Paul Watson (born December 2, 1950) is a Canadian environmental activist, who founded the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, an international non-profit organization devoted to marine conservation. He is best known for his opposition to whaling and seal hunting.
Watson was born in Toronto, Ontario and spent much of his childhood in St. Catharines. His father worked as a factory worker and his mother was a housewife. He dropped out of high school when he was 17 years old and joined the Royal Canadian Navy. He served for two years before being discharged on medical grounds.
After leaving the navy, Watson travelled around North America working odd jobs. He eventually ended up in Vancouver where he became involved in the Greenpeace movement. He sailed with them on several campaigns including anti-sealing and anti-whaling missions. In 1977, he participated in the first Greenpeace campaign against whale hunting in Iceland. The following year, he was arrested and deported from Japan after trying to stop the slaughter of dolphins in Taiji.