Paul Watson Biography | Inspirational Quotations | Quotes

Paul Watson is a Canada-born environmentalist, the founder of Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, known for adopting bizarre and unconventional rude methods of anti-poaching activities on marine wild life. In spite of his admirable ideals of protecting sea animals, his actions were frowned upon even by the purists of environmentalism who are more inclined for peaceful ways for implementing the objectives.

Early Life of Paul Watson:

Paul Watson was born on December 2, 1950 in Toronto, Canada. The seeds of tender care and affection for animals were sown in his mind during the days of his childhood when he was a member of the Kindness Club. Later he joined a Sierra Club in October 1969, to protest vociferously against the underground nuclear testing at Amchitka Island located between Bering Sea and Pacific Ocean. The group of people which condemned the nuclear test complaining that it resulted in loosening tectonic plates in the region has grown into an international organization which is known today as Greenpeace, with its branches spread across the globe in forty countries. However, in subsequent years, Watson was expelled from the organization by its Board of Directors due to his queer stance on the so-called direct methods (as declared by him) which were violent in nature and much in contradiction with its peaceful policy on environmental protection.

Earth Force Society Formation:

In the same year of his expulsion in 1977, Paul Watson formed his own group with an initial name Earth Force Society which was later renamed as Sea Shepherd Conservation Society. The conservation society operated through its fleet of ships called Neptune’s Navy for protection of marine wild life. He continued to espouse his original methods of “direct action” like scuttling which involved in deliberate sinking of ship by letting in water to enter the hull of ship, puncturing/ripping holes on the vessels to thwart the attempts of poaching, hurling foul-smelling bottles of fetid butyric acid (stinky and sticky) on to the poachers, tearing off the hunters’ net for stymieing the acts of hunting marine animals. Although his basic idea of protecting oceanic fauna is praiseworthy, the nature of method he adopted for implementing his ideals was always denounced by a vast wider section of devoted environmentalists.

Paul Watson had to face a plethora of criminal charges by many countries Australia, Japan, New Zealand, Iceland, Norway etc., following his attacks on the vessels hunting for sea animals. He was even banished by Iceland and Australia; he was denied visa. The charges levelled against him were so grave that the accusing nations had to apply for his extradition from the International Court of Justice and the Interpol was pressed into action to nab him from the ships of Sea Shepherds at the shores of New Zealand in 2013, but in vain.

In spite of being the target of accusation in international circles for taking law into his own hands for protecting marine life, he has his fair share of accolades and encomiums from a few countries for adhering bravely to the noble cause with a considerably strong consistency amid ever-existing scathing condemnation on his actions.

Paul Watson Received The Honorable Awards:

1. Paul Watson was the second recipient of Jules Verne Award in October 2012, after Captain Jacques Cousteau for dedicating his life to environmentalism.
2. He also received in June 2010 the Asociacion de Amigos del Museo de Anclas Philippe Cousteau: Defence of marine life award in recognition of his dedication of his life to protection of marine life.
3. As a gesture of appreciating his contribution to animal liberation, Paul had been recruited into US Animal Rights Hall of Fame in 2002.
4. Paul Watson was hailed by TIME magazine as one of the top 20 Environmental Heroes of the twentieth century.

The life of Paul Watson is a farrago of bouquets and brickbats. Notwithstanding the flak he received on his protective activities dubbed as extremely outrageous, several biographical documentaries were produced featuring his adventures on defending the marine life. In consonance with his protective stance on sea animals, he is a staunch supporter of veganism. He advocates bio-centrism which proclaims that human race is not superior to any life on earth and hence all living beings have equal right to live. He was castigated by international community as an eco-terrorist. He showed no signs of remorse on his conviction and reiterated Gerald Seymour’s quotation “One man’s terrorist is another’s freedom fighter.”

Inspirational Quotations From Paul Watson:

• “I do what I do because it is the right thing to do. I am a warrior, and it is the way of the warrior to fight superior odds.”

• “The most powerful weapon in the world, as far as I'm concerned, is the camera.”

• “Follow your dreams and use your natural-born talents and skills to make this a better world for tomorrow.”

• “We buy a bottle of water in the city, where clean water comes out in its taps. You know, back in 1965, if someone said to the average person, 'You know in thirty years you are going to buy water in plastic bottles and pay more for that water than for gasoline?' Everybody would look at you like you're completely out of your mind.”

• “Everybody is a hypocrite. You can't live on this planet without being a hypocrite.”

• “If we wipe out the fish, the oceans are going to die. If the oceans die, we die. We can't live on this planet with a dead ocean.”

Download The Mobile App: Highly Secured Electronic Diary

• “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.”

• “The only language that the Japanese whaling industry understands is economics.”

• “If we wipe out the fish, the oceans are going to die. If the oceans die, we die. We can't live on this planet with a dead ocean.”

• “There are very few fishermen left today.”

• “People are beginning to realize that we need to live in accordance with the law of ecology, the law of finite resources, and if we don't, we're going to go extinct.”

• “We live on the most incredible planet, and yet we abuse it, and we abuse it mercilessly.”

• “The Brer Rabbit ploy has been quite effective for me. When a country is talking about prosecuting me, I demand to be charged and put on trial and offer to pay my own airfare. They know that I'm going to bring a lot of international media with me and put their whaling programme on trial, and they decide it's better to keep quiet and do nothing.”

• “I find it abhorrent to see a whale being slaughtered and do nothing but bear witness.”

• “I take a biocentric point of view. I look at things from the point of view of the Earth and the laws of ecology. As opposed to the anthropocentric point of view, where everything revolves around humanity.”

• “I have been honoured to serve the whales, dolphins, seals - and all the other creatures on this Earth. Their beauty, intelligence, strength, and spirit have inspired me.”

• “The environmental movement doesn't have many deserters and has a high level of recruitment. Eventually, there will be open war.”