Egyptian Revolution

The revolution in Egypt has been capturing my attention lately. It’s new and exciting to think of what can happen for the people of a country who have lived under a US-backed dictator for 30 years.

The protests have been quite well attended and fairly peaceful--at least from the side of the anti-government people. The police and hired thugs have no problem maiming and killing people to further their aims. I have mixed feelings of hope and confusion about this.

The hope is that the less violent side wins and helps form a new government that reflects the needs of the people first. This would lead to more peaceful relations with the surrounding countries. That’s the hope.

My confusion arises from how you can let someone like Mubarak breathe the same air as you knowing he tortured and killed your loved ones. He’s doing it right now to some of the protesters that were arrested two weeks ago. Given the chance he would have everyone in Tahrir square put to death.

The million plus protest on Tuesday, February 1 could have marched to Mubarak’s home and made his wish of dying on Egyptian soil come true.

I guess we’ll see if my hope or confusion prevails.

Ask a Sea Shepherd Crew Member

Part II - Animal Planet

By David Nickarz

Tenth Engineer

This is the second instalment of my article on what it’s like being a Sea Shepherd crew member. I’ve spent twelve years volunteering for the Sea Shepherds. I’ve been on 8 campaigns in total, four of which have been Antarctic Campaigns. The first Antarctic Campaign had someone filming on board, but since we didn’t find the whaling fleet, nothing came of it. The second one I joined was the 2006-07 campaign Operation Leviathan where we had two confrontations with the whalers. There was a documentary film team on board that campaign which produced the film At the Edge of the World. It is the most accurate and beautiful depiction of our campaigns I have ever seen. I highly recommend seeing it.

I was on board for both Operation Musashi (2008-09) and Operation Waltzing Matilda (2009-10), both of which had Animal Planet film teams on board. This corresponds to Whale Wars season 2 and 3. This blog entry was inspired by the following question in the comments section of the first blog entry. (see archives).

“I'd like to know if you've noticed any change in atmosphere onboard since Animal Planet film crews started coming along. Is it intrusive at all?”

I think the second part of the question can be answered easily. Yes, it was intrusive. It’s not that we haven’t had any other media on board—every campaign involves some form of filming. Animal Planet sends about 8-10 crew on board who film every aspect of ship life. They set up cameras and microphones in key places around the ship including the bridge, mess and deck. You can assume everything you say or do in these common areas is going to be recorded.

It’s not like we aren’t warned about this ahead of time. I want to be clear about this up front. You have a choice as a crew member—stay or go. It’s really that simple. We are told before the campaign starts about Animal Planet and their work.

They have a job to do. Their job is to film the campaign for their parent company and make money through advertising. We accept this arrangement because our organisation gets the exposure of being on a popular and award winning reality TV show. More importantly the whaling issue gets out to millions of people around the world. This has helped to put pressure on the government of Japan and the corporations that are involved in poaching whales in the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary.

Many of the crew come from activist backgrounds. I can speak for a few of them when I say we are not used to having our actions portrayed as they are on what is referred to as ‘reality TV’. After the first season of Whale Wars, one of the high ranking crew members was not impressed with how the show portrayed our ship and crew. He expected it to be more of a documentary film.

I could go on and on about ‘reality TV’ but I won’t. If you’ve seen it, you know what it’s about.

I had a bit of a “do-you-know-who-I-am?” moment the first time I was asked a question by the AP crew on Operation Musashi. There was an inane argument about modifying the bridge wing bulk head to allow for easier filming of the deck crew. There were strong opinions about it from everyone partly because the question was asked by the producer along with a cameraman recording the answer. When it got to me I was pissed off. I said it was a non-issue and cut the interview short.

I don’t know what I expected. I was a veteran crew member with years of experience and I (wrongly) assumed that I would be treated differently. Maybe I had visions of long conversations about my previous exploits on past campaigns, with the appropriate music in the background and everyone hanging on my every word.

Like I said, it was a “do-you-know-who-I-am?” moment.

Animal Planet filmed the action on board and interviewed the crew about it afterwards. The deck crew got most of the attention since they drove the small boats into battle with the whalers. The bridge crew were the next most TV-worthy. The galley and engine room were the least filmed. They would come down to the engine room (usually off-limits to everyone but engine room crew) only when there was a mechanical or electrical problem. Then we would have the added burden of fixing the problem in front of cameras.

As you may have seen from the show, some of the crew were filmed in their cabin as they are waking up. That’s pretty intrusive.

Atmosphere

Unlike campaigns in the past where there was media on board, the difference is the fact that you know this is all going to be on TV in a few months. Every mistake, misspoken word and argument will be out there for millions of people to see. You try to be on your best behaviour, but things happen that you can’t take back.

I think my only appearances on the show was when I was commenting on the ice scraping against the hull at the first few episodes of season 2. We were stuck in the ice with the Steve Irwin, which did not have an ice class hull. There was the very real possibility of having a hull breach and the ship sinking. One of my scenes was me speaking calmly about the predicament. The other one was me exclaiming “Who the fuck is driving this thing?” as I went to check for damage.

I wish I had chosen my words more carefully.

Even though it felt like it was too intense at times, I understand the role of AP on board. Over the last three years they are the reason why we have reached so many people. Our campaigns are stronger because of the donations and volunteer work of thousands of people who would not have known about us if they had not watched us on TV.

Everyone understands what it means to have them on board. Individually, some of the Animal Planet crew were quite a chore.

To be continued…

Operation Waltzing Matilda
Rewritten by David Nickarz
With apologies to Eric Bogle

When I was a young man, I carried my pack
And I lived the free life of a rover
From the Murray’s green basin to the dusty outback
I waltzed my Matilda all over

Then in 2009 my captain said son
It’s time to stop whaling--there’s work to be done
So he gave me an LRAD and a big t-shirt gun
And sent me away to the war;

Operation Waltzing Matilda
As we sailed away from the quay
And amidst all the tears and the shouts and the cheers
We sailed off towards the Ross Sea

---------------------------------------

Now those who weren’t sea sick
Did their best to survive
In that mad world of ice, wind and gyre
And for several long days I kept myself alive
While the water around us got higher

Then a big ocean swell knocked me arse over tit
And then I turned green and went to my bed
I was sea sick as hell, Christ, I wished I was dead
Never knew there were worse things than dying

Operation waltzing Matilda
To the green bushes so far away
For to mop floors and heads, a man needs sea legs
No more waltzing Matilda for me

------------------------

How well I remember last summer’s campaign
the blood stained my mind and the water
We fought for those Minkes, all of six days
They were butchered like lambs at the slaughter

The whalers was ready, they primed themselves well
They hit us with LRADS, and they sprayed us as well
And with five whales killed, they’d sent us all to hell
Nearly sent us right back to Australia..

That was operation Musashi
We didn’t stop to mourn the slain
Our ship hit theirs and the whalers got scared
They thought twice about doing that again

----------------------------

It was early new year and we had a new ship,
The Bob Barker came down from Maritius
She was an old whaler, now heavy with fuel
Her hull in the ice it would keep us.

The day we revealed her, the Ady was struck
No body was hurt in a stroke of good luck
With two million lost, ah, who gives a fuck?
Life is worth more than possessions

Operation Waltzing Matilda
It’s a wonder the crew wasn’t killed
The world stopped and read of this violent attack
Captain Pete would deliver the bill

-----------------------------------------------

So we collected the seasick, the wounded and shamed
And shipped them back home to Australia
The weary, the saddened, the partly insane
Three months on the water will do ya

And as our ship pulled into Macquarry quay
I looked at the place where right whales used to be
And sadly, there weren’t any waiting for me
I grieve, I mourn and I pity.

Operation Waltzing Matilda
As we stepped down the gangway
The campaign was done, but the whales had no fun
And most of the crew went away.

----------------------------------------------------

And now every June I sit on my couch
And I watch the Whale Wars on the ‘telly
I see my old comrades, how proudly they fought
Re-edited dreams of reality

I see me old friends, all twisted and torn
The unpaid heroes of a biocentric war
And the young people ask, what are they working for?
And I ask myself the same question

Operation Waltzing Matilda
And the new crew still answer the call
But year after year whale numbers get fewer
Might be none left to fight for at all

Waltzing Matilda, waltzing Matilda
Who’ll go a-waltzing Matilda with me?

Back Home After Operation Waltzing Matilda

I just sat down and viewed the video of the destruction of the Ady Gil by the whale poaching vessel Shonan Maru 2. I’m quite surprised nobody was killed after such a violent collision. The Ady Gil crew must have thought their life was in serious danger.

I know--I should have been writing this more than two months ago, but I was on the crew of the Sea Shepherd ships Steve Irwin and Bob Barker until March 6th. After vegetating at some friends home in Hobart (thanks guys) I did not pay attention to any news. My goal was to change my flight to get me home earlier. I flew home on Friday and spent the weekend with my wife.

It’s only now that I checked out one of the most popular videos on the internet.

The destruction of the Ady Gil demonstrates that governments do not care about whales or their protectors. If we had sunk a whaling ship then we’d be all in jail right now. Maybe we should do that next year to see if they have the same reaction.

After 90 days at sea, I’m rather worn down. There is a demonstration against the Canadian seal slaughter, who’s sales barely broke one million dollars last season. We spent more than that on fuel for our ships this year. The government subsidises the slaughter to the tune of 12 million per year--which makes absolutely no sense whatsoever. This seal slaughter is fighting it’s inevitable death as we put the final nail in it’s coffin.

I’ve been to the hunt twice and I don’t know if I can handle another season. I’ll do my part at the protest tomorrow.

I want to thank all of the crew members of the Ady Gil, Bob Barker and Steve Irwin for taking the time to defend the whales this year. I think we may have saved more than five hundred from the harpoon. There’s not a better group of rag-tag sailors I’d rather spend 90 days with in the Southern Indian ocean. You guys are in my heart forever.

David Nickarz
March 14, 2010

Speach at Fremantle Town Hall

I did a short speach about being a crew member at the Fremantle Town Hall, December 1, 2009. Fremantle, Western Australia. afterwards I answered a few questions from the audience. By far the most endearing question was from a little girl who asked "What is your favourite animal that you have saved?"


Hi, my name is David Nickarz and I've been a Sea Shepherd crew member for nearly 12 years. This will be my eighth campaign--my fourth journey to the Antarctic waters to stop the Pirate whalers.

I've been asked to tell you what it's like being a crew member and share stories of my experiences.

I was on the first SEa Shepherd Antarctic campaign in 2002 where we spent 47 days searching for whalers.

I was unable to help out with the 2005 Antarctic Campaign due to an illness. I got better for Operation Leviathan in 2007. My most vivid memory from that campaign was the collision between our ship and the Kaiko Maru. After searching for several long weeks, we finally found the whalers.

We were chasing this ship for some time and I had just offered to relieve the cheif engineer so that he could get up on deck and watch the action.

I was on the bottom deck of the engine room, in the cave--called that for it's low deck head. As I was hunched over when we collided with the whaler and I was almost thrown into the large, spinning propeller shaft. After the initial jolt and surprise, the ship healed over for several seconds.

I crawled my way out of the cave and joined the other crew in the search for breeches in the hull.

During last year's campaign, we spent six days straight chasing whalers and doing actions. I had very little sleep--and I'm someone who needs my sleep.

I had just retired to my bunk to get some much needed rest. I was jolted awake by a major collision with the Yushin Maru #3. As our ship scraped along their hull, I frantically got dressed and went out to help search for damage.

My point is that being a crew member can be very stressful. We put up with long hours, dirty work, and fifty foot swells. You volunteer for months at a time, far away from home and loved ones.

I leave my lovely wife Laura at home in Canada over Christmas and new years to do this work.

There are advantages, however. First of all you get to meet some of the most fascinating and dedicated people from all over the world. My fellow crew are the best people to go into battle with for the whales. I've made many life-long friends.

Secondly, there is the vast Antarctic Wilderness you get to see and spend your time defending.

I've had the pleasure of seeing Adelie penguins, Sooty albatross; Minke, Blue, Orca and Fin whales; Leopard, Crabeater and weddell seals. Brilliant Blue and white ice; from small growlers to ice bergs kilometers long.

All the hardships and sacrifice of personal time is worth it when you get the results we get. We've saved hundreds of whales in the last few years. That makes it all worth while.

I'd like to end with this.

I've been to ports all over North America and Europe with the Sea Shepherds, and I can say that we've recieved the most support from Australians.

In the United States we were eating food from dumpsters and collecting scrap metal off the docks to keep our ship together.

In Canada, our welcome is much less warm--we get boarded and arrested by armed police and have our ship confiscated for taking pictures of the seal slaughter without a permit.

but in Australia, we've recieved so many donations of money, food, medical supplies,
volunteer labour, and materials. We eat like kings and we're treated like royalty here.

Thanks to you, our ship has everything we need to stop the whale killers in the Southern Ocean this year.

On behalf of the crew I want to thank you for your generous support.

Raising Funds to get to Australia

I was talking with a friend of mine who lives across the street. I told him I was returning to Australia to join the Sea Shepherd ship Steve Irwin. We're going to travel to the waters off Antarctica to stop illegal whaling by physically intervening. This will be my fourth trip to the Antarctic with the Sea Shepherds. I usually spend about three and a half months away from home, and it's all volunteer.

He was surprised that I was able to save enough money to go away. I admitted that I usually go into debt and work it off the next year. After a few days he came up with the idea of a fundraiser.

After only a few days he was able to get a location--the Lo Pub on Ellice and a date set-- the 22nd of November. There's going to be live music and door prizes. I'm liking the idea of a pirate theme.

I invite you all to come to the fundraiser, but if you can't attend and still want to help me pay for my trip then please click the Paypal button below.

Thanks

David Nickarz

Harp Seal Hunt - Canada’s Annual Spring Slaughter

By David Nickarz

In Winnipeg, the snow is melting and the roads are getting sandy and dirty in the process. At this time last year I was in the Gulf of St. Lawrence on the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society ship the Farley Mowat. We took our ship from warm Bermuda to the ice to observe the Canadian seal hunt.

Every year, Canada allows the slaughter of hundreds of thousands of seal pups under three months old to be brutally killed for the fur trade. The seals in the first part of the hunt are as young as three weeks old—they cannot swim and haven’t eaten solid food yet.

Thousands of off season fishermen come out to bash their heads in with long poles with hooks on the end. Sometimes they don’t waste their effort and just hook the seal in the head and drag it across the ice. The two times that I’ve seen the hunt first hand, there were seals skinned alive.

The anger that I feel towards the sealers is sometimes overwhelming. That anger can be kept inside, but that’s really not good for you. After witnessing the seal hunt in 2005, I came home with a mild case of post-traumatic stress. I couldn’t talk about what I saw. I would burst into tears when my lover asked me why I was acting strange.

Later that year I had to deal with cancer. Now before you accuse me of saying ‘the seal hunt gave me cancer’—it didn’t. There are many factors which caused my cancer, including my sedentary lifestyle and environmental toxins like pesticides. I’m happy to say that I’m getting to the gym a few times a week and I no longer chase pesticide-spewing trucks around anymore.

I was on the seal hunt with the Sea Shepherds again last spring. We watched a sealer calmly slice open a seal pup while it struggled its best to get away. Those of us on the bridge of the Mowat were shocked into silence. The seal hunt is much worse than any picture that I can show you, any video or any statistics could ever tell.

We then learned that four sealers had died while being towed by the Canadian Coast Guard. The crew was genuinely shocked at the news. Our shock was then tempered by the memory of watching that seal suffer a horrible, torturous death at the hands of those same men who died.

How do you have sympathy for men who spent their lives practicing such cruelty? I certainly wouldn’t like to die like they did, but that’s where our compassion for the dead sealers ended.

The media and sealers asked Paul to stop our protests to respect the sealers who died. Paul said that the seal hunt wasn’t stopping for their deaths, and that the deaths of the sealers was tragic, but the deaths of hundreds of thousands of baby seals was more tragic. He also called the sealers ‘cigarette smoking, club wielding thugs’.

Those comments came out while the ship was parked in St. Pierre, a French island just south of Newfoundland. The fishermen there didn’t take kindly to those comments and came out to cut our ship adrift. The Gendarmarie watched as one of their citizens hacked our mooring lines off with an axe. We scrambled to get the engine started and left St. Pierre, minus our gangplank.

----------------------------------

This year I’m not getting involved much in the seal hunt issue. The European Union are about to enact a ban on all seal products. The sealers themselves have said that a ban would shut down their industry. This is very good news.

The seal hunt won’t be stopped with kind words or compassion towards the fishermen who wield clubs. History has shown that you have to make the hunt economically unfeasible with boycotts and bans. The hunt is already being subsidized by twice as much as it’s worth in sales. The Canadian government will be stubborn, but we’re much more numerous and stubborn ourselves.

Let me be clear about how I feel about the sealers that will be impacted by the hunt ending. I don’t care where you get your one or two thousand dollars of blood money every year. I don’t care if ten generations of your family have slaughtered seals. You can cry foul and accuse us of cultural prejudice all you like.

My compassion lies solely with the Harp Seal. When that community doesn’t have to deal with the ice being bloodied with their young every year then I will celebrate.