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The Whale Warriors: The Battle at the Bottom of the World to Save the Planet's Largest Mammals
A dramatic rendering of life aboard a whale-saving pirate ship traces the efforts of a vigilante crew to stop illegal Japanese whaling in the Antarctica seas, in an account that profiles the Sea Shepherd Society of radical environmentalists and the charismatic captain Paul Watson. 35,000 first printing.
304 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2007
66 people are currently reading
1594 people want to read
About the author
Peter Heller
32 books3,464 followersThere is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
Peter Heller holds an MFA from the Iowa Writers’ Workshop in both fiction and poetry. An award-winning adventure writer and longtime contributor to NPR, Heller is a contributing editor at Outside magazine, Men’s Journal, and National Geographic Adventure, and a regular contributor to Bloomberg Businessweek. He is also the author of several nonfiction books, including Kook, The Whale Warriors, and Hell or High Water: Surviving Tibet’s Tsangpo River. He lives in Denver, Colorado.
Peter Heller holds an MFA from the Iowa Writers’ Workshop in both fiction and poetry. An award-winning adventure writer and longtime contributor to NPR, Heller is a contributing editor at Outside magazine, Men’s Journal, and National Geographic Adventure, and a regular contributor to Bloomberg Businessweek. He is also the author of several nonfiction books, including Kook, The Whale Warriors, and Hell or High Water: Surviving Tibet’s Tsangpo River. He lives in Denver, Colorado.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 149 reviews
February 6, 2012
This is a sobering book. The devastation wrecked on the world’s fisheries is extraordinary. 90% of the predatory fish, so essential to a healthy ecosystem, have been destroyed or fished out since 1950. Traditional food fish have all but disappeared. If we had any sense, we’d stop eating fish immediately. So what to do. Paul Watson says, save the whales.
The modern method of killing whales is barbaric and should be stopped. How that should be accomplished is partly the subject of this book. Technically, the Japanese are hunting whales legally by taking advantage of a loophole in the international treaty that permits killing whales for “research,” even if the result of that research winds up on the dinner tables in Japan (I did not know that the U.S. encouraged the consumption of whale meat after WW II, something that had not been cultural, to prevent starvation. Whale meat now brings in about $1 million in revenue per whale from the sale of meat. In fact, whale meat is declining as a food source and is now having to be frozen and stored because they can't sell enough.) Greenpeace and Watson, one of its original founders have fallen out over the tactics used by Sea Shepherd.org. As an aside, it should be noted that the FBI in June 2004 declared ecoterrorism to be a bigger threat to domestic security than Al Qaeda. The rumor that the Sea Shepherd society had been named an ecoterrorist group is bogus.
The quixotic nature of the Sea Shepherd campaign is obvious from the moment Peter Heller (correspondent for National Geographic) steps aboard the Farley Mowat for a month-long trip to the southern oceans in hopes of finding the whaling fleet. The southern ocean is a huge place roughly the size of all the western states from Mexico to Canada and east to a vertical line drawn north and south parallel to the Colorado eastern border. So for the ancient Farley Mowat to search for the Japanese whalers is like leaving Denver in an old pickup truck to try to find four other vehicles in the western states but not knowing where they might be.
The crew are certainly dedicated, if inexperienced and ill-trained: half had never been to sea, the helicopter pilot had never flow the particular type of helicopter they needed to rely on, they had no helicopter mechanic on board, the assumption seemed to be good intentions substitutes for competence. The ship was registered as a yacht so they could avoid paying higher fees and more importantly did not need to have licenses for the officers. To give you an idea. On their first stop at Hobart they anchor (mistakenly dropping both instead of one); after being cleared by customs they take two zodiacs in, one gets loaded to the gills with liquor and swamps on the way back so they begin throwing the liquor boxes overboard, on the other a crew member drops a VHF radio over the side (that represented ⅓ of their handheld radio communications.) In the meantime two jet-ski drivers took their craft for a spin around the ship, showboating, if you will, one flips and the engine is ruined. There goes half of their small-craft-for-running-around-the-whale-ships-boats. The captain is in the radio room preparing PR. Is he concerned by the flubs. Not a bit. Apparently, it was common practice for Greenpeace ships to take out whatever wharf they intended to tie up to. Heller inspects the safety gear and decides to buy his own. This to venture into some of the most dangerous waters on earth.
Their mission is to aggressively interfere with whaling wherever possible, even if it means sinking ships (they claim credit for having sunk fifteen, most relating to Arctic whaling that was clearly illegal.) Sectarian disputes are common. You have freegans, vegans and vegetarians all thrown in together; the use of honey by one could bring on an active donnybrook. One thing most could agree on was that humans are evil and the world would be better off without them.
It should be noted that of the 44 people on board for the trip Heller documents, 7 were journalists and videographers. Media coverage is absolutely crucial to the campaign. They had no direct responsibilities in operating the ship and answered to no one although they were expected to follow whatever rules Watson dictated on any given day. Paul Watson makes no apologies for manipulating the media, arguing that’s the only way to get the message across. No doubt he’s correct and Whale Wars, the TV show furthers that goal. I am through #5 of Season 3 and so enjoying the amateur antics and buffoonery of these well-meaning folks. Hysterical. Bunch of rank amateurs (but very committed) running around pretending to be doing something useful. The captain of the Bob Barker, barely refitted, no sea trials after engine rebuild, 60 yrs old, having engine trouble, steers right into the middle of a terrific storm, putting his ship, the mission, and the crew at terrible risk (his first time as ship captain, he only managed yachts before) and justifying it by saying if they can save 10 hrs they can save some whales, but there's no guarantee Watson's plan for two ships will work at all. What a bunch of yahoos. And Watson as a captain? He stands around clueless most of the time. Any captain worth his salt would have had the crew practicing launching the zephyrs over and over until they could do it in their sleep. Instead, they wait until they are confronted with the Japanese ship for what appears to be a first-time effort. Ridiculous. Shame, because the whaling should stop. But these guys are a joke. Fun to watch, though.
The question of what to do remains. It’s all well and good to tell those who’s livelihood depends on some activity to stop doing it when it hurts the requester not at all. We have to figure out a way to put teeth into international treaties (I’d say use the money spent on the Sea Shepherd activities to bribe (oh, I’m sorry, I meant to say campaign contributions) legislators. But at the same time, help those affected find alternative and profitable ways to make a good living. Any pain that results has to be shared.
I was struck by the most treasured item on the Farley Mowat, a huge wide-screen TV and a substantial collection of videos and DVDs. Cell phones and high-end electronics are ubiquitous. The production of computers and wide-screen TVs is perhaps just as destructive -- if not more-- to the environment and many people, as killing whales. Watson’s stateroom is larger than the bridge and was remodeled at a cost of $75,000 -- donated, but perhaps money could be better spent. Finding a balance in a tightly-coupled world will be your generation’s challenge.
Humans are very efficient killers, of each other, and of other species. The lesson of this book might also be that the best thing for the earth would be human extinction.
Peter Heller has written a fascinating, sympathetic, yet not uncritical (he was dismayed when he discovered a .50 caliber sniper rifle and shotguns on board) book about the Sea Shepherd group. This is peripherally also a study of the true believer and how assumptions dictate their actions. Those "facts" or "events" that don't meet their assumptions are discarded. I am a fan of whales. I am not a fan of Paul Watson, but if one of the goals was to get you to think twice before eating, Heller succeeded.
References: http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment...
The modern method of killing whales is barbaric and should be stopped. How that should be accomplished is partly the subject of this book. Technically, the Japanese are hunting whales legally by taking advantage of a loophole in the international treaty that permits killing whales for “research,” even if the result of that research winds up on the dinner tables in Japan (I did not know that the U.S. encouraged the consumption of whale meat after WW II, something that had not been cultural, to prevent starvation. Whale meat now brings in about $1 million in revenue per whale from the sale of meat. In fact, whale meat is declining as a food source and is now having to be frozen and stored because they can't sell enough.) Greenpeace and Watson, one of its original founders have fallen out over the tactics used by Sea Shepherd.org. As an aside, it should be noted that the FBI in June 2004 declared ecoterrorism to be a bigger threat to domestic security than Al Qaeda. The rumor that the Sea Shepherd society had been named an ecoterrorist group is bogus.
The quixotic nature of the Sea Shepherd campaign is obvious from the moment Peter Heller (correspondent for National Geographic) steps aboard the Farley Mowat for a month-long trip to the southern oceans in hopes of finding the whaling fleet. The southern ocean is a huge place roughly the size of all the western states from Mexico to Canada and east to a vertical line drawn north and south parallel to the Colorado eastern border. So for the ancient Farley Mowat to search for the Japanese whalers is like leaving Denver in an old pickup truck to try to find four other vehicles in the western states but not knowing where they might be.
The crew are certainly dedicated, if inexperienced and ill-trained: half had never been to sea, the helicopter pilot had never flow the particular type of helicopter they needed to rely on, they had no helicopter mechanic on board, the assumption seemed to be good intentions substitutes for competence. The ship was registered as a yacht so they could avoid paying higher fees and more importantly did not need to have licenses for the officers. To give you an idea. On their first stop at Hobart they anchor (mistakenly dropping both instead of one); after being cleared by customs they take two zodiacs in, one gets loaded to the gills with liquor and swamps on the way back so they begin throwing the liquor boxes overboard, on the other a crew member drops a VHF radio over the side (that represented ⅓ of their handheld radio communications.) In the meantime two jet-ski drivers took their craft for a spin around the ship, showboating, if you will, one flips and the engine is ruined. There goes half of their small-craft-for-running-around-the-whale-ships-boats. The captain is in the radio room preparing PR. Is he concerned by the flubs. Not a bit. Apparently, it was common practice for Greenpeace ships to take out whatever wharf they intended to tie up to. Heller inspects the safety gear and decides to buy his own. This to venture into some of the most dangerous waters on earth.
Their mission is to aggressively interfere with whaling wherever possible, even if it means sinking ships (they claim credit for having sunk fifteen, most relating to Arctic whaling that was clearly illegal.) Sectarian disputes are common. You have freegans, vegans and vegetarians all thrown in together; the use of honey by one could bring on an active donnybrook. One thing most could agree on was that humans are evil and the world would be better off without them.
It should be noted that of the 44 people on board for the trip Heller documents, 7 were journalists and videographers. Media coverage is absolutely crucial to the campaign. They had no direct responsibilities in operating the ship and answered to no one although they were expected to follow whatever rules Watson dictated on any given day. Paul Watson makes no apologies for manipulating the media, arguing that’s the only way to get the message across. No doubt he’s correct and Whale Wars, the TV show furthers that goal. I am through #5 of Season 3 and so enjoying the amateur antics and buffoonery of these well-meaning folks. Hysterical. Bunch of rank amateurs (but very committed) running around pretending to be doing something useful. The captain of the Bob Barker, barely refitted, no sea trials after engine rebuild, 60 yrs old, having engine trouble, steers right into the middle of a terrific storm, putting his ship, the mission, and the crew at terrible risk (his first time as ship captain, he only managed yachts before) and justifying it by saying if they can save 10 hrs they can save some whales, but there's no guarantee Watson's plan for two ships will work at all. What a bunch of yahoos. And Watson as a captain? He stands around clueless most of the time. Any captain worth his salt would have had the crew practicing launching the zephyrs over and over until they could do it in their sleep. Instead, they wait until they are confronted with the Japanese ship for what appears to be a first-time effort. Ridiculous. Shame, because the whaling should stop. But these guys are a joke. Fun to watch, though.
The question of what to do remains. It’s all well and good to tell those who’s livelihood depends on some activity to stop doing it when it hurts the requester not at all. We have to figure out a way to put teeth into international treaties (I’d say use the money spent on the Sea Shepherd activities to bribe (oh, I’m sorry, I meant to say campaign contributions) legislators. But at the same time, help those affected find alternative and profitable ways to make a good living. Any pain that results has to be shared.
I was struck by the most treasured item on the Farley Mowat, a huge wide-screen TV and a substantial collection of videos and DVDs. Cell phones and high-end electronics are ubiquitous. The production of computers and wide-screen TVs is perhaps just as destructive -- if not more-- to the environment and many people, as killing whales. Watson’s stateroom is larger than the bridge and was remodeled at a cost of $75,000 -- donated, but perhaps money could be better spent. Finding a balance in a tightly-coupled world will be your generation’s challenge.
Humans are very efficient killers, of each other, and of other species. The lesson of this book might also be that the best thing for the earth would be human extinction.
Peter Heller has written a fascinating, sympathetic, yet not uncritical (he was dismayed when he discovered a .50 caliber sniper rifle and shotguns on board) book about the Sea Shepherd group. This is peripherally also a study of the true believer and how assumptions dictate their actions. Those "facts" or "events" that don't meet their assumptions are discarded. I am a fan of whales. I am not a fan of Paul Watson, but if one of the goals was to get you to think twice before eating, Heller succeeded.
References: http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment...
August 11, 2009
It is difficult to review a book about a subject which one feels conflicted yet passionate about. Do I merely critique the writing? I don't think I can do that. The author, Peter Heller, is a journalist for Outside and a contributor to NPR, and besides that he lives in Denver, so you know which side of nature the man is on. Yes, he may be conflicted about Sea Shepherd as an organization, but he obviously wants to save the whales and the oceans and any attempt by Heller to seem objective was met by me, the reader, as laughable. I found his description of Sea Shepherd's voyage to the coast of Antarctica thrilling at times, whereas other times he was able to capture the ennui and tedium of being trapped on a boat in the middle of nowhere while trying to find a Japanese whaling expedition. (Needle in a haystack, anyone?)
Having previously read about Captain Paul Watson in a lengthy New Yorker article, I appreciated that Heller concentrated on depicting the mostly volunteer crew. Yes, he makes fun of their vegan ways, but he is able to discern the myriad of personal and political reasons they have for embarking on such a journey.
And so this is the point in the review where I want to ramble on about my views of Sea Shepherd. One of the critiques I found missing in the book (and there are many critiques about their lack of social sensitivity, use of violence, sometimes inept crew), is that their approach mirrors that of zoos. I'm serious. It's a top-down approach: Focus on the largest mammals at the expense of the less cute species that provide the foundation for the ecosystem--in this case krill. Yes, I want to save the whales, but perhaps to save the whales we should focus more on the acidity of the sea, the death of coral reefs, and over-fishing, which in turn, spells out the death of whales. Then again, focusing on whales is far more spectacular; I don't think anyone would buy the "SAVE THE KRILL" t-shirt I'd like to make. I just wish organizations such as Sea Shepherd would show the connections, because I'm not sure people are willing to think beyond the whales.
Having previously read about Captain Paul Watson in a lengthy New Yorker article, I appreciated that Heller concentrated on depicting the mostly volunteer crew. Yes, he makes fun of their vegan ways, but he is able to discern the myriad of personal and political reasons they have for embarking on such a journey.
And so this is the point in the review where I want to ramble on about my views of Sea Shepherd. One of the critiques I found missing in the book (and there are many critiques about their lack of social sensitivity, use of violence, sometimes inept crew), is that their approach mirrors that of zoos. I'm serious. It's a top-down approach: Focus on the largest mammals at the expense of the less cute species that provide the foundation for the ecosystem--in this case krill. Yes, I want to save the whales, but perhaps to save the whales we should focus more on the acidity of the sea, the death of coral reefs, and over-fishing, which in turn, spells out the death of whales. Then again, focusing on whales is far more spectacular; I don't think anyone would buy the "SAVE THE KRILL" t-shirt I'd like to make. I just wish organizations such as Sea Shepherd would show the connections, because I'm not sure people are willing to think beyond the whales.
November 21, 2019
The whale warriors by Peter Heller certainly Paul Watson and his followers are that warriors. Doing work that is so important, trying to stop the useless slaughter of magnificent creatures. It completely blew me away written 10 years ago but the battle still continues check sea shepherd on you tube. Why don't our governments push back harder against the whaling nations its because we trade with them and its worth millions, money and greed always trumps right and correct. I feel humans are on a slippery slope with all our destruction to all enviroments around us we are going to pay for it one way or the other.
March 6, 2009
My first introduction to Captain Paul Watson was in the documentary Shark Waters. In that situation I thought he came off as very heroic. After that I saw the Animal Planet series about the Sea Shepherd and I began to see the captain and crew in more of a critical light. This book led me towards more mixed feelings about Sea Shepherd.
I should start by saying that because they are preventing whales from being slaughtered I think they are doing something that is extremely important and I’m very thankful they are doing what they do.
However, there are a number of small issues I have that prevent me from fully endorsing the organization, at least as they’ve been portrayed in this book and on the TV series.
My main issue is that the crew seems under-trained to the point of absurdity and in the conditions encountered in the Southern Ocean this is almost criminal. At times it seems to be more of a party boat than anything else and a lot of the volunteers don’t even have basic seamanship skills. That they allow alcohol on these missions is mind boggling to me.
I find Paul Watson’s FU to anyone who disagrees him attitude to be both a asset and a detriment. His whales first philosophy is admirable but I wonder if he wouldn’t get more accomplished and save more whales if he was a little more diplomatic and at times what seems to be Greenpeace-envy appears to influence his judgment.
The racist attitudes towards Japanese were off putting to me as well. There was no distinction made between the Japanese whaling industry, the Japanese government and the Japanese people. I got the sense from this book that the crew held the entire nation of Japan responsible. They spoke of the Japanese as nips and japs but the Norwegian and Icelandic whalers were never referred to in those types of racial terms.
Again, I really admire what they are doing and I’m glad they are doing it, I just wonder if there are better ways to go about it and if they’d get more support if they took steps to appear less like a floating frat house.
To me, the most moving part of the book was the afterword. In fact I think I will keep the book just for that portion of it. Reading about the dolphin and small whale slaughter is incredibly sad and I challenge anyone who scoffs at the “Save the Whales” campaign to read that section without being deeply affected.
I enjoyed Peter Heller’s writing style and the way he presented the information. One element I was wondering about that wasn’t covered was if there is much public outcry about whaling in Japan, Norway and Iceland. I think some attention to that topic would have been more interesting than the space devoted to the personality traits of the crewmembers.
I should start by saying that because they are preventing whales from being slaughtered I think they are doing something that is extremely important and I’m very thankful they are doing what they do.
However, there are a number of small issues I have that prevent me from fully endorsing the organization, at least as they’ve been portrayed in this book and on the TV series.
My main issue is that the crew seems under-trained to the point of absurdity and in the conditions encountered in the Southern Ocean this is almost criminal. At times it seems to be more of a party boat than anything else and a lot of the volunteers don’t even have basic seamanship skills. That they allow alcohol on these missions is mind boggling to me.
I find Paul Watson’s FU to anyone who disagrees him attitude to be both a asset and a detriment. His whales first philosophy is admirable but I wonder if he wouldn’t get more accomplished and save more whales if he was a little more diplomatic and at times what seems to be Greenpeace-envy appears to influence his judgment.
The racist attitudes towards Japanese were off putting to me as well. There was no distinction made between the Japanese whaling industry, the Japanese government and the Japanese people. I got the sense from this book that the crew held the entire nation of Japan responsible. They spoke of the Japanese as nips and japs but the Norwegian and Icelandic whalers were never referred to in those types of racial terms.
Again, I really admire what they are doing and I’m glad they are doing it, I just wonder if there are better ways to go about it and if they’d get more support if they took steps to appear less like a floating frat house.
To me, the most moving part of the book was the afterword. In fact I think I will keep the book just for that portion of it. Reading about the dolphin and small whale slaughter is incredibly sad and I challenge anyone who scoffs at the “Save the Whales” campaign to read that section without being deeply affected.
I enjoyed Peter Heller’s writing style and the way he presented the information. One element I was wondering about that wasn’t covered was if there is much public outcry about whaling in Japan, Norway and Iceland. I think some attention to that topic would have been more interesting than the space devoted to the personality traits of the crewmembers.
September 18, 2020
A ride-along report of an anti-whaling cruise by the eco-vigilantes of Sea Shepherd Conservation Society. Greenpeace is the public face of anti-whaling, but this book draws a clear contrast between the widely reported but ultimately passive tactics of Greenpeace, and the less known but brazenly confrontational tactics of Sea Shepherd, which would qualify as high-seas piracy, if whaling itself were not a violation of international law.
The book is unusually schizophrenic in its tone. The author firmly appreciates the ecological precariousness of the oceans in general and great whales in particular, and repeatedly spells out the disconnect between the international community's prohibition on whaling versus the complete lack of enforcement against rogue whaling nations like Japan and Iceland. However, the author also frequently exhibits a mainstream dismissal of the "unhinged idealism" of the Sea Shepherd crew, and portrays the ship's captain as a bombastic anti-Ahab obsessed with vengeance against whalers and other despoilers of the natural world.
The interesting thing is that the author's seemingly contradictory reactions to Sea Shepherd's mission versus the people carrying out that mission makes perfect sense when you think about it-- the vast majority of people think whaling is unjustifiable and reprehensible. The vast majority of people also are complicit in the ongoing pillaging of the earth's oceans and would probably sneer at Sea Shepherd as a bunch of deranged vegan whale-huggers. And nobody else-- not even Greenpeace-- is actually willing to take action to save the whales. This situation says much more about humanity as a whole than it does about one perhaps-maniac captain and his crew.
NB: do not read this book if you are not prepared to feel disgust and hatred toward Japan that will obliterate any interest in and/or respect for its people and culture that you may have had previously.
The book is unusually schizophrenic in its tone. The author firmly appreciates the ecological precariousness of the oceans in general and great whales in particular, and repeatedly spells out the disconnect between the international community's prohibition on whaling versus the complete lack of enforcement against rogue whaling nations like Japan and Iceland. However, the author also frequently exhibits a mainstream dismissal of the "unhinged idealism" of the Sea Shepherd crew, and portrays the ship's captain as a bombastic anti-Ahab obsessed with vengeance against whalers and other despoilers of the natural world.
The interesting thing is that the author's seemingly contradictory reactions to Sea Shepherd's mission versus the people carrying out that mission makes perfect sense when you think about it-- the vast majority of people think whaling is unjustifiable and reprehensible. The vast majority of people also are complicit in the ongoing pillaging of the earth's oceans and would probably sneer at Sea Shepherd as a bunch of deranged vegan whale-huggers. And nobody else-- not even Greenpeace-- is actually willing to take action to save the whales. This situation says much more about humanity as a whole than it does about one perhaps-maniac captain and his crew.
NB: do not read this book if you are not prepared to feel disgust and hatred toward Japan that will obliterate any interest in and/or respect for its people and culture that you may have had previously.
December 4, 2013
My introduction to Peter Heller (once I realized he wasn't Robocop actor Peter Weller) was his recent interview on Fresh Air to talk about his first novel. I'm sure I'll read it as I eat up post-apocalyptic novels, but I was more fascinated to hear about his work as an outdoor adventure writer. I've read little in this genre, but after hearing him I put everything he wrote on hold at the library. I was excited to learn that he wrote a book about Paul Watson and the Sea Shepherds, whom I was fascinated with in my younger days. This book did not disappoint. He manages to construct an exciting narrative out of a journey which must have been mostly days of tedious boredom at sea. He also grapples with the moral and ethical issues of the methods Watson and his crew use to confront whalers, but also gives us a dispiriting picture of the damage we've been wreaking on the oceans.
December 8, 2014
I think as humans, we know the damage we do to the planet. Or, I would like to think most people are aware, and take steps to be proactive in protecting the fragile balance between us and nature.
Heller journeys on the Farley Mowat - a ship piloted by Paul Watson. Watson has founded a group of vigilantes of sorts that protects the endangered cetaceans of the ocean. Watson's mission is to stop the illegal slaughter of whales by the nations that still practice this barbaric ritual. On this particular run, Watson is after a fleet of vessels out of Japan.
Heller captures many moments of life out at sea for two months. Watson is definitely a man that stands by his beliefs and is willing to lose his life for the sake of his convictions. He may be the reason many endangered whales have lived to see another day.
Watson's crew is often made up of novices of the sea; people driven only by their passion for the whales. One person jumps on board at the last minute with only the clothes on her back and flip flops. When you are traveling along the shores of Antarctica, flip flops don't cut it. These people may seem fool-hardy to some. And while I would never dedicate two months of my life sailing the treacherous waters at the bottom of the world, I am in awe of those that do.
I read this book, because I really love Heller's fiction. Writing non-fiction and making it engaging isn't easy. Heller does a good job of remaining objective here, but there aren't enough opportunities for him to really engage the reader. This ship he is on sails around for two months with little happening other than seasickness or listening to Watson as he delivers a jeremiad on different subjects. There were moments where Heller is reflective or gives context to the environmental catastrophe taking place in regard to our oceans, but it doesn't happen enough. Nonetheless, this is an important book for what it does tell us: the whales are in trouble, our oceans are in trouble and we must act now.
Heller journeys on the Farley Mowat - a ship piloted by Paul Watson. Watson has founded a group of vigilantes of sorts that protects the endangered cetaceans of the ocean. Watson's mission is to stop the illegal slaughter of whales by the nations that still practice this barbaric ritual. On this particular run, Watson is after a fleet of vessels out of Japan.
Heller captures many moments of life out at sea for two months. Watson is definitely a man that stands by his beliefs and is willing to lose his life for the sake of his convictions. He may be the reason many endangered whales have lived to see another day.
Watson's crew is often made up of novices of the sea; people driven only by their passion for the whales. One person jumps on board at the last minute with only the clothes on her back and flip flops. When you are traveling along the shores of Antarctica, flip flops don't cut it. These people may seem fool-hardy to some. And while I would never dedicate two months of my life sailing the treacherous waters at the bottom of the world, I am in awe of those that do.
I read this book, because I really love Heller's fiction. Writing non-fiction and making it engaging isn't easy. Heller does a good job of remaining objective here, but there aren't enough opportunities for him to really engage the reader. This ship he is on sails around for two months with little happening other than seasickness or listening to Watson as he delivers a jeremiad on different subjects. There were moments where Heller is reflective or gives context to the environmental catastrophe taking place in regard to our oceans, but it doesn't happen enough. Nonetheless, this is an important book for what it does tell us: the whales are in trouble, our oceans are in trouble and we must act now.
February 26, 2011
This book will be of great interest to those of us who are into ecology, saving the dying species, and saving the world. Most of us know about "Greenpeace" and what they do, but how many of us are aware of Sea Shepard Conservation Society. The Sea Shepard Group make Greenpeace look like a knitting society. This group has no qualms about ramming a whaling ship or fouling its propeller with chain links.
"The Whale Warriors" tell about how difficult and expensive it is for the Sea Shepard Group to put its ship the "Farley Mowat" into operation. Some times it takes a year or more just to make one run at the whaling ships. Peter Heller tells of one such operation. The majority of the crew is not paid and must suffer the hazards of the open sea. The operations take place in Antarctica where it is very cold and the seas can swell to thirty feet or more. The area that they search for the whaling ships is so immense that contact is sometimes made only by chance. In this particular operation they made contact only twice and were able to do little to further their cause.
The best part of the book gives insight into why whaling continues to exist when the species are endangered and very little use is made out of the by-product of whaling.
Japan, which is the worst offender, uses very little of the meat of the whale and prices are so low that it is less than profitable. It also shows how Japanese whaling is based on a sham that it is for research.
Paul Watson who is the founder of Sea Shepard and the captian of the Farley Mowat thinks nothing of putting himself or his crew in harms way. More than once he has offered his own life, and the lives of his crew, in defense of a whale. To give you an idea about how dedicated he is, he has written, "The pyramids, the Old Masters, the symphonies, sculpture, architecture, film, photography...All fo these things are worthless to the Earth when compared with any one species of bird, insect, or plant."
"The Whale Warriors" tell about how difficult and expensive it is for the Sea Shepard Group to put its ship the "Farley Mowat" into operation. Some times it takes a year or more just to make one run at the whaling ships. Peter Heller tells of one such operation. The majority of the crew is not paid and must suffer the hazards of the open sea. The operations take place in Antarctica where it is very cold and the seas can swell to thirty feet or more. The area that they search for the whaling ships is so immense that contact is sometimes made only by chance. In this particular operation they made contact only twice and were able to do little to further their cause.
The best part of the book gives insight into why whaling continues to exist when the species are endangered and very little use is made out of the by-product of whaling.
Japan, which is the worst offender, uses very little of the meat of the whale and prices are so low that it is less than profitable. It also shows how Japanese whaling is based on a sham that it is for research.
Paul Watson who is the founder of Sea Shepard and the captian of the Farley Mowat thinks nothing of putting himself or his crew in harms way. More than once he has offered his own life, and the lives of his crew, in defense of a whale. To give you an idea about how dedicated he is, he has written, "The pyramids, the Old Masters, the symphonies, sculpture, architecture, film, photography...All fo these things are worthless to the Earth when compared with any one species of bird, insect, or plant."
December 16, 2013
At the bottom of the globe near Antarctica, there is a battle going on between Japanese whalers and activists (eco-pirates) who are trying to save the wales. The Farley, captained by Paul Watson who runs the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, is out to stop whaling for good, by any means necessary. While whaling is mostly illegal, the Japanese get around the laws by saying they are doing it for research.
Fighting to stop whaling is part waiting (it can take weeks to find the ships), and part high action. Watson has previously sunk eight whaling ships and the Farley is outfitted with a seven-foot blade on the bow, bottles of smelly acid to throw aboard whaling vessels, and water cannons.
Peter Heller joined the crew on season and experienced first hand the joyous and dangerous parts of being part of Sea Shepherd. He does a great job at presenting the story without strongly taking sides. It's a great book if you are interested in what's happening with whaling without someone preaching to you.
I originally head about the Sea Shepherd on Animal Planet's reality show, Whale Wars, which has been following them now for five seasons. It's a fascinating show, and while I may not agree with all of their tactics I find their tenacity and idealism fascinating to watch.
(review originally posted on http://daydreamsandrainydays.blogspot...)
Fighting to stop whaling is part waiting (it can take weeks to find the ships), and part high action. Watson has previously sunk eight whaling ships and the Farley is outfitted with a seven-foot blade on the bow, bottles of smelly acid to throw aboard whaling vessels, and water cannons.
Peter Heller joined the crew on season and experienced first hand the joyous and dangerous parts of being part of Sea Shepherd. He does a great job at presenting the story without strongly taking sides. It's a great book if you are interested in what's happening with whaling without someone preaching to you.
I originally head about the Sea Shepherd on Animal Planet's reality show, Whale Wars, which has been following them now for five seasons. It's a fascinating show, and while I may not agree with all of their tactics I find their tenacity and idealism fascinating to watch.
(review originally posted on http://daydreamsandrainydays.blogspot...)
October 24, 2016
"The Whale Warriors" took me a long time to finish. Having read a number of books about the state of the ocean and the worldwide rapid decline in ocean life, the environmental information in "The Whale Warriors" was nothing new. For many readers, this book is a wake-up call and a call to action, and I'm glad that the book serves as an educational tool.
For me, the book was about absorbing pain, and witnessing the work Captain Paul Watson and his amazing crew undertake to save the lives of whales. It's intensely inspiring, humbling, and awesome.
For fans of the TV show, the book offers the delight of Peter Heller's excellent prose, and descriptions of seafaring life that might not make it into video soundbites.
Recommended reading for anyone interested in ocean ecology, environmental activism, and the coolest vegan pirates on the planet.
For me, the book was about absorbing pain, and witnessing the work Captain Paul Watson and his amazing crew undertake to save the lives of whales. It's intensely inspiring, humbling, and awesome.
For fans of the TV show, the book offers the delight of Peter Heller's excellent prose, and descriptions of seafaring life that might not make it into video soundbites.
Recommended reading for anyone interested in ocean ecology, environmental activism, and the coolest vegan pirates on the planet.
February 3, 2015
I was actually rather reluctant to read this book. In fact, it's been on my "shelf" for about 7 years. I'm not an activist, nor do I really fundamentally relate to those who are. So my expectation were pretty low going into this book as to whether or not I would like it.
Heller is a good writer and brings the facts along with the drama in depicting the efforts of the Sea Shepherd Conservancy to save the whales. If it was a call to action, it didn't manage to turn me into an activist. Still, this book definitely brings to the fore the realities of how humans have over-fished the oceans and the impending dangers that lie ahead should we fail to protect and preserve what we are soon to destroy forever by our avarice and inattention.
Heller is a good writer and brings the facts along with the drama in depicting the efforts of the Sea Shepherd Conservancy to save the whales. If it was a call to action, it didn't manage to turn me into an activist. Still, this book definitely brings to the fore the realities of how humans have over-fished the oceans and the impending dangers that lie ahead should we fail to protect and preserve what we are soon to destroy forever by our avarice and inattention.
July 22, 2016
I want to get on a Sea Shepherd ship with butchers and hunters and vegan hippies dueling in a haiku contest. Peter goes native to make the democratic microcosm tangible. Though Paul Watson is the unfazed leader and hero, like an arrow zig-zagging to its target, the Nisshin Maru.
I hope everybody reads The Whale Warriors. The true story is a reminder that the ocean is dying in our lifetime. Fisheries will collapse by 2048. We must stop eating fish. And if we are to call ourselves human we must stop killing in this vicious way and hopefully stop eating animals.
I hope everybody reads The Whale Warriors. The true story is a reminder that the ocean is dying in our lifetime. Fisheries will collapse by 2048. We must stop eating fish. And if we are to call ourselves human we must stop killing in this vicious way and hopefully stop eating animals.
April 28, 2023
The book was insightful about the illegal harvesting of whales and other atrocities, however I feel there was a lot of repetition and did find it dry at some points. There was a lot of boat jargon, as somebody with no knowledge on boats this went right over my head and did not add anything to the story. I did enjoy descriptions of wildlife spotted & of the crew, feel there could have been more depth and emphasis on those individuals to deepen the plot.
July 15, 2014
I have never thought much about whales, except for a vague notion that they are large and that they may be endangered. I found this book life altering. The story was written with a great deal of restraint, which just made the factual material more astonishing. I kept with it to the end, swooshing the pages long into the night. Really, really good. I had to buy all his other books.
September 12, 2019
Great storyline and incredibly informative about the harsh realities of the whale wars. However, at times it read more like a textbook and had a lot of info about oceans, ships, and other related items details that I felt took away from the actual story and purpose of the book. However if you’re into that type of thing you’d probably give it five stars.
July 1, 2009
You will never eat fish again, but I already knew this. SAVE THE OCEANS
June 3, 2025
IMO, this book should have been edited down to an article for the New Yorker. It was also a very upsetting book to read. The horror of the harpooning and electrocution of a minke whale was a passage I couldn't finish. Finally, I thought Watson took too many uncalculated risks with his inexperienced but dedicated crew. However, Gemini says Japan no longer hunts whales in Antarctica, so a happy ending.
August 14, 2025
I can speak whale - Dory
June 9, 2019
I just finished Peter Heller's book The Whale Warriors about "the battle at the bottom of the world to save the planet's largest mammals" and I've got to tell you the whales don't stand a chance.
Between the mega-sized factory ships that process whales with the same cold efficiency that's leveled our rain forests so quickly and the hippy vegans that go to sea to save them ill trained and poorly equipped, the odds of preserving these wonderful and important animals look dim.
And once the whales go, other things essential to our survival go too.
Though the environmental angle is tremendous, what we must appreciate also their human-like characteristics. Their ability to feel love and deep rooted emotional attachment. To be stricken with grief when one of their peers is killed. To feel pain and loss. All of these emotions made possible because inside the big brains of whales is a teeny tiny cell, called a "spindle" cell—originally thought to live only in humans and great apes.
But fear not. I won't go warm and fuzzy on you. I "get" Darwinism and the realities of survival.
I promise, I'd eat Pineapple Hill's little pound pup Jack if I was hungry enough.
I'm not here to preach. Neither was Heller.
What I especially liked about Whale Warriors was his ability to tell the story of a 180-foot converted North Sea trawler pitching to and from and side to side on five story waves off the stormy shores of Antarctica while also describing the politics of whale hunting and whale saving at international levels, between Greenpeace and its rival The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, and between crew members of the Sea Shepherd's warship the Farley Mowat.
I appreciated his openness. His suspicions. His cynicism. His worries. His empathy.
Here's an excerpt:
Here was a heavily dressed hand loading the harpoon gun with the explosive-tipped harpoon. Here was the ship moving fast in the swell. There were the blows of a pod of minke whales ahead, fleeing for all they were worth, blowing every few seconds, clearly panicked. Fire. The flight of the harpoon, the arrow-straight line of cable following. Miss. Fleeing whales. Now the camera focused on a whale in the rear of the pack. Good size. The harpooner focused on her too. Fire. Miss again. And another. Fourth shot hits her in the flank. Explosion and fountain of blood. Whale thrashing. Cable winch engaged, thrashing screaming whale reeled in, gushing blood, turning the sea red. Hauled to the side. Still convulsing, hemorrhaging everywhere, another spear, probe, on long pole with cable attached thrust into her side. Whale writhing. Big generator on deck blaring. Electrocution current now coursing through the new spear. Whale in bloody agony, Not even close to dead. Finally hauled, tail up, suspended so they can hold her breathing hole under. She drowns after fifteen more minutes in a sea of her own blood. I wanted to vomit.
Heller's book was written almost ten years ago. There's been a lot medication-laced pee flushed into the sea since then. More oil spills and chemical leaks. More diapers, fertilizer and Round Up.
A lot less clean fresh water pours out from the world's rivers.
A lot more over harvesting of shrimp goes on—Chilean Bass (aka Patagonian Toothfish), oysters, and other yummy ocean dwellers too—because there's a lot more mouths to feed on what's brought home from the sea.
Life supporting coral reefs are dying before our very eyes.
Where the currents of the wide open seas swirl and circle, there's garbage accumulating: coolers, plastic chairs, sports beverage bottles and other junk, along with dead birds, fish and animals caught up in them.
I am not a crusader. I read Heller's book in the jacuzzi under the branches of banana trees and almost always sporting some sort of sweating cocktail.
But I do think more of us need to at least be more informed on what's happening out there with "Mother Ocean".
It's no longer enough to sit around listening to Jimmy Buffet songs while wearing a Hawaiian shirt, faded red lifeguard trunks and sandy flip-flops.
There's a bigger place for all of us in this. A more substantive role.
The first step is simply wanting to go look for it.
Which perhaps you'll decide to do after reading Heller's book at the beach or under sail.
Between the mega-sized factory ships that process whales with the same cold efficiency that's leveled our rain forests so quickly and the hippy vegans that go to sea to save them ill trained and poorly equipped, the odds of preserving these wonderful and important animals look dim.
And once the whales go, other things essential to our survival go too.
Though the environmental angle is tremendous, what we must appreciate also their human-like characteristics. Their ability to feel love and deep rooted emotional attachment. To be stricken with grief when one of their peers is killed. To feel pain and loss. All of these emotions made possible because inside the big brains of whales is a teeny tiny cell, called a "spindle" cell—originally thought to live only in humans and great apes.
But fear not. I won't go warm and fuzzy on you. I "get" Darwinism and the realities of survival.
I promise, I'd eat Pineapple Hill's little pound pup Jack if I was hungry enough.
I'm not here to preach. Neither was Heller.
What I especially liked about Whale Warriors was his ability to tell the story of a 180-foot converted North Sea trawler pitching to and from and side to side on five story waves off the stormy shores of Antarctica while also describing the politics of whale hunting and whale saving at international levels, between Greenpeace and its rival The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, and between crew members of the Sea Shepherd's warship the Farley Mowat.
I appreciated his openness. His suspicions. His cynicism. His worries. His empathy.
Here's an excerpt:
Here was a heavily dressed hand loading the harpoon gun with the explosive-tipped harpoon. Here was the ship moving fast in the swell. There were the blows of a pod of minke whales ahead, fleeing for all they were worth, blowing every few seconds, clearly panicked. Fire. The flight of the harpoon, the arrow-straight line of cable following. Miss. Fleeing whales. Now the camera focused on a whale in the rear of the pack. Good size. The harpooner focused on her too. Fire. Miss again. And another. Fourth shot hits her in the flank. Explosion and fountain of blood. Whale thrashing. Cable winch engaged, thrashing screaming whale reeled in, gushing blood, turning the sea red. Hauled to the side. Still convulsing, hemorrhaging everywhere, another spear, probe, on long pole with cable attached thrust into her side. Whale writhing. Big generator on deck blaring. Electrocution current now coursing through the new spear. Whale in bloody agony, Not even close to dead. Finally hauled, tail up, suspended so they can hold her breathing hole under. She drowns after fifteen more minutes in a sea of her own blood. I wanted to vomit.
Heller's book was written almost ten years ago. There's been a lot medication-laced pee flushed into the sea since then. More oil spills and chemical leaks. More diapers, fertilizer and Round Up.
A lot less clean fresh water pours out from the world's rivers.
A lot more over harvesting of shrimp goes on—Chilean Bass (aka Patagonian Toothfish), oysters, and other yummy ocean dwellers too—because there's a lot more mouths to feed on what's brought home from the sea.
Life supporting coral reefs are dying before our very eyes.
Where the currents of the wide open seas swirl and circle, there's garbage accumulating: coolers, plastic chairs, sports beverage bottles and other junk, along with dead birds, fish and animals caught up in them.
I am not a crusader. I read Heller's book in the jacuzzi under the branches of banana trees and almost always sporting some sort of sweating cocktail.
But I do think more of us need to at least be more informed on what's happening out there with "Mother Ocean".
It's no longer enough to sit around listening to Jimmy Buffet songs while wearing a Hawaiian shirt, faded red lifeguard trunks and sandy flip-flops.
There's a bigger place for all of us in this. A more substantive role.
The first step is simply wanting to go look for it.
Which perhaps you'll decide to do after reading Heller's book at the beach or under sail.
March 11, 2018
The book “The Whale Warriors” by Peter Heller brings the readers in the journey to bring an end to the many gruesome and illegal acts that are done on the ocean. When Captain Paul Watson was kicked out of “Greenpeace” (a peaceful ecological organization) he started his own organization called the “Sea Shepherd Conservation Society.” Here Captain Paul Watson runs a ship named, “The Farley Mowat” and together with his crew they bring down the many whalers and poachers of the world. This book will be of great interest of to those of us that are into ecology, saving the dying oceanic species, and changing the world.
May 10, 2024
A JOURNALIST TELLS THE STORY OF A SEASON ABOARD THE SEA SHEPHERD
Journalist Peter Heller wrote in the first chapter of this 2007 book, “In 1986 the International Whaling Commission (IWC)… enacted a moratorium on open-sea commercial whaling in response to the fast-declining numbers of earth’s largest mammals. The Japanese… immediately exploited a loophole that allows signatories to kill a certain number of whales annually for scientific research… Lethal research, the Japanese say, is the only way to accurately measure the whale population, health, and its response to global warming is essential… at its annual meeting in 2005 [the IWC] ‘strongly urged’ Japanese whalers to obtain their scientific data ‘using nonlethal means’… The whalers’ response was silence, then business as usual. Although this resolution is not legally binding, much of the public was outraged that the whalers would openly disregard it…
“To [Paul] Watson there is no debate: The Japanese whalers are… in violation of the 1986 moratorium. Even more controversially, the whaling occurs in the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary, an internationally ordained preserve… Although research is permitted in the sanctuary, commercial whaling is explicitly forbidden… Watson has no such diplomatic compunctions. He said, ‘Our intention is to stop the criminal whaling. We are not a protest organization. We are here to enforce international conservation law. We don’t wave banners. We intervene.’ … Watson has sunk eight whaling ships. He has rammed numerous illegal fishing vessels on the high seas… To his critics he points out that he has never hurt anyone, and that he has never been convicted of a felony in any country.” (Pg. 3-5)
Heller notes, “Media relations were a preoccupation with Watson, He’d written a chapter on it in his book ‘Earthforce! An Earth Warrior’s Guide to Strategy.’ He recognized that the only way for an environmental movement to accomplish anything was to get the word out… the international attention focused on the issue by the dramatic action of a group like Watson’s might bring international pressure to bear. ‘If you have an action and no one convers it, it didn’t happen.’” (Pg. 22)
He points out, “the crew were very brave or nuts. Half of them had never been to sea. The pilot of the FIB Thing weas not a FIB Thing pilot, but a hang-glider. The chopper pilot … had never flown off a moving deck…” (Pg. 26) Later, he adds, “Most of this diverse crew were here because they’d heard Watson speak. Something in the power of the man and in his message compelled people to drop everything---jobs, loves, homes---and follow him to the ends of the earth on missions that offered no guarantee of return. It was the simple moral power of hearing someone say, ‘I know whaling isn wrong…’” (Pg. 38)
About his relation with Greenpeace (he was expelled from its Board of Directors in 1977), Watson states, “I’ve been asking them for months if we can cooperate. With their speed, their ability to locate and keep up with the fleet, and our intervention we could be twice as effective. They won’t tell us where their ships are… They’ve never forgiven me for calling them the Avon ladies of the environmental movement. They called me an ecoterrorist… I was referring to their armies of door-to-door fundraisers.” (Pg. 29-30) Later, Heller adds, “Watson thought it was amusing that Greenpeace was on the FBI list of ecoterrorists but Sea Shepherd was not.” (Pg. 147)
Heller comments, “The ICR [Institute of Cetacean Research] has never brought in enough revenue with the sale of whale meat to cover its expenses. So why, if whaling was essentially unprofitable, was the Japanese fleet in Antarctica attempting to take more whales … in the face of so much international outcry and pressure? Some international observers believe it is exactly this pressure that is responsible for Japan’s recalcitrance… Japan is the world’s largest consumer of seafood… the Japanese may be especially sensitive to criticism of any of their harvests… All the indicators seemed to suggest that the Japanese people don’t particularly like whale meat, that they don’t think it’s an important cultural value, and that the industry is facing a growing surplus and a tougher time making money.” (Pg. 103)
He recounts a low moment: “We had come within hours of the whaling fleet and missed it… It was two days before Christmas, and even vegans miss their families… It took a force of will to convince myself we were not on a fool’s errand. I thought how completely vulnerable we were to … the caprices of the weather, to our old and fragile equipment, to the inexperience and idealism of the crew… It seemed that any of 100 things could imperil the mission and our lives.” (Pg. 179-180)
He records, “In 1988, Watson flew back to Iceland to face charges for the sinking of two whaling ships. He egged the prosecutors on, then practically ordered them to charge him. The poor, dour, polite Icelanders---they had no idea how to deal with this cagey bear… Watson was released the next day… The Icelanders breathed a sigh of relief when they got Paul Watson out of the country.” (Pg. 190)
He states, “Watson… gathered Christmas messages from the crew to e-mail over to the Greenpeace ships. I think for the captain they were less about holiday good cheer than an opportunity to further prick the eco giant… He attributed his own message to: ‘Captain Paul Watson---Greenpeace cofounder and former Greenpeace director 1972-1977.’” (Pg. 213-214)
He reports “A deadly game of Antarctic chicken,” when the Sea Shepherd was deliberately on a collision course with a whaling ship; “And then the Nisshin blinked.” (Pg. 206) Heller says, “I knew that to much of the world, Watson and many of his crew would be deemed insane… I did not think he was exactly insane. Countries around the world pledged to protect the whales… and yet the protections meant nothing. They were all on paper… The whales could not advocate for themselves. They had no allies on the entire planet who were willing to intervene at all costs, even their own death---except Watson and the Sea Shepherd. What was insane about that?” (Pg. 216)
He acknowledges, “You didn’t need to be a lawyer to make the case against Sea Shepherd. Wielding a seven-foot blade onto the bow for the express purpose of damaging the hull of another ship, and then ramming---or attempting to ram---the weapon into said hull was clearly not legal and could be construed as an act of violence. As could running out a mooring line in an attempt to foul the prop of another ship in a storm. [Watson’s ship]… under the Law of the Sea, could now rightly be said to be a pirate ship, subject to attack and seizure…” (Pg. 247-248)
He laments, “If the oceans are dying in our time and we kill them, which is what we are doing, we shall have committed a crime soh heinous we shall not ever be redeemed.” (Pg. 251)
He also recounts, “That night we had a New Year’s party. Mathieu produced the stomped grape juice that had been fermenting in the aft hold. iPods with attached speakers came out, and the mess echoed with grunge and Straightedge…. Stashed beers and wine came out. Casson … rigged up an elaborate still… Gedden, the J. Crew, and I played a hot game of Texas Hold’em… We all counted down the life of the old year and sent it packing with a yell.” (Pg. 251)
He observes, “Maybe the most dangerous enemy out here was not a monstrous factory ship, but the monotony of vast expanses of water. The frustrating lack of action. As the gap between the [whaling] fleet and [Watson’s ship] increased, the sense of our effectiveness was slipping away. Yet the whaling fleet had not killed a whale for nine days. It was not hunting but running to the other side of its research area. However fruitless the chase at the moment, Sea Shepherd seemed to be having an effect.” (Pg. 261)
This book will be “must reading” for anyone wanting to know more about Watson and the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, and eco-activism in general.
Journalist Peter Heller wrote in the first chapter of this 2007 book, “In 1986 the International Whaling Commission (IWC)… enacted a moratorium on open-sea commercial whaling in response to the fast-declining numbers of earth’s largest mammals. The Japanese… immediately exploited a loophole that allows signatories to kill a certain number of whales annually for scientific research… Lethal research, the Japanese say, is the only way to accurately measure the whale population, health, and its response to global warming is essential… at its annual meeting in 2005 [the IWC] ‘strongly urged’ Japanese whalers to obtain their scientific data ‘using nonlethal means’… The whalers’ response was silence, then business as usual. Although this resolution is not legally binding, much of the public was outraged that the whalers would openly disregard it…
“To [Paul] Watson there is no debate: The Japanese whalers are… in violation of the 1986 moratorium. Even more controversially, the whaling occurs in the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary, an internationally ordained preserve… Although research is permitted in the sanctuary, commercial whaling is explicitly forbidden… Watson has no such diplomatic compunctions. He said, ‘Our intention is to stop the criminal whaling. We are not a protest organization. We are here to enforce international conservation law. We don’t wave banners. We intervene.’ … Watson has sunk eight whaling ships. He has rammed numerous illegal fishing vessels on the high seas… To his critics he points out that he has never hurt anyone, and that he has never been convicted of a felony in any country.” (Pg. 3-5)
Heller notes, “Media relations were a preoccupation with Watson, He’d written a chapter on it in his book ‘Earthforce! An Earth Warrior’s Guide to Strategy.’ He recognized that the only way for an environmental movement to accomplish anything was to get the word out… the international attention focused on the issue by the dramatic action of a group like Watson’s might bring international pressure to bear. ‘If you have an action and no one convers it, it didn’t happen.’” (Pg. 22)
He points out, “the crew were very brave or nuts. Half of them had never been to sea. The pilot of the FIB Thing weas not a FIB Thing pilot, but a hang-glider. The chopper pilot … had never flown off a moving deck…” (Pg. 26) Later, he adds, “Most of this diverse crew were here because they’d heard Watson speak. Something in the power of the man and in his message compelled people to drop everything---jobs, loves, homes---and follow him to the ends of the earth on missions that offered no guarantee of return. It was the simple moral power of hearing someone say, ‘I know whaling isn wrong…’” (Pg. 38)
About his relation with Greenpeace (he was expelled from its Board of Directors in 1977), Watson states, “I’ve been asking them for months if we can cooperate. With their speed, their ability to locate and keep up with the fleet, and our intervention we could be twice as effective. They won’t tell us where their ships are… They’ve never forgiven me for calling them the Avon ladies of the environmental movement. They called me an ecoterrorist… I was referring to their armies of door-to-door fundraisers.” (Pg. 29-30) Later, Heller adds, “Watson thought it was amusing that Greenpeace was on the FBI list of ecoterrorists but Sea Shepherd was not.” (Pg. 147)
Heller comments, “The ICR [Institute of Cetacean Research] has never brought in enough revenue with the sale of whale meat to cover its expenses. So why, if whaling was essentially unprofitable, was the Japanese fleet in Antarctica attempting to take more whales … in the face of so much international outcry and pressure? Some international observers believe it is exactly this pressure that is responsible for Japan’s recalcitrance… Japan is the world’s largest consumer of seafood… the Japanese may be especially sensitive to criticism of any of their harvests… All the indicators seemed to suggest that the Japanese people don’t particularly like whale meat, that they don’t think it’s an important cultural value, and that the industry is facing a growing surplus and a tougher time making money.” (Pg. 103)
He recounts a low moment: “We had come within hours of the whaling fleet and missed it… It was two days before Christmas, and even vegans miss their families… It took a force of will to convince myself we were not on a fool’s errand. I thought how completely vulnerable we were to … the caprices of the weather, to our old and fragile equipment, to the inexperience and idealism of the crew… It seemed that any of 100 things could imperil the mission and our lives.” (Pg. 179-180)
He records, “In 1988, Watson flew back to Iceland to face charges for the sinking of two whaling ships. He egged the prosecutors on, then practically ordered them to charge him. The poor, dour, polite Icelanders---they had no idea how to deal with this cagey bear… Watson was released the next day… The Icelanders breathed a sigh of relief when they got Paul Watson out of the country.” (Pg. 190)
He states, “Watson… gathered Christmas messages from the crew to e-mail over to the Greenpeace ships. I think for the captain they were less about holiday good cheer than an opportunity to further prick the eco giant… He attributed his own message to: ‘Captain Paul Watson---Greenpeace cofounder and former Greenpeace director 1972-1977.’” (Pg. 213-214)
He reports “A deadly game of Antarctic chicken,” when the Sea Shepherd was deliberately on a collision course with a whaling ship; “And then the Nisshin blinked.” (Pg. 206) Heller says, “I knew that to much of the world, Watson and many of his crew would be deemed insane… I did not think he was exactly insane. Countries around the world pledged to protect the whales… and yet the protections meant nothing. They were all on paper… The whales could not advocate for themselves. They had no allies on the entire planet who were willing to intervene at all costs, even their own death---except Watson and the Sea Shepherd. What was insane about that?” (Pg. 216)
He acknowledges, “You didn’t need to be a lawyer to make the case against Sea Shepherd. Wielding a seven-foot blade onto the bow for the express purpose of damaging the hull of another ship, and then ramming---or attempting to ram---the weapon into said hull was clearly not legal and could be construed as an act of violence. As could running out a mooring line in an attempt to foul the prop of another ship in a storm. [Watson’s ship]… under the Law of the Sea, could now rightly be said to be a pirate ship, subject to attack and seizure…” (Pg. 247-248)
He laments, “If the oceans are dying in our time and we kill them, which is what we are doing, we shall have committed a crime soh heinous we shall not ever be redeemed.” (Pg. 251)
He also recounts, “That night we had a New Year’s party. Mathieu produced the stomped grape juice that had been fermenting in the aft hold. iPods with attached speakers came out, and the mess echoed with grunge and Straightedge…. Stashed beers and wine came out. Casson … rigged up an elaborate still… Gedden, the J. Crew, and I played a hot game of Texas Hold’em… We all counted down the life of the old year and sent it packing with a yell.” (Pg. 251)
He observes, “Maybe the most dangerous enemy out here was not a monstrous factory ship, but the monotony of vast expanses of water. The frustrating lack of action. As the gap between the [whaling] fleet and [Watson’s ship] increased, the sense of our effectiveness was slipping away. Yet the whaling fleet had not killed a whale for nine days. It was not hunting but running to the other side of its research area. However fruitless the chase at the moment, Sea Shepherd seemed to be having an effect.” (Pg. 261)
This book will be “must reading” for anyone wanting to know more about Watson and the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, and eco-activism in general.
March 25, 2012
Pretty thrilling and suspenseful book about the "Sea Shepherd" group of eco-warriors led by Captain Paul Watson, one of the original founders of Greenpeace, who found Greenpeace's methods of stopping whaling inadequate. Heller goes along on an anti-whaling voyage of the Sea Shepherd's flagship "Farley Mowat" to the Southern Ocean off Antarctica to confront with direct action Japanese whalers operating in Australia's Antarctic whale refuge. While Sea Shepherd is by self-description a vigilante group, authorities have to be careful about challenging them since Japan is whaling despite opposition from pretty much every international agency and body, and really, common moral sense. Watson is helped on the Farley Mowat by his brave, (but sometimes inexperienced) crew of animal rights activists.
March 24, 2015
You feel like you are on the ship Farley along with the author of this true adventure. He is following the trails of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, a vigilante group that hunts down Japanese mega boats illegally killing whales in international waters. So far they have sunk eight whaling vessels that have been poaching in protected sanctuaries. Farley Mowat, the captain of this mostly volunteer crew, started out with Greenpeace but soon tired of watching passive politics failing to protect a quickly disappearing miracle of our oceans. It made me give up seafood...and I LOVE seafood. This is a book everyone should read. It will change the way you look at our oceans in a good way. Adventure with a purpose.
July 11, 2019
This was a well written novel, but because I listened to it as an audio book instead of reading it myself, I think the experience was a little different.
The narrator was a bit off - kinda blunt and every so often is sounded like a completely different person as reading this book and it confused and irritated me.
However, I think the book was interesting and well worth the 10+ hours of listening. Well researched and portrayed the Japanese as the villains they are when it comes to the illegal hunting of whales in protected waters. Had they been pouching on land something would’ve been done. But because they were pitching on water, no one except the crew of the Mullet cared enough to do anything.
The narrator was a bit off - kinda blunt and every so often is sounded like a completely different person as reading this book and it confused and irritated me.
However, I think the book was interesting and well worth the 10+ hours of listening. Well researched and portrayed the Japanese as the villains they are when it comes to the illegal hunting of whales in protected waters. Had they been pouching on land something would’ve been done. But because they were pitching on water, no one except the crew of the Mullet cared enough to do anything.
September 22, 2019
After reading this book, I am going to support the Sea Shepard Society.
Paul Watson is an inspirational person.
Paul Watson is an inspirational person.
January 15, 2012
As Japan is again continuing its whaling in the Antarctic waters against international law and the world's public opinion, this book describing the winter 2005-2006 campaign by Sea Shepherd is very timely. On January 9th under cover of darkness, three Australian Sea Shepherd activists managed to board the Japanese harpoon ship Shonan Maru No. 2 when it was just 26 km off the Australian west coast. The Japanese proceeded to arrest the environmentalists and took them to Tokyo, where a court released them without charges. The reason for the prompt release was probably that Japan does not want to draw undue attention to its controversial whaling activities.
Japan's insistence to go ahead with its extensive whaling is somewhat baffling. As Peter Heller demonstrates in his book, the government is forced to heavily subsidize the companies doing the whale hunt. There is very little demand for whale meat in Japan (only a tenth of the population confesses to ever eating it) and it has to be pushed on school lunch menus in some of the coastal areas with a high price to the tax payers. Tons of whale meat are piling up in freezers. Yet, more and more is brought in every year. Why? The officials cite traditional culture, but even that is a suspect argument. While some fishing communities, notably on the island of Shikoku, traditionally did hunt whales, this was limited to their coastal waters. Large scale commercial whaling only started when Japan built up its ocean going fleet after Commodore Perry's 'black ships' forced the opening of Japan to the outside world in 1854. The tradition certainly is not based in the ancient Japanese culture. The most likely explanation to the Japanese incalcitrance is nationalistic defiance against foreigners trying to tell them what to do. Sounds infantile? Well, it is, but it wouldn't be the first time.
Japan is a member of the International Whaling Commission (IWC), set up in 1946 "to provide for the proper conservation of whale stocks and thus make possible the orderly development of the whaling industry." IWC is thus not a conservation organization, but works for the long-term sustainability of the industry. So it can hardly be accused of sensationalizing the statistics. Yet, IWC recognizes that many whale species are endangered. On its website (http://iwcoffice.org/), IWC acknowledges that many stocks of the thirteen species of 'great whales' have been depleted through over-exploitation. The authoritative Red List of endangered species compiled by the World Conservation Union (http://www.iucnredlist.org) identifies a number of whales as endangered. These include the Blue Whale, Fin Whale (Japan's self-set quota includes 50 Fin Whales per season), North Atlantic Right Whale and North Pacific Right Whale. In addition, a number of species are identified as threatened or vulnerable. Importantly, there is deficient data for most species to determine their status. Because of this state of affairs and the uncertainty about whale numbers, a moratorium on commercial whaling endorsed by IWC has been in place since 1986 (the UN Conference on Environment and Human Health originally proposed such a moratorium in 1972, but it was voted down by Japan, Russia, Iceland, Norway, South Africa and Panama).
As a response, Japan has circumvented the commercial whaling ban by claiming, quite disingenously, that its whaling program is for research purposes. This lethal research has been criticized by scientists and environmentalists alike. There are now non-lethal research methods that can be used to obtain the same data - and even if there were, the large catch numbers could never be justified by the research argument. In IWC, a coalition led by by the USA, Canada, New Zealand and Australia has often challenged Japan for its "research" whaling. However, like in the UN, IWC operates on a one nation, one vote basis. Consequently, Japan has been able to purchase the votes of a number of tiny countries by providing them financial support. A number of Caribbean and Pacific Island countries - even the West Africa country of Togo - have voted in line with Japan in IWC following promises of official aid or even just covering travel and expenses of individual government officials. In all fairness, it must be said that there are also other countries that continue to kill whales, including Norway, Iceland, the Danish Faroe Islands and Russia.
When I was on the faculty of the UN University based in Tokyo in the early 1990s, I remember that we were approached by a consultant to the Japanese Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries who proposed to pay for a study that we would conduct to show that whales were not endangered. During the meeting the gentleman got somewhat carried away and outlined a vision how whales could be domesticated to produce meat and milk for the growing human population. He further accused Western "meat eaters" for an emotional reaction to whaling. When I politely explained that we would gladly consider undertaking such a study, but that we would have to be in control of the study, select the research design and researchers, and that there could be no preagreed conclusions, he got up and promised to get back to us. Needless to say, he never did.
Adventure writer Peter Heller joined Sea Shepherd's ship Farley Mowat on a two-month expedition to the Antarctic in the 2005-2006 season to intercept the Japanese fleet. In 'The Whale Warriors' he provides an interesting and quite balanced account of the challenging trip during which the mostly volunteer crew under the command of Sea Shepherd founder Capt. Paul Watson searches, chases and engages with the Japanese fleet in the Antarctic waters. The book is written in a generally lively manner following the format of Heller's log of the days and weeks at sea, interspersed with information about the history of whaling, the Japanese whaling industry, ecology, the organizations that work against whaling (including Sea Shepherd and Greenpeace), and the international politics surrounding the issues. The format works well overall, but because of the lengthy search for the Japanese whalers and Heller's faithful depiction of the tedium at sea, the book feels a bit long (it could easily have been 50 pages shorter, I think). Even if the author's descriptions of the weather, the sea, the penguins, albatrosses and other sea birds, the icebergs, are beautiful, they also become somewhat repetitive. Finally, it is only on page 215 when the Farley Mowat first finds the location of the Japanese factory boat Nishin Maru and things start speeding up.
In the meantime, we meet the dedicated environmentalists from many countries (USA, Canada, Holland, Sweden, Brazil, South Africa, Australia, France) that make up the crew. These women and men form an interesting bunch, by no means homogenous in their philosophy, but all committed to saving the large, peaceful and highly intelligent animals. Heller observers exchanges that highlight the tensions between unexpected groups, such as between vegans and vegetarians or between conservationists and animal rights activists. His observations are often quite revealing and at best very funny. When the small helicopter onboard returns from a surveillance flight and performs a delicate landing on the deck of the ship rolling in heavy waves, Heller sees how the deck crew took only seconds to secure the landed chopper to the deck. "Pretty good for vegans with advanced degrees," he quips (page 267).
The book also sheds light on the continued rift between Sea Shepherd and Greenpeace. Paul Watson was one of the founders of Greenpeace and served as its Director from 1972 to 1977 when he left to found Sea Shepherd. He was growing frustrated with what he considered ineffective methods of Greenpeace, believing in a need for more direct action. The quartermaster of Farley Mowat on this trip is Emily Hunter, daughter of the Greenpeace co-founder and first President, the late Robert Hunter. Greenpeace manages to locate the Nishin Maru much before Sea Shepherd, but refuses to release the coordinates. The schism appears to be mostly with the top of the organizations and individual crew members of the Greenpeace ship Esperanza leak updates to Watson. As Farley Mowat finally sails to engage with Nishin Maru, Esperanza crew cheer it on. The trouble with Greenpeace non-confrontational tactics is that they only look on and document as the Japanese proceed to slaughter the whales in the most brutal and inhumane manner imaginable.
Whether the Sea Shepherd's more direct approach is any more effective is the question. As the Nishin Maru and its harpoon boats see Farley Mowat approaching they escape, only to move to another location to continue their hunt. Both organizations clearly have done much to bring the vicious and criminal activity to the forefront and thus influencing world opinion.
Yet, politics is what it is. Most of Japan's whaling takes place in the areas designated as off limits under the international moratorium and much in the territorial waters of other countries. Heller points out that if the whaling fleets were from less powerful developing countries, countries like Australia would not hesitate to intercept and arrest them in their territorial waters. Indeed, even earlier this week the Australian prime minister Julia Gillard criticized the Sea Shepherd activists for boarding the Shonan Maru, which was engaged in illegal activities in Australian territorial waters.
Japan's insistence to go ahead with its extensive whaling is somewhat baffling. As Peter Heller demonstrates in his book, the government is forced to heavily subsidize the companies doing the whale hunt. There is very little demand for whale meat in Japan (only a tenth of the population confesses to ever eating it) and it has to be pushed on school lunch menus in some of the coastal areas with a high price to the tax payers. Tons of whale meat are piling up in freezers. Yet, more and more is brought in every year. Why? The officials cite traditional culture, but even that is a suspect argument. While some fishing communities, notably on the island of Shikoku, traditionally did hunt whales, this was limited to their coastal waters. Large scale commercial whaling only started when Japan built up its ocean going fleet after Commodore Perry's 'black ships' forced the opening of Japan to the outside world in 1854. The tradition certainly is not based in the ancient Japanese culture. The most likely explanation to the Japanese incalcitrance is nationalistic defiance against foreigners trying to tell them what to do. Sounds infantile? Well, it is, but it wouldn't be the first time.
Japan is a member of the International Whaling Commission (IWC), set up in 1946 "to provide for the proper conservation of whale stocks and thus make possible the orderly development of the whaling industry." IWC is thus not a conservation organization, but works for the long-term sustainability of the industry. So it can hardly be accused of sensationalizing the statistics. Yet, IWC recognizes that many whale species are endangered. On its website (http://iwcoffice.org/), IWC acknowledges that many stocks of the thirteen species of 'great whales' have been depleted through over-exploitation. The authoritative Red List of endangered species compiled by the World Conservation Union (http://www.iucnredlist.org) identifies a number of whales as endangered. These include the Blue Whale, Fin Whale (Japan's self-set quota includes 50 Fin Whales per season), North Atlantic Right Whale and North Pacific Right Whale. In addition, a number of species are identified as threatened or vulnerable. Importantly, there is deficient data for most species to determine their status. Because of this state of affairs and the uncertainty about whale numbers, a moratorium on commercial whaling endorsed by IWC has been in place since 1986 (the UN Conference on Environment and Human Health originally proposed such a moratorium in 1972, but it was voted down by Japan, Russia, Iceland, Norway, South Africa and Panama).
As a response, Japan has circumvented the commercial whaling ban by claiming, quite disingenously, that its whaling program is for research purposes. This lethal research has been criticized by scientists and environmentalists alike. There are now non-lethal research methods that can be used to obtain the same data - and even if there were, the large catch numbers could never be justified by the research argument. In IWC, a coalition led by by the USA, Canada, New Zealand and Australia has often challenged Japan for its "research" whaling. However, like in the UN, IWC operates on a one nation, one vote basis. Consequently, Japan has been able to purchase the votes of a number of tiny countries by providing them financial support. A number of Caribbean and Pacific Island countries - even the West Africa country of Togo - have voted in line with Japan in IWC following promises of official aid or even just covering travel and expenses of individual government officials. In all fairness, it must be said that there are also other countries that continue to kill whales, including Norway, Iceland, the Danish Faroe Islands and Russia.
When I was on the faculty of the UN University based in Tokyo in the early 1990s, I remember that we were approached by a consultant to the Japanese Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries who proposed to pay for a study that we would conduct to show that whales were not endangered. During the meeting the gentleman got somewhat carried away and outlined a vision how whales could be domesticated to produce meat and milk for the growing human population. He further accused Western "meat eaters" for an emotional reaction to whaling. When I politely explained that we would gladly consider undertaking such a study, but that we would have to be in control of the study, select the research design and researchers, and that there could be no preagreed conclusions, he got up and promised to get back to us. Needless to say, he never did.
Adventure writer Peter Heller joined Sea Shepherd's ship Farley Mowat on a two-month expedition to the Antarctic in the 2005-2006 season to intercept the Japanese fleet. In 'The Whale Warriors' he provides an interesting and quite balanced account of the challenging trip during which the mostly volunteer crew under the command of Sea Shepherd founder Capt. Paul Watson searches, chases and engages with the Japanese fleet in the Antarctic waters. The book is written in a generally lively manner following the format of Heller's log of the days and weeks at sea, interspersed with information about the history of whaling, the Japanese whaling industry, ecology, the organizations that work against whaling (including Sea Shepherd and Greenpeace), and the international politics surrounding the issues. The format works well overall, but because of the lengthy search for the Japanese whalers and Heller's faithful depiction of the tedium at sea, the book feels a bit long (it could easily have been 50 pages shorter, I think). Even if the author's descriptions of the weather, the sea, the penguins, albatrosses and other sea birds, the icebergs, are beautiful, they also become somewhat repetitive. Finally, it is only on page 215 when the Farley Mowat first finds the location of the Japanese factory boat Nishin Maru and things start speeding up.
In the meantime, we meet the dedicated environmentalists from many countries (USA, Canada, Holland, Sweden, Brazil, South Africa, Australia, France) that make up the crew. These women and men form an interesting bunch, by no means homogenous in their philosophy, but all committed to saving the large, peaceful and highly intelligent animals. Heller observers exchanges that highlight the tensions between unexpected groups, such as between vegans and vegetarians or between conservationists and animal rights activists. His observations are often quite revealing and at best very funny. When the small helicopter onboard returns from a surveillance flight and performs a delicate landing on the deck of the ship rolling in heavy waves, Heller sees how the deck crew took only seconds to secure the landed chopper to the deck. "Pretty good for vegans with advanced degrees," he quips (page 267).
The book also sheds light on the continued rift between Sea Shepherd and Greenpeace. Paul Watson was one of the founders of Greenpeace and served as its Director from 1972 to 1977 when he left to found Sea Shepherd. He was growing frustrated with what he considered ineffective methods of Greenpeace, believing in a need for more direct action. The quartermaster of Farley Mowat on this trip is Emily Hunter, daughter of the Greenpeace co-founder and first President, the late Robert Hunter. Greenpeace manages to locate the Nishin Maru much before Sea Shepherd, but refuses to release the coordinates. The schism appears to be mostly with the top of the organizations and individual crew members of the Greenpeace ship Esperanza leak updates to Watson. As Farley Mowat finally sails to engage with Nishin Maru, Esperanza crew cheer it on. The trouble with Greenpeace non-confrontational tactics is that they only look on and document as the Japanese proceed to slaughter the whales in the most brutal and inhumane manner imaginable.
Whether the Sea Shepherd's more direct approach is any more effective is the question. As the Nishin Maru and its harpoon boats see Farley Mowat approaching they escape, only to move to another location to continue their hunt. Both organizations clearly have done much to bring the vicious and criminal activity to the forefront and thus influencing world opinion.
Yet, politics is what it is. Most of Japan's whaling takes place in the areas designated as off limits under the international moratorium and much in the territorial waters of other countries. Heller points out that if the whaling fleets were from less powerful developing countries, countries like Australia would not hesitate to intercept and arrest them in their territorial waters. Indeed, even earlier this week the Australian prime minister Julia Gillard criticized the Sea Shepherd activists for boarding the Shonan Maru, which was engaged in illegal activities in Australian territorial waters.
April 5, 2024
It's ironic that mankind, which has spent it's entire time on earth doing everything we can to eradicate ourselves, would stop for a moment to try to save another species. As a whole, we don't. But Peter Heller's marvelous journal of his time with Paul Watson, the Sea Shepherd and his crew, records how a small team of committed, courageous people are ready to sacrifice their own lives to save whales in the frigid waters of Antarctica.
The Whale Warriors: The Battle at the Bottom of the World to Save the Planet's Largest Mammals, chronicles the efforts of Watson, a modern day anti-Ahab, and his international band of mostly younger people to interrupt the murderous rampage of Japanese whalers in late 2005/early 2006. Published in 2007, Heller's coverage initially suggests skepticism of Watson's mission. After all, they are going to battle on a tired rusty trawler with crew made up of committed vegans, many of whom had never been on the ocean before. But witnessing the slaughter inflicted by the whalers and the bold, heroic, even suicidal efforts of Watson's crew, Heller becomes a believer.
What man has done to the whale over the millennia is beyond comprehension. Maybe we can give ourselves an out for the days of Moby Dick, not knowing any better, but today, what is our shameful excuse? How can we allow ourselves to continue with this senseless killing of whales led by some of the more progressive countries in the world? We should all be required to read Whale Warriors and be moved to action to end this senseless murder by Japan, Norway and Iceland.
Will we ever learn?
The Whale Warriors: The Battle at the Bottom of the World to Save the Planet's Largest Mammals, chronicles the efforts of Watson, a modern day anti-Ahab, and his international band of mostly younger people to interrupt the murderous rampage of Japanese whalers in late 2005/early 2006. Published in 2007, Heller's coverage initially suggests skepticism of Watson's mission. After all, they are going to battle on a tired rusty trawler with crew made up of committed vegans, many of whom had never been on the ocean before. But witnessing the slaughter inflicted by the whalers and the bold, heroic, even suicidal efforts of Watson's crew, Heller becomes a believer.
What man has done to the whale over the millennia is beyond comprehension. Maybe we can give ourselves an out for the days of Moby Dick, not knowing any better, but today, what is our shameful excuse? How can we allow ourselves to continue with this senseless killing of whales led by some of the more progressive countries in the world? We should all be required to read Whale Warriors and be moved to action to end this senseless murder by Japan, Norway and Iceland.
Will we ever learn?
May 23, 2022
🌤 (3.5 rounded to 4.0)
I have read several of Heller’s fictional works and been enthralled with them all. This is the first of his nonfiction works. In 2007, Heller spent two months aboard an environmental pirate ship Farley Mowat as it stalked its prey—the Japanese whaling fleet—through the ice and stormy weather of the Antarctic. The ship is crewed by members of the Sea Shepherd Society, a radical environmental group whose crew is willing to do anyone to stop the illegal whale hunting.
Captain Paul Watson is something of a pirate himself—willing to break the law, be incarcerated and takes unacceptable risks to his ship and crew to stop attacks on in endangered whales. While on board, Heller witnesses the Farley Mowat’s attempt to ram a huge Japanese factory whaling ship.
This book and the whole environmental catastrophe is a contradiction. The volunteers are dedicated but there are differences in degrees of political/social convictions (freegans, vegans, vegetarians). They are committed and willing but woefully untrained and inexperienced which hampers their ability to act as a coordinated crew. Heller looks at the issue as a journalist so he couches the issues of whaling in terms of political, societal, scientific and ethical concerns. He presents information on the history and economics of the industry. He has also endeavored to present the nonfiction material in as entertaining way as a fiction offering. He succeeds to an extent but not as well as some others. However I suggest that readers concerned with environmental convention read this thought provoking work.
I have read several of Heller’s fictional works and been enthralled with them all. This is the first of his nonfiction works. In 2007, Heller spent two months aboard an environmental pirate ship Farley Mowat as it stalked its prey—the Japanese whaling fleet—through the ice and stormy weather of the Antarctic. The ship is crewed by members of the Sea Shepherd Society, a radical environmental group whose crew is willing to do anyone to stop the illegal whale hunting.
Captain Paul Watson is something of a pirate himself—willing to break the law, be incarcerated and takes unacceptable risks to his ship and crew to stop attacks on in endangered whales. While on board, Heller witnesses the Farley Mowat’s attempt to ram a huge Japanese factory whaling ship.
This book and the whole environmental catastrophe is a contradiction. The volunteers are dedicated but there are differences in degrees of political/social convictions (freegans, vegans, vegetarians). They are committed and willing but woefully untrained and inexperienced which hampers their ability to act as a coordinated crew. Heller looks at the issue as a journalist so he couches the issues of whaling in terms of political, societal, scientific and ethical concerns. He presents information on the history and economics of the industry. He has also endeavored to present the nonfiction material in as entertaining way as a fiction offering. He succeeds to an extent but not as well as some others. However I suggest that readers concerned with environmental convention read this thought provoking work.
September 25, 2018
This book reads like fiction and is an important book to read...it truly sheds a light on what is happening to our oceans...not only the illegal whale killing, but also the systemic depletion of our ocean life in general. Sadly, even though great efforts have been done by the Sea Shepherd to save these beautiful creatures and bring awareness on an international level as to what's really happening to our oceans, the reality is that little has changed in the last 10 years. We continue to destroy our oceans. I applaud the Sea Shepherd and the voluntary members of the crew for putting up a true fight...unlike their p*ssy, money grubbing counterparts Greenpeace who just wave pretty flags and point fingers saying "now, now, you shouldn't kill the poor endangered whales." Peter Heller did an amazing job and writing this story!
February 16, 2025
To read about a group of people so singularly focused on saving the whales is inspirational. Captain Watson and his crew are hellbent on sinking the Japanese whaling ships and stopping their campaign to harvest hundreds of whales from the southern oceans off of Antartica.
The book takes some time to get into as much of the action takes place later on. However, this doesn’t mean that there is little suspense to that point. Heller writes a story of a group of ragtag international volunteers with a singular focus — to stop the slaughter of innocent whales. Heller cinematic descriptions put you on the boat with the crew as the search through dense fog, roaring gales, and monstrous ice shelves to hunt down the harpoon boats. It’s a great story and is an eye opening account of the state of our oceans.
The book takes some time to get into as much of the action takes place later on. However, this doesn’t mean that there is little suspense to that point. Heller writes a story of a group of ragtag international volunteers with a singular focus — to stop the slaughter of innocent whales. Heller cinematic descriptions put you on the boat with the crew as the search through dense fog, roaring gales, and monstrous ice shelves to hunt down the harpoon boats. It’s a great story and is an eye opening account of the state of our oceans.
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