Sea Shepherd Bar Pete Bethune From Future Campaigns

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by Michael dEstries June 8, 2010
Categories: Animals, Causes
Tags: .

pete bethune

Back in January, while investigating what was left of the damaged and abandoned Ady Gil vessel, a Japanese whaling ship reported finding a bow with arrows floating amidst the wreckage. This, they said, was proof of the Sea Shepherd’s violent intentions.

The allegation was largely forgotten until recently; when footage of  Captain Pete Bethune hit online (jump to around the 50 second mark) showing off the bow and arrows in promos for Animal Planet’s Whale Wars series. As he explains in the clip, the arrows were to be coated with a “nasty chemical” which would then be fired into the dead whales and used to infect the meat.

Regardless of his intentions, and even though the weapon was never used, Sea Shepherd has condemned Bethune’s actions and publicly declared that he was effectively being banned from any future association with the organization.

“The bow and arrows revealed to be on the Sea Shepherd vessel Ady Gil, and in the possession of Captain Bethune on that ship, are absolutely not in line with Sea Shepherd’s policy,” wrote Sea Shepherd Deputy CEO Chuck Swift. “Even though we know Captain Bethune’s objectives were sincere, that the bow and arrows were never used in Sea Shepherd actions and that he certainly never intended to use the bow and arrows against any person, his decision to bring them on a Sea Shepherd campaign is unacceptable.”

Regardless of the future, Sea Shepherd has vowed to stand by Bethune during the course of his trial in Japan. The 45-year-old faces 15 years in jail on five counts of illegally boarding a Japanese whaling vessel in the Southern Ocean earlier this year.


Categories: Animals, Causes
Tags: .

About Michael dEstries

Michael has been blogging since 2005 on issues such as sustainability, renewable energy, philanthropy, and healthy living. He regularly contributes to a slew of publications, as well as consulting with companies looking to make an impact using the web and social media. He lives in Ithaca, NY with his family on an apple farm.

View all posts by Michael dEstries →
  • http://s181454115.onlinehome.us Erik

    I’d say paulie didn’t think the editors would actually USE damaging footage. Most normal people would have questioned the crew of the AG when the original story broke, “did you have a bow and arrows…?” paulie just went for the “big lie” Even Jason Stuart (AG crewmember) has stated “watson knew and approved” So instead of “releasing” bethune months ago, cap’n dimwit waited until he was bound in a web of his own making before putting on the farce of “we are a non violent group” and kicking his crew in the face. How long before the others on board the AG get the axe too?
    video interview: http://www.scoop.co.nz/multimedia/tv/world/37131.html

  • Sea Cucumber

    Yup – Can’t say that we didn’t see this one coming. Take one doofus who carries weapons on board his borrowed ship, crashes it into the side of a whaling vessel, and then has his weapons fall out and float around for his intended victims to find – this is what happens.

    The funniest part is that Paul Watson is either:

    An idiot for not watching any of the AP footage before it aired so that he would see that Buffoon had the arrows….

    A liar for seeing it and issuing statements weeks ago saying that finding the arrows was a Japanese fabrication….

    Now – which one was it? It’s one of the two.

    This is awesome news – jailed, cut away like the tumor he was to the SSCS, and probably will be made to pay a fine as well.

    Maybe the FOJ’s can come up with some cash – how much are they up to? About 70-80 bucks? Yeah, that should about do it. I hope that Sharyn signs up for E-Harmony or something so she can meet someone decent this time. Maybe a shark fisherman!

    Imaufo – this must be a real blow to you guys, eh? But then again, from what you guys are saying on FB and your forum, you pretty much agree that he should be excommunicated, right? I feel for ya’!

  • H. Nelson

    I wonder just when or IF and how he planned to inform the Japanese their whale meat had been poisoned? What a stupid plan.

    • Daxxanna

      Why tell them that the meat was poisoned, its only for research for not for eating, at least that’s what the Japan government wants us to believe. Not a stupid plan at all, not when protecting whales

      • David

        Sorry but you are wrong. Try reading the ICWR charter. Any parts not used for research must be sold to pay for the research. And despite what you claim, the Japanese never claimed the whole whale is needed for research.

  • Whales R Cool!!!!

    I could care less because he was planning to use it on dead whales, not people. You guys are taking it out of context. Thats like saying the Japanese whalers are using their guns used to kill whales on Sea Shepherd. I also dont think it makes much of an impact on Sea Shepherd as you guys claim it will.

    • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=547287671 D

      I don’t have a problem with the bow and arrows. I think it’s appalling that this brave man is being demonized by Sea Shepherd.

      • Melba

        I absoluttely agree that they are demonizing Pete. I think maybe Paul (the Admiral) may be just a tad jealous. He was seething that he didn’t get to play a bigger part in this “best season ever”. It was mostly about the Bob Barker and the part they played in their outstanding journey. Don’t get me wrong, I think Paul Watson has done a fantstic job and has dedicated much of his life to saving as many whales as possible. You could tell that he didn’t care for Pete very much when he told him he didn’t need to stay on the Shepherd. Jealousy can sometimes be your own worst enemy.

  • http://southernfriedscience.com Southern Fried Scientist

    One has to wonder what a SSCS press release would have looked like during the filming of Sharkwater if they were really concerned about non-violoence and not just trying to severe ties to what they see as a lost cause:

    “The [shotgun] revealed to be on the Sea Shepherd vessel [Steve Irwin], and in the possession of Captain [Watson] on that ship, are absolutely not in line with Sea Shepherd’s policy. Even though we know Captain [Watson's] objectives were sincere, that the [shotgun] was never used in Sea Shepherd actions and that he certainly never intended to use the [shotgun] against any person, his decision to bring [it]on a Sea Shepherd campaign is unacceptable.”

    But consistency has never been SSCS’s strong point.

    Once again, we’ve covered our issues with Sea Shepherd’s tactics extensively – http://www.southernfriedscience.com/?p=4424

    and have asked the question “If Sea Shepherd is effective, why are more whales being killed by the Japanese now than before SSCS’s Southern Ocean campaigns began?” – http://www.southernfriedscience.com/?p=5894

    • Bob

      I wasn’t always sure about the tactics the Sea Shepherds have used, but Paul Watson put it in perspective during a recent episode of Whale Wars (paraphrasing): “There are nearly 7 billion people on the planet, and only 75 people or so down here [in the Southern ocean] actually doing anything to try and stop the illegal whaling.”

  • Mkay

    This was dumb of Pete Bethune. He’s giving the SSCS a bad name – what was he thinking? Probably the right choice making him a non-member and all. Stupid.

    • David

      Except other SSCS members are saying Paul knew about this at the beginning of the campaign. So ultimately Paul is responsible for it but Pete is the one paying the price.

      • Cho cho ma

        No the person who said that was not an official member, he was an emergency replacement engineer. He worked on the Earth Race before.

    • David

      So Pete wasn’t an official member either? How long to you have to be in the organization before you are considered a member? 6 months? 1 year?

      • Cho cho ma

        No, you actually have to fill out an application, which is then approved by Sea Shepherd.

      • From MN, with hope…

        Pete was the only guy who could drive the boat (Paul wanted Laurens De Groot to learn to pilot the AG), plus at the time it was still his boat, so of course he was going to be on the trip to the Southern Ocean.

      • David

        So did Pete never sleep or did the boat just stop and drift while he slept?

        And no at the time the boat belonged to Ady Gil.

      • http://www.earthrace.net Beverley Bailey

        The full payment for the boat is yet to be paid to Pete. Ady Gil stumped up a cool $1 million towards the price, but the remainder is yet to be paid by SSCS to Pete.

      • Cho cho ma

        Can u make payments on a boat that no longer exists? (Not saying they are not supposed to though)

      • David

        Sure can.

        If you sign a contract to buy a house and 2 weeks later it burns down. You still owe the full amount.

        Now most people with expensive things have insurance or the contract holder requires insurance that covers these kind of issues.

      • Cho cho ma

        Actually David, boats do have an auto pilot option.

      • From MN, with hope…

        He was training Laurens to pilot it, so no, it wouldn’t just drift. Though some could pilot it through the smoother waters in slow speeds. It is a boat. At the time of the crash, they had been out to sea for a month or so, so pretty much everyone had observational experience. But at the beginning of the season Pete was the only guy who could properly operate the boat at high speeds. And again, even YOU said that at the time the boat wasn’t owned by Ady Gil yet. It was official later in January.

      • David

        When did I say that at that time it wasn’t owned by Ady Gil?

        If I did it was because they didn’t register the shares that Ady Gil bought on Nov 24th 2009 until last month. On Nov 24th 2009 Ady Gil became the owner.

        So they took the boat into some of the worst conditions on the planet with only one person who was really competent to pilot it? And at times they were alone hundreds of miles from any other ships?

        Talk about ballsy, or stupid.

      • David

        “No the person who said that was not an official member, he was an emergency replacement engineer. He worked on the Earth Race before.”

        So he volunteered, Sea Shepherd accepted him and he wasn’t paid. But he wasn’t a member of Sea Shepherd?

      • From MN, with hope…

        You said it in the ‘Whale Wars Season 3 sneak peak’ article comments. Sow now it was just only not registered until recently? You said that it wasn’t owned by Sea Shepherd or Ady Gil at the time of the incident.

        Well Pete has been around the world about three times in that thing, so I’m pretty sure he can pilot it when the seas would’ve picked up. But there were very few times when he was truly without anyone. Once he found the fleet, and the Bob Barker came, the Bob was with it until it was declared sunk, and it was with the Steve Irwin for a while at the beginning. Not much could happen in the time-span of a month.

      • David

        Yes, the corporation didn’t post the issuing of over 2 million share to Ady Gil until around the 12th of May but that posting states the shares where actually issued on the 24th of November. What they may have been trying to hide I don’t know. If you had gone to the link I provided back on the ‘Whale Wars Season 3 sneak peak’ article recently you would see that. But it was known before that date that the SSCS didn’t ever own the Ady Gil, it was even in the Australia report on the collision.

        All it would take is one rogue wave, Pete hits his head are breaks a leg and he is OOC hundreds of miles from anybody else.

      • From MN, with hope…

        Woops. Got things crossed up in my mind. You’re right about the Ady Gil owning the AG thing. Sorry for that. Still, Pete is justified by going on the campaign because he still owned a bit of it, and he has the most experience in how it acts, behaves, and runs. Still, plenty of time to train Laurens between leaving NZ, traveling to where their radar was knocked out, and coming back to fix the radar. Chances are at low speeds, anyone who has minor training could drive it. But still, Pete had the most experience. Would you throw a teen into a race car and just leave them without any training? No! You have to provide training and insight from your experience.

  • Marcus L

    An important distinction to make here is application of the bow and arrows. Mr. Stuart said that Paul had approved the bow and arrows to be on the vessel, but there was no mention of Paul Watson approving the use of the bow and arrows in battle. The statement seems to suggest that both were a no no although its a little ambiguous.

    This is pretty good proof that Sea Shepherd has no editorial control over Whale Wars or likely even an advanced viewing, otherwise its a safe bet the arrows never would have made it in.

  • Cho cho ma

    Jason Stuart was an Earth Race crew member who was called in after the campaign engineer was no longer able to participate in the campaign. He is loyal to Bethune not Sea Shepherd. Now that Bethune is in legal trouble I’m not sure his comments hold much wait. He is defending Bethune. Mr. Stuart was not even a Sea Shepherd member.

    • http://s181454115.onlinehome.us Erik

      so?
      he was there, he speaks on personal knowledge…
      It matters not how he got there, nor even if he is/was/never will be a crew member. He was THERE, not you His word speaks VOLUMES.

      • Cho cho ma
      • Mick

        Cho cho ma,

        The word of two unnamed and unidentified people does not carry the same weight as the word of an identifiable person whose presence can be confirmed.

      • http://s181454115.onlinehome.us Erik

        again, you fail to really READ. Those two are in jail…for…gasp… THEFT. Seems they fot busted for stealing the packages that were sent. Next, according to your article;
        “He claimed some crewmen made a fortune from reselling the meat.These are explosive allegations which, if true, undermine much of Japan’s claim that its whaling program is centred on scientific research.”

        If anything, it simply shows theft of whale meat by crew to sell, since the meat can LEGALLY be sold on the open market, it shows 1. THEFT from the owner or 2. Payment or Gift in kind in lieu of/or in addition to normal salary.
        Then we have the last sentence in your article;
        “In Japan blowing the whistle on suspect practices inside the so-called scientific whaling program can mean being branded a traitor as well as possibly going to jail.”
        oh really? It really shows that one cannot break the law in order to try and show others breaking the law.

  • Kimitake Hiraoka

    This is a curious development. After all, Bethune publicly denounced Watson and his violent methods (hypocrisy in SSCS know no bounds, it seems). Watson seems to have responded by dumping Bethune while he’s awaiting sentencing – pretty malicious stuff. Could be a clash of egos involved here.

    Either way, it seems obvious that Watson knew full well of the bow and arrows. He’s a fanatical and violent thug after all. Why would he object to chemically laced arrows when he’s happily throwing acid and ramming ships?

    I wonder though if there isn’t a little more behind the timing of this expulsion. Could it be a lame attempt to maintain that bizarre lie of SSCS “never being charged with an offence”?

    Either way, they’ve totally sold Bethune down river here. Dumped on him in his hour of need. Goes to show there’s no bounds to the depths of immorality that the Sea Shepherd scumbags are willing to go to to operate their sinister organisation.

    • phineas

      I don’t know if I believe that it’s all about them just denouncing him for having the arrows on board (though it wouldn’t surprise me – I don’t think Paul Watson’s ego likes the attention Pete’s getting), but it will look a lot better in Captain Bethune’s trial if they believe that he won’t be returning to SSCS for any future campaigns.

      • David

        First the Japanese aren’t stupid and SSCS saying just before sentencing that they won’t let him on any more campaigns won’t be believed.

        And second even if it is true, the SSCS isn’t the only possible group that he could work with. Heck he could even start his own group.

        So I doubt it will have any effect on his sentence.

  • Cho cho ma

    Well, its not from a gossip magazine you know!

  • http://s181454115.onlinehome.us Erik

    Sea Shepherd News
    Friday, January 08, 2010
    The Busy Little Japanese Kiwi Office of Absurd Propaganda
    http://www.seashepherd.org/news-and-media/news-100108-1.html

    “This is one of the most absurd media releases I have seen this clown issue in years,” said Captain Paul Watson. “Inwood has pictures of a bow with arrows floating near the submerged hulk of the Ady Gil. I suppose the only reason for this is that guns don’t float and he needed a ‘smoking gun’ but had to settle for a ‘floating arrow’.”

    “…ridiculous to now see the Japanese claiming that the Ady Gil has not really been sunk, that Sea Shepherd caused an oil spill and that weapons meant to kill whalers just happened to be floating around the submerged hulk of the Ady Gil,” said Captain Watson. “Does Glen Inwood really believe that the people of New Zealand and Australia are so stupid as to swallow this codswallop?”

    “It is also totally absurd that the Japanese, who deliberately rammed and destroyed the Ady Gil and refused to offer aid and in response to its distress signal”

    this piece on the sscs site needs to be updated… now that the TRUTH is out…
    We should start by renaming the title…

    The Busy Little Rantings of the SSCS Liar in Chief

    • Cho cho ma

      Hey why dont you guys check out this news article about the whaling you defend!

      http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/06/08/2921092.htm?section=justin

    • David

      Thanks for showing us a new article that rehashes 2 year old info. Your just right up to date with your anti-whaling info.

      • Cho cho ma

        Well if it applies to the current world and the current situation then it makes sense to use it.

      • David

        Not a surprising attitude from a supporter of a group that thinks WWII is a good reason to oppose whaling.

  • Cho cho ma

    David, Bethune does not have a dime to start his own organization. I dont see any other orginizations going down to do anything that he could join.

    • David

      And how many dimes did Paul have when he started Sea Shepherd?

      Try going to the former SSCS forum and you will see a lot of people that are upset at the way SSCS is treating Peter. I bet many of them would switch to a new conservation organization started by Peter Bethune or by someone else with ties to Peter.

      • Michael Raymer

        While I support the whales, and Sea Shepherd, I’ve been done with Bethune for a while. He was a mistake, the Ady Gil was a mistake, boarding the other ship was a HUGE mistake and the bow & arrow thing is the cherry on top.

  • Ben

    Actually the opposite is true. To the Japanese the SSCS is a violent ecoterrorist organization dedicated to the destruction of the Japanese whaling industry. What does this say about what Peter Bethune did if such an organization considers his actions unsupportable? Its kind of like being kicked out of a Columbian drug cartel for being too violent. Any court in the world would look at this action by the SSCS as an admission that Peter Bethune is at least capable of , if not dedicated to, a grave threat to the lives of Japanese citizens at sea. So this action only serves to remove any hope that Peter Bethune would receive any kind of leniency by the court.

    • David

      Of course the SSCS did this for their own good, or at least what they think is their own good. Helping Peter in his criminal trial never entered into their minds on this issue. That ‘explanation’ didn’t show up until 3 or 4 days after they issued him his pink slip, AFTER they starting feeling the heat from the SSCS members and supporters that were very upset by the SSCSs actions.

      The story that it is for Peter’s own good is Paul’s attempt to spin a bad decision and placate his followers. After building Peter up as a samurai hero, Paul thought he could just as easily discard him, but the SSCS supporters had taken Paul’s build up of Peter to heart and rallied to the SSCS’s use of Peter and his trial to rake in more donations (which the fine print said would not necessarily be used for Peter’s defense but could be used for anything).

      It will be interesting to see if the PR campaign works or if this along with other recent SSCS missteps lead to a splintering of the SSCS like when Paul was booted from Greenpeace.

  • From MN, with hope…

    Paul may or may not have known about the arrows, but through context it seems that he may not have known about the arrows. Despite this, and Pete’s intended use for them, and that Sea Shepherd is still going to pay for his lawyer, and other defense in Japan, I don’t agree with what they’re doing to Pete. He’s a good man who just got carried away, along with his plan of stealing a whale from the whalers, taking it’s harpoon, and selling it on ebay. Pete is still a good guy who has lost pretty much everything. Nothing left to lose now, except the fight for the whales. Maybe this is a ploy to get the court to go softer on him, because now he wont be associated with Sea Shepherd (as outlined in the press release) so his sentencing will be lighter.

  • Mkay

    You don’t really know who to believe anymore. Some people on the Ocean Guardian Alliance forum are also saying that this was the right thing to do and some don’t think so. I read that Pete’s dad said some things about how the Sea Shepherds were jealous of Pete and I think that’s true. Pete also was stupid for doing what he did.

    • From MN, with hope…

      … and yet his wife says it is for his own good, and supports the decision.

      • David

        Sorry MN. I don’t know where you are getting your info but the media is reporting she doesn’t support the decision.

        “However, she did not believe the tactic was a good one and feared that the prosecution could use the Sea Shepherd ban against him.”

        http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-world/bethune-ban-for-his-own-good-20100609-xuvm.html

      • From MN, with hope…
      • David

        Thanks for posting another link that supports me and proves you wrong.

        “However, she did not believe the tactic was a good one and feared that the prosecution could use the Sea Shepherd ban against him.

        “It’s very unfortunate, I feel, that it’s just before the summing up of the trial,” she said.”

      • From MN, with hope…

        Check the headline. ‘Ban to help Bethune, Wife Says.’ I did see that quote, but then again as many have learned here on Ecorazzi, anything can, and WILL, be turned around and used against one. Like how I believe that the oil spill poses great opportunity for change, yet it is one of the worst ecological disasters in history. Now one can spin it and say that I think only good can come from it, and go off on tangents about how I hate sea life. Tiddy-boom. Well that’s isn’t what I intended, and I do believe that it is the same case here. Sea Shepherd intends to help Bethune, yet the prosecuting argument can hold it against him.

      • David

        We are not talking spin MN. There is a direct quote from Mrs. Bethune that she doesn’t think it is good for him or his case. While you claim she supports the decision.

  • Tohitsugu

    Paul Watson knew Bethune was something of a risk when he accepted him on his offer to join the crew. Ten years ago, doing what Bethune did was commonplace for the Sea Shepherds, and usually they took much more aggressive actions than anything Bethune did.

    Unfortunately, it all comes down to PR. SSCS has grown much, much larger, and much more public these past five years. As a result (not to mention several crew members–including Paul Watson–serving prison time in various countries), SSCS has had to adopt a much more passive role in order to ensure continuing support for their cause.

    You can rest assured it was not a decision that came easy to Captain Paul Watson, but having a crew member being charged with such serious crimes as Bethune is detrimental to the image the SSCS hopes to convey. Every crew member knows the risks and understands any actions violating the guidelines of Captain Watson is at their own risk.

    It should also be mentioned that Bethune’s dedication to the actual preservation of whales is somewhat hazy; quite a few individuals came under the initial impression that he was just looking to get involved in some form of confrontational action

    I wish Bethune the best of luck in his trial. His heart was in the right place, and heaven knows I’ve been sorely tempted to act similarly countless times before.

  • Brad K

    Whaling Research = “ what does that one taste like ”

    Unfortunately I feel the Japanese government will make an example of Capt. Bethune, Regardless if he is a member of the SSC or not.

    Both Sides in this incident are equally at fault.

    I fear this situation in Antarctic waters is going to escalate beyond this unfortunate incident.

    The Capt of the SM#2 should be relieved of any further duty in the southern ocean or any for that matter.

    Capt Watson has absolutely no deniability in this incident, for after all, he is an Admiral of a fleet.

    I would hope, they will put Capt Bethune on a plane. I have no doubt he loves whales, but probably loved the boat even more , hence he has already been punished.

    The Japanese Government should be forced to produce any research that they have. If they cannot produce significant research, all whaling should cease immediately and an investigation begun.

    Any persons, corporations or companies found to have been profiteering from the sale of Humpback whale meat should be charged in an international court.

    Just my spin on it,

  • logan

    I’m not for the environmentalist generally. But, with this whale wars thing it seems that the Japanesse are at fault. When no one enforces rules then you take things into your own hands.

    I’m surprised the Sea Shepard doesn’t take more intense measures to stop them. If they really believe the whales are so valuable. Some have said more valuable than humans then I would think they would be doing more to stop them. If you were out in the middle of now where and you were watching hundreds of people die wouldn’t you do whatever it took to stop them. If the whales are really that important then they should be torpedoing the whaling boats out of the water.

    Nobody is out there to stop the whaling so nobody would be out there to stop them blowing up ships. It just doesn’t seem like they are doing enough if they really believe as strongly as they do.

    And I’m blown away that so many people seem to be taking the side of the Japanese. Aren’t they breaking the law? And the Sea Shepherd has done very little to bother them if you think about it. Every episode of whale wars is one bad decision after another. They are so amateur and they barely know what they are doing. Their boats are so slow and their engines barely work. They are big time underdogs. I’m just saying this because since they barely have a chance people should have more sympathy for them.

  • Melba

    Does anyone remember that Pete asked the captain of the Bob Barker (I think it was him)if he made it onto the ship if he would stand behind him and help him get back home and support him in the effort to get out of prison?
    The answer was an absolute YES. Obviouslly the captain of the BB didn’t have the support of the organization. A shame.

    Ba

  • danno604

    I just don’t get Pete Bethune…more like Pete Buffoon!

    1) he harasses the Japanese fishing boats for HOURS going circles around the boats with his spud gun and prop fouling attacks

    2) then INEXPLICABLY when he runs out of gas, parks his boat infront of the same Japananese boat, folds up his arms and has a lie down.

    In the next scene the Japanese boat helps things out by slighlty turning into Pete, but what does he expect.

    Not unlike leaving an RV on the traintracks.

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