Paul Watson (born December 2, 1950) is the founder of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society and is a significant, albeit controversial, figure in the environmental movement and the movement for animal rights. is the 336th day of the year (337th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1950 (MCML) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Sea Shepherd flag flying on the Farley Mowat. ... The environmental movement (a term that sometimes includes the conservation and green movements) is a diverse scientific, social, and political movement. ... A civet, or sea fox, photographed in the Zigong Peoples Zoo, Sichuan, 2001. ...

Paul Watson with silver hair in 2005

Image File history File linksMetadata DSC_0158_sm. ... Image File history File linksMetadata DSC_0158_sm. ...

Childhood and early activities

Watson was born in Toronto to Anthony Joseph Watson and Annamarie Larsen, and grew up in St. Andrews, New Brunswick. After working as a tour guide at Expo 67, a world's fair that took place in Montreal, Watson "rode the rails" in boxcars west to Vancouver. For the parish in New Brunswick with the same name see St. ... Motto: Spem reduxit (Hope restored) Capital Fredericton Largest city Saint John Official languages English, French (the only constitutionally bilingual province in the country) Government - Lieutenant-Governor Herménégilde Chiasson - Premier Shawn Graham (Liberal) Federal representation in Canadian Parliament - House seats 10 - Senate seats 10 Confederation July 1, 1867 (1st... The 1967 International and Universal Exposition, or simply Expo 67 was the General Exhibition Category 1 Worlds Fair held in Montreal, Quebec, Canada from April 27 to October 29, 1967. ... Motto: By Sea, Land, and Air We Prosper Location of Vancouver within the Greater Vancouver Regional District in British Columbia, Canada Coordinates: , Country  Canada Province  British Columbia Region Lower Mainland Regional District Greater Vancouver Incorporated 1886 Government  - Mayor Sam Sullivan (NPA)  - City Council List of Councilors Suzanne Anton (NPA) Peter...

In 1968 he joined the Canadian Coast Guard, where he served (in 1968 and again in the early 1970s) aboard weatherships, search and rescue hovercraft, and buoy tenders. He signed up as a merchant seaman in 1969 with the Norwegian Consulate in Vancouver and shipped out on the 35,000 ton bulk carrier Bris as a deck hand. The Bris was registered in Oslo and manifested for the Indian Ocean and Pacific trade. Year 1968 (MCMLXVIII) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will display full calendar) of the 1968 Gregorian calendar. ... The Canadian Coast Guard or CCG (Fr. ... The 1970s decade refers to the years from 1970 to 1979, also called The Seventies. ... Search and Rescue (acronym SAR) is an operation mounted by emergency services, often well-trained volunteers, to find someone believed to be in distress, lost, sick or injured either in a remote or difficult to access area, such as mountains, desert or forest (Wilderness search and rescue), or at sea... A Hovercraft, or Air-Cushion Vehicle (ACV), is an amphibious vehicle or craft, designed to travel over any sufficiently smooth surface - land or water - supported by a cushion of slowly moving, low-pressure air, ejected downwards against the surface close below it. ... For the Stargate SG-1 episode, see 1969 (Stargate SG-1). ...

Early environmental activism

In October 1969, Watson joined a Sierra Club protest against nuclear testing at Amchitka Island. The group which formed as a result of that protest was the Don't Make a Wave Committee, which evolved into the group known today as Greenpeace. There is some dispute over whether Paul Watson himself had any role in the actual founding of Greenpeace, despite Watson's signature on the organization's founding document. Watson was an early member and sailed as a crewmember aboard the Greenpeace Too! ship in 1971, and skippered the Greenpeace boat Astral in 1972. The Sierra Club is an American environmental organization founded on May 28, 1892 in San Francisco, California by the well-known preservationist John Muir, who became its first president. ... Preparation for an underground nuclear test at the Nevada Test Site in the 1980s. ... Amchitka is an island in the Rat Islands group of the Aleutian Islands in southwest Alaska. ... Greenpeace protest. ... Greenpeace protest against Esso / Exxon Mobil. ... Year 1971 (MCMLXXI) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar) of the 1971 Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1972 (MCMLXXII) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Watson claims to have offered his services as a medic to the members of the American Indian Movement during the Wounded Knee Incident in South Dakota. He was given the name Grey Wolf Clear Water by medicine men of the Oglala Sioux. This article is about the title or occupation. ... AIM logo AIM flag The American Indian Movement (AIM), is a Native American activist organization in the United States. ... The Wounded Knee Incident began in February 1973, and represented the longest civil disorder in the history of the Marshals Service. ... Official language(s) English Capital Pierre Largest city Sioux Falls Area  Ranked 17th  - Total 77,163 sq mi (199,905 km²)  - Width 210 miles (340 km)  - Length 380 miles (610 km)  - % water 1. ... Alternative meaning: Lakota, Côte dIvoire is a département of Côte dIvoire. ...

Resignation from Greenpeace

Paul Watson continued as a crewmember, skipper, and officer aboard several Greenpeace voyages throughout the mid-1970s. In 1975, during a Greenpeace campaign to confront Soviet whaling, an incident occurred which Watson says changed his life. From the official Watson biography: "During this confrontation with the Russian whaler, a harpooned and dying sperm whale loomed over Paul's small boat. Paul recognized a flicker of understanding in the dying whale's eye. He felt that the whale knew what they were trying to do. He watched as the magnificent leviathan heaved its body away from his boat, slipped beneath the waves and died. A few seconds of looking into this dying whale's eye changed his life forever. He vowed to become a lifelong defender of the whales and all creatures of the seas."[1] Year 1975 (MCMLXXV) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Soviet redirects here. ... The crew of the oceanographic research vessel Princesse Alice, of Albert Grimaldi (later Prince Albert I of Monaco) pose while flensing a catch. ...

In 1977, Watson resigned from the Greenpeace Foundation (some accounts say he was expelled), over disagreements over tactics. (Specifically, Paul picked up a sealer's club and tossed it into the sea) That same year, he founded his own group, the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society. Also: 1977 (album) by Ash. ...

Personal Life

Paul is currently single. He has one child (born 1980) from his first wife Starlet Lum, founding director of Greenpeace Quebec, Earthforce, Project Wolf and Sea Shepherd.

Sea Shepherd

Main article: Sea Shepherd

The first Sea Shepherd vessel, the Sea Shepherd, was purchased in December 1978 with assistance from the Fund for Animals. Sea Shepherd soon established itself as one of the more controversial environmental groups, known for provocative direct action tactics in addition to more conventional protests. These tactics have included, at times, ramming whaling ships at sea, and the scuttling of two ships in an Icelandic harbor. Watson remains the leader of Sea Shepherd today and uses the title "Captain" in reference to his role in the organization. Sea Shepherd flag flying on the Farley Mowat. ... Year 1978 (MCMLXXVIII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link displays the 1978 Gregorian calendar). ... For the psychology topic, see Environmental psychology. ... Direct action is a form of political activism which seeks immediate remedy for perceived ills, as opposed to indirect actions such as electing representatives who promise to provide remedy at some later date. ... Demonstrators march in the street while protesting the World Bank and International Monetary Fund on April 16, 2005. ...

Other environmental activities

Watson was a field correspondent for Defenders of Wildlife from 1976 to 1980 and a field representative for the Fund for Animals from 1978 to 1981. Watson also was a co-founder of Friends of the Wolf and Earthforce Environmental Society. Defenders of Wildlife is dedicated to the protection of all native wild animals and plants in their natural communities. ... Year 1976 (MCMLXXVI) was a leap year starting on Thursday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1980 (MCMLXXX) was a leap year starting on Tuesday (link displays the 1980 Gregorian calendar). ... Year 1978 (MCMLXXVIII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link displays the 1978 Gregorian calendar). ... Year 1981 (MCMLXXXI) was a common year starting on Thursday (link displays the 1981 Gregorian calendar). ...

During the 1980s, Watson declared his support for Earth First! and cultivated friendships with David Foreman and Edward Abbey. He proclaimed Sea Shepherd to be the "navy" of Earth First! Watson has claimed to have invented the tactic of tree spiking and denies that the practice has ever caused any fatalities or injuries. This article does not cite any references or sources. ... The symbol of Earth First!: a Monkey wrench and stone hammer Earth First! is a radical environmentalist organization[1] that emerged in the USA, in the great southwestern desert during the spring of 1980. ... Dave Foreman (born 1947) is a US environmentalist and co-founder of the radical environmental movement Earth First! The son of a US Air Force career officer, as a young man Foreman was influenced by the writings of Ayn Rand and supported the Vietnam War. ... Edward Paul Abbey (January 29, 1927 - March 14, 1989) was an American author and essayist noted for his advocacy of environmental issues and criticism of public land policies. ... Tree spiking is a form of sabotage which involves hammering a metal rod or other material into a tree trunk in order to discourage logging. ...

Although currently unaffiliated with it, Watson did work with the Green Party of British Columbia in Vancouver in the 1980s and 90s, receiving over 15,000 votes when he ran for municipal office in 1986. He ran for mayor ten years later in 1996, placing fourth. His relationship with the federal Greens was somewhat rockier; Watson was nominated as the party's candidate in Vancouver-Quadra in 1988 but stepped down as candidate mid-campaign and endorsed the NDP, citing vote-splitting as a concern. The Green Party of British Columbia is a political party in British Columbia, Canada. ... The Green Party of Canada is a Canadian federal political party founded in 1983. ... This article is about the Canadian political party. ...

Time Magazine listed Watson as one of its Environmental Heroes of the 20th Century in 2000. (Clockwise from upper left) Time magazine covers from May 7, 1945; July 25, 1969; December 31, 1999; September 14, 2001; and April 21, 2003. ... 2000 (MM) was a leap year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

In April of 2003, Watson was elected to the board of directors of the Sierra Club for a three-year term. [2] 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. [3] Year 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link displays 2003 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Sierra Club is an American environmental organization founded on May 28, 1892 in San Francisco, California by the well-known preservationist John Muir, who became its first president. ...

Controversies and legal troubles

Paul Watson has been singled out for criticism and denounced as an ecoterrorist.[4] Some former colleagues in Greenpeace have likewise distanced themselves from him. In an interview with the Los Angeles Times, Jim Bohlen, one of the founders of Greenpeace, said: "I've known the guy [Watson] for 15 years, and he's absolutely insane, out of his mind." The term eco-terrorism is a neologism which has been used to describe acts of violence (as in violence against property), sabotage and/or property damage which are ostensibly motivated by concern for the natural environment. ... This just IN !!!:paris hiltons new dog. ... Jim Bohlen, an American physicist who worked for NASA, emigrated to Canada after becoming disillusioned with the US governments nuclear policy during the Cold War. ...

Watson was arrested in 1993 in Canada on charges stemming from actions against Cuban and Spanish fishing boats off the coast of Newfoundland. In 1997, Watson was convicted in absentia by Norway on charges of sinking the small scale Norwegian fishing vessel Nybrænna in 1992, but Dutch authorities refused to hand him over to Norwegian authorities although he did spend at least 60 days in detention in the Netherlands before being released. Costa Rica filed attempted murder charges against Watson for an incident after he caught a Costa Rican fishing boat poaching, but charges were dropped after prosecutors were shown a film of the incident that was shot by a team making a documentary of Sea Shepherd. Thus far, all attempts at prosecuting Watson for his activities with Sea Shepherd have failed. Watson himself defends his actions as falling within international law and Sea Shepherd's right to enforce maritime regulations against illegal whalers and sealers. Watson claims to have been told to leave Iceland after having turned himself in to the Icelandic police after disabling two ships in harbor. Year 1992 (MCMXCII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1992 Gregorian calendar). ... This article or section is in need of attention from an expert on the subject. ... Admiralty law (usually referred to as simply admiralty and also referred to as maritime law) is a distinct body of law which governs maritime questions and offenses. ...

Actions taken by Paul Watson and Sea Shepherd to protest a resumption of whaling by the Makah tribe in Washington in 1998 have also proven controversial. The protests resulted in some unusual alliances, with environmental, animal rights groups, and conservative former Congressman Jack Metcalf protesting the whaling, while native rights groups, wise use groups, and anarchists supported the whaling. A Makah woman. ... Official language(s) English Capital Olympia Largest city Seattle Area  Ranked 18th  - Total 71,342 sq mi (184,827 km²)  - Width 240 miles (385 km)  - Length 360 miles (580 km)  - % water 6. ... Year 1998 (MCMXCVIII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display full 1998 Gregorian calendar). ... A civet, or sea fox, photographed in the Zigong Peoples Zoo, Sichuan, 2001. ... Jack Metcalf (born 30 November 1927), an American politician, served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from 1995 to 2001. ... Anarchism is a generic term describing various political philosophies and social movements that advocate the elimination of hierarchy and imposed authority. ...

Bibliography

Books by Paul Watson

• Sea Shepherd: My Fight for Whales and Seals (1981) (ISBN 0-393-01499-1)
• Earthforce! An Earth Warrior's Guide to Strategy (1993) (ISBN 0-9616019-5-7)
• Ocean Warrior: My Battle to End the Illegal Slaughter on the High Seas (1994) (ISBN 1-55013-599-6)
• Seal Wars: Twenty-Five Years on the Front Lines With the Harp Seals (2002) (ISBN 1-55297-751-X)

Books about Paul Watson

• Earth Warrior: Overboard With Paul Watson and the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, by David B. Morris (1995) (ISBN 1-55591-203-6)

Other Books

Scarce, Rik. Eco-Warriors (2006) (ISBN 1-59874-028-8)

External links

• Sea Shepherd Conservation Society official website
• An article written by Watson on being an "Eco-Warrior"