"The ocean conservation group Sea Shepherd has been awarded €8.3m (A$11.8m) at Amsterdam’s annual Good Money Gala, saying it will use the funds to build a new ship and more effectively fight poaching.

The gala awards organisations “working for a fairer, greener world”, according to its website. Sea Shepherd has been granted funding several times before, but the money announced on Monday is the largest donation it has received to date.

The chief executive of Sea Shepherd Global, Alex Cornelissen, said the organisation had been looking for years for a vessel that could become the Southern Ocean patrol flagship. But budget restrictions had until now made that impossible."

Melissa Davey reports for the Guardian January 26, 2015. [2]