Entertainment

‘Whale Wars’ harpoons jailed captain

“Whale Wars” has dumped series regular Capt. Pete Bethune while he stands trial in Tokyo for allegedly storming a Japanese whaler and trying to arrest its captain.

The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, the marine conservation group featured in “Whale Wars,” has announced that Bethune will no longer be featured on the Animal Planet series.

“We certainly haven’t abandoned him, and we’ll continue to spend money to support his strong legal defense,” Sea Shepherd founder and “Whale Wars” star Capt. Paul Watson told The Post yesterday.

“We think the decision [to dump Bethune] will work in Pete’s favor,” Watson said. “We’re concerned that judges in the case are worried about losing face if they release Pete, only to have him go on our boats again.

“Hopefully this will allow for [the judges] to rule in his favor.”

Bethune was captaining the “Whale Wars” ship Ady Gil in the Southern Ocean last January when it collided with and was destroyed by the Shonan Maru 2, a Japanese whaler.

Several weeks later, Bethune boarded the Shonan Maru 2 in Antarctic waters and tried to arrest its captain, claiming the Maru nearly killed him and his crew.

He was arrested and transported back to Tokyo to stand trial on various charges, including illegal trespass and carrying a knife. He faces up to 15 years in prison.

“The Sea Shepherd Society has very specific rules and regulations,” Watson said. “Pete made some decisions that were contrary to those rules, and for those alone he wouldn’t be allowed to participate in another [anti-whaling] campaign.

“The release of the [new] ‘Whale Wars’ show revealed things Pete was saying and doing, and stuff on board . . . that violated our regulations, and I didn’t want to put us in a position to come under scrutiny and be defensive of what we didn’t know.

“I’m confident this decision will help Pete in Japan.”