Sea Shepherd, Eco-Benin and the Government of Benin Launch New Partnership to Stop Illegal Fishing in Gulf of Guinea

In a joint operation in partnership with the government of Benin to tackle illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing in the Gulf of Guinea, Sea Shepherd crew and local nongovernmental organization (NGO) Eco-Benin worked together with law enforcement agents representing the State Action on the Sea, the Navy of Benin and the Ministry of Fisheries on board the Sea Shepherd vessel Bob Barker on a 20-day patrol to stop poaching activity in the waters of Benin.  The first patrol of a one-year partnership, titled ‘Operation Guegou’ (local Wxla language for “Big Tuna”), resulted in the

More Dolphin Deaths Documented by Sea Shepherd off France’s Atlantic Coast

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE February 28, 2019 A dolphin killed in the net of a French fishing trawler was captured on film Tuesday night by marine conservation organization Sea Shepherd while patrolling fishing areas in France’s Bay of Biscay. Sea Shepherd’s vessel the M/Y Sam Simon has been patrolling the French Atlantic Coast since February 11th to monitor the fisheries responsible for catching dolphins in a campaign called Operation ByCatch. Late Tuesday night they were able to record footage of a dolphin captured by two French trawlers off the coast of Lacanau. The two boats, Native

Sea Shepherd Captures Images of Dead Dolphins in Fishing Nets off French Coast

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE February 21, 2019 Despite efforts by commercial fishing vessels to hide evidence that their nets are killing dolphins off the Atlantic coast of France, on the night of Tuesday February 19thSea Shepherd captured images of dead dolphins being hauled onboard two trawlers fishing in pairs for sea bass in the Bay of Biscay. It echoes the video footage released by Sea Shepherd in February 2018 showing dead and dying dolphins trapped in trawler nets . These two dolphins are in addition to the 600 others - often mutilated - found on French

Sea Shepherd Ship Arrives in France for Campaign Against Dolphin Slaughter

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE February 19, 2019 Sea Shepherd’s ship, the M/Y Sam Simon, has arrived off the Atlantic Coast of France to join the organization’s campaign Operation Dolphin ByCatch, exposing the ongoing slaughter of dolphins by industrial fishing vessels in the Bay of Biscay. A veteran of several anti-whaling missions in Antarctica and illegal fishing campaigns in West Africa, the Sam Simon is a former Japanese whaling ship converted by Sea Shepherd into a defender of marine life. It will be joining the organization’s small boats which have been patrolling the coast since

President of Liberia Awards Sea Shepherd Highest Military Honor

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE February 12, 2019 On the 11th of February, Sea Shepherd was awarded the Distinguished Service Order (DSO) by Liberian President Dr. George Manneh Weah at the 62nd anniversary celebration of Armed Forces Day in Monrovia.  The DSO is the highest military award given by the Ministry of National Defense and the Armed Forces of Liberia, recognizing exceptional service to the Republic of Liberia.  Captains Alex Cornelissen and Peter Hammarstedt, Sea Shepherd Global’s CEO and Director of Campaigns respectively, attended the conferment ceremony in Monrovia where

Sea Shepherd Demands US Ban Seafood Imports from New Zealand Fisheries that are Driving Māui Dolphins to Extinction

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE February 7, 2019  Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, Sea Shepherd New Zealand, and Sea Shepherd Legal (collectively, Sea Shepherd) refuse to allow New Zealand’s Māui dolphin to follow the same tragic path as the vaquita in Mexico. Yesterday, Sea Shepherd took decisive action to defend the Māui dolphin by formally demanding that the Trump Administration immediately ban all imports from New Zealand fisheries that are driving the Māui dolphin to extinction. Endemic to New Zealand, the Māui dolphin population has been decimated – a victim of bycatch in fisheries

Sea Shepherd Assists Liberian Coast Guard with Arrest of Cargo Vessel for Illegal Fish Trade

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE January 2, 2019  Over Christmas, the Liberian Coast Guard, assisted by Sea Shepherd crew, arrested the Chinese-flagged (M/V) Hai Feng 823, a 74-meter refrigerated cargo vessel (or reefer), with a history of illegal fishing, as it attempted to offload a cargo of transshipped fish in the West African port of Monrovia. Transshipment is the act of transferring fish from one vessel to another - often done at sea between fishing vessels and reefers - sometimes done to obscure the origin of the illegally-caught fish. The M/V Hai Feng 823 has previously

Taiwanese Captain Sentenced 20 Years for Shark Finning in Tanzania

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 12 December 2018 The owner and captain of the Malaysian-flagged fishing vessel (F/V) Buah Naga 1  that was boarded and arrested by Tanzanian law enforcement agents as part of Operation Jodari, a joint partnership between Sea Shepherd, Fish-i Africa and the government of Tanzania to combat illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing, have pleaded guilty to the charge of Unlawful Possession of Shark Fins in a plea agreement with Tanzanian Prosecutors. The captain, Mr. Han Ming Chuan of a Taiwan, has been in custody since January 2018 when he was charged

Foreign Industrial Trawler Arrested as Sea Shepherd Launches Renewed Partnership with Liberia to Combat Illegal Fishing

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE November 21, 2018 In a joint operation with the Liberian Ministry of National Defense to tackle illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing in the Republic of Liberia, West Africa, Sea Shepherd assisted the Liberian Coast Guard in the arrest of a foreign-flagged industrial trawler caught plundering artisanal fishing waters. Despite great efforts to conceal its identity, the 32-meter trawler Bonheur was intercepted by the Liberian Coast Guard on the 7th of November after crossing into Liberian waters from neighboring Côte d'Ivoire with its fishing gear in

Sea Shepherd Launches a New Campaign in the Mediterranean Sea: Operation SISO

Sea Shepherd protects the Italian waters thanks to a joint collaboration and support from the Aeolian Islands Preservation Fund to tackle Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated (IUU) Fishing in the Aeolian Archipelago.FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE October 11, 2018 Sea Shepherd’s vessel M/V Sam Simon together with Lipari’s Coast Guard, Milazzo’s Revenue and Customs Authorities and with the collaboration of artisanal fishermen: 52 fads (Fishing Aggregating Devices) combined with 100 kilometers of polypropylene line confiscated in the Aeolian Islands in 178 hours The M/V Sam Simon, with a crew

European commercial fishing vessel busted in Africa for shark finning: São Tomé and Príncipe Authorities Pursue Legal Action

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE September 26, 2018 A joint operation between local authorities and marine conservationists busts a shark finning operation by a European-owned fishing vessel off the coast of Central Africa. On September 22nd, local authorities from the Central African island state of São Tomé and Príncipe boarded the Senegalese-flagged, but Spanish-linked, long-line fishing vessel Vema in a joint operation with Sea Shepherd marine conservationists and Gabonese law enforcement officers called Operation Albacore III. Although the long-liner was licensed to fish for 'tuna and

Sea Shepherd’s Operation Siracusa: Busting Poachers in Italian Marine Park

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE July 25, 2018 Sea Shepherd Italy’s Operation Siracusa launched its 2018 campaign with the announcement of the arrest of poachers in the Plemmirio Marine Park. At the first light of dawn on July 23rd, the Sea Shepherd volunteers patrolling the Plemmirio Protected Area spotted two scuba divers who were illegally capturing sea urchins inside the reserve’s Area B. The Port Authority intervened promptly and, in addition to the prescribed sanction, seized the poachers equipment. The Coast Guard intervened to locate the hidden sea urchins with the help of the Sea

Endangered Blue Whale Illegally Slain by Icelandic Whaling Company

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 11 July 2018 Sea Shepherd volunteers monitoring the Hvalur hf whaling station in Hvalfjordur Iceland have documented the slaughter of an endangered Blue whale on the night of July 7th, the 22nd endangered whale killed and butchered for export to Japan by Kristján Loftsson’s commercial whaling company since June 20th, 2018. Although the first 21 whales killed were endangered Fin whales – which the Icelandic government has permitted Loftsson’s company to slaughter despite an international moratorium on whaling and the endangered status of the Fin whale – they do

Endangered Blue Whale Illegally Slain by Icelandic Whaling Company

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 11 July 2018 Sea Shepherd volunteers monitoring the Hvalur hf whaling station in Hvalfjordur Iceland have documented the slaughter of an endangered Blue whale on the night of July 7th, the 22nd endangered whale killed and butchered for export to Japan by Kristján Loftsson’s commercial whaling company since June 20th, 2018. Although the first 21 whales killed were endangered Fin whales – which the Icelandic government has permitted Loftsson’s company to slaughter despite an international moratorium on whaling and the endangered status of the Fin whale – they do

Three Illegal Fishing Vessels Arrested: Sea Shepherd Returns to Gabon to Help Protect Africa’s Largest Marine Protected Area

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 10 July 2018 A year after Gabon’s President Ali Bongo Ondimba declared the creation of nine new national marine parks and 11 new aquatic reserves at the United Nations Ocean Conference in New York, the marine conservation group Sea Shepherd has returned to Gabon to assist the government in combatting illegal fishing in what is now Africa’s largest network of marine protected areas. Operation Albacore III is Sea Shepherd’s third campaign in partnership with the Gabonese government to tackle illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing in Central West

Fleet Targeting Sharks in Timor Leste Released Without Charge

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 4 July 2018 The fleet of 15 industrial fishing vessels arrested for targeting sharks by Timor Leste authorities in September 2017, with assistance from marine conservation organization Sea Shepherd, have been released without charge. On September 9th 2017, Sea Shepherd’s M/V Ocean Warrior supported the Timor Leste National Police (Policia National Timor Leste - PNTL) in a dawn raid of the Fu Yuan Yu fleet of fifteen fishing vessels owned by the Chinese Hong Long Company, operating within the Southeast Asian waters of Timor Leste. The fleet, which had already

Sea Shepherd Crew Exposes the Commercial Whaling of Endangered Fin Whales in Iceland

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 29 June 2018 Sea Shepherd UK crew in Iceland have documented the slaughter of seven endangered fin whales by the commercial whaling company, Hvalur hf. Sea Shepherd UK crew have been operating in Iceland since mid-June watching the activities of the notorious whaling company ‘Hvalur hf’ owned by the wealthy fishing magnate and second-generation whaler Kristján Loftsson. The whaling company owns a large whaling station on the North side of Hvalfjörður and two old Norwegian built whaling ships, Hvalur 8 (built in 1948) and Hvalur 9 (built in 1952) which

Sea Shepherd is calling on the Starbuck’s Corporation to sever its ties with the Hong Kong shark fin trade

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 14 June 2018 Sea Shepherd is calling on the Starbuck’s Corporation to sever its ties with the Hong Kong shark fin trade.  “The shark fin industry is not limited to just the shark fin traders, but spans from the fisherman who killed the shark all the way to the restaurants that serve shark’s fin soup. By licensing Starbuck’s brand to Maxim’s Caterers Limited who openly sell shark’s fin on their menus, Starbucks has partnered with the shark fin trade itself,” says Gary Stokes, Asia Director for Sea Shepherd Global. Starbucks was licensed to the Maxim’s

Successful Results Achieved in Sea Shepherd’s Second IUU Fishing Operation with Liberian Government

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 8 June 2018 After a total of twelve months of patrols and twelve arrests, Sea Shepherd Global’s second joint operation with the Liberian Ministry of National Defense to tackle illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing in the Republic of Liberia, West Africa, has resulted in a dramatic drop in incidents of illegal fishing and the return of fish populations in coastal waters formerly over-exploited by foreign trawlers. Before Operation Sola Stella commenced in early 2017, the artisanal fishing community of Harper, a Liberian town on the border with Cote

Sea Shepherd Hong Kong Reveals Illegal Shark Fin Shipments

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 31st May 2018 On May 11th, 2018 Sea Shepherd Hong Kong discovered a large shipment of shark fins that arrived from Sri Lanka for Win Lee Fung Ltd of Hong Kong. The total shipment was 980kg which was flown to Hong Kong on a Singapore Airlines flight. Singapore Airlines had already joined other responsible airlines and banned the carriage of shark fins on all its routes.  “Singapore Airlines are yet another victim of these shark fin smugglers, who deceived the airline by declaring the shipment as ‘dried seafood’ to skirt the airlines internal booking checks,”

Pirate Fishing Tycoon Hit with 8.2 Million Euro Fine in Spain

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 18 April 2018 Florindo González Corral, the Spanish fishing tycoon who owned the world’s most infamous pirate fishing vessel, the F/V Thunder, has been fined 8.2 million euros in a civil case brought by the Spanish government. The F/V Thunder was an INTERPOL-wanted fishing vessel that was involved in more than 10 years of illegal fishing in the Southern Ocean before its captain deliberately sank the vessel in the Gulf of Guinea after a 110-day at-sea pursuit by Sea Shepherd vessels. The captain and two of his crew, who were rescued by Sea Shepherd, were

Sea Shepherd Reveals Illegal Trawling with Impunity in Denmark’s Protected Waters

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 17 April 2018 A 14-week investigation by the marine conservation organization Sea Shepherd reveals illegal fish trawling is still taking place in the Sound, the strait between Sweden and Denmark, despite the banning of such destructive fishing practices in the area since 1932. From January 16th through April 6th, Sea Shepherd volunteers and scientists conducted research in the Sound (known locally as the Öresund or Øresund) on board the M/V Emanuel Bronner patrol boat to study the seabed for signs of damage by fishing trawlers. Scientists took soil and

Hot Pursuit of Toothfish Poacher Ends with Arrest in Indonesia

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE April 9, 2018 On the morning of April 6th, an Indonesian Navy ship intercepted the F/V STS-50, a stateless toothfish poaching vessel that escaped custody from Maputo Bay, Mozambique on March 17th. The arrest marks the end of an incredible three-week-long trans-Indian Ocean chase, where the coordinated efforts of Interpol’s Project Scale, Fish-i Africa, the Fusion Centers in Madagascar and Singapore, Sea Shepherd, the United Republic of Tanzania, and the Republic of Indonesia finally brought this notorious poacher to justice. The F/V STS-50, a known Patagonian

Sea Shepherd Ship Intercepts Trawler as it Attempts to Flee Detention in Liberia

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 26 March 2018 A Guinean-flagged fishing trawler detained and under investigation by Liberian law enforcement authorities was arrested by the Liberian Coast Guard, with assistance from Sea Shepherd, as it attempted to evade justice by fleeing detention on March 15th, 2018. Taking advantage of a national holiday in Liberia, the F/V Benty 1 endeavored to slip away under the radar of authorities and make a break for international waters. A Liberian Coast Guard Boarding team on board the Sea Shepherd vessel M/Y Sam Simon intercepted the F/V Benty 1 just 7