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Sea Shepherd E-Newsletter
Defending Ocean Wildlife Worldwide

In This Issue

Crime Doesn't Pay in the Galapagos Islands

Sea Shepherd Joins Forces With Seal Alert

Sea Shepherd Recieves the Flag of the Five Nations of the Iroquois Confederacy

Donate Your Vehicle to Sea Shepherd

Join the Direct Action Crew!

News & Commentary

Join Captain Watson at the Animal Rights 2007 Conference in Los Angeles July 19 - 23

Galapagos Islands Listed as a World Heritage Site in Danger

Sea Shepherd Mourns the Passing of Colleen McCrory - Commentary by Captain Paul Watson

Sea Shop

Songs for Sea Shepherd Compilation CD

Neptune's Navy Patch

Girly Jolly Roger Pirate Shirt

Join our list

July 12, 2007

Dear Roger,

Thanks to your support, our crew and volunteers are defending more animals and ocean habitats than ever before.

As you will read in this edition of our E-newsletter, our efforts in the Galapagos to protect the endangered and enchanted isles have been highly effective. Sea Shepherd is not only working in collaboration with the Ecuadorian government, but also building new partnerships around the world that strengthen our mission to defend and protect ocean animals and habitats around the world.

A significant outcome of our continuing investigation into the destruction of mangrove trees on Isabela Island is the recent indictment of Mayor Pablo Gordillo Gil. You can read details of this breaking news story here.

SSCS Stops Illegal Activity in the Galapagos

Illegal Longlines Seized and Poachers Busted

Enforcement actions by Sea Shepherd crew in the Galapagos have resulted in the seizure of over 19,000 illegally taken shark fins, nearly 40,000 illegally taken sea cucumbers, and 30 miles of illegal longline fishing lines. Thanks to your support, our volunteer crews are making a big impact on the devastating effects of poaching in the Galapagos Islands.

On June 29, Sea Shepherd Galapagos Director of Operations Sean O'Hearn-Gimenez traveled to the town of Libertad, where, in cooperation with local authorities, he participated in a raid on a house that was being used to process illegally obtained sea cucumbers for shipment out of the country.

On July 1, the crew of the Farley Mowat spent over 5 hours hauling in illegal longlines found inside the Galapagos National Park Marine Reserve. In total over 30 nautical miles of longline was confiscated, including 270 baited hooks.

Fifteen three-foot long yellow-finned tuna were found dead on the line. There were live releases, too: two yellow-finned tuna, one sting ray, and a five-foot manta ray were released during the rescue effort and were last seen swimming off in the distance, given a second chance at life by Sea Shepherd volunteers intent on seeing this UNESCO World Heritage Site protected.

Watch video of the Farley Mowat crew in action!

Sting Results in Seizure of Over 19,000 Shark Fins

Two-month Long Investigation Reveals Illegal Trade

Sea Shepherd and operatives of the Ecuadorian Environmental Police seized a total of 19,018 shark fins and arrested four suspects who are now being detained.

"This successful sting is the result of several months working covertly with the cooperation of General Bolivar Cisneros, Chief Commander of the Ecuadorian National Police," said Sea Shepherd Galapagos Director of Operations Sean O'Hearn-Gimenez. "Sea Shepherd traced potential exit points in the illegal shark fin trade that occurs in the Galapagos Islands and Ecuador."

The initial seizure, at the immigration checkpoint, included four huge sacks with over 500 pounds of shark fins that were hidden in the compartment area of a passenger bus travelling along a route from Guayaquil to Huaquillas. This is roughly equivalent to over 4,500 sharks slaughtered with a street value of over USD$140,000.

Read the exciting details about the shark fin seizure here

Sea Shepherd Joins Forces With Seal Alert

South African Group Saves Thousands of Seals

Sea Shepherd Conservation Society is joining forces with Francois Hugo and his seal-saving organization, Seal Alert-SA. Sea Shepherd has already begun to finance the operations of Seal Alert in South Africa for their work protecting the beleaguered Cape fur seals. Seal Alert is the only organization in southern Africa that not only advocates for seals, but campaigns, protests, introduces protection legislation, and also, rescues seals every day.

Denied access to most large islands by the government, these seals (also called South African fur seals) have been forced to breed and pup on smaller islands that, in most cases, consist of small low lying rocks which frequently become completely or partially awash. This causes almost a 100% mortality rate each year via the washing away and drowning of newborn pups. Seal Alert rescues hundreds of these abandoned seal pups each year.

Sea Shepherd Recieves the Flag of the Five Nations of the Iroquois Confederacy

Sea Shepherd Ships to Fly Mohawk Nation Flag

On June 18th, Sea Shepherd Founder and President Captain Paul Watson attended a special gathering organized by the Traditional Up the Hill Longhouse of the Mohawks at Kahnawake just south of Montreal.

The gathering was organized for the purpose of presenting the registry and the flag of the Five Nations to Sea Shepherd Conservation Society for the ships Robert Hunter and Farley Mowat.

In presenting the flags to Captain Watson, Stuart Myiow of the Mohawks said, "Sea Shepherd is protecting our mother earth and we decided we should support their efforts and give them the protection of our flag."

Help Fund Sea Shepherd's Ocean Defense Campaigns

Donate Your Old Vehicle and Make a Big Difference

Are you thinking of selling or trading in that old car, boat or RV? Why not donate it to Sea Shepherd instead? As a charitable contribution your donation could make a big difference in providing fuel, food, and provisions for our ocean defense campaigns.

Sea Shepherd receives over 70% of the profits when your car is donated to us through the American Car Donation Charities Center. They will make arrangements to conveniently and quickly pick-up your vehicle donation at no cost to you. They handle the title transfer requirements and provide you with a tax deductible donation receipt at the time of pick-up!

American Car Donation Charities Center accepts cars, trucks, trailers, boats, and RV's. You can find out how to donate your old vehicle to Sea Shepherd by clicking on the link below.

Click Here to Donate Your Vehicle to SSCS

As part of the our onshore support team, please read these and other articles on our website with a sense of pride and accomplishment, because as a Sea Shepherd supporter you are helping to make our ocean defense campaigns a reality. Every inch of illegal longline that our volunteer crews pull from the sea is a direct result of the donations of caring and passionate people around the world. As our volunteer teams continue to investigate, document, and prosecute eco-criminals around the world, we know that it is because of you, our friends around the world, who make these crucial actions possible.

For the oceans,

Captain Paul Watson

Founder and President

Email: captainwatson@seashepherd.org

Tel: +1 (360) 370-5650

Fax: +1 (360) 370-5651

Web: http://www.seashepherd.org

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