After patrolling the waters of the Southern Ocean for whaling boats, Paul Watson and other regulars of the hit Animal Planet reality TV show "Whale Wars" will be moving their efforts to the Danish Protectorate of the Faroe Islands, where they will be combatting the annual pilot whale hunts, according to an Animal Planet press release.
Whaling in the region has been in practice for more than one thousand years and is now regulated by island authorities, the press release reports, going on to state that each year men corral hundreds of long-finned pilot whales into shallow coves and kill them.
In a previous interview with The Huffington Post, Watson maintained that he thinks all marine wildlife, not just whales, should be protected:
"The importance of fish maintaining the ecological integrity of our oceanic ecosystems -- it is far more important there than being on anybody's plate." Citing a report based on U.N. data which found that global fisheries could collapse by 2048, Watson said, "If we wipe out the fish, the oceans are going to die. If the oceans die, we die. We can't live on this planet with a dead ocean. So it's really a question of self-preservation."
The question will be if the aggressive tactics that fill the episodes of "Whale Wars," and received heavy criticism from Greenpeace, will be as visible in the new series.
Greenpeace said the following on their website about the crew's previous tactics:
"We believe that throwing butryic [sic] acid at the whalers, dropping cables to foul their props, and threatening to ram them in the freezing waters of the Antarctic constitutes violence because of the potential consequences."
According to a Variety article, Animal Planet executives seem optimistic, stating:
"They are once again preparing to put their lives on the line, this time in a lush and unfamiliar corner of northern Europe, where the customs are different and the killing of whales continues. And we plan to be there to document every moment."
This announcement comes on the heel of the Obama administration's announcement a few days ago of possible sanctions against Iceland for violating international animal conservation rules through their whaling practices. The President has 60 days to determine a course of action.
WATCH this YouTube video featured by The Washington Post of whaling in the Faroe Islands: