Actress Daryl Hannah will sail for the inhospitable South Ocean on Wednesday as part of a campaign to stop Japanese whalers from slaughtering the giant animals, organizers said.

The film star on Wednesday will join the “Steve Irwin,” which departs from the eastern Australian city of Brisbane, for the first week of the voyage.

“Passionate about the issues facing our planet, Hannah will join the crew,” Sea Shepherd said in a statement.

“It is surprising and shocking to me that governments are not doing this work—that it is up to individuals and non-government organizations to uphold international law and protect endangered species,” she told AAP news agency.

The “Steve Irwin,” named for the late Australian “Crocodile Hunter” who died in 2006 from a stingray barb, is the only vessel to attempt to follow the Japanese whalers on their annual whale hunt this year.

Monitoring will be left to New Zealand, which will send air force planes to oversee the whaling fleet in Antarctic waters.