(CNN) -- "Whale Wars" TV conservationist Paul Watson quit his conservation society Tuesday because of a recent federal court injunction against him and his group's anti-whaling activities.
Last month, the Japanese research foundation Institute of Cetacean Research and the Japanese firm Kyodo Senpaku Kaisha Ltd. secured a U.S. District Court injunction against Watson and his Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, according to the institute's website.
The injunction prohibits Watson and his group from coming within 500 yards of the plaintiffs on the open sea, according to a copy of the court document on the institute's website.
Watson has become renowned for his attempts to disrupt Japanese whalers on the open water through Animal Planet's "Whale Wars" TV show.
A group of anti-whaling advocates was dealt a harsh rebuke Monday after a United States federal appeals court labeled them pirates.
ReplyDeleteOn Feb. 25, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals overturned an earlier decision by a Seattle trial judge that sided with the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, the Associated Press reports. In his ruling, Chief Judge Alex Kozinski agreed with the Japanese groups who originally filed suit against Sea Shepherd in 2011, the Seattle Post-Intelligencer notes.
The society, founded by Paul Watson, has long been known for its aggressive tactics in working to disrupt whaling vessels, according to USA Today. (Sea Shepherd ships are featured in the popular Animal Planet series "Whale Wars.")
Writing for the court, Kozinski said Sea Shepherd ships are in the wrong for the tactics they use in their quest to hinder Japanese whaling activities.