It operates vessels it calls Neptune's Navy, but after the seizure of the RV Farley Mowat by the Canadian government, operated the MV Steve Irwin, the Bob Barker and smaller Ady Gil. The group has received support for its tactics against fishing, whaling, and seal hunting, while critics have condemned the violent nature of the actions. Operations have included scuttling and disabling whaling vessels at harbour, intervening in Canadian seal hunts, ramming other vessels, throwing glass bottles of foul smelling butyric acid on the decks of vessels at sea, boarding of a whaling vessel while at sea, and seizure and destruction of drift nets at sea. In 2008, Animal Planet began filming the weekly series Whale Wars based on the group's encounters with the Japanese whaling fleet in the Southern Ocean.
Organization
Sea Shepherd is a non-government environmental organization and in the United States has a 501(c)(3) tax exempt status. 80.8% of the organization's revenue are spent on its programs, while 8.9% of revenue is spent on administrative costs.[4] Sea Shepherd is supported by private and corporate donations, Watson giving lectures, advertising of the group on the internet,[5] and grants. Sea Shepherd has received financial contributions from celebrities and business men such as Steve Wynn and John Paul DeJoria.[5][6] The group is operated by volunteers and a small paid staff.[5] Watson is committed to keeping his organization small and does not believe in spending money on fund-raising or recruitment.[5]
Sea Shepherd has an affiliated organization, O.R.C.A. - Oceanic Research and Conservation Action Force, whose President is Watson.
Sea Shepherd is governed by a board of directors. Currently there are six directors, including Watson. The organization has several boards of advisers, each addressing an area of expertise that the organization refers to for advice. These are the Scientific, Technical, and Conservation Advisory Board, which has 13 members (including Earth First! founder Dave Foreman and Horst Klienschmidt, a former (2006) Deputy-Chair of the International Whaling Commission); the Financial and Management Advisory Board, with three members; the Legal and Law Enforcement Advisory Board, with two members (including Ian Campbell, a former Australian Minister of the Environment and Heritage (2004-07) who had previously been accused of having inappropriate and close ties with the organization;[7][8] the Animal Welfare, Humane and Animal Rights Advisory Board, with seven members (including animal rights philosopher Tom Regan); the Media and Arts Advisory Board, with 15 members (which includes Sean Penn and Martin Sheen); and a Photography Advisory Board with two members
International support
Sea Shepherd has also based many of its operations out of Australia with foreigners being able to travel in and out of the country on tourist visas.[52][53] Tasmanian Greens and the Greens Senator Bob Brown, have endorsed and supported the Society in various ways, including advocacy within the Australian government and public endorsement of the group.[54] When the Steve Irwin returned to Hobart in February 2009, Australian Federal Police seized film footage and the ships logs reportedly prompted by complaints from Japan.[55][56] Brown demanded that the Australian Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd, should order their immediate return but a spokesman for the Home Affairs Minister said it was a federal police matter.[57] In October, The Australian Immigration Department decided that Watson and his First Officer, Peter Hammarstedt, must satisfy new good-character requirements to obtain business visas. Watson was critical of what he considered a submission to Japanese pressure by the
Rudd government.[52] The department required the members in question to provide police references from the governments of the United States, Canada and Norway. The Australian government responded by rejecting the idea that it was in some way delaying Watson and on October 20, 2009 gave Watson and his 1st Officer visas. [58]The Dalai Lama sent Sea Shepherd a wrathful scowling deity statue of Hayagriva with a letter of support.
