ÌìÃÀÊÓƵ

(Vallejo, California – October 16, 2015) – Marine conservationist, world record holder, television producer and author Pete Bethune is coming to Cal Maritime on Friday, November 13. Bethune will speak in Rizza Auditorium at 6:00 p.m. A reception will be held in Rizza Auditorium at 5:00 p.m.

 

Bethune is executive producer of the TV show The Operatives which showcases the work of Earthrace Conservation, Bethune's worldwide network of ex-military operatives and other volunteers who engage in targeted missions to protect endangered and vulnerable species, preserve ocean habitats, and assist law enforcement in preventing poaching and illegal fishing practices. He also works with governments in developing sound marine conservation policy and legislation.

 

Bethune began his career in the North Sea and Libya working as an oil exploration engineer. In 1997, he cofounded CamSensor Technologies, designing and manufacturing automated camera systems for controlling robots. In 2004, he traded his desk for the oceans and began planning to attract attention to the potential for renewable fuels. In 2008, he and his team broke the global circumnavigation speed record in the powerboat Earthrace, using 100% biofuel from sustainable sources.

 

In 2010, his 18-ton powerboat – renamed Ady Gil – was rammed by an 800-ton whaler while he was working with an international environmental activist group to try to stop the Japanese whaling fleet. He then boarded the Japanese vessel from a jet-ski to present the captain with a demand for compensation for the loss of his boat. His subsequent arrest, five months in a Japanese maximum-security prison, and trial in Tokyo became one of the most infamous anti-whaling events in history. Demonstrations while Bethune languished in prison convinced the Australian Government to take Japan to the International Court of Justice, and four years later the court effectively banned Japan's whaling program. 

 

Pete Bethune's visit to Cal Maritime is part of the University's new President's Speaker Series. Admission is free. Both the event and the reception are open to the public. For directions or parking information, visit www.csum.edu/map.