The Jolly Roger flies high again as Captain Paul Watson and the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society return to the high seas in their fight to save whales from Japanese vessels in the icy waters of the Antarctic Ocean.

Their next Whale Defense Campaign, Operation Waltzing Matilda, is named after Australia's unofficial national anthem. The three month journey and will take place in the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary. Animal Planet and its crew are embedded with them to capture it all for the third season of the hit series, WHALE WARS, which is scheduled to premiere on the network in June.

"The issues surrounding whaling in the southern ocean are important and complex," says Marjorie Kaplan, president and general manager of Animal Planet. "The majesty of these beautiful creatures and the lengths to which the Sea Shepherds will go in order to prevent whaling has made WHALE WARS intense and vital television. We are excited to be on the Sea Shepherd boats again this season for what looks likely to be an even more dramatic campaign than in years past. And, as in prior seasons, we wish we could capture the experience on the Japanese boats as well but our request for access continues to be declined."

According to the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, in preparation for the anticipated encounters ahead with the whaling vessels, they will have an enhanced arsenal of tactics and resources. In addition to the main ship, the Steve Irwin, the Sea Shepherds have added the Earthrace boat, which they have rechristened the Ady Gil. The Ady Gil is described as a wave-piercing ship that has broken speedboat records for circumnavigating the globe. It can submarine up to 23-feet underwater and travel over 13,000 nautical miles on one tank of fuel. The Sea Shepherds believe that this new addition to their fleet will enable them to easily keep pace with the Japanese ships and block their harpoon boats from killing whales and processing their meat.

To counter the possible use of tactics they encountered in the past by the Japanese whalers, such as ear-piercing Long-Range Acoustical Devices (LRADs) and powerful water cannons, the Sea Shepherds say they have some surprise defensive measures to balance the "playing field."

WHALE WARS follows Captain Watson and the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society as they wage a life-and-death battle to find and stop Japanese whaling ships from hunting whales in the name of research. For several years, Captain Watson and his eclectic group of international staff and volunteers - labeled activists, heroes or eco-pirates -- have taken a hard-line approach to eradicate whaling, poaching, shark-finning and other serious ocean conservation issues. WHALE WARS follows a masterful chess match at the far end of the globe as both Sea Shepherd and the whalers engage in an environmental showdown that could cost millions of dollars -- all while drawing global attention to the practice of whaling.

The Academy of Television Arts and Sciences recognized WHALE WARS this past spring for exploring issues of concern to our society in a compelling, emotional and insightful way by bestowing the series with a Television Academy Honor which identifies it as "television with a conscience."

Seasons one and two of the series are available on DVD at AnimalPlanetstore.com.