Ocean Conservancy, originally named The Delta Corporation, is a nonprofit group that works to protect the environment. It is based in Washington, D.C., United States. The organization aims to help keep oceans healthy and full of different life, stop pollution in the ocean, address climate change, and work to stop harmful activities that endanger ocean life and people.

History

The Ocean Conservancy was created in 1972 by Bill Kardash as the Delta Organization. At first, the group worked to stop commercial whaling. In 1978, the group started its first project, the Whale Protection Fund. This project gathered 500,000 signed petitions and presented them at the International Whaling Commission's meeting in London.

In 1975, the organization changed its name to the Center for Environmental Education (CEE). This change helped the group focus more on teaching people about environmental and marine life issues. The group wanted to create laws to protect ocean health and safe ecosystems. These laws would also help prevent dangers to ocean life and humans.

During the 1980s, the CEE expanded its goals to protect ocean wildlife. This happened around the same time as a major event in 1982, when the International Whaling Commission banned commercial whaling. Encouraged by this, the CEE began working to protect many marine species and their habitats. To help its mission, the group started the Marine Sanctuary Program in 1986 and held the first International Coastal Cleanup in 1986. Through this event, the group worked to create protected areas for important marine ecosystems.

In 1989, the CEE changed its name to the Center for Marine Conservation (CMC). The CMC focused on problems like overfishing, marine pollution, habitat loss, and harmful coastal development. In 2001, the group officially became the Ocean Conservancy. The main goal of the conservancy was to help American fisheries become sustainable and protect wildlife from harm caused by humans.

With the help of more than 17 million volunteers and workers, the Ocean Conservancy has started new projects and goals. These include supporting strong ocean policies, doing scientific research, working with others, and helping communities protect and restore ocean and coastal health.

• Delta Corporation (1972–1975)
• Center for Environmental Education (CEE) (1975–1989)
• Center for Marine Conservation (CMC) (1989–2001)
• Ocean Conservancy (2001— )

Initiatives

In 1996, after four years of work, the Ocean Conservancy helped change the Magnuson–Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act. This law is still the main rule for managing fisheries in the United States. Before 1996, the law did not stop overfishing or require rebuilding fish populations. It also did not prevent the accidental catching of fish or animals (called bycatch) or protect fish habitats. The Ocean Conservancy worked to fix these problems and create better fishing practices.

The Ocean Conservancy focuses on protecting marine mammals and their homes. In 1979, the group started the Seal Rescue Fund to stop the use of seals for commercial purposes. Their efforts helped the International Whaling Commission ban commercial whaling in 1982. In 1984, the group worked to stop the U.S.-supported hunting of fur seals in the Pribilof Islands and also helped protect dolphins from harm caused by the tuna industry. The group also helped create a program that labels tuna as "dolphin-safe."

To help sea turtles, the Ocean Conservancy pushed for rules requiring the use of turtle excluder devices (TEDs) in shrimp fishing nets. These devices help sea turtles escape and save thousands of turtles each year. The group’s Sea Turtle Rescue Fund encouraged shrimp fishermen to voluntarily reduce the number of turtles that drown in their nets.

The Ocean Conservancy also worked to stop plans to restart international trade in sea turtle products and to stop Japan from importing hawksbill sea turtle shells.

One of the group’s goals is to organize ocean cleanups where volunteers remove trash from local waters. The main event is the International Coastal Cleanup, where more than 150 countries join to clean beaches and oceans. This event began in 1986 when Linda Maraniss and Kathy O'Hara organized the first local cleanup for the Ocean Conservancy.

Since the first cleanup, more than 17 million volunteers have collected over 300 million pounds of trash from the ocean. Scientists say 8 million metric tons of plastic enter the ocean each year, which is why the International Coastal Cleanup continues to grow. In 2015, the group launched an app called Clean Swell. This app allows users to log and photograph trash they collect, and the data is sent to a global database. This information is shared freely and helps study plastic waste in different countries. A new goal aims to stop all new plastic from entering the ocean by 2030.

• International Coastal Cleanup on the beaches of Hawaii, 2005
• Cleanup group returns from Morro Bay, 2009
• Group of volunteers cleaning up beaches, 2010
• Barking Sands, Hawaii cleanup, 2011
• Marine debris removed during a cleanup, 2012
• Anacostia River cleanup in Washington, D.C., 2012

Partnerships

Over the years, the number of ships traveling to the northern Arctic region has grown a lot because the ice is melting and shipping routes stay free of ice for longer periods each year. This increase in ship traffic raises the chance of oil spills. The Alaska Chadux̂ Network (ACN) has worked for many years to develop and improve ways to reduce the risk of oil spills in the ocean. To help protect the animals that live in this clean and special ocean and coastal area from oil spills, Ocean Conservancy, ACN, and the Alaska SeaLife Center (ASLC) have created a program to respond to oil spills that might harm marine mammals, such as sea otters, seals, and sea lions, in Western Alaska, the U.S. Arctic, and Prince William Sound. The agreement includes money from ACN, an Alaska-based oil spill response group, so ASLC can improve plans for helping animals covered in oil and get special tools for this work. The program also includes training and practice sessions with ACN responders, including local community partners, and support for ASLC’s remote veterinarians and technicians during oil spill events.

In addition to working with the Alaska SeaLife Center, ACN has a long-term partnership with International Bird Rescue (IBR). IBR helped ACN create a mobile unit designed to quickly help injured birds and small animals. Like ASLC, IBR also sends trained bird care workers and equipment to help treat animals harmed by oil spills.

Ocean Conservancy is working to help coral reefs recover by growing coral trees and studying them as part of a plan with NOAA. Coral is very sensitive to changes in water temperature and quality caused by global warming, and these changes often lead to reef disease and death. The organization shares information about the problems affecting reefs and other ocean areas through its website and magazine. Scientists and policy experts at the organization encourage leaders to create policies that reduce harmful activities, such as using fuels that produce carbon.

The Trash Free Seas Alliance was started by Ocean Conservancy in 2012. Major companies like The Coca-Cola Company, PepsiCo, and Amcor, as well as groups like the World Wildlife Fund and the Project AWARE Foundation, are part of this alliance. The main goal is to reduce ocean pollution through research, policy changes, and public education. The alliance focuses on finding the causes and effects of ocean trash, creating solutions, and pushing for laws that reduce plastic waste and stop it from entering the ocean.

In 1988, a database about ocean trash was created and managed by two offices in Washington, D.C., and San Francisco. The goal was to provide useful information about ocean plastics to scientists, leaders, teachers, students, and the public. Because of this alliance, the California Marine Debris Action Plan started in 1994 and offers a complete plan to address ocean trash. In 2000, President Clinton signed the Oceans Act, which created an Oceans Commission to review and update policies about protecting oceans and coasts.

Legislative victories

• In 1996, Congress rewrote the Magnuson–Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act.
• In 2020, the federal government passed the Save Our Seas Act 2.0. This law provides money to help prevent marine debris by working with NOAA.
• In 2022, California passed SB54, also called the Plastic Pollution Producer Responsibility Act. This law reduced the use of single-use plastic by 25%.

Notable achievements

• In 2020, the organization became the first national ocean partner for a Super Bowl, which led to the removal of 2.7 million single-use plastic cups and their replacement with sustainable aluminum cups.
• In 2022, Ocean Conservancy joined global representatives at COP27 to reaffirm their commitment to reducing global warming and addressing climate change.
• As of May 2023, Ocean Conservancy has removed 341,836,857 pounds of trash from the oceans.

Awards

• Received the Platinum Seal of Transparency from GuideStar.
• Earned the highest rating as an environmental nonprofit organization by Charity Navigator in 2021.

Criticism

In 2015, more than 200 environmental leaders and groups sent an open letter and a technical critique to the Ocean Conservancy's "Stemming the Tide" report, which was also released in 2015. The Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives (GAIA) criticized the report for supporting the burning of plastic waste. The letter stated that burning plastic could cause harm, place a heavy financial burden on Asian cities where waste was planned to be stored, and accept the idea that plastics are necessary.

In July 2022, the Ocean Conservancy officially apologized. They acknowledged their mistakes, including not addressing the causes of plastic waste, not considering the effects on communities affected by waste, and not supporting efforts to create a circular economy.