Sea Shepherd Conservation Society

Sea Shepherd’s SOLE MISSION is to protect and conserve the world’s oceans and marine wildlife. They work to defend all marine wildlife, from whales and dolphins, to sharks and rays, to fish and krill, without exception.

The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society was formed when Captain Paul Watson founded the Earth Force Society in 1977 in Vancouver BC, Canada. The original mandate of both organizations was marine mammal protection and conservation with an immediate goal of shutting down illegal whaling and sealing operations, but Sea Shepherd later expanded its mission to include all marine wildlife. The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society was formally incorporated in the United States in 1981 in the state of Oregon.

Illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing worldwide is bigger than the illicit drug trade, and it is devastating the ocean. Our remedy is Direct Action; a collaborative model that partners with governments to push back on decades of exploitation and neglect using ships, technology, tenacity and a relentless commitment to hands-on, daily solutions. We fight the poachers, cartels, and industrial trawlers that break the law, that push species to the edge, and our crews and volunteers work to bring their days of devastating the ocean to an end.