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Captain Paul Watson is a marine conservationist and the founder of Sea Shepherd. He now leads the Captain Paul Watson Foundation, an independent organization dedicated to protecting ocean wildlife.

No. Captain Watson is no longer involved with Sea Shepherd Global or Sea Shepherd USA. He now leads the Captain Paul Watson Foundation, which operates independently.
The Captain Paul Watson Foundation is an independent nonprofit organization focused on direct-action marine conservation, continuing the mission Captain Watson has led for decades.

Sea Shepherd and the Captain Paul Watson Foundation are separate organizations.

  • Sea Shepherd Global and Sea Shepherd USA operate independently of Captain Watson
  • The Captain Paul Watson Foundation is a new, independent organization led by him

While they share a common history, they are not the same organization today.

Captain Watson founded the Captain Paul Watson Foundation to continue his conservation work independently and to pursue his vision for direct-action marine protection.
The confusion comes from shared history and name recognition. Captain Watson founded Sea Shepherd, and his name is still strongly associated with it, even though he now leads a separate organization.

Captain Watson maintains relationships with some independent Sea Shepherd chapters, including Sea Shepherd France and Sea Shepherd Brazil.

However, these chapters operate independently, and this does not change the fact that the Captain Paul Watson Foundation is a separate organization from Sea Shepherd Global and Sea Shepherd USA.

Support the organization whose mission, leadership, and approach align most closely with your values. The Captain Paul Watson Foundation directly supports Captain Watson’s current work and campaigns.
You can learn more by visiting the official website of the Captain Paul Watson Foundation and following its updates on social media.