Sea Shepherd 'in contempt of US court'

Radical environmentalists have been found in contempt of court in the US for failing to halt their campaign to disrupt the annual Antarctic whale hunt.

The 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals on Friday ordered a lower court to determine how much the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society and founder Paul Watson owe Japanese whalers.

They're required to pay for violating an order to stop their dangerous protests, and cover lawyer fees and damage to the whalers' ships.

Watson's exploits have been featured on the Animal Planet reality television show Whale Wars.

Last year, the court ordered Sea Shepherd to stay at least 150 metres from Japanese whalers. Watson then transferred US assets of Sea Shepherd to foreign entities of the group.

The 9th Circuit says its ruling to halt the harassment also applies to the foreign entities.