Are they ecological warriors or disruptive criminals? That’s the question many are asking themselves of the activists on Animal Planet’s hit show Whale Wars.  Just entering its second season, this reality show documents the high-seas adventures of members of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society in their zealous quest to find and stop Japanese whalers.  Any means necessary are used to sabotage the whalers, as the Sea Shepherds hurl toxic butyric acid and ’slippery bombs’ at their adversaries, sometimes try to climb on board like pirates, and have even collided with the Japanese ships.  Cameramen capture every move of the 30-plus, mostly volunteer band of bleeding-heart misfits aboard the MV Steve Irwin.  As the ship travails the vast and volatile seas of the Antarctic searching for the proverbial needle in the haystack — icebergs, rogue waves, or accidents can strike at any moment that would leave the team helpless to the elements.

So what’s not to love?  Indeed the harsh environment, eclectic crew, and dramatic hunt and clash with the Japanese whaling fleet makes for compelling, edge of your seat television.  On strictly an entertainment and production level, it’s quite good.  Something also can be said about the undying commitment (to a fault) of these activists, and their willingness to put everything on the line for their seemingly noble cause.  You can’t help but root for them; after all, who wants to see these lovable creatures senselessly harpooned to death?

But the black-and-white picture represented is hardly an accurate portrayal of the situation.  Let’s look at some of the facts:

• Commercial whaling was mostly banned by a moratorium in 1982 by the International Whaling Commission (IWC), the governing body on whaling.¹ The few countries that do object to the moratorium, in accordance with the IWC legitimately hunt a limited number of whales per year (the largest quota being Japan’s 950).  What the Japanese whalers are doing is not illegal, and the whaling done today is hardly a fraction of what was done decades (let alone centuries) ago.²
• Most whale species are very healthy in numbers, with only two on the mammal top 100 endangered species list.³ Neither of which are the minke, the main type the Japanese whalers hunt.
• Assessing a population of whales is naturally difficult.  But the minke population is estimated at nearly a million worldwide, with over 700,000 alone in the Southern Hemisphere around the Antarctic.⁴ A relatively fast reproducer, the number of minke should be increasing by at least 10% each year.
• Of that 700,000, the Japanese have set a quota of culling about 950 whales a year.⁵ They claim to be doing so for scientific research and collection of data, in strict accordance with IWC law.  Anti-whalers claim this is a lie to justify continuing commercial whaling.
• And recently, with whale populations rebounding to healthy numbers, an increasing number of countries support ending the moratorium on whaling .⁶

In light of all this, it’s hard to understand the reasoning behind forty people (with millions of dollars in backing) literally risking their lives to save .1% of one of the most healthy populated whale species on the planet.  And with what I’ve seen, I’m surprised they’ve managed to avoid killing themselves.  So who exactly are these activists?

Initially, they come across reasonable and even likable on screen, that is until you realize what a comically incompetent, pathetic band of eco-nuts they really are.  From the IWC to the Canadian government, the Sea Shepherds have been widely condemned and branded as eco-terrorists.⁷Founder and captain Paul Watson, so radical Green Peace kicked him out, is on the record with gems like:

We should never feel like we’re going too far in breaking the law, because whatever laws you break to liberate animals or to protect the environment are very insignificant.

and

“There are 30-million plus species on this planet. They’re all earthlings. They’re all equal. Some are more “equal” than others, I admit: earthworms are far more valuable than people.”⁸

The controversial actions of the Sea Shepherds are all ready showing signs of backlash, making it a real possibility that they’re doing more harm than good.  They have “unfortunately united Japan against the anti-whaling movement,” according to activist Naoko Funahashi.  And in response to the disruptive tactics of the SS, the Japanese government has tripled funding for whaling, and has taken stronger steps in defending the whaling vessels.⁹

Moreover, Watson’s poor leadership and seamanship constantly puts his crew in harms way, and has many mariners calling him a disgrace.  So while it’s very entertaining to watch a group of fanatical ideologues storm out to sea to try to save the world — led by an arrogant no nothing captain, an untrained and inexperienced crew that knows even less, aboard an old ship that has no business being in the Antarctic — this travesty could easily lead to tragedy.

Just in the first two episodes of this season: the first mate couldn’t read a compass and nearly navigated the ship into an iceberg; the captain thought it was wise to wait out a storm next to a massive iceberg (waking up the next day to a field of ice surrounding the ship); without proper practice, the crew struggled to get a zodiac in the water to pursue the fleeing whalers (and while finally in pursuit, those on the zodiac went way off course, got lost, and abruptly stopped communication, leaving the crew aboard the Steve Irwin thinking they were lost at sea).

So what to make of all this?  In summary, the whales are fine.  (So is the planet, by the way.)  The activists trying to “save” them aren’t doing much other than entertaining viewers and showing how not to run a ship and how not to successfully further your cause.  So while I don’t support what they’re doing, it’s an interesting show that I will continue to watch.

If only for amusement, and to see what crazy thing they do next…and if they survive it.