Barbara Frum - Paul Watson Interview, 1978 CBC
"This interview recorded on CBC Radio in 1978 goes a long way towards revealing the motivation behind the activist groups that campaign against the Canadian seal hunt"
"The interviewier is the late Barbara Frum and the person being interview is Sea Sheperd founder and leader Paul Watson"
B.F.: Mr.Watson, how easy is it to raise money against the seal hunt ?
P.W. : Well, I think that of all the animals in the world or any environemental problem in the world the harp seal is the easiest issue to raise fund on.
Greenpeace has always manage to raise more moneyon the seal issue, for the campaigns, than has actually been spent on the campaigns themselves. The seal hunt
has always turn a profit for the Greenpace Foundation. And then other organisations like IFAW, API, Fund for animals, also make a profit off the seal hunt.
B.F.: Are you suggesting that they fight for seals rather then other animals because it's easy, or easier to raise money that way, or because it's a profit maker for them ?
P.W.: Well, it's definitively beause it's easier to make money and because it does make a profit because there is over a thousand animals on the endangered
species list, and the harp seal isn't one of them,
B.F.: Did anyone in Greenpeace ever expressed that aloud, that is was easier to make some hay, some money on the seal hunt, so let's get into that ?
P.W.: Well, a lot of people have done that. See the thing is the seal is very easy to exploit as an image. We have posters, we have buttons, we have shirts,
all of which portrait the head of a baby seal with the tears coming out of its eyes. Baby seals are always crying because- it's- they always - the salt tears keep their eyes
from freezing. But they have this image, they're baby animals, they're beautifuls, and because of that, couple with the horror of a sealer hitting them on the head with a
club, it's an image which goes right to the heart of animals lovers all over North America. And now we have a dozen people this year from Greenpeace California - I
mean they're coming from the highest standard of living region in North America- they're traveling to the lowest income per year on this continent telling them not to
kills seals because they're cute. But they're not an endangered species. Yet of the coast of California there three species of dolphin- the spinner, the spotted and the
white belly - and they're being slaughtered towards the bring of extinction by American tuna boats. And then the slaughter of Ridley sea turtles in Escobilia in Mexico.
B.F.: Now what happens within Greenpeace when you raise a point like that ?
P.W.: They know they can't raise money off out of it. They know that if they send a crew down to try to interfere with the killing of sea turtle in Mexico, they're not going to get any support. And they know that if they - the problems with the dolphins is that they're so much competition there is so many groups that are trying to raise money to protect dolphins and protect whales,
B.F.: How much money did Greenpeace raise the year you left against seal hunt ?
P.W.: Well, I had submitted a budget for 60 000$. We spent 55 000$, and I believe that we raise well over 100 000$. And I do know that...
B.F.: So you never did as well in raising money as Brian Davies group ?
P.W.: No, the IFAW is much more efficent. Greenpeace is a younger organisation. I think they're more efficient now. the money's coming in, you know,
a couple of thousand dollars a day into each office now, tehy're raising much more money this year then they have in years previous.
B.F.: Did you see any evidence that anyone prospered from the money raised in any of the organisatins against seal hunt ? When they go out for example
and take helicopters and take protesters, are these people paid a salary ? Do they spend the money they raise or do they keep it ?
P.W.: Well, Greenpeace protesters in the lasts two years were not paid a salary. They were all volunteers. This year the crew members are paid
volunteers". Theirs salaries, I would believe, I would think that the amount of money spend on salaries for the Greenpeace organisation right now is about a quarter
of a million dollars. There are other groups, too, like API - Animal Protection Institute ...
B.F.: How much do they spend to fight the seal hunt ?
P.W.: I don't think they spend anything. They put their money into advertising, which they say make the public aware, and also it has their address on the
corner which has people send in more money. So in fact, every time they invest money in advertising, they make more money back in return.
B.F.: Any idea of total sum of all the momney raised every year, to fight the seal hunt.
P.W.: I would estimated that between API, IFAW, Greenpeace and any others groups that's thee to four million dollars.
B.F.: Are these funds collected from individuals that feel badly or are there corporate givers, do you know ?
P.W.: No, mainly they're from a ...
B.F.: So two to five dollars customers ?
P.W.: Yeh. A lot of school children, a lot of pensioners.
B.F.: Your fear then is that it isn't just money that people can easily spend, that's is coming from people who you think would be better off keeping it ?
P.W.: Well, I think that a lot of the money is now being abused.
B.F.: In addition to their salary, I assume that there's a lot of money to be used from the group for your personal living expenses - traveling, money raising ?
P.W.: Oh certaintly. The people, in addition to getting a salary - Greenpeace people are flying around the world all the time. I mean Australia, Japan, Hawaii,
California, Norway, England. At any time there are a dozen peole that are on their way to or from these countries ...
ETC...
