Activist lectures on his experiences

In protecting the earth’s marine life, Capt. Paul Watson has battled some of the world’s largest organizations and governments.

He brought his ideas and experiences to the Whittenberger Auditorium on Wednesday night for the Union Board’s second fall lecture of 2008.

Watson, a co-founder of Greenpeace, former director of the Sierra Club and founder of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, has spent nearly his entire life as an environmental activist. From ramming illegal whaling vessels to sinking seal poaching ships, Watson has long been a proponent of direct intervention in the protection of marine life.

“It’s been a long, long battle,” Watson said. “We’ve been fighting for decades and have made a lot of progress.”

Watson’s inspiration in creating the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society came during an experience that also marked the end of his tenure with Greenpeace. During an attempt to peacefully save whales from a Russian whaling ship by standing in front of the vessel’s harpoons, Watson and other members of the crew ended up watching two whales killed before their eyes.

“From that day on, I said that I don’t work for the people, I work for the whales,” he said. “People can’t criticize us because we don’t care what they think.”

This departure from his own organization was not without backlash. Representatives from Greenpeace, as well as other organizations, have denounced his active stance on conservation, calling him a pirate and a terrorist.

“Terrorist is an overused term,” he said. “These days, you call a boycott on tuna and they call you a terrorist.”

Watson’s crew has even embraced their billing as a pirate organization. Watson’s ship, the Steve Irwin, flies a pirate flag on her voyages.

“We’re pirates of compassion, in search of pirates of greed,” he said.

Aside from the lighthearted nature of many of his stories, Watson’s message was a dark one.

“The oceans are dying,” he said. “If the fish go, the oceans die. If the oceans die, civilization will collapse, and we will go extinct.”

Watson noted that 90 percent of the large fishes have been taken out of the world’s oceans. This, he said, is why he is advocating direct and immediate action.

“You’re not going to save the world by changing your light bulb or buying a Prius,” he said. “We cannot survive unless we learn to live in harmony with these other creatures.”

While some students expressed disagreement during the question and answer session following the lecture, most were more supportive of Watson’s views.

“It was a clear inspiration,” said sophomore Jordan Jacobs. “I think it’s important to reevaluate what we shouldn’t value.”

Freshman Andrea Wolf also agreed with Watson’s cynical appraisal of human ignorance.

“I strongly agree that man has no idea how dependent we are on so many species that we’re not aware of,” she said.

Watson said he expected to encounter opposition on the merits of his methods. However, students seemed to be more receptive to these ideals than expected.

Freshman Anna Wood said she thinks in this case, the ends justify the means.

“If you want to change the world,” she said, “you can’t rely on governments.”