Alex Cornelissen

Captain Cornelissen has participated in over 25 campaigns for Sea Shepherd, including 5 voyages to Antarctica to stop whale poachers. He joined Sea Shepherd in 2002 as Chief Cook aboard the Farley Mowat , at the time the organization's flagship ship. What was supposed to be a sabbatical turned into a transformative experience. On his first day aboard the Farley Mowat , he dove into the waters of the Galapagos Marine Reserve to save a turtle from a fishing line. And even if it seems that such an initiation is hard to beat, it has had, since then, moments of great inspiration. In 2003 he saved 15 dolphins from nets in Taiji. In 2005 and 2008 he saved seals in Canada in one of the bloodiest and most brutal witnessing campaigns.

Over his 14 years in Sea Shepherd service he was a crew member on several ships in the Sea Shepherd fleet, working and progressing to becoming First Officer under Captain Paul Watson and being named captain in 2006.

He served without interruption on board ships until the end of 2007 when he started working as Director of Operations in the Galapagos Islands, where he stayed for 7 years, managing an efficient campaign to stop poaching in the marine reserve. In January 2014, he became CEO of Sea Shepherd Global and is now responsible for all ship movements in the Sea Shepherd fleet. Despite the shift in focus from ships to the general management of the Global movement, he continues to participate in campaigns when time allows.

Its mission is to ensure that Sea Shepherd continues to grow and Neptune's navy continues to expand. Captain Cornelissen lectures around the world to highlight the important work done by the Sea Shepherd movement and inspire others to be a part of the movement.

He is proud to be able to fight alongside some of the most inspiring and passionate people he knows.