Paul Watson
Costa Rica and Germany have simply been pawns in the Japanese quest to silence Sea Shepherd in an attempt to stop our annual opposition of their illegal whaling activities.
My clients are the whales and the seals.
Documentaries make a difference.
The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society recognizes that the deaths of four sealers is a tragedy, but Sea Shepherd also recognizes that the slaughter of hundreds of thousands of seal pups is an even greater tragedy.
We'll lose more species of plants and animals between 2000 and 2065 than we've lost in the last 65 million years. If we don't find answers to these problems, we're gonna be victims of this extinction event that we're at fault for.
Any social movement throughout history has always been carried out by only 7% of population being passionately active in that.
A fish is more valuable swimming in the sea maintaining the integrity of oceanic eco-systems than it is on anyone's plate.
The shark is the apex predator in the sea. Sharks have molded evolution for 450 million years. All fish species that are prey to the sharks have had their behavior, their speed, their camouflage, their defense mechanisms molded by the shark.
No words can describe the personal liberation that heading seaward bestows upon me. In this aquatic realm, no man or woman is subject to the petty decrees of social bureaucracy.
Pete Bethune is a hero in New Zealand. He's a hero worldwide to people who want to see the end of whaling.
Immigration is one of the leading contributors to population growth.
I don't see the point in making a distinction between natives having more of a right to kill whales than nonnative people.
It's a war, I think, to save the planet, really, from ourselves.
In Africa, the rangers shoot poachers.
Bluefin tuna is sort of like the cheetah of the ocean. It's the fastest fish. It's a warm-blooded fish. But it's got a $100,000 price tag on its head.
Killing a baby seal is about the easiest thing you can do if you're inclined to be sadistic; you certainly can't say there's any sport in it - the animal is totally defenceless.
The seal hunt has made me ashamed to be a Canadian.
Greenpeace is the world's largest feel-good organisation now, and I can say that 'cause I am one of their co-founders.
We live on the most incredible planet, and yet we abuse it, and we abuse it mercilessly.
I always say, 'I'm not a pirate, I just play one on TV.'
I will not watch a whale die. I've not seen a whale die since I left Greenpeace in 1977.
You will not ever perceive the truth that is reality. There are many realities.
Sometimes going to jail is just the price you have to pay for social reform or social change.
I find it abhorrent to see a whale being slaughtered and do nothing but bear witness.
People say I manipulate the media. Well, duh. We live in a media culture, so why on earth wouldn't I?
People feel good about giving money to Greenpeace.
The United Nations World Charter for Nature, section 21, empowers any nongovernmental organisation or individual to uphold international conservation law in areas beyond national jurisdiction and specifically on the high seas.
In Ecuador, if I go after an Ecuadoran, I'm in trouble; if I go after a Costa Rican, I'm a hero.
There are many who condemn my crew and I for taking the law into our own hands and for taking on the barons of corporate profit.
There are quite a few disgruntled Greenpeacers who are opposed to its policy of non-cooperation.
Captain Falco saw the diminishment of biodiversity in our oceans over a span of nearly seven decades. He was dedicated to the protection of life and habitats in the sea. He was a legendary mariner, diver, oceanographer, and conservationist. The world is a better place because of him.
If you want to know where you would have stood on slavery before the Civil War, don’t look at where you stand on slavery today. Look at where you stand on animal rights.Collection: War
In the great scheme of things, what matters is not how long you live but why you live, what you stand for and what you are willing to die for.Collection: What Matters
As for myself, I do not believe in loggers, I believe in trees. I do not believe in fishermen, I believe in fish. I do not believe in miners, I believe in the rocks beneath my feet. I do not believe in pie in the sky spirituality, I believe in rainbows, rivers, mountains, and moss. I do not believe in environmentalists, I believe in the environment. I am a proud traitor to my species in alliance with my mother the Earth in opposition to those who would destroy her, those parasites who believe the Earth is here to serve human interests.Collection: Mother
WE CAN NOT LIVE ON THIS PLANET WITH DEAD OCEANS. IF OUR OCEANS DIE, WE DIE.Collection: Ocean
We're just a conceited, naked ape. But in our minds we're some sort of "divine legend," and we see ourselves as some sort of god. That we can walk around the earth deciding who will live and who will die and what will be destroyed and what will be saved. But the fact is we're just a bunch of primates out of control.Collection: Thinking
Intelligence is the ability of a species to live in harmony with its environment.Collection: Animal
A vegan riding a hummer contributes less to greenhouse gas emissions than a meat eater riding a bicycle.Collection: Meat
Unless we stop the degradation of our oceans, marine ecological systems will begin collapsing and when enough of them fail, the oceans will die. And if the oceans die, then civilization collapses and we all dieCollection: Ocean
Seafood is simply a socially acceptable form of bush meat. We condemn Africans for hunting monkeys and mammalian and bird species from the jungle yet the developed world thinks nothing of hauling in magnificent wild creatures like swordfish, tuna, halibut, shark, and salmon for our meals. The fact is that the global slaughter of marine wildlife is simply the largest massacre of wildlife on the planet.Collection: Marine
We need to radically and intelligently reduce human populations to fewer than one billion. We need to eliminate nationalism and tribalism and become Earthlings. And as Earthlings, we need to recognize that all the other species that live on this planet are also fellow citizens and also Earthlings. This is a planet of incredible diversity of life-forms; it is not a planet of one species as many of us believe.Collection: Believe
I can't think of a greater legacy than, "Because you lived, another species survived."Collection: Thinking
What we need now is heroes - millions of them. Sentiment without action is the ruin of the soul.Collection: Hero
Earthworms are far more valuable than people.Collection: People
Almost all theological thought is anthropocentric and I just cannot buy into the anthropocentric ideology. Basically we're a bunch of conceited apes.Collection: Conceited
I have been honored to serve the whales, dolphins, seals - and all the other creatures on this Earth. Their beauty, intelligence, strength, and spirit have inspired me. These beings have spoken to me, touched me, and I have been rewarded by friendship with many members of different species. If the whales survive and flourish, if the seals continue to live and give birth, and if I can contribute to ensuring their future prosperity, I will be forever happy.Collection: Whales
We don't give a damn what you or anybody else on this planet thinks. We didn't sink those ships for you. We did it for the whales.Collection: Animal
We should never feel like we're going too far in breaking the law, because whatever laws you break to liberate animals or to protect the environment are very insignificant compared to the laws that are broken by that parliament of whores in Washington. They are the biggest lawbreakers, the biggest destroyers, the biggest mass-murderers on this planet right now.Collection: Animal
Nazi propaganda Minister Joseph Goebbels once remarked that if a lie is told often enough people will begin to see the lie as truth.Collection: Lying