Are you passionate about defending animals? Have you ever wondered how to become a Sea Shepherd volunteer? In this article on our site we are going to review the volunteering options, the scope of action, the financing and other aspects that you may ask yourself about Sea Shepherd, a non-profit organization.
Note that this entire article has been prepared thanks to Alejandra Gimeno, volunteer, whom we thank for her time, dedication and passion she. Her collaboration makes it possible for us to offer you a wide section of her own personal experience.
Keep reading and find out how to become a Sea Shepherd volunteer:
How does sea shepherd act?
Sea Shepherd Conservation Society is a non-profit international environmental organization for the conservation of marine ecosystems and their wildlife. It was founded in 1977 by Paul Watson, one of the first members of Greenpeace.
Paul Watson did not agree with Greenpace's approach to whaling: the organization focused on protests while Paul wanted to intervene physically. After a discussion he separated from Greenpeace and founded his own NGO: Sea Shepherd
Sea Shepherd's mission is to end habitat destruction and the killing of wildlife in the world'soceans by intervening and physically stopping him, as his motto says "Defend. Conserve. Protect." - explains Alejandra.
The campaigns are governed by the United Nations World Charter for Nature (1982) (point 1 - General Principles) and other laws that defend marine ecosystems, acting where the laws are not being fulfilling or reinforcing.
Be a ground volunteer
We find Sea Shepherd volunteers all over the world as this international organization has managed to unite millions of people in defense of marine animals.
But Not all volunteers can attend the physicaloperations that take place, for this reason Shea Shepherd also has volunteers of land that are in charge of managing different actions, including media coverage, beach cleaning, event preparation, merchandising, achievement of donations and to finish one very important one: the awareness they transmit to society by sharing their experiences and vocation.
We can be Sea Shepherd ground volunteers in various countries, here are some:
- USES
- Australia
- Canada
- Chili
- Mexico
- France
- Italy
- Spain
- Germany
- Luxembourg
- Swiss
- Sweden
- Australia
- New Zealand
- Tasmania
- Japan
- South Africa
- England
- Brazil
- Ecuador
- Netherlands
- Etc
All those who wish can sign up as ground volunteers in the different operations that are being carried out, such as the past Operation Sleppid Grindini and Operation Jairo, in this way they can also help with their own hands to change the reality of the world.
Sea volunteer
You can also volunteer at sea with Sea Shepherd. These missions are organized by the high officials of the organization since they are very important actions to which most of the donations are dedicated. This is because the campaigns should not only invest in legal strategies but also in the maintenance, care and services of their boats, the organization's main tool
"Summer in the Southern Ocean is the best time to approach Antarctica, where for two or three months we dedicate efforts to prevent the killing of whales by the Japanese government. " - Alejandra explains - " And it is that under the guise of a supposed scientific investigation it carries out the slaughter of thousands of whales in an area declared a Whale Sanctuary by the IWC (International Whaling Commission), something that we try to prevent."
The names of some missions have been: Operation Relentless, Operation Zero Tolerance, uOperation or No Compromise and they usually last between two and three months.
Thanks to these missions Sea Shepherd manages to reduce the number of dead whales every year by up to 800: a real result that makes us sad.
Being a volunteer for the fleets is a complicated task since there are limited places, availability is required and you must offer specific knowledge that the mission requires. Among them we find the team of pilots, the navigators, the engineers, the deck team, the communication officers, the multimedia team and even the cooks.
One detail to mention is that although the organization has not declared itself vegan, its philosophy is, which is why all the ships offer 100% plant-based food, which is no less delicious for that. This makes evident the willingness and desire for change of the participants.
"The truth is that the kitchen team works very hard and takes care of us, always offering us a wide variety of meals, desserts and sweets. We never lack for anything, "says Alejandra.
Current Missions
Each year Sea Shepherd runs different campaigns where they decide to help a specific species or defend an ecosystem from illegal human activities and/or cruel.
The missions depend on the resources and the needs that arise, for this reason this year 2015 they have had three operations to highlight:
- The well-known Operation Jairo in honor of the assassinated activist Jairo Mora Sandoval was dedicated to the protection of sea turtles in Honduras, Costa Rica and Florida.
- Operation Sleppid Grindini, on the other hand, worked to prevent the annual slaughter of pilot whales in the Faroe Islands.
- Finally we mention the Operation Icefish in which Alejandra Gimeno traveled: " We went to Antarctica to persecute a mafia of illegal fishermen whose headquarters were here, in Spain, and in which I was a part as operator of camera for the TV show Whale Wars."
Anyone who wants to can become a Sea Shepherd volunteer by offering monthly donations, volunteering on land or sea, translating articles and even attending events. All help is valid for this solidarity and non-profit organization. It will depend on the time and effort that you can offer in particular.
Relevant organization information
Sea Shepherd's headquarters was always in the United States (where it was founded) but for legal reasons, when the Japanese government tried to destroy the organization, the headquarters had to being displaced to Australia Today, for this reason, Sea Shepherd is divided into two groups: Sea Shepherd US and Sea Shepherd Global.
Sea Shepherd is funded 100% by donations of people who support this brave cause around the world also get funds thanks to the sale of merchandising.
Some public figures such as Martin Sheen, Bob Barker, Sam Simon or Pamela Anderson among others, make huge financial donations, including donating boats and other material so that the organization can continue its work.
Alejandra's personal experience
Being part of the crew of the M/V Bob Barker has changed my life. My first volunteer experience with Sea Shepherd was in the summer of 2014:
I graduated from college and scraped together both the money and the time to be part of a campaign as a land volunteer (finally!). I filled out a form to join the campaign that was being organized for the defense of the pilot whales in the Faroe Islands, which was baptized as Operation Grindstop 2014. There I was assigned a team on one of the islands, andWe spent our days patrolling the sea in order to spot herds of these cetaceans before the locals, to keep them away from the coasts and not drive them to the beach to be slaughtered for sheer tradition. The days were long, cold and wet, but I met a lot of wonderful people from all over the world with whom I am still friends, because we were united by a mission, an objective.
During my stay in the archipelago I met one of the producers of the Whale Wars series that airs on Animal Planet, and I volunteered to help him in his work of filming and organizing all the videos that are published about the operation. After a month and a half of stay I returned to Barcelona, to my boring office job, and I felt that it was not where I wanted or should be It didn't take long for me to receive an email of this same producer, offering me a position as a camera operator for the television program on board the ship M/V Bob Barker. I could'nt believe it.
I had a week to make up my mind, quit my job, buy a suitcase, pack it with winter clothes and fly to Tasmania. There I joined the ship and Operation Icefish began, whose mission was to search for and stop the 6 ships that were operating illegally within protected areas of Antarctica.
Fishing for this coveted white-fleshed fish is so lucrative that illegal fishermen call it "white gold" because a load of 1.5 tons costs around 68 million euros. Operating at the ends of the earth, far from the eyes of any government, these boats have been going down totally illegally every year for more than two decades, to fish and forage. We managed to stop and scare them all away and draw the attention of international governments that ended up helping us, because we were completely alone Operation Icefish has been one of the most successful campaigns that Sea Shepherd has done to date.
My experience filming for 5 months without a single day off (weekends or holidays do not exist while sailing) from the beginning of December to the end of April/beginning of May, was both hard and tired as well as fun and fascinating.
I have met people who have become my family, and have given me the opportunity to learn about navigation, radar, meteorology, maritime law, ecology and much more. An experience I will never forget. We enjoyed a life without internet, without "Facebook" or "twitter" or mobile phone, (which in my opinion gave us an enormous sense of freedom) where we enjoyed our own company, playing board games, watching movies at night, playing instruments, learning about each other's cultures, or having interesting conversations.
Together we enjoy a landscape that has never been modified or touched by the hand of man. The last "pure" corner of the Earth, where life has remained the same for millions of years. In the company of all kinds of cetaceans, birds, seals and whales sleeping among ice blocks with their young, icebergs larger than buildings, we breathe the purest and coldest air we have ever breathed, wrapped in an overwhelming silence.
Every day we witness indescribable sunsets, with very intense colors. Sometimes the younger ones would go out on deck together to watch them, chat, sing, dance and laugh, surrounded by everything and nothing. And then we enjoyed a sky so full of stars that no instrument was needed to be able to see in the dark.
We also endured the harshest and most aggressive storms the ocean has to offer. It was quite a lesson in humility. It changed my lifeAnd most importantly, together we tracked down and detained the crew of the Thunder ship, wanted by Interpol, to the end of it when it "mysteriously" sank before our eyes. In this way we save the lives of marine animals, who will never die again trapped in plastic nets.
If you care about the future of our oceans and their animals, and have an adventurous spirit, you're one step away from becoming a Sea Shepherd.
