Signing Off

Doug O’Neil
Communications Officer, Steve Irwin

After two months at sea with Sea Shepherd, it’s time to head home. I’ve worked on all three ships, the helicopter and the small boats, and I can walk away satisfied knowing I’ve done good work and set up some great systems that will help us win this fight. We’ve deployed several new technologies and drastically upgraded the communication and Internet systems. Sea Shepherd is not only stronger now boat wise, but also technology wise.

I leave with a heavy heart, as I would prefer to stay with this amazing crew and see the campaign through, contributing my skills and time to finding and stopping the whaling fleet, but alas my beautiful family also need me, and my work at the Wilderness Society Australia (who have been very patient with me) is calling. Luckily for me, I get to go from the icy extremes of the Ross Sea saving whales, to saving forests and ecosystems in Australia. I come away inspired to research more technologies to give Sea Shepherd the technological advantage in other campaigns.

With all the passionate committed and inventive souls onboard the Sea Shepherd boats, and onshore support, I know this will be our best year yet, and hopefully our last.  The Bob Barker and Gojira are both out hunting for the Nisshin Maru, and the Steve Irwin and its helicopter will be back in the Southern Ocean to reinforce them within a week on the second leg of the campaign. I am proud to have worked for an organization that makes the absolute most out of every dollar donated. Thanks to all our supporters, the crews of the Sea Shepherd fleet and to those magnificent creatures…the whales that inspire us all.