Tracks chats with Sea Shepherd crew member Ben Potts about life on the Steve Irwin.

Meet Ben Potts, Pottsy to his mates. Ben’s from the Illawarra coast and grew up surfing Garie Beach in the Royal National Park, south of Sydney. Like a lot of surfers Ben’s moved around, chasing waves, work, adventures and good times. Five years ago he decided it was time to give something back to the natural world. He joined the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society to help protect endangered marine life. It’s a big job. According to many experts global fish stocks are likely to collapse in the next thirty years if we keep fishing and polluting at our current pace.

While the Sea Shepherd’s direct action approach (which has involved ramming and sinking vessels) regularly draws criticism, supporters feel they have the greater good on their side. Last year the Sea Shepherd’s vessels managed to block Japanese whalers in the southern Ocean and save the lives of over 800 whales. The Japanese went home early and it was hoped they would abandon their illegal slaughter. This year they are heading back and with a patrol boat for protection. The Japanese have said they will not back down to the Sea Shepherd. The Sea Shepherd say they will not back down to the Japanese.  They add that they are prepared to risk their lives.

Pottsy recently set sail from Hobart aboard the Bob Barker. It will join two other Sea Shepherd vessels in the Southern Ocean hunting the hunters. The Sea Shepherd have called their operation “Divine Wind”  which is a translation of the Japanese word “kamikaze” popularized by suicide pilots in World War II. Fears expressed by the mainstream media that human lives could be lost in this summer’s campaign don’t seem entirely unfounded.  
Pottsy will be blogging from the Bob Barker exclusively for Tracks throughout the campaign. Spare a thought for him bobbing down there near Antarctica while you bob around in the same body of water awaiting your next summer barrel. We asked Ben a few questions before he set sail…        

Tracks: How long have you been with Sea Shepherd and why did you join?

Pottsy: I’ve been with Sea Shepherd for five years now and I guess the thing that really sealed my decision to join was a tour of the ship Farley Mowat in Melbourne in 2006. I already knew of Sea Shepherd from a documentary called ‘Ocean Warrior’ I’d seen a few years before showing them ramming illegal drift-netters, sinking Icelandic whaling ships and pulling up long lines – powerful stuff. Walking onboard the rusty, old black battered pirate ship I had an over whelming feeling that this is where I wanted to be – defending the place I loved – the ocean. I had become increasingly disturbed about the destruction of our wild places and the senseless slaughter of animals. Finally here was a crew that was really getting out there on the front lines to do something about it and I was hooked.

What is your job on board?

My job onboard the vessel is that of Boson which means I run the deck department. In port this is a mix between a site foreman and hostel manager and at sea it involves training the volunteer crew in seamanship, damage control, fire fighting, small boat and helicopter operations and all the other duties required to keep the ship running smoothly. I originally started out in the galley cooking and have learnt everything else on the job.

What were you doing before you joined up?

I grew up at a little spot called Heathcote which is about half way between Sydney and Wollongong. My local break was Garie in the Royal National Park where I first started surfing along with beaches to the south at Stanwell and Coledale and of course Cronulla to the north. I’ve done a lot of different jobs from dish pigging to construction, tree planting, working on the ski lifts, cooking and delivering street press. I never stuck to one particular thing for too long as I liked drifting, enjoying discovering new places and meeting some amazing crew.

The Sea Shepherd organisation attracts strong opinions for and against. How do you respond to criticisms that the organisation’s direct action approach can put lives at risk and be counter-productive?

Sea Shepherd’s mission is to expose the illegal slaughter of marine wildlife and directly intervene to stop to it. We don’t go out to hurt anyone that is not our aim and in 30 years of campaigning no one has been injured or killed. But if we can prevent illegal fishermen, whalers and sealers from carrying out their grisly business by shutting down their machinery then we see no harm in bending a bit of steel to save lives, especially those of endangered species. Time has run out for banner waving
and protest – industrial fishing fleets and earth raping corporations answer only to the bottom line. They care not about the future but about maximizing profits until our oceans are empty and dead. The world’s leading marine scientists have warned that all major fisheries will collapse before 2040
due to overfishing. The oceans are dying in our time and unless we act urgently and with force our children will suffer the complete failure of earth’s life support system.

Do you feel you may be risking your life?

The dangers involved were obvious – violent clashes with whalers and sealers, extreme conditions in remote waters, old ships and shoestring budgets but at the end of the day what was worth struggling for: my next rent payment or a species facing extinction. If I was going to risk my life 
(lets face it you do it every time you get pissed with your mates!) then certainly this is the most worthy cause – in defence of life.

Are your family freaking?

My family didn’t quite get it at first but they knew of my motivations as I had often talked to them about environmental issues as well as vegetarianism. They worry a lot when we are at sea but are very supportive as they can see that this is the path that I have chosen.

Stay tuned for updates from Pottsy coming at you direct from the Southern Ocean.

All photos courtesy of Sea Shepherd: Visit their website HERE