Anti-whaling activism and legal conflicts in Icelandic waters

Iceland orders expulsion of 21 anti-whaling activists

The Bandero was boarded and seized off the coast of Iceland.

On the night of July 30 to 31, 2026, the Icelandic Coast Guard, supported by the police special forces known as the Viking Squad, boarded and seized the Bandero off the coast of Iceland. The seizure occurred after the vessel reportedly disregarded instructions to leave Icelandic waters and ignored orders to stop its engines. The operation followed a distress call from the whaling ship Hvalur 9, whose crew reported feeling threatened by the protest vessel.

The 21-member crew, consisting of Americans, Brazilians, French, and Spanish nationals, was taken into custody and held in Reykjavik. While the Captain Paul Watson Foundation stated that their vessel was in international waters at the time, Icelandic authorities accused the activists of suspected violations of the international law of the sea and endangering maritime security. Consequently, police intended to seek the crew's expulsion and a ban from re-entering Iceland.

Paul Watson Foundation’s anti-whaling ship seized and crew detained after whaling vessel’s distress call

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Paul Watson was released from prison.

Paul Watson, the former head of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society and a prominent figure in anti-whaling activism, served a five-month prison sentence in Greenland during 2024. He was initially detained following an arrest based on a Japanese warrant involving charges related to the obstruction of a whaling ship in 2010.

Upon his release in December 2024, Watson stated that he must avoid landing in Iceland or other countries where Interpol might attempt to arrest him again. This follows a period during which he was the subject of an Interpol red notice starting in 2012; however, he was removed from the most-wanted list in 2025.

Paul Watson was imprisoned in Greenland for five months.

Paul Watson, the former head of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society and a prominent anti-whaling activist, was imprisoned in Greenland for five months in 2024. His detention followed an arrest based on a Japanese warrant involving charges of obstructing a whaling ship in 2010.

Following his release in December 2024, Watson expressed concerns regarding his movements, stating he must avoid landing in countries where Interpol might attempt to arrest him again. He had previously been the subject of an Interpol red notice in 2012.

Japan left the IWC and resumed commercial whaling.

Japan opted to leave the International Whaling Commission (IWC) and resumed commercial whaling in 2019. Since this transition, reports indicate that the demand for whale meat within Japan has dwindled.

Paul Watson was the subject of an Interpol red notice.

In 2012, Paul Watson was the subject of an Interpol red notice. The Canada-born former head of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society had previously faced legal issues, including an arrest on a Japanese warrant related to charges of obstructing a whaling ship in 2010.

Following his release from a five-month imprisonment in Greenland in December 2024, Watson indicated a need to avoid countries where Interpol might attempt to have him arrested again. The red notice against him was later removed in 2025.

Paul Watson was arrested on a Japanese warrant regarding charges of obstructing a whaling ship in 2010.

In the early 2010s, Paul Watson was targeted by a 2010 Japanese warrant involving allegations that he obstructed a whaling vessel. Following this warrant, Watson faced legal consequences that eventually led to his imprisonment in Greenland for five months in 2024.