TV Star's Fortune Funds Epic Ocean Hunt

A research vessel, secretly purchased by Sea Shepherd Conservation Society in late 2012 for approximately $2 million, was renamed MY Sam Simon. This funding came from Sam Simon, a co-creator of The Simpsons, who channeled his royalties into ocean conservation. The ship's initial mission, launched in the 2012-2013 Antarctic season, aimed to disrupt the fuel supply of Japanese whaling ships.

By December 2014, the MY Sam Simon joined Operation Icefish, tasked with pursuing six illegal fishing vessels known as the "Bandit 6." These vessels were outlawed for using gillnets to catch Patagonian toothfish in the Southern Ocean. The ship played a crucial role in a pursuit that lasted 110 days across three oceans.

During this extensive chase, the MY Sam Simon assisted in rescuing the crew of the "Thunder," one of the "Bandit 6" vessels, after it ran aground and sank in April 2015. Following the rescue, the Sam Simon recovered approximately 72 kilometers of abandoned gillnet, estimated to be worth $3 million.

Sam Simon, who had been diagnosed with cancer in 2012, passed away on March 8, 2015, at his home in Los Angeles. The illegal fishing of Patagonian toothfish has been a significant issue for decades, with research highlighting the substantial scale of unregulated catches and efforts by organizations like CCAMLR to combat it.