Is Sea Shepherd in hot water for its anti-whaling efforts?

The U.S.-based Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, which began the new year by confronting harpoon boats in its annual harassment campaign against Japanese whalers, might be in for a different type of struggle: holding onto its tax-exempt status.

U.S. diplomatic cables dated Jan. 1 and posted today on the secret-sharing website WikiLeaks reveal that Japan recently pressured the United States to punish the nonprofit Sea Shepherd as part of a compromise arrangement in which Japan would reduce its whale quota but be allowed to legally hunt whales commercially in the region.

Japan annually targets about 900 minke whales over a period of a few months each season, beginning in mid-December. The country claims to be conducting scientific missions and uses a lethal research loophole within the framework of a 1986 International Whaling Commission ban on commercial whaling.

The hunts are approved by Japan's Fisheries Agency and run by the Institute of Cetacean Research. Many have disputed the research claim and questioned the need for Japan to kill so many whales for whatever research might be carried out. Whale meat from the hunts is sold commercially in Japan.

According to a series of cables, Monica Medina, the U.S representative to the IWC, had recently discussed with Japanese officials -- among other things regarding the complicated whaling issue -- the possibility of revoking Sea Shepherd's tax-exempt status.

She believed the U.S. would be able to show that the nonprofit group didn't deserve the beneficial status because of its aggressive and dangerous actions. Japanese officials argued that Sea Shepherd's tactics were diminishing any chance of reaching a compromise on the number of whales Japan kills each year.

Officials also acknowledged that Sea Shepherd was keeping them from reaching their quotas.

Sea Shepherd has interrupted hunts by tossing stink bombs onto whaling vessels and throwing ropes onto propellers, and using its vessels to get between whales and harpoon boats. The confrontations have become increasingly tense and last year a Sea Shepherd boat had to be scuttled after a collision in the extremely remote region. So far, nobody has died or been seriously injured as a direct result of the confrontations.

Medina, a top NOAA official, could not be reached to address the validity of the cables or whether the U.S. is still considering taking action against Sea Shepherd. NOAA spokesman Scott Smullen said the agency "does not comment on materials, including classified documents, which may have been leaked."

The cables also reveal that Australia remains firmly opposed to any deal that would legitimize commercial whaling in the region, which includes the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary or the Australian Antarctic Territory.

Paul Watson, the captain and founder of Sea Shepherd, said this year's campaign theme, "No Compromise," is based on the same premise.

-- Pete Thomas

-- Image showing activists alongside a Japanese harpoon boat is courtesy of Sea Shepherd

-- Editor's note: A similar post appears on the GrindTv.com outdoors blog

Twitter: @Pete_Thomas

Comments

[sea shepperds are gay]

Sea shepperds are a cult full of weak minded rich kids who don't have a clue they're being manipulated. Eventually they realise Watson is only in it for the fame and fortune, but by then it's too late.

[Stephen Moss]

Wow so many haters in support of needlessly murdering Whales and Seals. You do not deserve to live on this planet. It's about time more people started getting aggressive against these scumbag killers. It makes me very angry you scum exist. Long live the Sea Shepherd!

[Jack Damer]

Sea Shepherd's actions are clearly criminal violations of the
1988 Convention for the Suppression of Unlawful Acts Against the Safety of Maritime Navigation. They should be stripped of their tax
exempt status. That it hasn't been so far is a disgrace to our country.

[Richard]

Umm, for all those dimwitted greens who think that posting any of the media tripe found on SSCS website constitutes "facts" you are sadly mistaken.

Watson is famous for quoting the following

“If you don’t know an answer, a fact, a statistic, then ... make it up on the spot.”
— Paul Watson, in Earthforce: An Earth Warrior’s Guide to Strategy

Like the time Watson was shot in the chest by Japanese whalers.

[Uttanumtos]

@jsieveking, yes dear, SAINT PAUL WATSON, the man above anything, even law and common sense. Such a sweatheart this Watson.

And ... the defenceless ship?? It was just staying there, innocently, taking some water tests eventually, didn't do anything to provoke? Please! Sing at another table.

"It irritates me so much that people are so quick to judge based on ill-informed or biased media. " Well, me too. But it applies to the opposite, people rushing to judge according to the ill-informed rubbish Sea Sheppard "media" spreads about different issues.

If you are so impressed, why don't you join the crew? Maybe you will get to be canonized some day together with the Hero.

[Dirk]

LETS HOPE THEIR IN TROUBLE AND GET AUDITED ASAP!!!

Well dear Mr Wiki Leak, The Sea Shepherd has been Audited twice in the last few years and guess what???? The IRS was very happy with the audits. Not only that the Sea Shepherd has won a 4 star rating as a charity. Boo Hoo Mr Wiki Leak or should I say a japanese government ill informed whale troll.

[jsieveking]

'Violent Crimes'? Which part of 'Nobody has died or been seriously injured' and 'Stink-Bombs' did you fail to understand? Sea Shepherd is the most effective, non-violent, dedicated environmentalist group, defending this planet's spectacular diversity, in existence. Captain Paul Watson is an extremely compassionate, daring and undeniably talented mariner, intervening where no one else will against dangerous poachers with no legal or scientific support. Visit www.icrwahle.org ; it's the 'research' webpage of the Institute for Cetacean (whales and dolphins) Research, and as anyone who looks at it can see, it's a complete joke.
As someone who has read Paul Watson's writings, followed his online logs, and watched various documentaries about the man and his work, I am affronted by any accusation that he is doing this out of anything other than a deep-felt moral conviction; particularly that he is doing it for something as pitiful as financial gain. You do realise he's been doing this for over thirty years? That he co-founded greenpeace and quite literally invaded soviet Russia during the end of the cold war to defend whales? A pretty elaborate and time consuming method of theft, no?
It irritates me so much that people are so quick to judge based on ill-informed or biased media. Having looked at both sides; seen the 'research' results, the quota statistics, and a defenceless Sea Shepherd Vessel literally torn in two by a Japanese harpoon ship, it's obvious who are the illegal sea-farers committing dangerous crimes, and it sure as hell ain't Sea Shepherd.
http://www.seashepherd.org/
(Sorry, this wasn't meant to be a rant at the author, this piece was fairly balanced and it isn't the ill-informed media I was referring to.)

[Wiki Leaks]

LETS HOPE THEIR IN TROUBLE AND GET AUDITED ASAP!!!

[Marc]

No, Sea Shepherd isn't in trouble. It's the US Government that has committed the offense...

[james]

the point thats missed with this agreement is that the japanese are blatently posting lies to the world with this research rubbish, they will be happy to drop the quota if whaling is legalised???? so they dont need to do the research now with that quota of whales. the americans are foolish to kowtow to tokyo on this as their statements admit lies and likely to embolden them further.
go sea shepard, the goverments need to support them not hinder! We dont want a world without whales and dolphins.

[Eduardo Rodriguez]

Add Sea Shepherd to list of terrorist organisations and prosecute its members. A few years in Guantanamo Bay should be sufficient for Paul Watson to reflect on his violent crimes.

[Chas Darwin]

Remove SSCS's tax free status immediately. Watson has enough stolen money from donations to last several lifetimes plus $millions of dollars worth of real estate. Audit him and take away the 'charity' status from this leech who is laughing all the way to then bank.

[Holise Cleveland III]

I like what was on the Sea Shepherd site in response to all of this. Check this out!
"There it is! For all the critics who have been saying the anti-whaling campaigns have not been effective, Sea Shepherd holds the same position as the Japanese Fisheries Agency that the campaigns have been very effective, so effective in fact that Sea Shepherd has been discussed in high-level talks by Japanese government representatives with the U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton."
You should go check it out. It's a good read and very enlightening.
http://www.seashepherd.org/news-and-media/news-110103-1.html

[Nina Garcia]

I Support The Sea Shepherd's Conservation Methods 110%! - Whatever It Takes To End The Vulgar & Disgraceful Acts Of The Japanese Whalers For Good!!!