For over a decade, Paul Watson, a staunch anti-whaling activist, has been playing a high-stakes game of cat and mouse with Japanese authorities. But at the COP30 climate summit in Brazil, he made it crystal clear: he's not backing down.
Watson, the founder of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society and the Captain Paul Watson Foundation, recently spoke with Reuters aboard his ship during the U.N. Climate Change Conference (COP30) in Belem, Brazil, on November 12, 2025. He's a man who has dedicated his life to protecting our oceans, and he's showing no signs of slowing down.
- Key Takeaways:
- Watson is shifting his focus to deep-sea mining and the krill industry.
- He plans to challenge Norway's krill harvesting practices under the upcoming High Seas Treaty.
- Despite Japan's request, Brazil is unlikely to arrest Watson.
From the heart of the Amazon, Watson urged delegates at the climate summit to remember the crucial role oceans play in mitigating climate change. He highlighted the importance of phytoplankton, the microscopic organisms that produce a significant portion of the oxygen we breathe.
"If phytoplankton were to disappear from the sea, we would die," Watson emphasized, pointing out how easily we overlook these vital, yet unseen, components of our ecosystem.
Watson, who was an early member of Greenpeace in the 1970s, established Sea Shepherd to focus specifically on ocean conservation. The group gained international recognition for its daring tactics, including confronting whaling ships and other disruptive actions at sea. He celebrated the end of Japanese whaling in international waters in 2019, following a ruling by the International Court of Justice that deemed the practice illegal. In 2022, he founded the Captain Paul Watson Foundation to further his conservation efforts.
But here's where it gets controversial... Watson is now turning his attention to protecting smaller creatures, specifically krill. These tiny, shrimp-like organisms are a primary food source for whales and other marine life. With the High Seas Treaty set to take effect in January, Watson intends to challenge Norway's krill harvesting practices, which are used to feed salmon farms.
"We want to confront the Norwegian krill fishery on that day," he stated. "They're taking 620,000 metric tons of krill out of the Southern Ocean, right out of the mouths of the whales and the penguins."
He's also aiming to challenge attempts to mine rare earth minerals from the seabed, a process that scientists warn could devastate delicate ecosystems.
And this is the part most people miss... U.S. President Donald Trump has even ordered the acceleration of the country’s deep-sea mining efforts.
When Watson arrived in Belem, Japan requested his arrest by Brazilian authorities, citing trespassing charges related to the alleged damage of a whaling boat and injury to a whaler. However, Watson seems unfazed, having attended numerous public events with Brazilian officials, including the Environment Minister and the First Lady. A Brazilian government source confirmed to Reuters that they would not be pursuing his arrest.
"Japan follows me everywhere. And everywhere I go, they try to get me arrested,” Watson said, reflecting on his 14 years of evading Japanese authorities. In July, Interpol dismissed a 2012 international arrest warrant for Watson, who denies the charges.
What do you think? Do you agree with Watson's approach to ocean conservation? Is the focus on krill and deep-sea mining the right direction? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
