Dear Friend of Sea Shepherd,

For over 25 years, it has been my privilege to send holiday greetings to our loyal and compassionate supporters. My passion for this cause is as strong today as it was a quarter of a century ago and my resolve to continue is driven by the faith and support that Sea Shepherd supporters give to my volunteer crews and myself.

As we end another year of activism on the high seas, and with the passing of each year, we find there is an ever-present need for Sea Shepherd interventions throughout the world's great oceans.

As much as we accomplish, there are many more challenges we face.

We started the year hunting for Japanese whalers in Antarctica. In the spring we were confiscating hundreds of miles of illegal long-lines across the North and South Pacific. In the fall, we were protecting dolphins, in the Solomon Islands and in Japan, and opposing poachers off the coast of Brazil.

Throughout the entire year, we had our ship the Sirenian on daily patrols in the Galapagos where her crew intercepted and arrested numerous illegal fishing operations.

We cut struggling sea turtles from long-lines and drove hunted whales out of a Japanese bay. Our efforts permanently shut down poaching operations in the Galapagos and we intervened to protect sea cucumbers, seals, sharks, sea birds and dolphins.

Just over a month a go we exposed the cruel spearing, hooking and bloody slaughter of dolphins in Taiji, Japan. Our efforts raised worldwide outrage and condemnation of the Japanese government.

And now we look with optimism to the challenges of the coming year.

Thanks to your support and the generosity of other caring people just like you, our flagship, the Farley Mowat, will be refitted and ready for sea again in January 2004.

We need to bring supplies to the Galapagos to reinforce our ship Sirenian. From there we will transit the Panama Canal en route to intervene against Canadian sealers in March.

In the Spring, we will concentrate on opposing illegal drag trawl operations on the Grand Banks of Newfoundland. The summer will see us bound for Iceland to oppose illegal Icelandic whaling activities.

I count on your support to be effective and I am confident that you will continue to be generous because you and I and all of Sea Shepherd's supporters share one great passion - our love and respect for the miracle of the diversity of life. So please remember the animals at this special time of year by making the most generous holiday donation that you can.

As we enter the New Year together we will continue to press for peace, not pain... for care and kindness, not clubbing and killing. We will fight on to extend the circle of compassion to all living things.

Thank you for being there for Sea Shepherd and for the living seas and continuing to enable us to be strong, effective and determined to never lose sight of our common objective.

From all of us at Sea Shepherd, please accept our deepest thanks and best wishes for a happy holiday season.

For the oceans,

Captain Paul Watson

Sea Shepherd Conservation Society welcomes your support. To learn how to support our conservation work, please visit www.seashepherd.org/donate.shtml.

To support Sea Shepherd Fundraising Events, please visit our Public Appearance webpage.

Sea Shepherd Conservation Society
P.O. Box 2616
Friday Harbor WA 98250
info@seashepherd.org
www.seashepherd.org