Captain Paul Watson & The Farley Mowat
Me onboard the Sirenian
This can be considered a fun fact about me ...
After spending the Summer of 2000 in the San Juan Islands, I was approached by Captain Paul Watson, one of the co-founders of Greenpeace, founder and president of Sea Shepherd, and one of the greatest environmentalists of our time. He stated that he was entering into a contract with the government of Ecuador, specifically with the Galapagos National Park, to donate a retired US Coast Guard Cutter named Sirenian (That is me to the left onboard the Sirenian). Since I had maritime experience and knew Spanish, I would act as the translator along the way and when we arrive in the Galapagos Islands. I accepted and we sailed from Seattle to the Galapagos Islands. Along the way, we stopped in Los Angeles for a fund raiser and I got to meet several celebrity supporters.
Se Shepherd was recently featured in their series on Animal Planet called Whale Wars and the Netflix documentary, Seaspiracy.
That is me to the left with Captain Paul Watson at the opening of the office in the Galapagos Islands. During my first year in the Galapagos Islands, I lived onboard the Sirenian and worked alongside the rangers of the Galapagos National Park. I was involved in numerous operations to combat illegal industrial fishing practices within the Galapagos Marine Reserve.
I partnered with the Latin American Association for Human Rights (ALDHU) and the Ecuadorian Environmental Police to combat the illegal shark fin trade. I was an activist combating corruption in the Ecuadorian government, exposing the connection between politicians, drug traffickers, and the illegal shark fin trade. I was even arrested by orders of the Ecuadorian president, Rafael Correa, but then released due to pressure by the Ecuadorian citizens and the international community, who protested his attempt at deporting me from the country. I received numerous threats to my life from the drug tracking rings that were involved in the shark fin trade.
References:
That is me onboard a illegal longliner caught shark finning in the Galapagos Marine Reserve. I was an onboard observer documenting evidence.
That is me documenting the seizure of shark fins.
Me along with two agents of the Ecuadorian Environmental Police during a raid.
Seizure of protected sea cucumbers
The Sirenian patrolling the Galapagos
Life as an environmental activist in the Galapagos Islands was perhaps one of the greatest experiences of my life but the true purpose of my journey to the Galapagos was in meeting my future partner
Continue to My Family and explore my journey even further ...
