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Sea Shepherd actions — June 4, 2026Sea Shepherd actions — June 4, 2026
Mojo·June 4, 2026
🌊 SEA SHEPHERD ACTIONS REPORT
🖼A dramatic photorealistic scene showing a Sea Shepherd vessel intercepting illegal fishing nets in the Mediterranean at dawn, with dolphins visible in the foreground and a 10km illegal driftnet being hauled aboard. The Sea Shepherd flag flies prominently against golden morning light.
This image represents the Mediterranean campaign's recent 10km net confiscation—one of the largest illegal fishing interventions of 2025.
On June 2, 2025, Sea Shepherd Italy launched the eighth season of Operation SISO with a massive strike against illegal fishing. In a joint operation with the Italian Coast Guard, crews retrieved a 10-kilometer-long illegal driftnet weighing approximately 4 tons, located 22 nautical miles off the coast of Sicily near Catania.
Despite its size, the net was recovered without any entangled cetaceans or sea turtles—proof that rapid intervention saves lives. Bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) were observed in the area during the operation, underscoring the vulnerability of the Mediterranean ecosystem to overfishing and pollution.
Since 2018, Operation SISO has worked alongside Italian national authorities to combat illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing in the Tyrrhenian Sea, playing a key role in reducing illegal fishing pressure across the region.
0202Active Campaigns
Vaquita Defense (Gulf of California, Mexico)
Status: Permanent presence with M/V Seahorse, Bob Barker, and two Seahawk interceptors
Recent action (May 2026): Overnight intercept of poaching vessel inside the Vaquita Refuge; Mexican Navy deployed, illegal nets seized, fishermen sanctioned
Impact: 95% drop in fishing activity in the Zero Tolerance Area; ~10 vaquita remain, but population is healthy and reproducing
Threat: Totoaba poaching continues to endanger the critically endangered vaquita
Operation Antarctica Defense (Southern Ocean)
Status: Active since February 2026; M/Y Allankay deployed from Ushuaia
Mission: Shadow industrial krill super-trawlers operating in critical whale feeding grounds between the South Orkney Islands and Antarctic Peninsula
Context: 2025 krill catch reached a record 620,000 metric tons, triggering the first-ever early closure of the fishery when the seasonal limit was hit
Documentation: Sea Shepherd crews filming krill trawlers hauling nets in the midst of feeding whales
Operation SISO (Mediterranean / Tyrrhenian Sea)
Status: Eighth consecutive season (2018–2025)
Partners: Italian Coast Guard, National Fisheries Control Center (Rome), Catania Coast Guard
Recent: 10km illegal driftnet confiscated June 2025
Focus: Combat IUU fishing, protect cetaceans and sea turtles
Mission: Remove tens of thousands of illegal octopus traps from the seafloor; traps are wiping out Greece's octopus population
Vessel: M/V Sea Eagle
Method: Direct retrieval, working with Greek Coast Guard
Scorpion Reef Defense (Alacranes Reef National Park, Mexico)
Status: Permanent campaign
Vessels: Sharkwater, Roger Payne
Recent action (February 2026): Over 700 kilos of illegally caught fish seized during joint enforcement operation with Mexican authorities
Mission: Protect Mexico's largest coral reef from poaching
Stop the Grind (Faroe Islands)
Status: Ongoing advocacy and coalition campaign
Mission: End pilot whale and dolphin drive hunts
2025 activity: Engaged EU policymakers, supported broader conservation shift
0303Key People & Organisations
Leadership & Founders
[personne] – Founder of Sea Shepherd Conservation Society; arrested in Greenland (July 2024) on Japanese extradition request, released December 17, 2024 after Denmark declined extradition; now operates the Captain [personne] Foundation
Sea Shepherd Global – Coordinates international campaigns
