Sea Shepherd Captain Peter Hammarstedt in Auckland, Tuesday, November 13

Sea Shepherd New Zealand will be hosting a fundraising event at Galatos Live, 17 Galatos Street Auckland, on Tuesday November 13, 7.30pm. Captain Peter Hammarstedt of the Bob Barker is the Sea Shepherd Ship Operations Manager and will be in attendance to offer valuable insights into almost 10 years of active campaigning aboard Sea Shepherd vessels. Born in Sweden and raised in the USA, Peter is the Sea Shepherd Ship Operations Manager and has completed 7 campaigns in Antarctica. He is a passionate advocate of cetaceans, seals and sharks - often risking personal safety to protect marine wildlife from needless slaughter.

Sea Shepherd’s 2012-2013 Southern Ocean campaign is named Operation Zero Tolerance and will be assisted with 120 committed marine conservationists in a fleet of four vessels – The Steve Irwin, the Bob Barker, the Brigitte Bardot, and our newest acquisition the Sam Simon. The pristine environment of the Southern Ocean in Antarctica, of which New Zealand lies within, is a designated whale sanctuary established in 1994 by the International Whaling Commission (IWC).

This event is part of an Australian tour to raise funds for Sea Shepherd’s ninth season in Antarctica to prevent the fin and minke whale cull from Japanese whalers. Jeff Hansen is the Sea Shepherd Australian Director and will also be speaking at the fundraiser, alongside with the New Zealand Green Party’s Marine Spokesperson Gareth Hughes. Jeff has campaigned in the Galapagos Islands with Sea Shepherd and also with the Operation Miinimbi effort to protect Western Australian whale breeding grounds. Gareth is involved with the New Zealand Shark Alliance, the Maui’s and Hector’s Dolphin campaign, and is a strong advocate for better protection of New Zealand’s beautiful marine environment.

The fundraiser will have several auctions, and showcase local talent familiar to New Zealand audiences. Julia Deans is an accomplished singer with the internationally acclaimed Fur Patrol and also as a soloist, Mihirangi has returned to New Zealand from a successful career in Australia and has quickly gained attention as a talented performer, and Jahra Wasasala is an impassioned poet successfully developing a unique style of spoken word.

ENDS

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