Sea Shepherd Conservation Society [SEP] industry
Sea Shepherd Conservation Society
The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society (SSCS) is a non-profit, marine conservation organization based in Friday Harbor on San Juan Island, Washington, in the United States. 
The tactics of Sea Shepherd have been opposed, even by some who denounce whaling, such as Greenpeace and some officials in the governments of Australia and New Zealand. Paul Watson and American members of Sea Shepherd are currently prohibited by US courts from approaching or harassing Japanese whalers, even if they are observed acting in defiance of
international law, i.e., by killing whales in protected waters.
The Japanese government, whose whaling industry is a leading target of the organization's efforts, have called Sea Shepherd eco-terrorists for impeding their research. However, in March 2014 the International Court of Justice ruled the Japanese whaling program in the Southern Ocean was not, as claimed, for scientific purposes, and ordered Japan to cease operations. 
In 2017, Sea Shepherd Conservation Society indicated it was abandoning pursuit of Japanese whalers. According to Captain Paul Watson