Important Message from an Ex Whaler

By Deb Baxter - The Body Shop

My name is Paddy Hart. I was one of Australia’s last whaling captains before the industry was shut down in 1978. I spent 18 years hunting sperm whales in WA. Then Greenpeace came along. They helped end whaling in Australia. They would get out in boats and annoy us. But their most effective method was telling millions of Australians about the whale hunt. Along with other environment groups, they turned the tide of public opinion against whaling and that’s when whaling stopped in Australia.

Greenpeace has 30 years experience shutting down whaling operations around the world. I recently went to Japan to see what they are doing there. The Japanese government is stubborn but the experience of Greenpeace will win out if they can keep their campaign going.

Help Greenpeace save whales
There's no humane way to kill a whale, speaking from experience as a whale gunner. The harpoon causes massive internal bleeding but death comes slowly and it is agony. We killed whales for their blubber – to make lubricating motor oil. Now the oil is made synthetically.

There is life after whaling – and more money to be made from whale watching than killing whales. I have sympathy for the whalers in one sense because I've been in that situation. But, if whaling stops, they'll find something else to do, like we did.

When I was in Japan with Greenpeace, I talked to people from the media, the public and the whaling industry. People think the Japanese support their government’s whaling program but I found out that’s not true. Most of them don’t even know the government spends their taxes and loses money on whaling. I helped get these issues in the news, so Japanese people know what’s going on. Greenpeace is working hard on the ground in Japan – and they’re getting results. Japanese people are speaking out against whaling for the first time. The whaling industry is becoming an embarrassment. The pressure will force the Japanese government to ground the whaling fleet forever.

The world has changed a lot since I was a whaler. Whale watching is now a $300 million industry in Australia. It's taken 40 years for the whales to come to trust us and let the boats come close to see them. If whalers start shooting humpbacks, we've lost that trust and that industry, and our grandchildren will never see a whale. I saw first hand how Greenpeace helped stopped whaling in Australia. And I’ve seen how they will end the Japanese government’s whaling. Thanks for supporting Greenpeace to end whaling today, Paddy Hart.

PS. As an ex-whaler, I can say whaling no longer has a place in the world. Whale protection is the way to go and I’m honoured to help Greenpeace end whaling.