Anti-whaling activist and Sea Shepherd founder arrested in Greenland and could be extradited to Japan
The arrest of Captain Paul Watson, who also co-founded Greenpeace, is thought to have been for his previous anti-whaling interventions in the Antarctic region.
Captain Paul Watson during the arrest. Credit: CPWF
The longtime anti-whaling campaigner and conservationist Captain Paul Watson has been arrested in Greenland.
The captain is known for his pioneering work in marine conservation, having founded Sea Shepherd back in 1977 and the Captain Paul Watson Foundation (CPWF) later in 2022. He also co-founded environmental charity Greenpeace.
As part of both Sea Shepherd and the Foundation, Watson has helped defend, conserve and protect marine life by using ships and small boats to patrol oceans around the world.
Watson’s fleets have often used direct-action tactics to expose and confront illegal activities at sea, including the whaling industry.
However, Watson’s work has now been controversially stopped after he was arrested on July 21 upon arrival in Greenland. The captain and his 25 volunteer crew were stopping in the country to refuel his 72-meter flagship.
The ship was en route to the Northwest Passage, where it planned to patrol and intercept Japan’s newly-built factory whaling ship in the North Pacific.
At the site of the arrest in Greenland, Danish federal police said they had “arrested Paul due to an international arrest order from Japan” and gave the crew no further information.
Over a dozen Danish police and SWAT team members boarded the ship as soon as it made port to make the arrest. Credit: CPWF
The arrest is believed to be related to a former Red Notice issued for Captain Watson's previous anti-whaling interventions in the Antarctic region. Japan's Antarctic research whaling program JARPA was declared illegal by the International Court of Justice in 2014.
"We're completely shocked, as the Red Notice had disappeared a few months ago. We were surprised because it could mean that it had been erased or made confidential”, Locky MacLean, the Ship Operation's Director for CPWF, said in a statement. “We understand now that Japan made it confidential to lure Paul into a false sense of security. We implore the Danish government to release Captain Watson and not entertain this politically motivated request.”
It is feared that Denmark could allow Mr. Watson to be extradited to Japan over the arrest. CPWF says that it believes the arrest was politically motivated as it coincides with the launch of Japan’s newly built factory whale processing vessel. The foundation believes that Japan has plans to resume high seas whaling in the Southern Ocean and North Pacific as early as 2025.
Japan’s new $47 million vessel, named Kangei Maru, has already caused global outrage amongst conservationists and animal welfare groups who say that whaling is inherently cruel and endangers wild populations. The ship is part of a wider push to spark a renewed interest for whale meat in Japan - consumption of the delicacy has steadily declined since the 1960s.
Calls for Captain Watson’s release mounted as soon as news of his arrest was made public. Famed conservationist Dr Jane Goodall was among those calling for his immediate release, stating that “whaling, whether for commercial or alleged scientific purposes, is cruel and unethical. Each and every whale matters as an individual and should be respected accordingly."
Please join Species Unite in calling on the Danish Minister for Justice, Peter Hummelgaard, to do the right thing and release Captain Paul Watson. Send an urgent message in support here.
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