Our Modern Day Pirate

Fairy tales always consists their wild stories of pirates roaming the seven seas hunting for treasure and riches. In reality, these tales happened many years ago, but now we have todays modern pirate and his name is Paul Watson. He isn’t after the gold and money, he is after protecting the world’s marine life. Whales were intensively hunted down by the Japanese fleet who sails into the Antarctic waters every winter to catch minke whales and the endangered fin whales. Watson believes that he can make a difference and save the whales from being hunted. His will is good, his tactics however, are not the best and smartest decisions he makes. In this controversy involving whaling and Watson, I believe that neither are “right”.

Watson’s way of stopping the hunters are by using his method called “Operation Asshole” which is so named because it involves ramming one vessel into another’s stern. Watson states “I’ve sunk ten whaling ships and destroyed tens of millions of dollars’ worth of illegal fishing gear, and I’m not in jail”. His actions benefits the whales, but at the same time endangers human lives. “We intervene against illegal activities, and we are simply upholding international conservation law, and the United Nations World Charter for Nature allows for us to do that. It says that any nongovernmental organization, or individual, is empowered to uphold international conservation law.” Whale hunting “is not banned, but it is not exactly permitted, either.” Watson believes that it’s wrong no matter what the situation is, so he is willing to put up this fight for the lives of whales. Watson is appreciated by his “commitment, and his courage and his daring and his humanity.”

The Japanese say that they are “hunting whales off Antarctica in order to ascertain when there will be enough to harvest for profit.” Whaling for science is allowed without restrictions, but all the whales that the Japanese fleet have killed in the name of science ended up with no research at all, and “all the whales that are purported to be under study are also butchered for the purpose of selling whale meat to the Japanese public.” So technically, they have no right to be killing any whales either.

Many consider Watson a hero, but as the same time “some have even called him a terrorist.” They are threatening to put the lives of many at risk, and that is not the right way to pursue something you believe in. “They must act safely and peacefully. They are not advancing the anti-whaling cause they espouse by threatening lives in this way.” says New Zealand’s Officials. Watson’s intentions to save the animals are incredible, he is so motivated and passionate for what he doing, that it is blinding the choices he makes which impacts the lives of many. It is banned to be whaling if it is not for a scientific purpose, so what the Japanese fleets are doing is illegal as well, even if they are selling the meat to the public. I believe this situation can be handled in a more mature fashion so that the lives of the people and the whales, are not endangered.


Neptune's Navy Article