A Message from Sea Shepherd’s Paul Watson: Saving the Life of a Whale Shark (Watch Video)
Following the tragic events this week with the massacre of 150 Pilot whales in the Faroe Islands, I am happy to bring you some good news from Gabon where our ship BOB BARKER and her international crew are working with the Gabonese Navy and Fisheries Enforcement Agency to stop illegal fishing operations.
This week something happened that made the crew and all of us very happy. A large whale shark was caught in a tuna seine net. Crew from the Bob Barker jumped into the sea and cut the whale shark out of the net and watched joyfully as it swam away to freedom.
There is nothing more satisfying than intervening to save a life and the satisfaction of saving the life gives us the motivation to continue with the difficult anti-poaching work that our ships and crew are addressing.
This week Operation Jairo has saved hundreds of sea turtles on the beaches of Florida and Latin America.
Earlier this year the crews of the MARTIN SHEEN and the FARLEY MOWAT saved the lives of hundreds of manta rays, sharks, fish and turtles including a Humpback whale from dying in illegal gill nets set by totoaba fish poachers in the Sea of Cortez.
Knowing that whale shark is not dead and is swimming in the sea with it’s retinue of loyal pilot fish makes me very happy and very proud of my crew on the BOB BARKER.
To the men and women on the BOB BARKER. Well done.
To find out more about Sea Shepherd, visit www.seashepherd.org.
