In 2007, Paul Watson persuaded the Discovery Channel to make a reality show documentary about the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society's campaign against Japanese whaling in the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary off the coast of Antarctica. The Japanese claim that their whaling is legally accepted research, which Sea Shepherd and others contend is a cover for banned commercial whaling. Sea Shepherd has been both criticized and praised for tactics of direct action sabotage which include throwing stink bombs of butyric acid as well as ramming, boarding, and otherwise attempting to disable the Japanese vessels.
The program premiered on November 7, 2008, on the Animal Planet cable channel and follows events on the vessel Steve Irwin as the group attempts to deter the hunting of Minke and Fin whales in the Southern Ocean. The show came at a time when Animal Planet was being rebranded to attract broader audiences and compete with non-animal-centric programming.
