“In the great scheme of things, what matters is not how long you live but why you live, what you stand for and what you are willing to die for.”

This inspirational quote from Captain Paul Watson sounds nice when you read it out loud. But the thing about Captain Watson is his life proves it’s far more than just lip service.

Captain Watson puts his money where his mouth is. He puts the safety and well-being of our oceans and the animals which inhabit it ahead of his own safety. Ahead of his own freedom.

At this very moment, Captain Watson is being detained in Germany. His detainment has already lasted nearly two months. The end game is to extradite him to Costa Rica, a near death sentence for a man so hated by illegal shark finners there that they’ve put a price on his head.

I was happy to have the opportunity for my two foundations – The Arthur E. Benjamin Foundation and American Dog Rescue Foundation – to sponsor Sea Shepherd’s “Free Captain Watson” event on June 9 in Malibu. Now, a month later, Captain Watson continues to be detained.

But you can help. You can participate in Sea Shepherd’s online visual petition here. You can help lobby Germany’s Federal Minister of Justice. You can help us free Captain Paul Watson. The future of our oceans – the future of our planet – may very well depend on it.