In conversation with Peter Hammarstedt

For 110 days, the Sea Shepherd activists hunted the Thunder, probably the most notorious trawler of all, until its captain sank the ship right before their eyes. Long-time fans of the International OCEAN FILM TOUR will remember the exciting documentary ‘Chasing the Thunder’ from 2018. Peter Hammarstedt recalls: "We generated a huge amount of media attention, which ultimately led to governments around the world withdrawing the Thunder's five sister ships from service. Once again, we shut down illegal fishing in the Antarctic."

In the years that followed, the Sea Shepherd fleet increased its patrols off the west coast of Africa. The aim here was also to shutdown illegal trawlers and, at the same time, give the local fishermen a chance to make a living.

Peter continues: "A local fisherman once said to me, 'When the big boat comes, the trawlers leave.' He was referring to our ship." Statements like these validate his work at Sea Shepherd—and have done so for 20 years: "The reason I joined Sea Shepherd is because I care about results, and Sea Shepherd is a results-driven organization."

Since its founding in 1977, Sea Shepherd has never seen itself purely as a protest organization but always as a direct-action organization. In other words, they wanted to actively prevent poaching and the destruction of habitats. The methods they used were criticized by other environmental protection organizations. Sea Shepherd alone is responsible for sinking ten whaling ships between 1979 and 1998. That was 26 years ago—enough time to rethink its own actions.

"We were more narrowly-focused in the past. For example, we only campaigned for whales in the Antarctic or for seals in Canada. Now we are concerned with protecting entire ecosystems," says Peter Hammarstedt. In the meantime, Sea Shepherd no longer wants to ignore the human factor: "We understand that our actions have an impact on local communities and why they have to be stakeholders. Conservation is still our primary focus, but we are saving more animals than ever before and also helping people in vulnerable countries at the same time."

This attitude also benefits Sea Shepherd in its cooperation with other organizations. "Before our hunt for the Thunder, no other NGO or government would welcome us," recalls Peter Hammarstedt. "We were the dinner guest that no one had invited. But now we're sitting at the table, and other people recognize that we offer something that no one else can."

The fight against illegal fishing and whaling in the Antarctic and off the west coast of Africa is only a small part of Sea Shepherd's worldwide activities. Twelve ships are currently in operation, with twelve employees coordinating the missions from land. However, most of the activists are volunteers, either with the umbrella organization Sea Shepherd Global or with local chapters, such as Sea Shepherd Germany. In this way, the NGO ensures that the donations are not swallowed up by a huge administrative apparatus but actually benefit the campaigns.

With its current initiative, which is the focus of the film ‘The Return to Antarctica’, Sea Shepherd wants to protect some of the smallest marine creatures in the Southern Ocean—the Antarctic krill. These tiny crustaceans are an essential part of the ecosystem there. Not only are they the primary food source for whales, penguins, and seals, but they also remove greenhouse gases from the atmosphere.

Krill fishing is banned in most national waters, but in the Antarctic, it is practiced on a grand scale—legally. Sea Shepherd wants to take action against this, but in a different way to previous campaigns. "The krill fishermen are not breaking any laws," says Peter Hammarstedt. "That's why we need a different strategy; we need to change the laws."