Halting Japanese Whaling

I chose to read and discuss the story "Japanese halts whale hunt after chase by protestors" on BBC News. I chose to use this story for many reasons. First and foremost, I think the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society is an interesting group (good or bad, I'm not sure, but they are definitely interesting). Many people have seen their show "Whale Wars" on Animal Planet, spun as a doc-series on the Sea Shepherd volunteers who spend their free time in the middle of the Arctic doing all that they can to stop Japanese whalers, while trying to not resort to violence. Th BBC article explains that, in February of 2011, the Japanese government decided to halt all whaling efforts because of the interference of the Sea Shepherds. I personally find this story to be interesting because last year I visited Greenpeace with my Washington Semester IED class the day after this was announced. Our speaker noted how they were happy about the results and even praised the Sea Shepherds (which I found interesting based on the history of the two organizations). I also find their efforts particularly interesting because I spent my summer working as a volunteer organizing intern for Oceana South Florida, so the civil society action that the Sea Shepherds whaling campaign represented provides an interesting comparison to my own experiences.

So what makes their efforts an effective form of action? Well, their persistance and unwavering dedication is first and foremost their greatest asset. Their volunteers were available to help for no pay at all, cramped quarters, and freezing conditions (and this is just when they aren't busy with their real jobs). While I believe that, in many cases, you need to adjust to your surroundings, the Sea Shepherds would challenge that notion. They keep going even when, from the outside, their efforts look futile. I also think that their non-violent (although some could argue that) approach is another of their greatest assets. They used "stink bombs" in an attempt to spoil any whale meat on board their ships, and provided an irritating disturbance for the whaling ships. One can only shake off the gadfly so many times before it gets to be too much, and this is what happened for the Japanese whaling fleet.

The action came from the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, but was comprised of various volunteers from various backgrounds. It was a civil society movement, and it could be replicated by other organizations or individuals as a response to various other environmental issues. While many conservation groups or individuals may criticize Paul Watson or his organization, at least he made some impact, and that gives me hope. I spent all summer organizing a demonstration on my local beach. It attracted 150 participants, one newspaper, and two news stations. While many may look at my efforts as futile, and may consider the efforts of Paul Watsons to be the same in the grand scheme of things, in the end they all may make some small change. Paul Watson always believed he had the power to make change, and I believe that was one of the core reasons why he succeeded. And if environmentalists don't have any hope for the future, or hope for change, then what are they working to achieve?

In conclusion, although Paul Watson may not have the perfect activist strategy, it is effective and can be replicated. And for that, I applaud him.




http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-12477398