Paul Watson is allegedly shot by the Japanese whaling crew during a confrontation between the whaling factory ship Nisshin Maru and the Sea Shepherd vessel MV Steve Irwin. The episode then flashes back to the maiden launching and departure of the vessel from homeport three months earlier.
After weeks of searching, the Sea Shepherds finally spot a Japanese whaling ship, the harpoon vessel Yushin Maru #2. Captain Paul Watson devises a dangerous plan for two of his crew members to board the vessel and deliver a letter telling them to stop the killing of whales. He hopes to create an international incident, but his plan sparks a safety debate that divides the crew. Two volunteers enlist for the mission — Ben Potts and Giles Lane — and the crew braces for the worst as the men jump over the railing of the enemy ship. They are immediately tied up by the Japanese fishermen, and the Yushin speeds away with the two Shepherds still aboard.
Without negotiation and confrontation with the MV Steve Irwin, the Yushin Maru № 2 agreed to transfer Pottsy and Giles to a government ship that would then meet with the Steve Irwin at a rendezvous point to return the two members. 1st Mate Peter Brown decides to launch an attack on the Yushin Maru № 2 at dusk. Four crewmembers are sent on the Zodiac inflatable boat Delta to carry out the risky mission. After losing radio contact with them, recon pilot Chris Aultman, who was sent too late to survey the situation, reports that they are heading in the wrong direction and must return as night falls. The lone Delta was feared to be forever lost out in the middle of the dark, frigid, vast Antarctic Ocean. Fortunately, contact was finally made with the Delta, which eventually returns to the MV Steve Irwin over two hours later and behind schedule to retrieve Pottsy and Giles.
Giles Lane and Ben Potts safely return to the MV Steve Irwin. The crew then discovers that an unknown ship, allegedly spying for the Japanese whaling fleet, has been following them, decides to recon it from behind a tabletop iceberg for any military personnel aboard, and temporarily drives it away after seeing no sign of illegal military activity. The crew later plans to ambush the mystery ship, soon identified as the Fukuyoshi № 68, to prevent information about the Steve Irwin's whereabouts from being given to the rest of the whaling fleet. They plan to do this by boarding the vessel and sabotaging its communication equipment, shutting off any communication with anyone. Before the mission, a hydraulic crane used to launch the motor rafts somehow got damaged, jeopardizing the Sea Shepherd's mission.
The MV Steve Irwin experiences several technical difficulties, including a damaged engine, hydraulic crane, and helicopter. Running on only one engine, the ship must return to port at Melbourne, Australia to make repairs while the whaling continues. Some crewmembers decide to party and leave the operation. Upon arrival, they were welcomely greeted and cheered by the citizens, and by the police. Pottsy and Giles become instant celebrities on homecoming. After recruiting new members, the crew travels without its recon chopper and returns to the Southern Ocean only to find that the suspicious ship is still following them.
After noticing that the suspicious ship Fukuyoshi Maru № 68 has found and followed the MV Steve Irwin again, Watson unsuccessfully attempts to send four female crewmembers to board the vessel to deliver a warrant. This leads to a man's injured thumb and a woman's injured pelvis (Incidents not related). The Steve Irwin detects the Nisshin Maru on radar. At dusk, the entire ship experiences a power outage, leaving it drifting through an iceberg field without operating engines.
After power was restored to part of the ship, the MV Steve Irwin finally finds, follows, and comes face to face two times with the Japanese whaling factory ship Nisshin Maru, which Watson considers the "most evil" vessel in international waters. A pod of whales swims between the two "warring" ships, which eventually engage in a ship-to-ship "battle." The captain of the Nisshin Maru warned on a recorded message sent multiple times through a horn that "If you dare board this vessel, you will be taken into custody." Recruited Sea Shepherds are the first to strike, throwing stink bombs with Butyric acid onto the decks of the Nisshin Maru, which dwarfed the Steve Irwin in size, while its crew watches and films the Steve Irwin. The Japanese whalers claim that three of their crewmembers were injured by the stink bombs. When the two ships meet the second time, the Steve Irwin crew strikes first again while the Nisshin Maru crew, in return, threatens to use tear gas grenades and throws flash bombs. Watson fishes a metallic fragment from his vest and claims to have been shot. As Watson concluded that the second leg of the mission was successful, the Sea Shepherds claimed that they have saved about 500 whales. The Steve Irwin returns to Melbourne again before running out of fuel.
The series starts with a dramatic encounter with the Japanese Whaling fleet. The episode then flashes back to the maiden launching and departure of the vessel from homeport three months earlier. Paul Watson and the Sea Shepherds head back down to Antarctica for what promises to be their most intense anti-whaling campaign yet. However, no sooner does the ship leave port than the ship's Gyro breaks and they hit a massive storm the size of Australia
A huge weather system moves in and the Steve Irwin is forced to take shelter behind a large iceberg. By morning, they are surrounded by ice so thick they can no longer move. The ice begins to push against the aging ship's fragile hull, denting it inwards.
The Sea Shepherd gather intel on the fleet's location, they realize that they are low on fuel. As they weigh whether or not to head back to port, they come across the entire Japanese fleet searching for one of their crewmembers that has fallen overboard.
The Sea Shepherds have come across the entire Japanese fleet searching for one of their crewmembers that fell overboard. Paul orders his crew to stand down, and they agonize over being so close to their target, yet unable to attack.
The Steve Irwin is quarantined in Hobart and the crew anxiously waits to find out if they have been exposed to Anthrax. Finally they get the all clear and 1st mate Peter Brown wastes no time leaving the ship after having quit the campaign.
Surrounded by the Japanese whaling fleet, the Sea Shepherds ready themselves for their biggest day of battle to date on the campaign. Helicopter pilot Chris flies up and confirms the crew's fears - all of the whaling vessels are equipped with LRAD weapons.
Captain Watson is in pursuit of the Nisshin Maru when all three Japanese harpoon ships suddenly appear on out of the fog. The Sea Shepherds are completely outnumbered.
As the Sea Shepherds prepare for their fourth straight day of engagement with the Japanese whaling fleet, Andy and Simon argue with Dan over the best strategy for attack.
Low on fuel, the small boats head toward the Steve Irwin, but in order to get them on board safely, Paul must employ a dangerous military strategy, "The Crazy Ivan," circling at a high speed to try and create calm water for the little boats to return.
The Sea Shepherds shock turns to fury when the Japanese fleet pulls a dead whale onto Nisshin Maru for slaughter. Paul Watson instructs the crew to prepare for battle.
Season Finale.The Sea Shepherds continue to attempt to disrupt the whaling fleet's operations. When the Yushin 3 tries to transfer a dead whale to the Nisshin Maru, Captain Watson maneuvers his ship to block the transfer resulting in a full-speed collision.
The Sea Shepherds embark on another dangerous campaign as whaling season begins in the Antarctic; a donation from former game-show host Bob Barker allows the group to purchase a former Norwegian whaling vessel.
A Japanese reconnaissance ship pursues the Steve Irwin; two members of the Andy Gil crew suffer illness and injury; the Bob Barker's engine fails two days into its journey.
The Sea Shepherds have been relentlessly followed by the whaling reconnaissance vessel for two weeks. They find themselves in a full-on engagement on the high seas as Captain Paul Watson orders a massive butyric acid bottle attack on his nemesis.
The Sea Shepherd's stealth boat, the Ady Gil, launches a sneak attack on the Japanese whaling reconnaissance vessel in an effort to break free of the tail and find the rest of the whaling fleet.
After nearly a month of searching, the Sea Shepherds have finally found their ultimate target: the world's only whale factory ship, the Nisshin Maru.
At the bottom of the world, a collision has just devastated one of the Sea Shepherds' vessels. The crew on the other vessel stand helpless on their deck, watching in horror as the Japanese vessel barrels through the Sea Shepherds' prized speedboat.
In the aftermath of the devastating loss of their stealth vessel, the Sea Shepherds have returned to the campaign with renewed passion and intensity. Now the two remaining ships are back on the hunt for the Japanese fleet.
With low oil and drinking water, and a damaged helicopter, the Sea Shepherds' hunt for the Japanese whaling fleet has been brought to a halt. While on their way back to port, the radar shows two colossal storms that they can't avoid.
As the Sea Shepherds approach the Nisshin Maru, they are suddenly surrounded by four whaling vessels. Suddenly, one of the Japanese vessels moves in dangerously close, and as the deck crew quickly braces themselves, the ships violently collide.
The Sea Shepherds refuse to be bullied by the Japanese fleet even though they're out numbered. The deckhands repel over the side of the ship to assess the damage from the collision and realize that there is a gash in the steel hull and water is pouring in.
The whalers face new attacks from the Sea Shepherds as they mount an attack with both the Bob Barker and Steve Irwin.
The former captain of the Ady Gil goes for a boarding attempt and one of the Sea Shepherd vessels goes dead in the water.
The whalers attempt to lose their attackers in an ice field.
Pete Bethune recounts his experience aboard the Japanese security vessel.
Journey through the past three seasons of Whale Wars, where the volunteer activists of the Sea Shepherd Conversation Society risk their lives in the most brutal conditions on planet earth to battle the Japanese whaling fleet.
The Sea Shepherds depart on their 2010/2011 ant-whaling campaign with a new, fast interceptor vessel. Early on, they find two harpoon ships before the whaling fleet has killed a single whale. Could they be set up for their most successful campaign ever?
After engaging the harpoon ships using the small boat teams, Captain Paul Watson makes the call to abandon the harpoon ships and go in search of the factory vessel. After a few hours of sailing, the tables have turned — two harpoon ships begin tailing Sea Shepherd!
Tailed by a harpoon ship, the Steve Irwin enlists the help of the Sea Shepherds' new, fast interceptor ship in an attempt to break free. Meanwhile, the Bob Barker crew spots a large blip on their radar and believe it could be their ultimate target: the Nisshin Maru.
When damage happens to one of the small boats, and the Bob Barker is five hours away, the crew realizes that they will have to spend a night at sea. But the crew is wet and freezing already, and early symptoms of hypothermia begin to set in.
The Bob Barker desperately searches for their two small boat crews who were lost at sea in the aftermath of a daring mission. Meanwhile, the Gojira locates the whalers' refueling vessel and Locky plays a dangerous game of "chicken" with the massive ship.
New Zealand's Navy contacts the Steve Irwin to respond to an emergency distress signal where five crew members from a Norwegian sailboat have gone missing. Now the Sea Shepherds must risk their lives in a dangerous mission to find the missing mariners.
As the first leg of their campaign comes to a close, the Sea Shepherds battle physical and mental exhaustion, especially pilot Chris Aultman. Thanks to an anonymous tip, the Steve Irwin finally locates the whalers' factory ship, the Nisshin Maru.
The Bob Barker and Gojira launch an ambitious assault on the harpoon ship that has been following them and manage to completely disable the whaling vessel. Now free of its tail, the Barker continues searching for their ultimate target, the Nisshin Maru.
The Sea Shepherds finally locate the factory vessel after months of searching, but it promptly tries to evade the Gojira.
An exciting crash course on the Sea Shepherds' last four Antarctic campaigns, that chronicles the explosive battles that have led up to the season finale of Whale Wars and highlights the most unbelievable moments on the Antarctic seas.
In the fourth-season finale, Watson claims a major victory after 30 years of fighting, while he and the crew reaffirm their commitment to stopping the whaling fleet.
The mighty bluefin is on the brink of extinction, and Sea Shepherd are entering the war-torn waters of Libya to defend the lucrative fish from illegal poachers.
Since 2008, Whale Wars has chronicled the explosive battles that have shaped Sea Shepherds' anti-whaling campaign in the Antarctic seas. This look back at the past four seasons of Whale Wars highlights the most unbelievable moments of the series.
Last year, the Sea Shepherds thought they had ending whaling in the Southern Ocean once and for all. But the Japanese are returning stronger than ever...Catch a sneak peak of the season premiere of Animal Planet's Whale Wars.
In the Season 5 premiere, the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society responds to Japan's 2011 announcement to resume its whaling operations in the Antarctic and the government's promise to beef up the fleet's security.
In the face of heavy security and threats of violence, Sea Shepherd launches a campaign to end the clubbing of 90,000 fur seals along Namibia's Skeleton Coast. But the campaign is compromised and their headquarters raided - threatening to end the campaign.
A plan to intercept the whaling fleet before it reaches the whaling grounds is nearing a critical point. The new helicopter pilot, Gary, spots a ship on the horizon; If it is the whalers' factory ship, this may be Sea Sheparhd's the earliest victory ever.
The Sea Shepherds' scout vessel, the Brigitte Bardot is damaged by a 30-foot wave, and help is more than 20 hours away.
With the Japanese fleet's security vessel looming on the horizon, the captain of the badly damaged Brigitte Bardot orders his crew to evacuate the boat. Meanwhile, in Antarctica, the Bob Barker deploys the small boats team to disable a harpoon ship.
The exhausted crew of the Brigitte Bardot scramble to evacuate the ailing vessel. And Captain Paul Watson goes on the offensive, sending a team to board the heavily armed security vessel: the Shonan Maru.
With three activists aboard the Japanese security vessel, Capt Paul Watson hopes the media frenzy will force the Shonan Maru 2 to back off. Meanwhile, the crew of the Steve Irwin are plunged into their most violent battle yet.
When a massive target is detected on their radar, Sea Shepherd sends out their new helicopter pilot to ID the mystery vessel. But as the helicopter reaches the limits of its fuel range, it abruptly disappears, crashing into radio silence.
After months of frustration, Sea Shepherd finally find their target - the Nisshin Maru. Now, they must run an eight-mile gauntlet blocked by two harpoon ships aggressively defending their mother ship. The success of the campaign rides on this moment.
Note: This will be the only episode this season. Now armed with four vessels while Watson watches from his self-imposed confinement in his quarters aboard the Steve Irwin, the small Sea Shepherd armada has appointed four new captains to continue the mission: Siddarth "Sid" Chakravarty with the main vessel, Steve Irwin; Peter Hammarstedt taking the helm of the icebreaker Bob Barker; Jean Yves Terlan piloting the speedy trimaran Brigitte Bardot; and Luis Manuel Pinho onboard the newcomer ship Sam Simon, named after Sea Shepherd donor, animal rights activist and executive producer of THE SIMPSONS.
Sea Shepherd embark on their 10th anti-whaling campaign in the Antarctic, but for the first time they are without Captain Paul Watson. Peter Hammarstedt takes the reins as campaign leader, where a single misstep could cost hundreds of whales their lives.
With a brutal storm threatening to strike, and crew members refusing to obey orders, rookie campaign leader Peter Hammarstedt finds himself struggling to maintain control. With the Japanese harpoon ships looming, the campaign may be in trouble.
The battle to stop whaling reaches its apex as the Bob Barker and a Japanese harpoon ship collide. Sea Shepherd's only hope is to track the whaling fleet by helicopter, but when blizzard conditions block communications and freeze instruments, hope fades.
Want to get caught up on all the action from the first season of Whale Wars? Watch previously unaired scenes and get a sneak peak at all the action from season two!
Journalist Lisa Ling sits down with Captain Paul Watson and five of your favorite Sea Shepherds to dig deeper into the historic campaign that led to Japan's whaling fleet quitting their season early.
At the Edge of the World chronicles the controversial Sea Shepherd Antarctic Campaign against a Japanese whaling fleet before the television series.
