Hayden Panettiere's heroic dolphin-saving mission last month wasn't without its consequences.

"I learned that they have an arrest warrant out for me in Japan," the Heroes star told E! News exclusively Wednesday. "We just found out."

Panettiere, 18, was part of a convoy of activists from the U.S. and Australia who on Oct. 30 paddled out on surfboards to protest the annual slaughter of dolphins and whales by Japanese fisherman.

Her group attempted to reach a pod of dolphins before it was driven into a nearby cove and massacred, but they were blocked by a fishing boat before they could reach the sea creatures.

"It was really frightening," Panettiere said at the time. "But in the end, all we really worried about was the dolphins."

After returning to shore, the group headed directly to Osaka and left the country to avoid being arrested for trespassing by the Japanese national police.

Now it looks like the scare's not quite over for the actress.

When asked what the arrest warrant could mean, Panettiere replied, "Potentially jail, but I doubt it."

She said she was thrilled that the incident was receiving international attention, as it could result in educating others about the dolphins' plight.

"In this town, you tend to be able to get publicity when you're not wearing underwear or [you're] in rehab," Panettiere said.

"I was very excited that people were interested in what we did."

And the actress isn't letting a little thing like a warrant keep her from her cause. "I'd do it again," she said. "Very possibly, might do it again."

With an election year approaching, the actress also urged her fans to educate themselves on the presidential candidates' varying stances on environmental issues.

"Every generation has its own challenge; this is the challenge of our generation," she said.

"We must unite as a world to solve our increasing international environmental crises. We can no longer hide behind outdated, senseless cultural traditions and lazy, bad habits that are resulting in the annihilation of our planet's resources and the extinction of our species."