Vegan Pirates - Whale Wars' Sea Shepherd Crew

by Bev Sklar (Subscribe to Bev Sklar's posts)
Dec 7th 2008 4:00PM

Categories: Vegetarian, Celebs & Entertainment, Alternative & Green Health, Nutrition & Supplements

Sea Shepherd Conservation Society (SSCS) has sailed into our living rooms thanks to Animal Planet's Whale Wars, a popular new series covering SSCS's controversial tactics opposing allegedly illegal Japanese whaling. I've been glued to each episode the past few weeks as SSCS crew sailed their ship, the Steve Irwin, to the Southern Oceans to fool with Japan's whaling fleet.

SSCS trys to foul props, they toss stink bombs on Japanese decks, they even put two SSCS volunteers onboard a Japanese whaler to deliver a personal message against whaling -- a publicity stunt that triggered buzz worldwide. Some call them pirates. If they are, then they're likely the first ever vegan pirates.

SSCS ships are vegan. Throw the last stink bomb, then head to the galley for mashed cauliflower and beans over brown rice. According to Captain Paul Watson, their vegan policy is not a PETA-thing (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals), it's all about marine conservation, not protesting what people eat. Overfishing to Watson is a major biological holocaust against ocean life. He explains that 50 percent of the fish netted from the sea are converted into animal feed. Cats eat more tuna than all the world's seals. The crew members are conservationist vegans, not PETA vegans. I get it. Can you believe they actually throw stink bombs? Pic from www.seashepherd.org.

SSCS Crew In Action(click thumbnails to view gallery)

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Comments (8)

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Andrew R 12-07-2008 @ 10:11PM

Pirating? Wow, in my mind, not the way to solve a problem and it seems like a very immature way to deal with things. Grown men and women are sailing around throwing stink bombs on board of whaling ships to do what exactly? I agree that overfishing is a global issue that needs attention to solve the problem, especially when the sexual maturation rates in different types of fish is taken into account, but the proper way to deal with the problem is through legal channels. I guess that's just too hard for Vegan Pirates.

All the Best,

Andrew R

AussieFoodShop 12-08-2008 @ 4:42AM

i think we need tougher laws and prosecution.
http://www.AussieFoodShop.com
Delivering Australia Worldwide

Sean Cameron 12-08-2008 @ 7:36AM

I'm afraid you clearly know either nothing, or very little about Sea Shepherd. I don't share all their opinions, but I have a great deal of respect for what they do, and what they have achieved. They sacrifice a great deal and enormous amount and do an incredible amount of good. Perhaps you should do a little bit of research before commenting.

whazup 12-19-2008 @ 10:22PM

I find my self rooting for the Japanese whalers when I watch the stupid Sea Shepherd Crew. They have a combined IQ of a 3 month old Downs syndrome. Their stupid ploys for media attention are ridiculous. If someone was going to shoot at their mongoloid captain, they would aim for that monster target sitting on his shouders.

Andrew R 12-08-2008 @ 1:01PM

Hey Sean,

Thanks for responding with your polite suggestion. I wasn't speaking to all of their other efforts as an organization, I was speaking to the specific issues related to this particular article. Just because an organization has done some good doesn't mean that they should be allowed to act like children playing a prank on those who break the law. If you're saying that this article is totally false and that the Vegan Pirates in fact do not engage in these types of behavior, that's one thing.

All the Best,

Andrew R

dpeterson 12-26-2008 @ 10:14PM

As a captain,and as someone that shares the same sentiment as yourselves, I find the Sea Shepherds tactics and the way that your so called "Captain" runs his boat absolutely stupid. Yes there are always going to be times that you have to put your foot down HARD for what is right but what you guys are doing is setting the cause backwards and I (myself) think that Steve Irwin's name is being soiled by your play for more airtime on "reality TV".

Real Dad 3-03-2009 @ 1:13PM

I agree with you and Whazzup about how ridiculous this captain and his 'crew' are. I am amazed at the patience and tolerance shown by the Japanese and by Australia. In any other time or place on the high seas, they'd have been dealt with by now.

But they are so damn entertaining! It's better than any comedy or slapstick I've seen in a long time. I'll bet there are 'reality' T.V. show writers who wish they could have made up stuff like this. These guys should never be taken seriously, but they are hilarious.

William 12-28-2008 @ 8:38AM

Neither Sea Shepherd nor anyone else has a right to violate the law in furtherance of a viewpoint. Sea Shepherd is nothing more or less than an organized criminal enterprise and should treated as such.