#operation icefish

UNEDITED

Goodbyes are always hard

Good Luck to my Sea Shepherd family on Operation Icefish II

Ever wondered what happened to the 72kms of illegal gillnets that the Sea Shepherd crew dredged up from the ocean during Operation Icefish 2014-2015? Thanks to Adidas, it's all getting turned into shoes! On top of this, Adidas has pledged to phase out the use of plastic bags in their retail stores by the first quarter of 2016 - what a win for the oceans!

The design is still in prototype phase, but this just goes to show that our plastic waste can have multiple lives. It never has to end up in the ocean, harming and killing innocent creatures, and damaging marine ecosystems. Reduce, reuse, recycle.

Following the unprecedented success of Operation Icefish, Sea Shepherd has announced its second campaign to target illegal Patagonian and Antarctic toothfish operators in the Southern Ocean; Operation Icefish 2015-16.

The flagship of the Sea Shepherd fleet, the Steve Irwin, will depart from Melbourne, Australia in December to patrol the shadowlands of the Southern Ocean.

“The illegal operators of the Southern Ocean exist with a resilience that can be tackled only by the determination of Sea Shepherd. The oceans are in peril and our actions remain the only proactive and definite policing presence to tackle illegality. We intend to embrace the responsibility with courage and fortitude and once again locate, investigate and shut down the most notorious poachers on this planet,” said Captain Chakravarty.

Sea Shepherd has continued to monitor the movements of the remaining illegal vessels throughout the year and understands that two of the Interpol-wanted poachers, Viking and Kunlun, have absconded from justice. It will be these two vessels that are the focus of the new campaign.

SEA SHEPHERD ZU BESUCH IN BREMEN

Bremen - Was für ein Tag! Seit einigen Wochen ist die Umweltschutzorganisation “Sea Shepherd” mit ihren Schiffen “Sam Simon” und “Bob Barker” im Industriehafen in Bremen (Louis-Krages-Straße, Tor 3). Dort werden die Schiffe für die nächste Kampagne im Nordpolarmeer vorbereitet. Was da in Bremen so los war, könnt ihr hier nachlesen. 

The sometimes contraversial Sea Shepherd began their new year with their new Antarctic Campaign Operation Icefish, and released the pictures of the crew members aboard the MV Sam Simon who contributed to the successful removal of  25 kilometres of illegal gillnet from the Southern Ocean (9 are Australians). However imagine my surprise when I recognise one of the camera guys- my buddy Josh who I’ve known since high school, who's been working on-and-off in the television industry (second one from the right ).

Seeing a familiar face taking part in a great cause has sparked a new hope and ambition within me to be better. It reminds me why I support these causes. Yes, for the animals, but also to assist the people fighting for us on the front line while the rest of us settle for the cushy option of buying their merch and/or additional donations from the luxury of our homes, and maybe do the odd volunteer gig at concerts and outdoor events in glorious weather while these guys are freezing their arses off on a boat. It just blows me away that these normal everyday people have the dedication to not only sacrifice their time to this cause to protect oceans, but significantly so, to the point where their jobs and lives are put on hold for months, sometimes years at a time. All so they can sleep in bunkbeds in cramped dorms in freezing cold conditions, no pay, fighting for the incomparable reward of preserving oceanic wildlife and increasing environmental awareness to the public.   Whether animal rights and/or environmental issues are something you’re passionate about or not, you have to admire the determination of these selfless people. As you read this, the Sam Simon crew are still working to remove the second illegal gillnet just a few miles from the second one, in the unforgiving conditions of the Antarctic. In an age under sufferance of the  silver-spoon addled first world blues,  we've had no wars to remind the more recent demographics of poverty and horrific heartache on the same scale that has been encountered by previous generations. Therefore we are searching for things to bitch about, shiny new things to make our lives easier, where the world is seen as a disposable entity, and issues past our front door - or our social media of choice- just doesn't register. People like the Sea Shepherd mob, give me hope for the world, and remind me that there are still wondrous souls behind some faces. They could have stayed with their families, stayed in their jobs, had their beds and sleep-ins,  but instead saw past the new amazing disposable shit in their lives and saw fish stuck in nets, whales bleeding on decks, and baby dolphins calling for their mothers while they're being torn to pieces. 

I support this cause one hundred percent, not always for their means of doing what they do, but because of the people within it.