Sea Shepherd announces new Bob Barker vessel — Sea Shepherd Conservation Society

May 30, 2024 LOS ANGELES, California; Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, the ocean conservation organization that mobilizes ships and crews to defend marine wildlife, today announced its new vessel, the M/V Bob Barker.

The ship’s name reflects a legacy left by entertainment and animal rights icon Bob Barker, who hosted the Prize is Right for decades and supported numerous causes to protect the natural world. Mr Barker began supporting Sea Shepherd in 2009, with the first ship Bob Barker leading several campaigns to arrest poachers and bring illegal fishing operations to justice.

Kent Valandra, Bob Barker’s brother, reflected on Mr. Barker’s 15-year relationship with Sea Shepherd and the recent announcement of the new ship, saying:

“Bob felt that Sea Shepherd’s courageous response to animal rights violations was particularly valuable and courageous and he wanted to be part of their efforts.”

The new M/V Bob Barker is a 150-foot-long, 36-foot-wide offshore support vessel, and she joins the Sea Shepherd fleet after years in the oil industry. Now equipped with cutting-edge sonar, radar and data collection capabilities, it will conduct direct action campaigns in defense of marine wildlife throughout the Western Hemisphere.

“For decades, Bob Barker has inspired millions of people to protect the natural world, and the new 150-foot Bob Barker vessel is proud to extend his leadership on animal rights issues into the future,” Pritam said Singh, CEO of Sea Shepherd. “It’s important to remember how far the animal rights movement has come, and much of that progress comes directly from Bob Barker. He knew he had a unique platform and he used it to educate people about their own obligations to animals and their welfare.

Watch clips from the new ship and hear Bob Barker’s words on animal rights and activism HERE

Sea Shepherd places ships, captains and crews between poachers and the endangered marine wildlife they pursue for illegal profits. See a summary of our work in 2023 HERE.

Our campaigns defend species like the Vaquita porpoise, the world’s most endangered marine mammal in the upper Gulf of California, pilot whales and bottlenose dolphins in the Faroe Islands, north of Scotland, fight against industrial trawlers who plunder the Antarctica’s krill reserves and pull deadly ghost nets from the ocean to bring their days of slaughter to an end.

Sea Shepherd is fighting HERE to protect the most endangered marine mammal on the planet, hauling deadly nets into the upper Gulf HERE, disentangling sea lions HERE, defending krill in Antarctica HERE.

About Sea Shepherd: Established in 1977, Sea Shepherd Conservation Society is an international non-profit marine wildlife conservation organization. Our mission is to end habitat destruction, conserve ecosystems and protect species. www.seashepherd.org.