You never know who you will run into at the Ebb Tide Tavern in Annapolis. On Friday night, I headed over for one of their killer bacon cheeseburgers (Their food will surprise you–all of it. Try it out some time.) and some karaoke (as a spectator, not participant). Close to midnight, a guy walked in and took a seat at the bar and I noticed that his sweatshirt said “Sea Shepherd.”
The Sea Shepherds have been spotted in town recently and have two boats moored at the Annapolis Yacht basin. Many have inquired about why they are here, but answers have been elusive. When the Capital asked, they were stonewalled.
For those not aware, the Sea Shepherds are members of an activist group called the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society based on San Juan Islands in Washington. They are known to use “direct tactics” to protect marine life. Those actions have included scuttling and disabling commercial whaling vessels at harbor, using limpet mines to blow holes in ship hulls, ramming other vessels, throwing glass bottles of butyric acid on the decks of vessels at sea, boarding of whaling vessels while at sea, and seizure and destruction of drift nets at sea. As of 2009, Paul Watson, the Society’s founder, has said that the organization has sunk ten whaling ships while also destroying millions of dollars worth of equipment.
So, the question remains–why? And with this chance before me, I asked.
The Shepherd at the bar did not want his name released, but he looked at me and simply said, “your Governor.”
Apparently, Governor Larry Hogan popped on their radar when he won the election. And with the Governor’s recent lackluster support of a healthy Chesapeake Bay, it became clear.
The Shepherd continued and said, “his father was responsible for the Clean Water Act [1972 Clean Water Act] to help the bay. He spent years working on that and your new Governor has tried to wipe that out in his first week.”
Wow.
I asked a few more questions and the answers became little more guarded and vague.
- How long are you going to be in the area? [As long as it takes.]
- Are your new boats here in Annapolis to get them ready to deploy elsewhere? [No, we are here in Annapolis.]
- So, what have you done/plan to do here in the Bay? [A little bit of this and a little bit of that.]
At that point, I felt I was probably reaching the limit of his patience. I shook his hand, thanked him for his time, and wished him following seas!
So, there you have it. Apparently, the Sea Shepherds are keeping their eye on Governor Hogan as tries to navigate the waters of a healthier Bay. Stay tuned.
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