{"id":176419,"date":"2021-01-04T12:00:39","date_gmt":"2021-01-04T12:00:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/?p=176419"},"modified":"2021-01-03T06:34:45","modified_gmt":"2021-01-03T06:34:45","slug":"collision-at-sea-as-sea-shepherd-vessels-attacked-in-mexicos-vaquita-refuge","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/2021\/01\/collision-at-sea-as-sea-shepherd-vessels-attacked-in-mexicos-vaquita-refuge\/","title":{"rendered":"Collision at Sea as Sea Shepherd Vessels Attacked in Mexico\u2019s Vaquita Refuge"},"content":{"rendered":"<blockquote><p>1 Jan 2021 &#8211; <em>Sea Shepherd and Mexican authorities rescue two assailants whose boat crashed into the conservation vessel Farley Mowat during an aggressive early morning attack against the non-profit environmental group.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\"><span class=\"embed-youtube\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"youtube-player\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/j0D9-qrIqJU?version=3&amp;rel=1&amp;showsearch=0&amp;showinfo=1&amp;iv_load_policy=1&amp;fs=1&amp;hl=en-US&amp;autohide=2&amp;wmode=transparent\" width=\"750\" height=\"422\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"><\/iframe><\/span><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p>At approximately 07:00 on the morning of December 31st, a group of assailants in 5-7 fishing boats (known locally as pangas) launched a violent attack on Sea Shepherd vessels\u00a0<em>Farley Mowat<\/em>\u00a0 and <em>Sharpie<\/em> inside the Zero Tolerance Area of Mexico\u2019s federally-protected Vaquita Refuge.<\/p>\n<p>The incident began as the crew of the\u00a0<em>Farley Mowat\u00a0<\/em>undertook efforts to retrieve a gillnet from the protected region, home to the critically endangered vaquita porpoise. Gillnet fishing is banned in the region, and Sea Shepherd is working with Mexican authorities to deter poaching and remove illegal fishing gear from the area. As the conservation vessel attempted to remove the net from the refuge, several pangas aggressively approached the ship, launching lead weights and Molotov cocktails at the crew and military officials on board.<\/p>\n<p>Following routine anti-piracy procedures, the\u00a0<em>Farley Mowat<\/em>\u00a0undertook defensive maneuvering to avoid the attacks. As the vessel attempted to leave the scene, one of the pangas aggressively swerved in front of the\u00a0<em>Farley Mowat<\/em>, crashing directly into the hull of the former U.S. Coast Guard Cutter. CCTV footage recorded on the bridge of the\u00a0<em>Farley Mowat<\/em>\u00a0captured images of the incident.<\/p>\n<p>The panga split into two pieces, expelling its passengers into the sea. Crew and military personnel on board Sea Shepherd\u2019s second vessel in the area,\u00a0<em>Sharpie<\/em>, responded immediately, recovered the two men, who had been picked up by one of the other pangas involved in the attack, and brought them on board. Sea Shepherd\u2019s Medical Officer, Corrine Perron, provided emergency first aid.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_176420\" style=\"width: 560px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/seashepherd_collision_mexico.jpeg\" ><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-176420\" class=\"wp-image-176420\" src=\"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/seashepherd_collision_mexico.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"550\" height=\"412\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/seashepherd_collision_mexico.jpeg 642w, https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/seashepherd_collision_mexico-300x225.jpeg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 550px) 100vw, 550px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-176420\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Sea Shepherd photo<\/p><\/div>\n<p>One assailant was not breathing when brought on board the conservation vessel. Sea Shepherd\u2019s Medical Officer used the ship\u2019s AED and administered immediate CPR and emergency oxygen. The second assailant has suspected broken ribs. Two medics from the Mexican Navy arrived at the scene and provided additional emergency care to the men. As the medics continued to tend to the injured parties, two assailants illegally boarded the\u00a0<em>Sharpie<\/em>, threatened its crew and the Mexican officials on board, and smashed the camera being used to document the emergency first response. Assailants in nearby pangas threw projectiles and fuel at\u00a0<em>Sharpie,<\/em>\u00a0catching its bow on fire.\u00a0<em>Sharpie\u00a0<\/em>crew and military officials successfully put out the fire and removed the two men who had illegally boarded the ship. Sea Shepherd rushed the injured men to two nearby naval vessels, a defender and an interceptor, for follow-up medical treatment. They have since been airlifted to the hospital.<\/p>\n<p>As<em>\u00a0Sharpie\u00a0<\/em>departed from the scene, the pangas continued to attack, launching additional Molotov cocktails at the vessel, setting the recovered fishing gear collected on the vessel\u2019s aft-deck on fire. The crew and military personnel on board were able to extinguish the fire. On shore, assailants set fire to Sea Shepherd\u2019s truck.<\/p>\n<p>The Mexican Navy is investigating the incident.<\/p>\n<p>This morning\u2019s attack is the latest in a series of increasingly violent assaults launched against Sea Shepherd\u2019s ships over the past month. Assailants have hurled Molotov cocktails, knives, hammers, flares, bottles of fuel, and other deadly projectiles at the vessels, crew, and military personnel on board. No serious injuries have occurred prior to today\u2019s incident.<\/p>\n<p>The conservation organization\u2019s vessels have come under attack in the past while defending the habitat of the vaquita. In March 2020,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/seashepherd.org\/news\/sea-shepherd-attacked-in-vaquita-refuge-on-world-wildlife-day\/\"  target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">a group of pangas swarmed Farley Mowat and Sharpie, launching rocks, lead weights, and other projectiles at the ships<\/a>. One month prior,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/seashepherd.org\/news\/shots-fired-at-sea-shepherd-ship-inside-vaquita-refuge\/\"  target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">assailants opened fire at Sea Shepherd\u2019s vessels<\/a>. In 2019, Farley Mowat was\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/seashepherd.org\/news\/sea-shepherd-ship-attacked-inside-vaquita-refuge\/\"  target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">illegally boarded<\/a>\u00a0and its\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/seashepherd.org\/news\/sea-shepherd-ships-windows-smashed-and-hull-set-on-fire-by-poachers\/\"  target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">hull set on fire<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>The Vaquita Refuge is a UNESCO-recognized region in the Upper Gulf of California that is home to the world\u2019s most endangered marine mammal \u2013 the vaquita. The endemic porpoise has experienced a rapid population decline over recent years due to\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/seashepherd.org\/news\/vaquita-found-entangled-in-illegal-gillnet\/\"  target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">entanglement in gillnets<\/a>. There are fewer than 20 vaquitas left alive. Scientists believe the remaining vaquita population is concentrated in a high-priority zone of the Vaquita Refuge known as the Zero Tolerance Area.<\/p>\n<p>Working closely with Mexican authorities, Sea Shepherd monitors the Vaquita Refuge to deter poaching and remove the illegal nets that threaten the survival of the species. This partnership has resulted in the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/seashepherd.org\/news\/sea-shepherd-removes-over-1000-pieces-of-illegal-fishing-gear-from-vaquita-habitat\/\"  target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">retrieval of over 1,000 gillnets\u00a0<\/a>to-date.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/logo-Milagro-III-dolphin-120x-sea-shepherd.png\" ><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-87127\" src=\"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/logo-Milagro-III-dolphin-120x-sea-shepherd.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"120\" height=\"120\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/seashepherd.org\/2021\/01\/01\/collision-at-sea-as-sea-shepherd-vessels-attacked-in-mexicos-vaquita-refuge\/\" >Go to Original &#8211; seashepherd.org<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>At approximately 07:00 on the morning of December 31st, a group of assailants in 5-7 fishing boats (known locally as pangas) launched a violent attack on Sea Shepherd vessels\u00a0Farley Mowat\u00a0 and Sharpie inside the Zero Tolerance Area of Mexico\u2019s federally-protected Vaquita Refuge.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":87127,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[170],"tags":[619,334,1796,92,1715],"class_list":["post-176419","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-animal-rights-vegetarianism","tag-animal-rights","tag-mexico","tag-sea-shepherd","tag-violent-conflict","tag-whales"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/176419","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=176419"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/176419\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/87127"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=176419"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=176419"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=176419"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}