Paul Watson (born December 2 1950) is the founder of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society. Born in Toronto, Canada, he is one of the world’s most controversial figures in the history of conservationism.

In April of 2003, he was elected to the board of directors of the Sierra Club for a three year term.

His critics, including members of the board of Greenpeace have denounced him as a terrorist, a crime which he has been formally accused of twice. Paul Watson was passed a sentence after being convicted in an attempt of sinking the small scale Norwegian fishing vessel Nybrænna in 1992 for which he spent 120 days in jail. His followers, however, have defended him as a hero and a highly ethical man. As with most controversial people, the truth may be a matter of perspective. Watson reveals a bit of the core of his beliefs in this quote from "In Defense of Tree-Spiking" in the Earth First! Journal, September 22, 1990:

"As for myself, I do not believe in loggers, I believe in trees. I do not believe in fishermen, I believe in fish. I do not believe in miners, I believe in the rocks beneath my feet. I do not believe in pie in the sky spirituality, I believe in rainbows, rivers, mountains, and moss. I do not believe in environmentalists, I believe in the environment. I am a proud traitor to my species in alliance with my mother the Earth in opposition to those who would destroy her, those parasites who believe the Earth is here to serve human interests."

Watson uses the title captain, and even wears a uniform, because he leads a Sea Shepherd crew onboard one of their many vessels which engage in anti-whaling actions. He has been accused of ramming fishing vessels in an offensive rather than defensive manner[1], a charge which he has both denied and admitted to in public.

He has also claimed to have invented the tactic of "tree-spiking, " in which metal spikes are driven into live trees in order to destroy the logging equipment used to cut the tree down and partition it. He has said that he believes this does not hurt either the tree or the individuals working the equipment.

In an interview with the Los Angeles Times, Jim Bohland , one of the founders of Greenpeace, said: "I've known the guy [Watson] for 15 years, and he's absolutely insane, out of his mind." [2] However, in the same article, Watson said of Greenpeace: "They forgot their original purpose and turned into a big, rich bureaucracy, more interested in fund-raising than in saving lives, so I got fed up and quit . . . they're a bunch of wimps."

External link

• Sea Shepherd Conservation Society official website
• A page about Watson’s Sea Shepherd crew on the SSCS home page
• A pro-Watson page, written by Sierra club members
• An anti-Watson page, written by a conservative watchdog group
• An article written by Watson on being an "Eco-Warrior"