News / Sea Shepherd bond set at 1 million euros
THE FOUNDER of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society has appealed to the organisation’s many supporters to help raise $1.4 million to free their flagship Steve Irwin from detention in Lerwick harbour.
Paul Watson said the organisation had now to fight for its vessel since the Maltese fishing company Fish & Fish Limited have brought a civil lawsuit against the group.
The Steve Irwin is currently berthed in Lerwick harbour, and was last night moved from Morrison Dock to Hoegan, on the Bressay side of the harbour, to make space for the visiting tall ships.
The vessel arrived in Shetland last week to launch a two month campaign against the controversial annual pilot whale grind in the Faroe Islands, in which up to 1,000 of the sea mammals are being slaughtered.
Sea Shepherd learned late on Tuesday that they had to deposit a bond of $1.4 million (£875,000 or 1 million euros) to free their vessel, after it was served with a court order on Friday.
Fish & Fish alleges that the radical environmentalists had rammed a bluefin tuna pen off the Libyan coast, in summer last year, releasing 600 fish weighing some 35 tonnes. The company says it had suffered damages of 1 million euros.
Sea Shepherd said the fish were caught illegally and they had the evidence to prove that claim.
Mr Watson said: “They are claiming damages for the bluefin tuna we rescued from their nets in June 2010, fish that we believe were illegally caught after the season had closed, without an inspector onboard, or any paperwork documenting the legality of their catch.
“We have a legal firm representing us, and believe we have the necessary evidence to support our case.
“This lawsuit will also give us the opportunity to expose what we allege to be illegal activities by Fish and Fish and we will be aggressively defending the case on this basis.”
In a statement on the group’s website, Mr Watson urged Sea Shepherd supporters to help raise the money as quickly as they could, as otherwise “the Steve Irwin will be held indefinitely and possibly sold”.
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