What the Whalers are doing is not only immoral but also against UN law, therefore Sea Shepherd have the right to not only enforce their opinion, but also the law.
Actually, they do it in such a way that stays within the regions of the law, by keeping to a quota that still can be put down to research. Sure it's wrong, but killing a whale and killing a cow, both for our own benefit, is moraly the same issue.. The fact that whale's are almost extinct does not ethically change anything, I don't see people going out to save certain insects that are going extinct because we de-forest places to make expensive furniture or create more living space either. Sure, they protest about trees (even though more than the full 100% of forest now harvested for our daily use is replanted in tree farms, but environmentalist have a hard time doing actual research), but the insects? who cares.. yet.. by the same logic they should be just as valuable, as living creatures on this planet.. Or else all the bold statements I hear the Sea Shepard crew make about saving species mean nothing.
And even if it was 100% against the law, then Sea Shepard still is a private organisation, not responsible for enforcing the law in any way or form. They are not a police force or militairy unit.. They have no right to put people in danger for the protection of animals... that goes against their own theory of protecting valuable species, once again.
What they do is piracy. Period. It's for a good cause, and their hearts might be in the right place, but it's still not right to play judge, jury and executioner. Two wrongs don't make a right.
They should fight the lawmakers and actual enforcers instead, to get THEM to take responsibility where they should. Hindering ships so they cannot whale, in a non violent way, is fine by me.. but ramming, or putting very inexperienced crew members, out of false loyalty, into dangerous places and situations like that, is just silly. 'Oh yeah, let's go right past the bow of a big whaler in our small RIB, with 6 inexperienced people on board, in a freezing ocean.. why not.. and let's do it so far from the ship, that we lose contact and might be dead before anyone comes to rescue us.. '
Any professional mariner will question Watson's methods and crew.. it's a bunch of chest beating and feelgood stuff, more for their own fullfillment than for the actual whales, as I see it.. And they only show the 'good stuff' on TV, trust me.. There's much more that they won't or can't show, even.. That would be bad publicity... But if you took the time to read proper - non sea shepard written - articles and documents to do with numerous investigations into their affairs, you kinda lose a lot of respect. It's a bunch of kids, high fiving each other, seeking thrills, thinking it's for the whales, but actually it's for them.. and no one else. So they can feel good..
I think whaling is a bad thing, mainly because we don't need it. People won't starve when they stop whaling. On the other hand, whalers don't do the job cause they like it.. some people are desperately poor, and need to make money somehow.. They don't go after salmon fishing, yet some species of salmon are near extinction too, and dolphins get stuck in salmon nets too.. so..when is a creature to be saved, and when isn't it?
Besides.. what did the Whales ever do for us?
Just my 2 cents..