http://www.canada.com/topics/news/national/story.html?id=1012947
Anti-sealing group head dismisses federal lawsuit
Canwest News Service
Published: Saturday, November 29, 2008
OTTAWA - The head of the anti-sealing group Sea Shepherd Conservation Society is shrugging off a statement of claim filed last week by the federal Fisheries Department against one of his vessels.

The department wants to recover $487,000 in costs to maintain the Farley Mowat since it was seized last April during the annual hunt.

Paul Watson says good luck.

"The longer they hold it the more it's going to cost (them), because they're not going to get a dime out of us. No matter what kind of statement of claim they file," Watson said Saturday from Perth, Australia where he is preparing for the group's anti-whaling campaign.

"They haven't notified our attorney, they haven't talked to us about it," Watson said.

The ship has been tied up at Sydney, N.S., since it was raided on April 12, 2008 for allegedly encroaching on seal hunters near Cape Breton 12 days earlier.

The RCMP commandeered the ship and arrested 17 crew members. In the end, only the captain and first mate were charged with violating seal hunt rules by approaching within about a kilometre of the seal hunt without a permit.

Watson maintains the ship was in international waters at the time and says his group is preparing a lawsuit of its own against the government seeking $30,000 for each month the Mowat is held.

He said the group was ready to retire the Mowat anyway, and DFO has done them a favour.

"It's extremely expensive to retire a vessel. Now, I get the Canadian government paying the expenses of retiring it for us. They can keep it."