Paul Franklin Watson (born December 2, 1950) is a Canadian-American

environmental Environment most often refers to: __NOTOC__ * Natural environment, referring respectively to all living and non-living things occurring naturally and the physical and biological factors along with their chemical interactions that affect an organism ...

, conservation and

animal rights Animal rights is the philosophy according to which many or all Animal consciousness, sentient animals have Moral patienthood, moral worth independent of their Utilitarianism, utility to humans, and that their most basic interests—such as ...

activist, who founded the

Sea Shepherd Conservation Society The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society (SSCS) is a non-profit, marine conservation activism organization based in Friday Harbor, Washington, Friday Harbor on San Juan Island, Washington, in the United States. Sea Shepherd employs direct action t ...

, an anti-poaching and

direct action Direct action is a term for economic and political behavior in which participants use agency—for example economic or physical power—to achieve their goals. The aim of direct action is to either obstruct a certain practice (such as a governm ...

group focused on

marine conservation activism Marine conservation activism is the efforts of non-governmental organizations and individuals to bring about social and political change in the area of marine conservation. Marine conservation is properly conceived as a set of management strategie ...

. The tactics used by Sea Shepherd have attracted opposition, with the group accused of

eco-terrorism Eco-terrorism is an act of violence which is committed in support of environmental causes, against people or property. The United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) defines eco-terrorism as "...the use or threatened use of violence of ...

by both the

Japanese government The Government of Japan is the central government of Japan. It consists of legislative, executive and judiciary branches and functions under the framework established by the Constitution of Japan. Japan is a unitary state, containing forty- ...

and

Greenpeace Greenpeace is an independent global campaigning network, founded in Canada in 1971 by a group of Environmental movement, environmental activists. Greenpeace states its goal is to "ensure the ability of the Earth to nurture life in all its biod ...

. Watson is a citizen of

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

and the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

. Watson, a native of Toronto, has been an environmental activist since his teens. He joined a Sierra Club protest against nuclear testing in 1969 and crewed onboard the Greenpeace Too in November 1971, to oppose nuclear testing at Amchitka Island in the Aleutians. In 1972, he was a co-founder of

. Because Watson argued for a strategy of direct action that conflicted with the Greenpeace interpretation of

nonviolence Nonviolence is the personal practice of not causing harm to others under any condition. It may come from the belief that hurting people, animals and/or the environment is unnecessary to achieve an outcome and it may refer to a general philosoph ...

, he was ousted from the board in 1977. Greenpeace has since stated that Watson was an influential early member, but not one of the founders of Greenpeace. Watson states that Greenpeace has revised their history but Jerry Rothwells documentary How to Change the World firmly established Watson as the 8^th founding member of Greenpeace, with the lifetime membership number of 007 with Robert Hunter being 000. The same year, he formed the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society. The group was the subject of a reality show named ''

Whale Wars ''Whale Wars'' was a weekly American documentary-style reality television series that premiered on November 7, 2008 on the Animal Planet cable channel. The program follows Paul Watson, founder of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, as he and ...

''. Watson promotes aggressive non-violent intervention to defend marine life and marine eco-systems. He also promotes Biocentrism. Watson's activities have led to legal action from authorities in countries including the United States, Canada,

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the archipelago of Svalbard also form part of the Kingdom of ...

Costa Rica Costa Rica, officially the Republic of Costa Rica, is a country in Central America. It borders Nicaragua to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the northeast, Panama to the southeast, and the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, as well as Maritime bo ...

and Japan. He was detained in

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

on an

extradition In an extradition, one Jurisdiction (area), jurisdiction delivers a person Suspect, accused or Conviction, convicted of committing a crime in another jurisdiction, into the custody of the other's law enforcement. It is a cooperative law enforc ...

request by Costa Rica in May 2012. An

Interpol The International Criminal Police Organization – INTERPOL (abbreviated as ICPO–INTERPOL), commonly known as Interpol ( , ; stylized in allcaps), is an international organization that facilitates worldwide police cooperation and crime cont ...

red notice An Interpol notice is an international alert circulated by Interpol to communicate information about crimes, criminals, and threats by police in a member state (or an authorised international entity) to their counterparts around the world. The in ...

was issued on September 14, 2012, at the request of

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

and Costa Rica. Watson has never been convicted of a criminal felony despite numerous arrests during his career. After staying at sea for 15 months following his escape from Germany, where he was released on bail, he returned to

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

in late October 2013, going through customs and "was not arrested". He appeared before a US appeals court on November 6, 2013, stating that neither he nor the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society violated a 2012 order requiring them to leave whaling vessels alone. Although the United States is a signatory member of Interpol, Watson has not been detained for extradition to Japan or Costa Rica. He is living in Paris, writing books, giving lectures and coordinating marine conservation campaigns, currently focusing on opposition to illegal whaling operations and opposition to deep sea mining. In March 2019, Costa Rica dropped all charges against Watson and has removed the Interpol red notice. He has created his own foundation, the Captain Paul Watson Foundation, as Sea Shepherd Conservation Society and the board of Sea Shepherd Global removed him. He has also left the executive office of the Australian branch. In July 2024, Watson was detained in

Nuuk Nuuk (; , formerly ) is the capital and most populous city of Greenland, an autonomous territory in the Kingdom of Denmark. Nuuk is the seat of government and the territory's largest cultural and economic center. It is also the seat of gove ...

by the Danish police, citing an Interpol red notice from Japan. He was expected to stay in

pre-trial detention Pre-trial detention, also known as jail, preventive detention, provisional detention, or remand, is the process of detaining a person until their trial after they have been arrested and charged with an offence. A person who is on remand is ...

until October 2, 2024; Watson and the Captain Paul Watson Foundation filed an appeal with the

Supreme Court In most legal jurisdictions, a supreme court, also known as a court of last resort, apex court, high (or final) court of appeal, and court of final appeal, is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts. Broadly speaking, the decisions of ...

to have the decision set aside. After his detention was extended several times, on December 17, 2024, the Danish government decided that Watson would not be extradited to Japan. He was released from prison and returned to France.

Early and personal life

Paul Watson was born in

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

, the oldest child of Anthony Joseph Watson and Annamarie Larsen, and grew up in

St. Andrews, New Brunswick Saint Andrews is a town in Charlotte County, New Brunswick, Canada. The historic town is a national historic site of Canada, bearing many characteristics of a typical 18th century British colonial settlement, including the original grid layo ...

, along with three younger sisters and three younger brothers. As a child he was a member of the

Kindness Club The Kindness Club is a humane education organization. It was founded by Aida Flemming in Fredericton, New Brunswick, in 1959. Origin and growth In 1957 Aida Flemming, the wife of New Brunswick premier Hugh John Flemming, sponsored a children's e ...

, which he has credited with teaching him to "respect and defend animals". After working as a tour guide at

Expo 67 The 1967 International and Universal Exposition, commonly known as Expo 67, was a general exhibition from April 28 to October 29, 1967. It was a category one world's fair held in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It is considered to be one of the most s ...

, the

World's Fair A world's fair, also known as a universal exhibition, is a large global exhibition designed to showcase the achievements of nations. These exhibitions vary in character and are held in different parts of the world at a specific site for a perio ...

that took place in

Montreal Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...

in 1967, Watson rode the rails to

Vancouver Vancouver is a major city in Western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the cit ...

. In 1968 and the early 1970s, he joined the

Canadian Coast Guard The Canadian Coast Guard (CCG; ) is the coast guard of Canada. Formed in 1962, the coast guard is tasked with marine search and rescue (SAR), communication, navigation, and transportation issues in Canadian waters, such as navigation aids and i ...

, where he served aboard weatherships,

search and rescue Search and rescue (SAR) is the search for and provision of aid to people who are in distress or imminent danger. The general field of search and rescue includes many specialty sub-fields, typically determined by the type of terrain the search ...

hovercraft, and buoy tenders. He signed up as a merchant seaman in 1969 with the Norwegian Consulate in Vancouver and shipped out on the 30,000 ton bulk carrier Bris as a deckhand. The Bris was registered in Oslo, Norway, and manifested for the Indian Ocean and Pacific trade. In 1972 he shipped out of San Francisco on the 35,000 ton bulk Swedish carrier ''Jarl R. Trapp'' and manifested for the Indian Ocean and Pacific trade. Watson has one daughter, Lilliolani (born 1980), with his first wife, Starlet Lum, who was a founding director of Greenpeace Quebec, Earthforce!, Project Wolf, and Sea Shepherd. His second wife, Lisa Distefano, was Sea Shepherd's Director of Operations during the

Makah The Makah (; Makah: ') are an Indigenous people of the Pacific Northwest Coast living in Washington, in the northwestern part of the continental United States. They are enrolled in the federally recognized Makah Indian Tribe of the Makah I ...

anti-whaling campaigns in Friday Harbor. His third wife, Allison Lance, is an animal rights activist and a volunteer crew member of Sea Shepherd. Watson has two grandchildren. Watson married his fourth wife Yana Rusinovich on February 14, 2015, in Paris. Watson and Rusinovich have two sons. Tiger and Murtagh. Watson ran for Parliament in Vancouver Centre twice for the Green Party. In 1995, he ran for Mayor of Vancouver for the Green Party..

Activism

Early years

In October 1969, Watson joined a

Sierra Club The Sierra Club is an American environmental organization with chapters in all 50 U.S. states, Washington, D.C., Washington D.C., and Puerto Rico. The club was founded in 1892, in San Francisco, by preservationist John Muir. A product of the Pro ...

protest against

nuclear testing Nuclear weapons tests are experiments carried out to determine the performance of nuclear weapons and the effects of Nuclear explosion, their explosion. Nuclear testing is a sensitive political issue. Governments have often performed tests to si ...

Amchitka Island Amchitka (; ;) is a volcanic, tectonically unstable and uninhabited island in the Rat Islands group of the Aleutian Islands in southwest Alaska. It is part of the Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge. The island, with a land area of rou ...

. The group which formed as a result of that protest was the

Don't Make a Wave Committee The Don't Make a Wave Committee was the name of the anti-nuclear organization which later evolved into Greenpeace, a global environmental organization. The Don't Make a Wave Committee was founded in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada to protest a ...

, which evolved into the group known today as

. In the early 1970s, Watson was also active with SDU (Students for a Democratic University). Watson sailed as a crew member aboard the ''Greenpeace Too!'' ship in 1971 and skippered the Greenpeace boat ''Astral'' in 1972. Paul Watson continued as a crew member, skipper, and officer aboard several Greenpeace voyages throughout the mid-1970s. According to ''

The New Yorker ''The New Yorker'' is an American magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. It was founded on February 21, 1925, by Harold Ross and his wife Jane Grant, a reporter for ''The New York T ...

'', ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'', and other sources, Watson was a

founding member Founding may refer to: * The formation of a corporation, government, or other organization * The laying of a building's foundation * The casting of materials in a mold See also * Foundation (disambiguation) * Incorporation (disambiguation) I ...

of Greenpeace, but the organization denies this stating he "was an influential early member but not, as he sometimes claims, a founder." Watson joined Greenpeace on its

Amchitka Amchitka (; ;) is a volcanic, tectonically unstable and uninhabited island in the Rat Islands group of the Aleutian Islands in southwest Alaska. It is part of the Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge. The island, with a land area of ro ...

expedition, The Amchitka voyage was one campaign with two ships, the Greenpeace and the Greenpeace Too. Together it was one expedition with the Greenpeace voyage in October and relieved by the Greenpeace Too in November.

Sea Shepherd Conservation Society

The first Sea Shepherd vessel, the ''Sea Shepherd'', was purchased in December 1978 with assistance from the Fund for Animals and the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. Sea Shepherd soon established itself as one of the more controversial environmental groups, known for provocative

tactics. These tactics have included throwing objects onto the decks of whaling ships, the use of " prop foulers" in an attempt to sabotage the ships, boarding whaling vessels, and the

scuttling Scuttling is the act of deliberately sinking a ship by allowing water to flow into the hull, typically by its crew opening holes in its hull. Scuttling may be performed to dispose of an abandoned, old, or captured vessel; to prevent the vessel ...

of two ships in an

Iceland Iceland is a Nordic countries, Nordic island country between the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic and Arctic Oceans, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge between North America and Europe. It is culturally and politically linked with Europe and is the regi ...

ic harbor. In January 2013, Watson relinquished captaincy of the ''Steve Irwin''. The organization and its activities to halt whaling are the focus of a reality TV series, ''

'', airing on

Animal Planet Animal Planet (stylized in all lowercase since 2018) is an American multinational pay television channel focusing on the animal kingdom owned by the Warner Bros. Discovery Networks unit of Warner Bros. Discovery. First established on June 1 ...

. Watson was forcibly removed as head of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society in September 2022, after the board of directors voted him out in place of new government deals and promises of reduced conflict and a disengagement of direct obstruction to illegal fishing and whaling vessels. Many branches of Sea Shepherd worldwide followed Paul Watson and dissolved their campaigns in light of a new chapter suitably named, Captain Paul Watson Foundation. Captain Paul Watson is no longer legally allowed to be seen or photographed with the Sea Shepherd name or logo and has completely dropped all ties to the brand.

Other environmental activities

Watson was a field correspondent for

Defenders of Wildlife Defenders of Wildlife is a 501(c)(3) non-profit conservation organization based in the United States. It works to protect all native animals and plants throughout North America in their natural communities. Background Defenders of Wildlife is a ...

from 1976 to 1980 and a field representative for the

Fund for Animals Cleveland Amory (September 2, 1917 – October 14, 1998) was an American author, reporter, television critic, commentator and animal rights activist. He wrote a series of popular books poking fun at the pretensions and customs of society, start ...

from 1978 to 1981. Watson also was a co-founder of Friends of the Wolf and Earthforce Environmental Society. During the 1980s, Watson declared his support for

Earth First! Earth First! is a radical environmentalism, radical Environmental movement, environmental advocacy group that originated in the Southwestern United States. It was founded in 1980 by Dave Foreman, Mike Roselle, Howie Wolke, Bart Koehler, and Ron K ...

and cultivated friendships with

David Foreman William David Foreman (October 18, 1946 – September 19, 2022) was an American advocate for the conservation of wild lands and wildlife. He was a co-founder of three organizations: Earth First!, the Wildlands Project, and the Rewilding Institu ...

and

Edward Abbey Edward Paul Abbey (January 29, 1927 – March 14, 1989) was an American author and essayist noted for his advocacy of environmental issues, criticism of public land policies, and anarchist political views. His best-known works include the nov ...

. He proclaimed Sea Shepherd to be the "navy" of Earth First! According to ''The New Yorker'', Watson revived the 19th-century practice of

tree spiking Tree spiking involves hammering a metal rod, Nail (fastener), nail or other material into a tree trunk, either inserting it at the base of the trunk where a Lumberjack, logger might be expected to cut into the tree, or higher up where it would a ...

. Watson worked with the

Green Party of British Columbia The Green Party of British Columbia, or simply the BC Greens, is a provincial political party in British Columbia, Canada. It was founded in 1983 and is based in Victoria. The party won its first seat in the Legislative Assembly of British Colu ...

in Vancouver in the 1980s and 90s. He ran for mayor in 1996, placing fourth. In April 2003, Watson was elected to the board of directors of the

for a three-year term. In 2006, he did not seek re-election. He resigned from the board a month before his term ended, in protest against the organization's sponsorship of a "Why I Hunt" essay contest. In January 2008, Paul Watson was named by ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...

'' as one of its "50 people who could save the planet" for the work of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society.

Writings on activism

Watson published ''Earthforce!'', a guide to strategy for environmental activists in 1993. In it, he specifically endorsed the tactics of "

monkeywrenching Sabotage is a deliberate action aimed at weakening a polity, government, effort, or organization through subversion, obstruction, demoralization, destabilization, division, disruption, or destruction. One who engages in sabotage is a ''sab ...

" previously described by Dave Foreman and Edward Abbey. According to Foreman in ''Eco-Defense—The Field Guide to Monkey-Wrenching—'' these are tactics of sabotage, covert activity, and direct action. Watson says he incorporated his own personal experience in writing the book. In ''Earthforce! An Earth Warrior's Guide to Strategy'', Watson expressed disdain for the truthfulness of mainstream media:

The nature of the mass media today is such that the truth is irrelevant. What is true and what is right to the general public is what is defined as true and right by the mass media.
Ronald Reagan Ronald Wilson Reagan (February 6, 1911 – June 5, 2004) was an American politician and actor who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He was a member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party a ...
understood that the facts are not relevant. The media reported what he said as fact. Follow-up investigation was "old news." A headline comment on Monday's newspaper far outweighs the revelation of inaccuracy revealed in a small box inside the paper on Tuesday or Wednesday.

Watson was explicit about what he perceived to be the lack of truthfulness in mass media: "If you do not know an answer, a fact, or a statistic, then simply follow the example of an American President and do as Ronald Reagan did—make it up on the spot and deliver the information confidently and without hesitation." In a subsequent book, ''Ocean Warrior'', Watson expanded on this view, saying: "Survival in a media culture meant developing the skills to understand and manipulate media to achieve strategic objectives." In 2007 Watson explained his view of needed population control and the future for humans given their role in the

Holocene extinction The Holocene extinction, also referred to as the Anthropocene extinction or the sixth mass extinction, is an ongoing extinction event caused exclusively by human activities during the Holocene epoch. This extinction event spans numerous families ...

, which he refers to as the "Holocenic hominid collective suicide event":

Today, escalating human populations have vastly exceeded global carrying capacity and now produce massive quantities of solid, liquid, and gaseous waste ..No human community should be larger than 20,000 people and separated from other communities by wilderness areas ..We need to radically and intelligently reduce human populations to fewer than one billion ..Curing a body of cancer requires radical and invasive therapy, and therefore, curing the biosphere of the human virus will also require a radical and invasive approach ..Who should have children? Those who are responsible and completely dedicated to the responsibility which is actually a very small percentage of humans.

Controversy

Separation from Greenpeace

Paul Watson continued as a crew member, officer, and skipper (in 1972) aboard several Greenpeace voyages throughout the mid-1970s. He considers himself a founding member of

and

Greenpeace International Greenpeace is an independent global campaigning network, founded in Canada in 1971 by a group of environmental activists. Greenpeace states its goal is to "ensure the ability of the Earth to nurture life in all its diversity" and focuses its ...

, a claim Greenpeace disputes despite being pointed out in the documentary, ''How to Change the World'' which shows that Watson was indeed one of the original founding members of Greenpeace. Watson has since accused Greenpeace of rewriting their history. In 1977, Watson was expelled from the Greenpeace's board of directors by a vote of 11 to 1 (Watson himself cast the single vote against it). The group felt his strong, "front and center" personality and frequently voiced opposition to Greenpeace's interpretation of "

" were too divisive. Watson subsequently left the group. The group has since labeled his actions at the time as those of a "mutineer" within their ranks. That same year, he founded his own group, the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society. During an interview in 1978 with

CBC Radio CBC Radio is the English-language radio operations of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. The CBC operates a number of radio networks serving different audiences and programming niches, all of which (regardless of language) are outlined below ...

, Watson spoke out against Greenpeace (as well as other organizations) and their role and motives for the anti-sealing campaigns. Watson accused these organizations of campaigning against the Canadian seal hunt because it is an easy way to raise money and it is a profit maker for the organizations. Greenpeace has called Watson a violent extremist and will no longer comment on his activities.

Charges and prosecutions

Watson was sentenced to 10 days in prison and fined $8,000 for his actions during a Canadian seal hunt protest in 1980, after being convicted of assaulting a fisheries officer. Watson served his sentence at

Her Majesty's Penitentiary Her Majesty's Penitentiary (HMP), located in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada is the primary facility for housing medium and maximum security male prisoners in Newfoundland and Labrador. According to media reports, the name of the p ...

, St. John's,

Newfoundland and Labrador Newfoundland and Labrador is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region of Labrador, having a total size of . As of 2025 the populatio ...

. He was also found guilty under the Seal Protection Act for painting harp seal pups with red dye to devalue their pelts. Watson was arrested in 1993 in Canada on charges stemming from actions against

Cuba Cuba, officially the Republic of Cuba, is an island country, comprising the island of Cuba (largest island), Isla de la Juventud, and List of islands of Cuba, 4,195 islands, islets and cays surrounding the main island. It is located where the ...

n and Spanish fishing boats off the coast of Newfoundland. In 1997, Watson was convicted ''

in absentia ''In Absentia'' is the seventh studio album by British progressive rock band Porcupine Tree, first released on 24 September 2002. The album marked several changes for the band, with it being the first with new drummer Gavin Harrison and the f ...

'' and sentenced to serve 120 days in jail by a court in

Lofoten Lofoten ( , ; ; ) is an archipelago and a Districts of Norway, traditional district in the county of Nordland, Norway. Lofoten has distinctive scenery with dramatic mountains and peaks, open sea and sheltered bays, beaches, and untouched lands. T ...

, Norway, on charges of attempting to sink the small scale Norwegian fishing and whaling vessel ''Nybrænna'' on December 26, 1992. Dutch authorities refused to hand him over to Norwegian authorities although he did spend 80 days in detention in the Netherlands pending a ruling on extradition before being released. There have not been any successful attempts at prosecuting Watson for his activities with Sea Shepherd since the trial in Newfoundland. Watson defends his actions as falling within

international law International law, also known as public international law and the law of nations, is the set of Rule of law, rules, norms, Customary law, legal customs and standards that State (polity), states and other actors feel an obligation to, and generall ...

, in particular Sea Shepherd's right to enforce

maritime Maritime may refer to: Geography * Maritime Alps, a mountain range in the southwestern part of the Alps * Maritime Region, a region in Togo * Maritime Southeast Asia * The Maritimes, the Canadian provinces of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and Princ ...

regulations against illegal whalers and sealers. Paul watson protest crop

Sea Shepherd activists

Rod Coronado Rodney Adam Coronado (born July 3, 1966) is an indigenous American animal rights and environmental activist known for his militant direct actions in the late 1980s and 1990s. As part of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, he sank two whalin ...

and David Howitt went to

in 1986 and scuttled two whaling ships in port at

Reykjavík Reykjavík is the Capital city, capital and largest city in Iceland. It is located in southwestern Iceland on the southern shore of Faxaflói, the Faxaflói Bay. With a latitude of 64°08′ N, the city is List of northernmost items, the worl ...

and also damaged a whale meat processing factory. Watson took responsibility for the operation, abiding by published Sea Shepherd principles. He went to Iceland saying, "I am responsible for all activities undertaken in the name of Sea Shepherd Conservation Society. I give the orders." He was deported without being charged and is considered a

persona non grata In diplomacy, a ' (PNG) is a foreign diplomat that is asked by the host country to be recalled to their home country. If the person is not recalled as requested, the host state may refuse to recognize the person concerned as a member of the diplo ...

by Iceland. In April 2010 the

Japanese Coast Guard The is the coast guard responsible for the protection of the coastline of Japan under the oversight of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism. It consists of about 13,700 personnel. The Japan Coast Guard was founded in 1 ...

obtained an arrest warrant for Watson "...on suspicion of ordering sabotage activities against Japan's whaling fleet", and

has listed him as wanted at the request of Japan. The red notice has the charges issued by Japan as, "Breaking into the Vessel, Damage to Property, Forcible Obstruction of Business, Injury". In March 2012 Interpol issued a "written statement to all 190 member countries making it clear that it would not publish a Red Notice" for the detention of Watson, but reversed that position in September 2012. In both statements Interpol stated that a "Red Notice is not an international arrest warrant" that it is "a request for any country to identify or locate an individual with a view to their provisional arrest and extradition in accordance with the country's national laws". Free Paul Watson sign

In May 2012 Watson was detained by German authorities at Frankfurt Airport because of a request from the government of Costa Rica. The charge stemmed from an altercation at sea in 2002 in which Sea Shepherd said that the other vessel was illegally

shark finning Shark finning is the act of removing fins from sharks and discarding the rest of the shark back into the ocean. This act is prohibited in many countries. The sharks are often still alive when discarded, but without their fins.Spiegel, J. (200 ...

in Guatemalan waters. Crew members of the other ship accused Sea Shepherd of trying to kill them. Watson was charged with violating navigational regulations with the Interpol alert stating the charge as ''peligro de naufragio'' ("danger of shipwreck"). The conflict took place during filming for the documentary ''

Sharkwater ''Sharkwater'' is a 2006 Canadian documentary film written and directed by Rob Stewart. Helping to protect sharks, changing government policy, and inspiring the creation of shark conservation groups, ''Sharkwater'' is considered one of conservat ...

'' and the charges were dropped by prosecutors after video of the incident made by the documentary film makers was shown. On May 21, Watson was released on bail of €250,000 but required to report to police in Frankfurt on a daily basis. In June, Costa Rica formally requested Watson's extradition from Germany. On July 19, 2012, Japan applied for an extradition order and Watson left Germany, resulting in a German court ordering his immediate re-arrest. It is understood the statute of limitations on his Costa Rican charges was set to expire in June 2013. On August 7, 2012,

renewed the Red Notice for Watson on the charges of "causing a danger of drowning or of an air disaster" laid by Costa Rica. It was reported that Watson would come out of hiding to join Sea Shepherd in the 2012–13 campaign against Japanese whaling. Watson rejoined the crew of the ''Steve Irwin'' in the South Pacific in late November 2012. In March 2019, Costa Rica dropped all charges against Watson and has removed the Interpol red notice. On July 21, 2024, Watson was arrested in Greenland—an autonomous territory of Denmark—by Danish authorities due to the red notice issued by Japan against him in 2012. His arrest was announced by Neptune's Pirates. The organization criticizes this decision, arguing that "after having been posted online for years, the notice had recently disappeared from the Interpol website, leading Paul Watson and his lawyers to believe that he was now free of his movements”. On October 2, the Nuuk court ordered Paul Watson to remain in custody until October 23, in order to ensure his presence in the context of the extradition decision by the Danish courts. Subsequently, another extension of his detention was issued by the court on October 23, stating that he would be detained until November 13, 2024. This was followed on November 13 by another extension which set the next hearing date as December 2, 2024. On December 2, it was announced that a decision on whether not Watson will be extradited to Japan will be taken by December 18, 2024. In October 2024, while imprisoned in Greenland, Watson sent a letter to French President

Emmanuel Macron Emmanuel Jean-Michel Frédéric Macron (; born 21 December 1977) is a French politician who has served as President of France and Co-Prince of Andorra since 2017. He was Ministry of Economy and Finance (France), Minister of Economics, Industr ...

requesting political asylum. While Macron has previously expressed his support for Watson and had intervened with the Danish authorities on his behalf after his arrest, there has been no public comment from Macron’s office to Watson's letter. Before his imprisonment, Watson was living in France with his wife and two young children. In December 2024, the

Ministry of Justice of Denmark Ministry of Justice of Denmark (, , ) is the Danish government ministry responsible for the general judicial system, including the police and the prosecution service, the courts of law, and prisons and the probation service. In addition, the M ...

denied Japan's request to extradite Watson and as a result he was released from prison. His release was confirmed by his lawyer Julie Stage, who remarked that the charges against him were "groundless".

Sierra Club immigration stance

In 1999, Watson ran unsuccessfully for election to the national

Board of Directors, with the backing of the anti-immigration faction Sierrans for US Population Stabilization (SUSPS). After his election to the board in 2003, Watson supported an unsuccessful slate of candidates supporting strict immigration controls as an element of a population stabilization policy. This effort was denounced by another candidate in the election,

Morris Dees Morris Seligman Dees Jr. (born December 16, 1936) is an American attorney known as the co-founder and former chief trial counsel for the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), based in Montgomery, Alabama. He ran a direct marketing firm before fou ...

of the

Southern Poverty Law Center The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) is an American 501(c)(3) nonprofit legal advocacy organization specializing in civil rights and public interest litigation. Based in Montgomery, Alabama, it is known for its legal cases against white ...

, as a "hostile takeover" attempt by "radical anti-immigrant activists." Watson responded by saying that the only change he was seeking in the organization's immigration stance was to restore the position it had held before its 1996 "neutrality policy." Watson left the Sierra Club board in 2006.

Anti-sealing activities

In April 2008, Watson stated that, while the deaths of three Canadian seal hunters (a fourth one is still missing) in a marine accident involving a Canadian Coast Guard vessel and a fishing boat during the 2008 Canadian Commercial Seal Hunt were a tragedy, he felt that the slaughter of hundreds of thousands of seals is an even greater tragedy. Canadian Federal Fisheries Minister

Loyola Hearn Loyola Hearn, (born March 25, 1943) is a Canadian diplomat and former politician. Hearn is the former Canadian Ambassador to Ireland. He served as a Member of the House of Commons of Canada from 2000 to 2008, and as Minister of Fisheries and O ...

accused Watson of trivializing the memory of the lost sealers. Watson replied that Hearn was trying to distract attention from his government's incompetence as the boat the men were on capsized while under tow by a Canadian Coast Guard vessel, while his political ambitions continued to support and subsidize an industry that had no place in the 21st century. In 1978, Watson expressed opposition to seal hunt protest organization, suggesting in an interview with

CBC CBC may refer to: Media * Cadena Baja California or Grupo Cadena, a radio and television broadcaster in Mexico * Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, Canada's radio and television public broadcaster ** CBC Television ** CBC Radio One ** CBC Music ** ...

Barbara Frum Barbara Frum (née Rosberg; September 8, 1937 – March 26, 1992), OC was an American-born Canadian radio and television journalist, acclaimed for her interviews for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Personal life Barbara Frum was born ...

that saving seals is a cheap and easy fundraiser and that seals do not deserve special status over other species. Newfoundland and Labrador Premier Danny Williams was quoted as saying, "I think what a lot of people don't realize is that this man is a terrorist."

Australian visa issues

In October 2009, Watson, who carries a US passport, complained to media outlets about having his request for an Australian visa denied. He states that the Australian government was attempting to sabotage the upcoming 2010

Sea Shepherd A sea is a large body of salt water. There are particular seas and the sea. The sea commonly refers to the ocean, the interconnected body of seawaters that spans most of Earth. Particular seas are either marginal seas, second-order sections ...

campaign by denying him entry into the country. Watson and several other shipmates were also unable to join the ''Steve Irwin'' on its promotional tour of Australia until they were able to provide documentation from the governments of the United States, Canada and Norway, exonerating them from previously claimed acts of violence, specifically claims by Sea Shepherd of intentionally sinking a ship in Norway. In January 2013, Paul Watson was presented with an

Aboriginal passport An Aboriginal passport is a travel document issued by various Indigenous Australian groups (such as the Aboriginal Provisional Government (APG) and the Indigenous Social Justice Association) as an assertion of Indigenous sovereignty and a rejectio ...

(classified as a fantasy passport and not recognised by the Australian government) by the Krautungalung people of the Gunnai Nation.

Alleged shooting

On March 17, 2008, Watson said that he was shot by the Japanese crew or coast guard personnel during the Operation Migaloo

anti-whaling Anti-whaling refers to actions taken by those who seek to end whaling in various forms, whether locally or globally in the pursuit of marine conservation. Such activism is often a response to specific conflicts with pro-whaling countries and orga ...

campaign in the

Southern Ocean The Southern Ocean, also known as the Antarctic Ocean, comprises the southernmost waters of the world ocean, generally taken to be south of 60th parallel south, 60° S latitude and encircling Antarctica. With a size of , it is the seco ...

. The incident is documented during the season finale of season 1 of the ''

'' TV reality show, and the first six episodes are covered as a buildup to what is portrayed as the major incident during the campaign. The Japanese respond by throwing

stun grenade A stun grenade, also known as a flash grenade, flashbang, thunderflash, or sound bomb, is a Non-lethal weapon, non-lethal explosive device used to temporarily disorient an enemy's senses. Upon detonation, a stun grenade produces Flash blindness, ...

s, one crew member is injured from a grenade detonating close behind him and another injured trying to escape the explosions. Watson is then shown reaching inside his jacket and body armour and remarking "I've been hit." Back inside the bridge of the ''Steve Irwin'', a metal fragment is found inside the vest. The Japanese

Institute of Cetacean Research The is a Japanese research organization that claims to specialise in "biological and social sciences related to whales" but is widely believed to be a front for commercial whaling. In the past, it killed several hundred whales per year in the ...

disputes Sea Shepherd's statements. The Institute and Coast Guard said that they used seven stun grenades designed to temporarily debilitate a target by rendering them blind and deaf for a period of time. The Japanese government also alleged that the whalers launched "noise balls", described as "loud explosive deterrent devices". Neither of the two conflicting accounts have been independently verified. The Australian Foreign Affairs Department had condemned "actions by crew members of any vessel that cause injury". Two media releases were made on the same day from the office. One said that the Australian Embassy in Tokyo had been informed by the Japanese that the whalers had "fired warning shots" while the updated version used the phrase "'warning balls' – also known as 'flashbangs' – had been fired".

Accusations of terrorism

Watson has been called an

eco-terrorist Eco-terrorism is an act of violence which is committed in support of environmental causes, against people or property. The United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) defines eco-terrorism as "...the use or threatened use of violence of ...

by the Japanese government for his direct action tactics against whalers, and it repeated its position after conflicts during the 2009–10 whaling season. At an animal rights convention in 2002, Paul Watson was also quoted as saying, "There's nothing wrong with being a terrorist, as long as you win. Then you write the history". In 2010,

Fox News The Fox News Channel (FNC), commonly known as Fox News, is an American Multinational corporation, multinational Conservatism in the United States, conservative List of news television channels, news and political commentary Television stati ...

commentator

Glenn Beck Glenn Lee Beck (born February 10, 1964) is an American conservative political commentator, radio host, entrepreneur, and television producer. He is the CEO, founder, and owner of Mercury Radio Arts, the parent company of his television and rad ...

also discussed the comment, criticizing Watson's views. Watson responded to Beck's comments on the official Sea Shepherd website by stating that he had said that but that it was taken out of context, paraphrasing

Gerald Seymour Gerald Seymour (born 25 November 1941 in Guildford, Surrey) is a British writer of crime and espionage novels. Early life Gerald Seymour was born to William Kean Seymour and his second wife, Rosalind Wade.

Comments following 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami

Watson was criticized for his poem published immediately following the

2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami On 11 March 2011, at 14:46:24 Japan Standard Time, JST (05:46:24 UTC), a 9.0–9.1 Submarine earthquake, undersea megathrust earthquake occurred in the Pacific Ocean, east of the Oshika Peninsula of the Tōhoku region. It lasted approx ...

which suggested the disaster was Neptune's anger. Watson responded to critics with a commentary on the Sea Shepherd website expressing "deepest concern and sympathy for the people of Japan who are suffering through one of the worst natural disasters in the history of civilization".

Criticism of New Zealand

In 2013, three

ships docked in New Zealand and were searched by New Zealand authorities to see if Watson was aboard. He was not, having transferred to another ship in international waters, aware New Zealand was required to notify

if he entered the country. Watson criticised the search, accusing New Zealand of siding with Japan on the issue of whaling in the

Split from Sea Shepherd

On September 3, 2022, Watson announced that he was leaving Sea Shepherd and setting up a new organisation, the Captain Paul Watson Foundation. Watson said "the reason I called it that is because it's pretty hard for anyone to infiltrate and take over an organisation that included my name". In December 2022 the foundation announced their first ship, 'the ''

John Paul Dejoria John Paul Jones DeJoria (born April 13, 1944) is an American billionaire businessman, best known as a co-founder of the Paul Mitchell line of hair products and The Patrón Spirits Company. DeJoria has been called an example of the American Drea ...

II'''.

Reactions to activism and leadership

Watson has stated that he does not consider himself a 'protester', but an ' interventionist', as he considers protesting as too

submissive Deference (also called submission or passivity) is the condition of submitting to the espoused, legitimate influence of one's superior or superiors. Deference implies a yielding or submitting to the judgment of a recognized superior, out of re ...

. He often takes the attitude that he represents (or stands in for) law enforcement which is either unwilling or unable to enforce existing laws. His leadership style has variously been called arrogant, as well as pushing himself too much "front and center", which was cited as one of the reasons for expulsion from Greenpeace. The atmosphere aboard his vessels has been compared to an "anarchy run by God". The former member of Sea Shepherd and captain of the , Pete Bethune, described Watson as "morally bankrupt" who would order the intentional sinking of his own ships like the ''Ady Gil'' as a means to "garner sympathy with the public and to create better TV". Watson denied this, saying, "No one ordered him to scuttle it. Pete Bethune was captain of the ''Ady Gil''; all decisions on the ''Ady Gil'' were his."

Awards

Paul Watson received the Jules Verne Award on October 10, 2012. He was the second person after Captain

Jacques Cousteau Jacques-Yves Cousteau, (, also , ; 11 June 191025 June 1997) was a French naval officer, oceanographer, filmmaker and author. He co-invented the first successful open-circuit self-contained underwater breathing apparatus (SCUBA), called the ...

to be honored with a Jules Verne Award dedicated to environmentalists and adventurers. On June 28, 2010, Paul received the Asociación de Amigos del Museo de Anclas Philippe Cousteau: Defense of Marine Life Award, in recognition of his merits achieved by the work done in defense of marine life. In 2002, Paul was inducted into the US

Animal Rights Hall of Fame The Animal Rights National Conference is an annual conference in the United States. Started in 1981 under a different name, since 2000 it has been organized by Farm Animal Rights Movement (FARM). History In the 1970s, Alex Hershaft started not ...

for his outstanding contributions to animal liberation. Paul received the George H. W. Bush Daily Points of Light Award in 1999 and in 2000, he was named one of ''Time'' Magazine's Top 20 Environmental Heroes of the 20th Century. On May 23, 2019, Paul Watson received an official commendation by Connecticut Governor

Ned Lamont Edward Miner Lamont Jr. ( ; born January 3, 1954) is an American businessman and politician serving since 2019 as the 89th governor of Connecticut. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he served as a Greenwich, Con ...

stating that the "State of Connecticut conveyed both honor and recognition to Captain Paul Watson." In 2007 Watson received the Amazon Peace Prize presented by the Vice President of Ecuador

Lenin Moreno Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov ( 187021 January 1924), better known as Vladimir Lenin, was a Russian revolutionary, politician and political theorist. He was the first head of government of Soviet Russia from 1917 until his death in 1924, and of ...

. In September 2024, The Perfect World Foundation announced that Watson would receive the 2025 Perfect World Foundation Award. On November 19 2024, Captain Paul Watson was awarded the Citoyen d’honneur de la Ville de Paris
Honorary Citizen of the City of Paris
On February 14, 2025 he was awarded The Medal of the National Assembly by Yaël Braun-Pivet the Présidente de l' Assemblée Nationale et Hervé Berville, député des Côtes d' Armor. On March 2^nd, 2025, Captain Watson was awarded the medal for the city of Nice by Maire de Nice Christian Estrosi, President del la Métropole, Président délégué de la Région Provence -Alpes-Côte d’Azur.

Media portrayals

A biographical documentary on Paul Watson's early life and background entitled ''Pirate for the Sea'' was produced by Ron Colby in 2008. The 2008 documentary '' At the Edge of the World'' chronicled the efforts of Watson and 45 volunteers to hinder the Japanese whaling fleet in the waters around Antarctica. In 2010, long time friend and filmmaker Peter Brown released the documentary ''Confessions of an Eco-Terrorist'', a satirical look back at the last 30 years of actions. The documentary '' Eco-Pirate: The Story of Paul Watson'' from 2011 features interviews and footage with early Greenpeace members Rex Weyler and

Patrick Moore Sir Patrick Alfred Caldwell-Moore (; 4 March 1923 – 9 December 2012) was an English amateur astronomer who attained prominence in that field as a writer, researcher, radio commentator and television presenter. Moore's early interest in astro ...

. Watson, ''Whale Wars'', and the Japanese whaling industry were satirized in the ''

South Park ''South Park'' is an American animated sitcom created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone, and developed by Brian Graden for Comedy Central. The series revolves around four boysStan Marsh, Kyle Broflovski, Eric Cartman, and Kenny McCormickand the ...

'' episode "

Whale Whores "Whale Whores" is the eleventh episode of the South Park season 13, thirteenth season of the American animated television series ''South Park''. The 192nd overall episode of the series, it aired on Comedy Central in the United States on October ...

". In its fictional

Larry King Larry King (born Lawrence Harvey Zeiger; November 19, 1933 – January 23, 2021) was an American TV and radio host presenter, author, and former spokesman. He was a WMBM radio interviewer in the Miami area in the 1950s and 1960s and beginning in ...

show, Watson himself was called "an unorganized incompetent media whore who thought lying to everyone was OK as long as it served his cause" and "A smug, narcoleptic liar with no credibility". Watson responded to the ''South Park'' episode by stating: "My understanding is that the Japanese Prime Minister was not amused and the whalers and dolphin killers are enraged at the way they were portrayed," Watson said. "That's music to my ears. If the humorless whale killers and the bank rollers of the dolphin killers did not like the show, then that's all I need to applaud it." Watson was portrayed (along with whale biologist, Nan Hauser), during a ''

60 Minutes ''60 Minutes'' is an American television news magazine broadcast on the CBS television network. Debuting in 1968, the program was created by Don Hewitt and Bill Leonard, who distinguished it from other news programs by using a unique style o ...

'' episode that aired in 2013, as contributing to the return of the

humpback whale The humpback whale (''Megaptera novaeangliae'') is a species of baleen whale. It is a rorqual (a member of the family Balaenopteridae) and is the monotypic taxon, only species in the genus ''Megaptera''. Adults range in length from and weigh u ...

populations in the

South Pacific The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five Borders of the oceans, oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean, or, depending on the definition, to Antarctica in the south, and is ...

. The 2019 documentary film '' Watson'', directed by

Lesley Chilcott Lesley Chilcott is an American documentary film director and producer. Notable feature documentary films include ''Watson (film), Watson'', ''Waiting for "Superman"'', ''CodeGirl'', ''It Might Get Loud'', and ''An Inconvenient Truth'' which won t ...

, features interviews with Watson. The film also aired on

on December 22, 2019.

List of works

* ''Sea Shepherd: My Fight for Whales and Seals'' (1981) * ''Earthforce! An Earth Warrior's Guide to Strategy'' (1993) * ''Ocean Warrior: My Battle to End the Illegal Slaughter on the High Seas'' (1994) * ''Seal Wars: Twenty-Five Years on the Front Lines With the Harp Seals'' (2002) * Contributor to ''Terrorists or Freedom Fighters?: Reflections on the Liberations of Animals'' (2004) * ''Earthforce! An Earth Warrior's Guide to Strategy 2nd Edition'' (2012) * ''The War That Saved the Whales'' (2019) * ''Songs from the Southern Ocean'' (2020) * ''The Haunted Mariner '' (2020) * ''Dealing with Climate Change and Stress '' (2020) * ''Orcapedia '' (2020) * ''Desperate Mythologies: Theology, Ecology and the General Insanity of Humanity '' (2020) * ''Death of a Whale '' (2021) * ''URGENT! Save Our Ocean to Survive Climate Change '' (2021) * ''Mr. Mindbomb -Eco-Hero and Greenpeace Co-Founder Bob Hunter'' (2023) * Introduction and Chapter Contributor to Wildeor – ''The Wild Life and Living Legacy of Dave Forema''n (2023) * ''We Are the Ocean'' (2022) Children’s Book * ''We Are the Ocesn Wir sind der Ozean'' (German edition) (2024)

References

External links

Captain Paul Watson Foundation US official website

Captain Paul Watson Foundation UK official website

Captain Paul Watson Foundation Australia official website

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Watson, Paul 1950 births Activists from Toronto Canadian animal rights activists Canadian environmentalists Canadian veganism activists Fugitives wanted by Germany Fugitives wanted by Japan Green Party of British Columbia politicians Living people People associated with Greenpeace People from Saint Andrews, New Brunswick Sea Shepherd Conservation Society Sierra Club directors Sustainability advocates Yippies