. Using THIS to ask people who support Sea Shepherd Conservation Society (myself included!) to donate their money to YOU instead?? Follow the rules! Do your own work, don't try to harvest what another person, Paul Watson, has sown.

I am Harald Eide!
I am Sea Shepherd!
I am Paul Watson!

Shame on you!

Harald Eide 2 said...

"And while no one wants to get inside the mind of the Sea Shepherd faithful for fear they will discover an overweight hamster on a giant wheel wheezing to a techno version of Kermit The Frogs, "It's not Easy Being Green."


I am Harald Eide! - I am an idiot!
I am Sea Shepherd! - We are liars!
I am Paul Watson! - I am a coward!

LOL!

Carol said...

Did you even read that post? Nowhere did they ask for SSCS money they do assert that some Sea Shep members are unbalanced crazies and you have just concluded that, thanks Harald!

Harald Eide said...

Carol,

"..SUPPORT SOMETHING NEW, try something small, grow an organization that delivers conservation change and one that you know will spend your conservation money wisely.."

What do you think they mean by that?
You're welcome, by the way.

Carol said...

Harald you live at home with your parents and you're 45 right?

Sorry for you. In understand that reading past a third grade level must be tough.

That's o.k Harald nap time is just around the corner. You keep up the good work though m'kay?

Kirk said...

I read the same blog post and didn't think you guys we're passing around the tin cup either just don't post what the whacks have to say and life will be grand.

BTW great post in full agreement, Paul Watson is a full blown coward when you look at a guy like Pete Bethune who is willing to actually go to prison to save whales!

Horizon Charters Guadalupe Cage Diving said...

We also reserve the right to edit or remove comments that fall under the category of "gobsmackingly stupid or hysterical whinging".

Seems Harald didn't even bother to read this, sad. I posted his rant to highlight some of the SSCS faithful.

They are a unique bunch, there's a few in there who are actually smart folks trying hard, then there's good old Harald here from Norway no less.

He's an older gent who dives occasionally and has a Facebook page with a few friends, he's also, very, very angry.

Oh well off to see if I can get my hands on all those SSCS millions, you know its part of our master plan...not!

Horizon Charters Guadalupe Cage Diving said...

FYI everyone Harald has been banned from posting here until Norway stops whaling.

Seems even this SSCS faithful can't stop whaling in his own backyard, he would rather be on Facebook or this side making inane comments(great use of time).

http://www.mnn.com/earth-matters/animals/stories/norway-whalers-take-first-whales-of-hunting-season

Seems fair Harald?

Go save a whale SSCS guy, just one, should be easy, throw yourself in front of the ship or something.

No?

We'll even let you post here again if you save just one, promise;)

Horizon Charters Guadalupe Cage Diving said...

Harald? Yooo Hoo? Anyone there?

Seems Harald is at a loss for words, sense, and practicality, or he's actually saving whales with Sea Shepherd over there in Norway.

Cannot wait to see how his Direct Action is going in a few weeks.

Those whales could use use it and with an 11 million dollar donor budget sitting in SSCS coffers he should have plenty of funds to get the job done!

Time is ticking Harald.

Anonymous said...

Where's Watson? Anyone seen him?

This is Watson Watch Day 71!

Run Paul and keep running.

Anonymous said...

As an org that is a "world leader" can you please outline your efforts and successes in saving sharks and what example do you think you are setting for conservation orgs? biggest successes? What are your plans for the future?

Horizon Charters Guadalupe Cage Diving said...

Anon,

You have to read a bit and that takes a bit of effort.

http://www.sharkdiver.com/about-us/shark-conservation

At a time when 98% of all commercial shark diving companies on the planet did not have any shark conservation programs in place we were developing the programs, pouring thousands of dollars into shark research, and building the Shark-Free Marinas Initiative.

It's been a strong decade for us.

The future?

More of the same. We're interested in metrics based conservation programs and fully support those that get the job done.

BTW you are not Harald are you?


Anonymous said...

I agree with this post wholeheartedly. Paul Watson is a talking head and he loves publicity, especially if it benefits him. To be honest, I was really dumbfounded to see that clown and his merry little circus pretending to be mariners, botch putting a small boat in the water, which you never, ever do close to the ship, get two of their own arrested, and then they expel them from the org? Then again, it was funny seeing the fat clown get "shot" These fools are not conservationists! They are a joke...