Sea Shepherd: How is this still legal? Massive trawlers from 6 countries dragging nets large enough to swallow a jumbo jet, are stealing the food for whales, seals, and penguins

 

For three years in a row, our crew has witnessed the damage caused by krill #supertrawlers in Antarctica. What should be some of the most intact waters on Earth are being turned into an industrial production line.

These vessels operate as floating factories. They vacuum up krill, process it onboard, and turn it into products that feed a destructive global market. The consequences for #marinelife are severe and they are unfolding right in front of us.

This cannot continue

Watch our video on YouTube to see what is happening and join the fight to #StopThePlunder. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f-qTpOi4HwM

Later this month, we are returning to #Antarctica. Once again, we will document what is being ignored and keep sounding the alarm until real protection is in place.

We are also preparing something new to fully immerse you in this campaign. From the crew perspective to Antarctica itself. Stay close by subscribing to our newsletter and turn on your notifications
https://seashe.ph/antarctica

seashepherd australia

 

🚨Launching January 2026: Operation Antarctic Defence. 🚨

We thought the whales of the Southern Ocean were safe. We were wrong. 😓

Fourteen massive supertrawlers from six countries are working between the Antarctic Peninsula and the South Orkney Islands - competing directly with fin and humpback whales for krill, their primary food source.


Despite the availability of plant-based alternatives, krill is being stripped from Antarctic waters to produce Omega-3 supplements, farmed salmon feed, and even pet food.

When we returned to Antarctica where our crew witnessed supertrawlers plowing straight through a pod of over 200 whales actively feeding on krill.

The images we captured spread across the globe, sparking outrage and renewed calls to shut this industry down.

“Supertrawlers dragging nets large enough to swallow a jumbo jet are taking the food of whales, seals, and penguins from one of the world’s most vulnerable ecosystems — so it can be fed to dogs and cats at home,” — Peter Hammarstedt, Director of Campaigns, Sea Shepherd Global.

Sea Shepherd has stopped illegal whaling and dismantled criminal fishing operations in the Southern Ocean before. But this threat is different. The krill fishery is technically legal - lightly regulated, poorly protected, and expanding fast.

To protect Antarctic whales, we must change the laws, strengthen regional protections, and shift market demand. When whales are under threat - Sea Shepherd will be there, and that's why we are returning this January.


👉 Stay up to date with Operation Antarctic Defence by subscribing to our email newsletters via the link in bio.

📷: Youenn Kerdavid / Flavio Gasperini / Sea Shepherd

Photo: Scorpion Reef

This August, the M/V Sharkwater is at Scorpion Reef. Sea Shepherd has always been most effective when we put ourselves where change needs to happen, and on the water that means ships, crews and a persistent presence in places where wildlife and protected areas are under pressure.

Together the corridor covers over 6,300 square miles of protected ocean in the Gulf of Mexico — two parks, two ships, one permanent mission.

What Threatens It

Latest from the OperationJanuary 2026: 1,543 lbs of illegal catch seized at Scorpion Reef

One vessel intercepted. 700 kg of illegally caught fish seized. Vessel detained for permanent seizure by Mexican authorities.

See all updates ↓

🦑

Industrial Scale Poaching

Poachers strip spawning aggregations of queen conch, squid, octopus, grouper, amberjack, and snapper before enforcement can reach them. Remoteness is their greatest advantage.

🕸️

Ghost Nets and Abandoned Gear

Discarded nets strangle coral colonies and ensnare everything from lobsters to green sea turtles, catching indiscriminately long after the boats that set them are gone.

🐢

Pressure on Nesting Grounds

Sea turtle nesting and breeding is disrupted by illegal access, boat traffic, and gear entanglement during critical reproductive periods.

⚓

Illegal Recreational Access

Vessels without permits cause anchor damage, spear fishing, and line fishing inside sanctuary boundaries. Routine battles for our crews.

Despite legal proceedings and protests from Animal Rights, AnimaNaturalis Spain, Cas-International Netherlands, 'Toro Jubilo' where a bull's horns are set on fire, was once again held in Spain

  Photos: CAS International / AnimaNaturalis / Aitor Garmendia

CAS-International films fire bull Toro Jubilo in Medinaceli, Spain (November 2025) 

This year the event was held despite ongoing legal proceedings and health restrictions due to the outbreak of a livestock disease in the region.

Toro Jubilo

Toro Jubilo is a medieval festival in Medinaceli (province of Soria, region of Castile and León). During the event, a bull's horns are tied to metal frames to which burning logs are attached. These logs are often made of wool or rope soaked in tar. The bull is then released into the town square with the burning logs attached to its horns. The animal, panicking, tries to extinguish the flames.

This year, we once again documented the bull showing clear signs of fear and stress. These images serve as documentation of the extreme animal suffering during Toro Jubilo. We will therefore use them as evidence in ongoing legal proceedings.

The moment the fire is lit (November 2025)

The Castile-León authorities had extended a ban on livestock markets due to health risks.

An outbreak of dermatitis nodularis contagiosa (Nodules Contagious Dermatitis)

 is occurring in the region. This viral disease affects cattle and is characterized by painful,

lumpy swellings on the skin. However, an exception was made for Toro Jubilo, on the pretext that 

all the bulls came from the same farm and were returned afterward

without being mixed with other livestock. This exception was granted due to a ruling by the 

regional Supreme Court. CAS and AnimaNaturalis believe that holding the event posed serious health

risks.

Other legal proceedings initiated by the Spanish animal rights group PACMA are also ongoing . According to an earlier ruling by the court in Soria, the local ordinance allowing the Toro Jubilo was unlawful. The court ruled that this ordinance violated the recognition that animals are sentient beings and must therefore be protected from unnecessary suffering. However, 

the Supreme Court of Castile and León overturned this ruling. PACMA is not letting this rest and has filed a motion to have the case recused. 

The fire bull is completely exhausted at the end of the event 

Our director Maite van Gerwen spoke to German journalist Rebecca Hillauer  about Toro Jubilo. 

 Read her publication about the fire bull in Medinaceli here. 

Petition against EU subsidies

Did you know that your tax money is being used, through European agricultural subsidies, to breed cattle for bullfights and cruel folk festivals in Spain, France, and Portugal? This also applies to the fire bull of Medinaceli.

It's estimated to cost €200 million annually. We believe this must stop. That's why, at CAS International, with the support of the animal welfare organizations AnimaNaturalis (Spain) and ANIMAL (Portugal), we've launched a petition aimed at ending European agricultural subsidies for bull breeders.  Sign our petition here !

In New York is it shockingly still legal to eat fish or octopus while they are alive for 'sashimi' : Animal welfare advocates have long called for an end to this archaic custom

Only for American citizens a petition underneath the photo's and article 

In New York, it is shockingly still legal to serve marine animals alive on a plate, a reality hidden behind a practice known as ikizukuri. This method of sashimi preparation involves slicing fish or octopus while they’re still fully conscious, causing prolonged suffering as they slowly and painfully die.

Animal welfare advocates have long called for an end to this archaic so-called custom. Now, Assembly Bill A8926, introduced by Assemblyman Patrick Burke (D–Buffalo), aims to do just that. The bill would amend New York’s public health law to make it illegal to prepare seafood while the animal is still alive.

“This is needless suffering, and it has no place in our state. Assembly Bill A8926 would finally ban this barbaric practice. But it won’t pass without your voice,” said Voters For Animal Rights on social media. 

Octopus Sashimi 

These are simple yet perfect ways to taste fresh octopus.

What you need
Fresh octopus, 
Soy sauce and wasabi for sashimi
Olive oil, salt and sweet paprika powder for Spanish carpaccio

What to do

Simply cut off tentacles and slice it.

Line it on a plate and serve it with soy sauce and wasabi for eating as Sashimi.

If you want to try the Spanish appetizer, sprinkle coarse salt and sweet paprika powder over the slices of octopus, and drizzle it with extra virgin olive oil.

If passed, the bill would take effect 30 days after becoming law. It would also empower regulators to create any additional rules necessary to enforce the ban. But passing A8926 will require strong public pressure. Without it, this cruel practice could continue unchecked in New York restaurants.

Scientific research has shown that fish and octopus are sentient beings capable of feeling pain, fear, and stress. Allowing them to be mutilated alive for so-called “freshness” is both sick and inhumane.

You can help end this cruelty by telling your New York State lawmakers to support Bill A8926 and ban ikizukuri once and for all.

TAKE ACTION! Sign Voters for Animals Rights’ petition HERE!  Only for readers living in America. That is a shame because I would have signed

World Animal News