Blue Water Film Festival (BWFF) presented by the Blue Water Institute announces its honorees to Captain Paul Watson with the Global Guardian Award, which is presented to an industry leader whose contributions to the innovation of marine science & entertainment has changed the industry for the better. Captain Paul Watson, a founding member of Greenpeace, left in 1977 to establish the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, which he led until 2023 before co-founding the Captain Paul Watson Foundation. A master mariner, author, and lifelong environmentalist, he has received numerous honors, including the Amazon Peace Prize (2007) and the Jules Verne Award (2012). Watson continues to his fight for marine conservation through his foundation.

Past honorees include Dr, Maude Barlow (UN Water Activist), Dr. Jane Goodall (Jane Goodall Institute), Yvon Chouinard (Founder, Patagonia), Dr. Sylvia Earle (Queen of the Sea), and Valerie Taylor (Queen of the Sharks). The award will be presented Sunday, March 22nd, at UCSD Park & Market Street.