|
|||
|
|
Sea Shepherd campaigns are guided by the United Nations World Charter for Nature. Sections 21-24 of the Charter provides authority to individuals to act on behalf of and enforce international conservation laws.Sea Shepherd cooperates fully with all international law enforcement agencies and its enforcement activities complying with standard practices of law and policing enforcement. Sea Shepherd adheres to the utilization of non-violent principles in the course of all actions and has taken a standard against violence in the protection of the oceans. The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society was founded in 1977 in Vancouver BC by Paul Watson. The mandate of the organization was marine mammal protection and conservation with an immediate goal of shutting down illegal whaling and sealing operations. With financial support from Cleveland Amory of the Fund for Animals, the society's first ship a North Atlantic sea trawler "the Westella" was purchased in Hull, England (UK) and renamed the Sea Shepherd. It's first mission was to the ice floes of eastern Canada to interfere with the annual killing of baby harp seals known as whitecoats. In the same year, 1979, the Sea Shepherd hunted down and rammed the notorious pirate whaler the Sierra in a Portugal harbor ending its infamous career as the scourge of the seas.
Sea Shepherd is committed to the eradication of pirate whaling, poaching, shark finning, unlawful habitat destruction, and violations of established laws in the World's oceans.To that end, Sea Shepherd assists national and international bodies in the enforcement of international law under authority of the United Nations World Charter for Nature.
Sea Shepherd Board of Directors
|
||
|
|
|||
Sea
Shepherd's mission is to conserve and protect the world's marine
wilderness eco-systems and marine wildlife species. They accomplish
these goals through public education, investigation, documentation and,
where appropriate and where legal authority exists under international
law or under agreement with national governments, enforcement of
violations of the international treaties, laws and conventions designed
to protect the oceans.
The
success of the seal campaign and the ramming of the Sierra was the start
of Sea Shepherd's historical 160 voyages over the next two decades,
enforcing international laws where no law enforcement existed - on the
high seas. Sea Shepherd continues to accomplish its mission by upholding
and enforcing international treaties, laws and conventions of world
governments.
