Commentary by Captain Paul Watson
On Board the Sea Shepherd ship Steve Irwin 

It was only a few months ago that Susan Weingartner from the Sea Shepherd board of directors and I met with Heath Ledger at his production studio in Los Angeles. He was extremely enthusiastic about showing us the animated video he was working on about whales and whaling. It was an incredible piece.

He was just heading off to Chicago to complete the Batman movie with another longtime Sea Shepherd supporter Christian Bale.

Heath joined our Sea Shepherd Advisory Board in October 2007 and we agreed to meet after the Antarctic campaign to discuss future projects. So it was sad indeed when news reached me today off the coast of Antarctica that Heath has died.

All of us on the Steve Irwin and all of us in the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society are saddened by the news of his death. Our condolences to his family and friends. He was a great actor and a great activist and he was a friend of the whales and the planet.

He will be missed.