Captain Paul Watson of Sea Shepherd Conservation Society (SSCS) is under arrest in Germany. According to an official statement from SSCS, the organization's founder was taken into custody on May 12. He is being held at Frankfurt Airport for extradition to Costa Rica. Watson, best known from Animal Planet’s hit series “Whale Wars,” is being charged in association with an incident that took place in 2002 during the filming of the award-winning documentary Sharkwater:
The specific “violation of ships traffic” incident took place on the high seas in Guatemalan waters, when Sea Shepherd encountered an illegal shark finning operation, run by a Costa Rican ship called the Varadero. On order of the Guatemalan authorities, Sea Shepherd instructed the crew of the Varadero to cease their shark finning activities and head back to port to be prosecuted. While escorting the Varadero back to port, the tables were turned and a Guatemalan gunboat was dispatched to intercept the Sea Shepherd crew. The crew of the Varadero accused the Sea Shepherds of trying to kill them, while the video evidence proves this to be a fallacy. To avoid the Guatemalan gunboat, Sea Shepherd then set sail for Costa Rica, where they uncovered even more illegal shark finning activities in the form of dried shark fins by the thousands on the roofs of industrial buildings.
Over 100 million sharks are killed each year. Many of these animals fall victim to the illegal shark fin trade. Shark fins are used to make a traditional Chinese soup. Sharks are caught, their fins are hacked off and the mangled animals are tossed back into the ocean to die a slow and agonizing death. SSCS views the practice as inhumane to sharks and destructive to oceans. As apex predators, sharks are essential to the delicate balance of ocean eco-systems. According to Watson, "If the oceans die, we die." He continues, "We cannot live on this planet with a dead ocean."
Along with its worldwide campaigns saving whales, SSCS has an extensive history in defense of sharks. Earlier in 2012, Gary Stokes of SSCS Hong Kong captured video footage of thousands of shark fins drying on a sidewalk in Hong Kong. Stokes has since launched a petition on change.org to remove a shark fin industry insider from CITES, the United Nations body created to control the trade in endangered species. Legislation currently being offered by lawmakers in cities, states and countries around the world seeks to ban the sale of shark fins.
After a hearing on Monday, Watson's lawyer Oliver Wallasch said that his client would remain in custody until the Costa Rican extradition request is considered, adding that he did not know how long this process would take. "My client is shocked," Wallasch said.
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