Share this article

If you liked this story, share it with other people.

Prominent environmental activist Paul Watson has been arrested in Greenland, reportedly for his past interventions against Japanese whalers, according to a statement from his foundation.

Watson, a Canadian-U.S. dual national, is the founder of Sea Shepherd, a U.S.-based nonprofit, marine conservation activist organization, and has been involved in several anti-whaling and anti-sealing protests in the past.

On July 21, 73-year-old Watson and a 25-member volunteer crew were en route to the Arctic Northwest passage on their vessel the John Paul DeJoria, according to the Captain Paul Watson Foundation (CPWF). They were on a mission to intercept a new Japanese whaling ship, the Kangei Maru, in the North Pacific. Watson and his crew had stopped in Nuuk, Greenland, to refuel, when "a dozen Danish police and SWAT team members" boarded their vessel, handcuffed Watson and took him to the local police station, according to the CPWF statement. Greenland is an autonomous part of Denmark.

Greenland police told the Associated Press they'd arrested Watson based on an international warrant issued by Japan. The arrest is believed to be related to an Interpol Red Notice, issued at the request of Japanese authorities, for Watson's anti-whaling actions against some Japanese vessels in 2010, according to the BBC.

"We're completely shocked, as the Red Notice had disappeared a few months ago," Locky MacLean, CPWF's ship operations and campaign director, said in the statement.

MacLean added that the reappearance of the Red Notice could mean that it had been made confidential to "lure Watson into a false sense of security."

The Kangei Maru is owned by Kyodo Senpaku Co., a Tokyo-based whaling company, and replaces an older whaling vessel, the Nisshin Maru. Given the massive size and range of the new ship, conservation groups recently expressed concerns to Mongabay that Japan might have plans to use the Kangei Maru to hunt whales outside its maritime territory.

A district court has ruled that Watson will be detained in Nuuk until Aug. 15, according to an update from CPWF. This would give the Danish justice ministry time to investigate whether there are grounds to extradite Watson to Japan.

"We implore the Danish government to release Captain Watson and not entertain this politically-motivated request," MacLean said.