(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.
Contact
ABOUT CAL MARITIME
Established in 1929, California State University Maritime Academy is the only degree-granting
maritime academy on the West Coast. Located in Vallejo, California, the campus offers
undergraduate degrees that prepare students for careers in engineering, transportation,
international relations, business, and global logistics. Cal Maritime also offers
a master’s degree in Transportation and Engineering Management, as well as a number
of extended learning programs and courses.