WA activist arrested by Danish navy

Exmouth woman Krystal Keynes has been arrested along with 13 other Sea Shepherd activists protesting in the North Atlantic against whaling.

Ms Keynes was among a group of activists trying to save a pod of 33 pilot whales being driven towards hunters on the Faroe island of Sandoy.

Hollywood star Charlie Sheen has criticised Danish authorities over the arrests.

Sheen donated one of three inflatable boats used by Krystal Keynes and other Sea Shepherd members to try the whales.

Ms Keynes was among eight activists on the water and six more on land who were arrested and detained by Danish officials.

The boats were seized by the Danish navy.

Sheen accused the Danish authorities of being complicit in the "brutal slaughter".

"I am proud that a vessel bearing my name was there and did all it could to try to stop this atrocity," the Anger Management star said.

"The 40-foot Zodiac called the BS SHEEN that I donated to Mr (Sea Shepherd leader Paul) Watson's tireless and heroic efforts, has been shamefully seized. This level of insidious and vicious corruption must be dealt with swiftly and harshly."

Charlie Sheen speaks out. Picture: AP

Sea Shepherd claims one of the activists, Spaniard Sergio Toribio, was pulled from a car and assaulted while monitoring the hunt from land, suffering a broken finger.

Large numbers of the mammals are slaughtered each year on the Faroe Islands, an autonomous territory within the kingdom of Denmark.

The method involves the mammals being forced into a bay by flotillas of small boats before being hacked to death with hooks and knives.

Faroe Islands. Picture: Krystal Keynes/Sea Shepherd/Facebook

Many locals defend the hunt as a cultural right, but animal rights campaigners have denounced it as a "brutal and archaic mass slaughter".

Ms Keynes was released on Sunday and is expected to face court on September 25, along with seven others from the boats.

Eight French citizens, two South Africans, one Italian and a second Spaniard were also arrested.

'Shameless selfie': Krystal Keynes posted this picture to her Facebook page on August 10. Picture: Krystal Keynes/Seas Shepherd/Facebook