The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society is proud to announce that Captain Paul Watson has been chosen by the Guardian newspaper of Great Britain as one of the 50 people who can save the planet. In fact he was one of the few whose picture was included.

Captain Watson responded to the honour from onboard his ship Steve Irwin off the coast of Antarctica where he is presently pursuing illegal Japanese whaling activities.

"I am of course honoured to be included in such an esteemed group of activists. I appreciate the recognition and the credibility it contributes towards Sea Shepherd efforts to protect and defend our oceans. I am also pleased that my friend Terry Tamminem is listed. He's done an incredible job in California."

"I get called quite a few things with pirate and eco-terrorist being the more polite labels. But you don't make change by being nice and polite. Change requires cages to be rattled, the boat to be rocked and even sunk sometimes and it requires a deep passionate commitment to righting wrongs and upholding justice especially when justice must take precedence over laws designed for vested interests. The fact that the Guardian recognizes this restores my faith in the independent mainstream media."