We speak to Del and Lucas from Sea Shepherd Melbourne about their involvement with the organisation and its current and future activities. 

Del Jordan has been an onshore volunteer with Sea Shepherd since 2013. She has been the Coordinator of the Melbourne Chapter since 2016, a role she is most proud of. She loves being part of an organisation that is so effective, passionate and so focused on our oceans and marine life that inhabit it. She is extremely of the work the Melbourne Chapter have done over the years, at times supporting 3 ships as well as being one of the main centres of fundraising and outreach to keep our ships out on the ocean doing direct action. Del has been proudly vegan since 2016. When she’s not devoting herself to marine conservation, she works full time as a primary school teacher and loves teaching her students about the ocean and of course about Sea Shepherd. One thing she imparts with every kid she teaches is you are never too young to make a difference to the world around you.

Lucas has been an onshore volunteer with Sea Shepherd since 2014. As a volunteer he is happy to help out anywhere be it a beach clean, bakesale or vegan market but is most passionate about speaking to members of the public about the issues that plague our oceans and how they can aid the cause. He has been vegan since 2015. Outside of Sea Shepherd Lucas works full time as a Software Engineer and Digital Consultant. He is passionate about using technology to create experiences and applications that are inclusive and accessible.

Topics discussed include: 

• Why they became involved. 
• What the links between sea shepherd and veganism are.
• Some of the things they've done in their time with Sea Shepherd. 
• What the organisations is up to in Australia and globally at the moment. 
• How the pandemic impacted Sea Shepherd's work.
• What Del and Lucas think the future of Sea Shepherd will look like.
• And how people can get involved if they are interested.

Recommended documentaries:  

• Defend Conserve Protect https://www.defendconserveprotectmovie.com 
• Whale Wars
• The Cove https://www.opsociety.org/our-work/films/the-cove/ 
• Chasing the Thunder
• Seaspiracy https://www.seaspiracy.org
• Blackfish https://www.blackfishmovie.com
• Sea of Shadows https://films.nationalgeographic.com/sea-of-shadows
• The Return To Antarctica: Whales Under Siege https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t7v7kPNsMAs
• Exposed: The Shocking Truth about Antarctic Krill Fishing https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e7inUvTBy34
• Inspiring Ocean Conservation Films to Watch Right Now: https://www.seashepherd.org.au/latest-news/sea-shepherd-films/

Links:

Get Involved: https://www.seashepherd.org.au/get-involved-2023/

Music played:

• Bullet with Butterfly Wings by Smashing Pumpkins 
• If You Love Someone by The Veronicas
• The Seed by Aurora

Freedom of Species' Spotify playlist can be found here: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3TJQujKYjGFoFP6LhBbaTS

 If you have any feedback on our show, please get in touch via email: freedomofspecies@gmail.com