Oceana 2023 Annual Report

Annual Report 2022–2023

Annual Report 2022-2023* This annual report reflects the combined operations of all Oceana organizations, including Oceana, Inc. and our affiliates, as well as information concerning Oceana Canada, an independent charity. Oceana campaigns in North, South, and Central America; Asia; and Europe. Oceana is the largest international advocacy organization dedicated solely to ocean conservation. We are rebuilding abundant and biodiverse oceans by winning science-based policies in countries that control one-quarter of the world’s wild fish catch. With more than 275 victories that stop overfishing, habitat destruction, oil and plastic pollution, and the killing of threatened species like turtles, whales, and sharks, Oceana’s campaigns are delivering results to protect the oceans and save the climate. More than 8.2 million members, e-activists, and social media followers support Oceana internationally.

Together, we can restore the oceans and help feed the world. To learn more, please visit Oceana.org.

Cover Photo © Oceana/Perrin James

* This report features campaign updates from July 2022 to June 2023 and financial information for the calendar year 2022.

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Letter From The CEO

3

Oceana’s Approach

5

How We Work

9

Victories

10

On The Water

43

Science & Policy Reports

49

Law

51

Grassroots & Advocacy

53

Oceana Around The World

57

Strategic Communications

63

Support Oceana

65

Financial Summary

67

Leadership

69

Oceana Locations

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Following campaigning by Oceana and our artisanal fishing allies, Peru’s Congress voted to reserve the country’s massive coastal zone, which covers approximately 24,755 square kilometers (9,558 square miles), for artisanal fishers, protecting it from destructive fishing gear.

© Oceana/Sebastián Castañeda

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Letter From The CEO

You are reading this annual report because you want the oceans to be abundant. You will be pleased that we are reporting on a new set of policy victories that Oceana and our allies have won that protect and restore the oceans. If you are already one of our donors, thank you! Your generosity is essential to powering our policy campaigns forward every year.

You are also reading this annual report in a year in which hotter global temperatures have broken historical records. What has ocean conservation got to do with saving the planet from catastrophic climate change? Plenty. Seafood is a climate-smart animal protein. So, rebuilding an

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abundant ocean that can feed a billion people a healthy seafood meal every day, FOREVER, is a key achievement in the climate change battle.

researchers, found that global populations of five common shark species are down more than 60% in just 50 years.

Stopping new offshore oil and gas development is another double win, because protecting beaches, fisheries, and oceans from oil pollution also keeps that carbon from entering the atmosphere. In fact, it has the potential to reduce emissions more than any other ocean-based solution. These are just two examples of how ocean protections are also climate solutions.

Sharks are apex predators. An ocean with radically depleted shark populations is an ocean in trouble.

Why do we feature sharks on our cover this year?

Along with abundance, you want an ocean that is biodiverse. No creature represents the battle for ocean biodiversity better than sharks, whose numbers are declining at alarming rates. Late last year, the international body charged with protecting endangered species (the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species, or CITES), rang an alarm bell for the world’s sharks. With many populations now so severely depleted, the member states voted for new trade restrictions on 60 additional shark species. As if to emphasize this decision, a June 2023 peerreviewed study of 400 reefs, which involved 150

The chief threat to sharks is overfishing, and a big driver of that overfishing is the cruel and unsustainable global shark fin trade. Fins from up to 73 million sharks are traded every year, many to end up in a delicacy known as “shark fin soup” popular in some Asian countries. The fin trade is doing to sharks what the ivory trade did to elephants: it is killing them at an astonishing rate.

One of our biggest ocean victories in the last year took place when the United States banned the shark fin trade, a new law that followed more than 10 state level bans (including Texas and New York). Canada — and more recently, the United Kingdom — have also legislated to limit the trade in shark fins. More action is required if we’re to save sharks and protect marine biodiversity, but it is heartening to report this new progress to you.

Winning ocean conservation policy battles requires us to defeat over-fishers and polluters.

To do that, we need allies. Very often those allies include artisanal fishers. These individuals are on the water every day, and they see firsthand the collapses evident in the statistics you read in the papers. They also witness the damage done by the big industrial fishing fleets, some of which are notable for their illegal activities and their damage to ocean habitat essential to productivity, resilience, and biodiversity. We are proud to work closely with them, as the photos in this report make clear.

We are also proud to have you as a partner. Your generosity makes everything we do possible.

Thank you! We count on your loyalty and hope you will fund us again this year to win more victories for an abundant and biodiverse ocean.

Sincerely,

Andrew Sharpless CEO, Oceana © Oceana/Sebastián Castañeda

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Oceana’s Approach Oceana campaigns to win policy victories that restore abundance and biodiversity in the world’s oceans, which cover two-thirds of our planet and play a key role in mitigating climate change. Healthy marine ecosystems full of wildlife support fisheries that can feed more than a billion people a healthy seafood meal every day, forever. We can preserve the oceans for future generations while protecting a critical food source — wild seafood — that requires no fresh water or arable land to produce, yields minimal greenhouse gas emissions, and provides an affordable, healthy protein to people who depend on it around the world. Just 29 countries and the European Union are responsible for nearly 90% of the global fish catch. We can — on a country-by-country basis — win policy victories that will help to protect and restore oceans worldwide. Evidence from fisheries around the world shows that, when the right measures are put in place, depleted fish populations bounce back.

Oceana fights for policies that are based in science and rely on six proven strategies that help restore healthy oceans.

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Stop Overfishing

Reduce Bycatch

Protect Habitat

Curb Pollution

Increase Transparency

Protect Species

© Oceana/Tom Hines

OCEANA’S APPROACH

Stop Overfishing

Reduce Bycatch

Half of global fisheries are overfished, and another 40% are fully exploited. When fisheries are properly managed, the fish come back.

Each year, fishing gear kills or injures millions of non-targeted animals, including sharks, whales, dolphins, fish, and sea turtles, some of which are in danger of extinction.

OUR IMPACT: Oceana campaigns around the world to implement fisheries management plans and catch limits to stop overfishing and rebuild ocean abundance. In the United States, the European Union, and Chile, the number of fisheries with management plans has increased by 55% since 2000, and the number of fisheries with catch limits has increased by 47%.

OUR IMPACT: Oceana campaigns to protect important species by improving monitoring and reporting, setting bycatch limits for fisheries, and encouraging fishers to use more selective, safer gear. Oceana and our allies have won more than 30 victories to protect species from dangerous fishing gear, including drift gillnets.

© Shutterstock/Tara Lambourne

© Shutterstock/Andreas Altenburger

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OCEANA’S APPROACH

Protect Habitat

Curb Pollution

Stopping destructive fishing methods like bottom trawling and protecting vulnerable ecosystems will preserve places that are crucial to both marine animals and artisanal fishing communities.

Pollution undermines the health of ocean ecosystems and accelerates climate change.

OUR IMPACT: Oceana mounts expeditions and collects scientific data to help win protections for key ocean habitats. In 2000, less than 1% of the waters off the countries where Oceana currently operates were protected. Today, about 17% of these waters are now protected. © Oceana/Carlos Suárez

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OUR IMPACT: Oceana fights offshore drilling to help prevent oil spills and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, which accelerate climate change. Over 120,000 kilometers (about 75,000 miles) of coastline in the United States and Belize are now protected from the threat of offshore drilling, covering more than 2.5 million square miles of ocean. Oceana also campaigns and has achieved 25 victories to reduce the production and use of unnecessary single-use plastics around the world. © Shutterstock/Larina Marina

OCEANA’S APPROACH

Increase Transparency

Protect Species

Timely and accurate data is needed to improve fishing policies and to deter illegal conduct at sea.

Marine animals are at risk, whether from speeding vessels that strike endangered North Atlantic right whales, or the brutal shark fin trade, which has contributed to a decline of global shark and ray populations by more than 70% over the last 50 years.

OUR IMPACT: Oceana campaigns for measures that promote transparency, such as requiring large commercial fishing vessels be publicly trackable by satellite and expanding boat-to-plate traceability of seafood. Around 80,000 commercial fishing vessels — about 20% of the world’s industrial fishing fleet — can now be tracked on the Global Fishing Watch map, created by Oceana in partnership with Skytruth and Google, in near-real time, for free. © Shutterstock/Kemang Hakim

OUR IMPACT: Oceana has won more than 40 policy victories to protect vulnerable species threatened by extinction from destructive commercial activities.

© Shutterstock

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How We Work The good news is that we can restore the oceans to their former abundance. For more than 20 years, Oceana and our allies have won more than 275 policy victories, and we have the tools to continue winning on behalf of our oceans. We are: Campaign-Driven We strategically create policy campaigns that make measurable progress toward our mission of protecting and restoring the oceans to their former levels of abundance.

Our campaigns are specific, targeted, and designed to be won in a three- to five-year timeframe.

Fact-Based Our advocacy relies on scientific research to help us understand the ocean’s problems and identify practical, effective solutions. We conduct research on a variety of issues that affect marine environments, from illegal and destructive fishing to plastic pollution and offshore drilling.

A gray seal swims among kelp near the Farne Islands in the North Sea.

© Oceana/Juan Cuetos

Expedition-Powered We recognize that getting on the water — alongside scientists, divers, photographers, campaigners, and artisanal fisher allies — helps us bring these important marine places to life and make a stronger case for their protection. Oceana’s expeditions have powered our campaigns and resulted in victories across the globe.

Multi-Disciplinary Oceana’s scientists work closely with our economists, lawyers, advocates, communicators, and grassroots organizers to achieve tangible results for the oceans.

Supported by Citizens and Allies Oceana has a base of over 8.2 million supporters, including 1.5 million Wavemakers. Our Ocean Council comprises a select group of leaders in business, policy, and philanthropy who represent and support Oceana’s efforts on the global stage.

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Oceana conducts an expedition in Katalalixar, the ancestral homeland of the Indigenous Kawésqar people, located west of Chilean Patagonia. Oceana is campaigning with the Kawésqar to protect the area’s biodiversity.

© Oceana/Mauricio Altamirano

2022-2023

Victories Oceana leverages law, science, grassroots activism, advocacy, and strategic communications to win policy change around the world. With the help of our allies, Oceana is winning victories that restore ocean abundance. Here’s what we accomplished from July 2022 to June 2023.

© Oceana/Enrique Talledo

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SPECIES PROTECTION VICTORY

Peru Protects Sharks and Other Marine Species from Illegal Trafficking NOVEMBER 2022 - Peru’s Congress enacted a law that now includes illegal wildlife trafficking in the country’s Law Against Organized Crime. Oceana and our allies were instrumental in achieving this victory, which will help protect hundreds of aquatic and terrestrial species, including sharks, which are highly prized for their fins in the illicit trade. Thirty tons of shark parts were seized in Peru in 2018 alone. With this new inclusion, Peru is the first South American country to declare illegal wildlife trafficking a form of organized crime. This victory will give Peruvian authorities more legal tools to enforce the law and penalize those operating criminal networks.

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© Oceana/Xavier Elias

SPECIES PROTECTION VICTORY

Shark Fin Trade Banned in the United States DECEMBER 2022 - The United States Congress passed a law to ban the buying and selling of shark fins, following significant campaigning by Oceana and our allies. This victory officially removes the U.S. from the unsustainable global shark fin trade, where fins from as many as 73 million sharks end up each year. Just as elephant populations have declined due to the demand for their tusks, the shark fin trade is jeopardizing the continued survival of many shark species. Global oceanic shark and ray populations have declined by more than 70% over the last 50 years, with overfishing as the primary cause. Oceanic whitetip sharks, great hammerheads, and scalloped hammerheads have declined globally to critically endangered levels according to the International Union for Conservation of Science (IUCN). The demand for shark fins incentivizes overfishing and shark finning — the cruel and wasteful practice of removing a shark’s fins at sea and throwing its body back overboard where it drowns, starves to death, or is eaten alive by other fish. The U.S. has banned shark finning for years, and now by making it illegal to buy or sell shark fins in the U.S., Oceana and our allies have helped bring the world one step closer to ending the devastating global shark fin trade. © Renee Cappozola

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SPECIES PROTECTION VICTORY

Canada Strengthens Emergency Measures to Protect Critically Endangered North Atlantic Right Whales DECEMBER 2022 - Amid a crisis facing critically endangered North Atlantic right whales, Oceana and our allies successfully campaigned for the Canadian government to strengthen its emergency measures to protect this species from deadly ship strikes and entanglements in fishing gear. Since these measures were strengthened over the last three years, there have been no known right whale deaths in Canadian waters. Prior to these improvements, 21 right whales had been killed in Canadian waters between 2017 and 2019. These strengthened measures include increasing vessel slowdown zones, ensuring fishery closures can be triggered by any sighting, including acoustic detections, and starting the fishing season earlier so that there is less overlap with the time right whales are in the Gulf of St. Lawrence. Oceana is now campaigning to make protection measures for right whales permanent along the East Coast of Canada and the United States to give these whales the best chance of survival.

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© Nick Hawkins

OVERFISHING VICTORY

Oceana Defends EU Fisheries Rebuilding Policy from Attack FEBRUARY 2023 - Oceana and our allies defended the European Union’s main fisheries law from attacks, including attempts to overturn the discard ban, which was the subject of strong lobbying by the industrial fishing sector. Adopted in 2013, the Common Fisheries Policy has led EU fisheries to become increasingly more sustainable by adhering to principles such as sciencebased catch limits and bycatch reduction. The European Commission’s recent assessment of the law showed that the number of sustainably harvested fish stocks has increased from only five in 2009 to over 60 in 2022.

Oceana continues to campaign for full implementation and enforcement of the law.

© Oceana/Paulo Peixoto

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OVERFISHING VICTORY

Peru Passes New Law to Protect its Oceans and Artisanal Fishers MAY 2023 - Peru’s Congress unanimously passed a new law to strengthen protections for the first five nautical miles off the country’s coast and support Peru’s artisanal fishers. This coastal area is one of the most productive in the world, playing a fundamental role in the life cycle of the area’s marine species. The law will reinforce the ban on large-scale industrial fishing within the five nautical miles and prohibit any gear that is harmful to the habitat and seafloor. Specifically, boats using mechanized gear like purse seines can no longer be classified as “artisanal” and are prohibited from using this destructive gear within the first three miles off the coast.

Additionally, the law requires science-based fishing quotas to be established and orders new measures to recover overfished species. This victory, which was won thanks to steadfast campaigning by artisanal fishers and their allies, including Oceana, will help support ocean abundance, biodiversity, and livelihoods in Peru.

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© Oceana/Sebastián Castañeda

HABITAT VICTORY

Chile Creates a New Marine Protected Area, Pisagua Sea JANUARY 2023 - Chile created a new marine protected area (MPA) called “Pisagua Sea” in northern Chile, following four expeditions led by Oceana and the Universidad Arturo Prat and a scientific recommendation to protect this important area. During the expeditions, Oceana documented over 150 species, including large schools of commercially important species like anchovies and jack mackerel. Pisagua Sea, which measures 735 square kilometers (283 square miles), also has abundant macroalgae forests and smaller organisms like krill and crustaceans, making it the perfect environment for larger animals like fish, mammals, and birds to reproduce. The new MPA is the first in the country to protect not only marine habitat and species, but also the livelihoods of artisanal fishers, who rely on this richly biodiverse area to support their community and local economy.

© Oceana/Fernando Olivares

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HABITAT VICTORY

German and Dutch Marine Protected Areas Closed to Destructive Fishing Gear DECEMBER 2022 - Following joint recommendations

by Germany and the Netherlands, the European Commission closed over 3,500 square kilometers (over 1,350 square miles) of the North Sea to bottom trawling and prohibited the use of destructive fishing gears such as gillnets, trammel nets, and driftnets across an additional 1,700 square kilometers (over 650 square miles). These fisheries restrictions cover parts of existing marine protected areas designated for the protection of reefs, sandbanks, and endangered marine species such as the harbor porpoise. Oceana researched these important areas during expeditions in 2016 and 2017, published proposals for their protection, and campaigned for their adoption.

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© Oceana/Carlos Minguell

HABITAT VICTORY

Marine Reserve Expanded in Spain’s Balearic Islands SEPTEMBER 2022 - The Balearic Islands regional government created a new marine reserve in the Toro and Malgrats Islands, home to Posidonia seagrass meadows, gorgonians, and fish such as groupers, meagres, and seabream, thanks to campaigning by Oceana and our allies. The new reserve covers 30 square kilometers (11.5 square miles) — 13 times the size of the previously protected area, which was comprised of two smaller marine reserves. Oceana researched and proposed this marine protected area in 2007 and more recently joined forces with other stakeholders calling for the two marine reserves to be connected and expanded.

Marine reserves are the most protected category of MPA and include a ban on destructive fishing methods such as bottom trawling.

© Oceana/Carlos Miguell

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HABITAT VICTORY

Over 14,600 Square Kilometers of Deep-Sea Habitats Protected from Bottom Fishing in the Northeast Atlantic SEPTEMBER 2022 - The European Commission announced that it is closing 87 offshore areas between 400 and 800 meters (approximately 1,300 and 2,600 feet) deep to all bottom-contact fishing gear, protecting vulnerable deep-sea ecosystems in the Northeast Atlantic Ocean. This closure is key to implementing the 2016 EU Deep-Sea Access Regulation, secured by Oceana’s campaigning, which includes a ban on bottom trawling below 800 meters. The decision to close additional areas followed extensive consultations with EU Member States and stakeholders, including Oceana, other NGOs, and the fishing industry.

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© Oceana

HABITAT VICTORY

Deep-Sea Corals and Seafloor Habitats Protected in US Pacific MARCH 2023 - In the United States, the Pacific Fishery Management Council permanently protected more than 1,550 square kilometers (600 square miles) of ocean habitat from bottom-contact fishing off Southern California including almost half of the area’s known deep-sea corals. These areas include coral and sponge ecosystems discovered by Oceana during a 2016 scientific expedition. The Council also reopened some areas to recreational and non-trawl commercial fishing, while the entire area remains closed to bottom trawling.

This victory is a win-win for fishing communities and ocean biodiversity and is the result of a unique collaboration between recreational and commercial fishers, Oceana, and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, who together designed the new conservation strategy. The Council also voted to protect five ecologically important areas off the Oregon coast from all forms of fishing gear that harm seafloor habitats, including bottom longlines and pots. These five areas, which total 471 square kilometers (182 square miles), are already protected from bottom trawling, and will now receive an additional layer of protection with this action.

© Oceana

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HABITAT VICTORY

Brazil’s Supreme Court Upholds Ban on Bottom Trawling in Rio Grande do Sul JUNE 2023 - In a 9-1 vote, Brazil’s Supreme Court upheld a law in the state of Rio Grande do Sul that bans industrial bottom trawling, a highly destructive form of fishing that clear-cuts the seafloor. Bottom trawling can deplete fish stocks, threaten marine biodiversity, and destroy habitat, all of which local communities rely on to support their livelihoods. Oceana campaigned alongside artisanal fishers to pass this law in 2018, which safeguards more than 13,000 square kilometers (over 5,000 square miles) of Brazil’s coastline. Since then, local communities have seen many fish stocks recover.

The Supreme Court decision reinforces the importance of this law to ensuring sustainable livelihoods for more than 20,000 families who rely on artisanal fishing in Rio Grande do Sul.

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© Oceana/Marcos Jatahy

HABITAT VICTORY

Chile Rejects Dominga Mining Project, Protects Marine Life JANUARY 2023 - Following campaigning by Oceana and our allies, Chile’s Ministers Committee unanimously rejected the Dominga port mining project, which threatened one of the world’s largest biodiversity hotspots, the Humboldt Archipelago. The project would encroach on an important feeding area for species including blue whales, fin whales, sea lions, bottlenose dolphins, sea otters, and sea birds, many of which are classified as endangered or vulnerable by the IUCN. This area is also home to the majority of the world’s vulnerable Humboldt penguin population. Dominga would put the area’s ecosystems and economic activities, including tourism and artisanal fishing, at risk. The Ministers Committee previously rejected the Dominga project in 2017. Yet again, the company behind Dominga, Andes Iron, says it will appeal the decision. Oceana is campaigning for the creation of a marine protected area to prohibit all future industrial projects in this area.

© Oceana/Pablo Acuña

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POLLUTION VICTORY

Brazil’s Leading Food Delivery Service, iFood, Commits to Additional Single-Use Plastic Reductions OCTOBER 2022 - Brazil’s largest home food delivery service, iFood, committed to reduce additional single-use plastic packaging throughout its operations, expanding earlier reduction targets to include polystyrene foam containers, plastic sachets, and plastic bags. In total, the company plans to eliminate 2.7 billion single-use plastic items by 2025. These ubiquitous single-use plastic items often become pollution and can harm marine life and ecosystems if they enter the oceans. This victory follows campaigning from Oceana and the United Nations Environment Program’s Clean Seas Campaign. In 2021, iFood publicly committed to an 80% reduction in plastic cutlery, plates, cups, straws, and napkins included in orders by 2025.

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© Shutterstock

POLLUTION VICTORY

New Laws in US Pacific Northwest Reduce Plastic Waste APRIL-MAY 2023 - Following campaigning by Oceana and our allies, the U.S. states of Washington and Oregon passed laws to combat the plastic pollution crisis. In Washington, Oceana, together with the Plastic Free Washington Coalition and other allies, successfully campaigned for a new law that increases access to refillable water bottle options, requires hotels to eliminate single-use plastics for personal care products, and reduces pollution from plastic foam-filled floats and docks. Plastic foam is not accepted in curbside recycling and can persist in the environment for centuries.

Oregon passed a law that phases out polystyrene foam foodware, packing peanuts, and coolers. The law bans PFAS, nicknamed “forever chemicals,” from food packaging because they are toxic, accumulate in the environment, and pose a threat to human health. Oregon also passed a second law that requires the state’s health code to enable restaurants to use reusable containers to serve their customers.

© Shutterstock

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POLLUTION VICTORY

Major US Cities Cut Down on Plastic Foodware DECEMBER 2022-JANUARY 2023 - New York City, Los Angeles, and San Diego — the first, second, and eighth most populous cities in the United States, respectively — put new measures in place to decrease plastic pollution. Following campaigning by Oceana and our allies, New York City lawmakers passed a bill requiring that restaurants, food delivery apps, and online delivery platforms only provide certain single-use items — including plastic utensils and condiment packets — if requested by the customer. San Diego and Los Angeles banned expanded polystyrene, the plastic foam often used to produce single-use cups, plates, and other foodware, and it can no longer be distributed or sold at restaurants and retailers. Because of its brittle texture, expanded polystyrene easily breaks up into tiny pieces that quickly disperse into the environment and can be mistaken for food by animals. Both cities also instituted additional measures to cut down on plastic: The Los Angeles City Council expanded the city’s single-use plastic bag ban and instructed all city departments to develop zero-waste plans for city buildings and events, while the San Diego City Council made utensils and straws available to customers by request only.

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© Shutterstock

POLLUTION VICTORY

Brazil’s Museum of Tomorrow Becomes Plastic-Free Zone MARCH 2023 - Brazil’s Museum of Tomorrow (MoT) announced on March 22, World Water Day, that it is now the first Plastic-Free Zone in the country. Oceana collaborated with the futuristic science museum to first establish the museum’s pilot program, which was widely supported by employees and included auditing the disposable plastics used in the museum’s operations, creating a plastic-free event guide, and engaging external suppliers. During the pilot phase, MoT and Oceana found solutions to eliminate most single-use plastic items, such as bottles, cups, bags, and plastic film. As a next step, the museum will extend plastic-free requirements to visitors, marking an end to the sale, use, and distribution of single-use plastics on museum premises.

© Oceana/Nathalia Carvalho

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POLLUTION VICTORY

Panama Commits to Reduce Plastic Pollution MARCH 2023 - Panama announced a bold commitment to reduce plastic pollution during the 8th annual Our Ocean conference in Panama City. The new measures will stop more than 160,000 tons of plastic that is imported and consumed in the country each year, according to the government. Panama plans to eliminate single-use plastic items including utensils and cups in three years. In five years, the country will reduce the import and consumption of plastic packaging by 30%, including plastic foam food containers. In seven years, Panama will reduce the import of virgin plastic by at least 20%, and, in no later than 10 years from now, it will reduce the sale and import of both single-use plastic and virgin plastic by 50%. Oceana was instrumental in achieving this commitment and advised Panamanian officials on effective measures to reduce single-use plastics at the source.

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© Shutterstock

POLLUTION VICTORY

Amazon Publicly Reports on Plastic Packaging Footprint for First Time DECEMBER 2022 - Amazon, the largest retailer in the world, publicly reported on the amount of plastic packaging it uses for the first time. This disclosure came in response to Oceana’s campaign and efforts to estimate the company’s plastic packaging footprint for the past three years. The packaging Amazon uses, particularly plastic film, is not readily recyclable and is harmful to marine life. In a December 2022 blog, Amazon reported it used 97,222 metric tons (or 214 million pounds) of plastic packaging for orders shipped through its fulfillment centers in 2021. This figure does not include all plastic packaging used in orders sold through the company’s websites, including orders from third-party sellers. Despite the exclusion, this is an important step toward increased transparency for the company. Oceana and our allies will continue to urge Amazon to report on its plastic packaging footprint on a regular basis going forward and to reduce its overall use of single-use plastics.

© Oceana

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POLLUTION VICTORY

New Chile Law Increases Transparency in Salmon Farming, Reduces Threats to Marine Life JANUARY 2023 - A new law in Chile will regulate the destructive impacts of the salmon farming industry, following campaigning by Oceana and our allies, including artisanal fishers. The law requires Chile’s National Fisheries Service to publish data on the number of salmon companies produce, the amount of antibiotics and antiparasitics they use, and how many salmon mortalities occur. The waste generated by fish packed into pens and excessive use of antibiotics leaks into the ocean and harms marine life. Consequently, bacterial resistance can develop, threatening marine and human health. The new law also establishes substantial fines for every time salmon are released into the marine environment, and requires the farms that allow these releases to suspend operations. Artisanal fishers will now be able to catch released salmon, further reducing the threat that salmon, which are not native to Chile, pose for the marine environment. This follows a victory in August 2022, when Chile’s Constitutional Court ruled in Oceana’s favor and against a salmon farming company that previously denied Oceana access to data on its antibiotic use.

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© Oceana/Eduardo Sorensen

POLLUTION VICTORY

New Law in US State of Maine Sets Density Limits for Future Salmon Farms JUNE 2023 - Following campaigning by Oceana and our allies, the U.S. state of Maine passed a law that establishes limits on stocking density for new marine salmon farms, making it harder for developers to build monster aquaculture operations in the state’s waters.

This new law follows a proposal by Norwegian-based company American Aquafarms in 2021 to build an extremely large salmon farm in Frenchman Bay, just half a mile offshore of Acadia National Park. Stocking density — the amount of fish by weight packed into an area — is a key metric of salmon and other marine finfish aquaculture. Higher stocking densities are often associated with diminished fish health and water quality.

Ocean-based fish farms are inherently risky as they often also use vast amounts of pesticides and chemicals to prevent disease and parasites, which can impact the surrounding marine ecosystems.

© Shutterstock/Keneva Photography

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BYCATCH VICTORY

United States Protects Whales, Dolphins, Sea Turtles from Deadly Drift Gillnets DECEMBER 2022 - Following campaigning by Oceana and our allies, the United States will end the use of large-mesh drift gillnets in its federal waters. These are mile-long, nearly invisible nets set overnight to capture swordfish. In the U.S., large-mesh drift gillnets are currently only in use off the coast of California, where they entangle, injure, and kill thousands of other ocean animals each year including whales, dolphins, sea lions, endangered sea turtles, sharks, and other important fish species. This victory follows the completion of a multi-year voluntary transition program in California to compensate swordfish drift gillnet fishers for turning in their permits and nets. The program, which was partially funded by Oceana, also incentivizes the use of more selective gear, such as deep-set buoy gear, to catch swordfish. As a result, roughly 50 miles of large-mesh drift gillnets have now been removed permanently from the ocean. The new law aligns state and federal policy to ban the use of this indiscriminate gear in all U.S. waters, and all remaining federal permits will be phased out over the next five years.

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© Shuttertock/Chase Dekker

BYCATCH VICTORY

Newly Approved Innovative Fishing Gear Will Reduce Bycatch off US West Coast MAY 2023 - Following campaigning by Oceana and our allies, the National Marine Fisheries Service authorized the commercial use of deep-set buoy gear, an innovative fishing gear that will protect ocean animals, like whales and dolphins, from fishing entanglements off the U.S. West Coast. This gear is designed to catch swordfish in a clean and profitable way and its authorization is a critical step in the transition away from mile-long drift gillnets, a highly unselective fishing method that previously entangled many other ocean animals. This newly approved fishing method consists of a floating buoy supporting a single vertical line with up to three baited hooks that is deployed during the day when swordfish feed at deeper depths than most other species. The buoys indicate when a fish has been caught, so fishers can retrieve their catch within minutes. The Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch program added swordfish caught with deep-set buoy gear and harpoons to its Green List as a “best choice.”

© Alamy Stock Photo/robertharding

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TRANSPARENCY VICTORY

European Commission Releases Public Database Disclosing Activities of EU Vessels Fishing Outside of EU Waters MAY 2023 - Following campaigning by Oceana and our allies, the European Commission released a public database that allows anyone to search for information about EU-flagged vessels authorized to fish outside of EU waters. As a measure to increase transparency, the database publishes information on each vessel, including: what waters it is authorized to fish outside of the EU and for how long; the fishing gear it is allowed to use; and its target species. Prior to this victory, public information about the activities of EU-flagged vessels fishing outside of EU waters was limited or non-existent, allowing these vessels to operate with little scrutiny. Oceana’s campaigning was critical in making this database a reality, which will help shine a light on fishing vessel activity and deter illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing.

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© Shutterstock/Nieuwland Photography

TRANSPARENCY VICTORY

Mexico Joins the Port State Measures Agreement to Address Illegal Fishing MARCH 2023 - Mexico joined the Port State Measures Agreement (PSMA), a binding international agreement to prevent, deter, and eliminate illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing. The PSMA prevents vessels engaged in IUU fishing from using foreign ports and landing their catches in countries that have signed on to the agreement, which disincentivizes these vessels’ operations and stops their products from reaching national and international markets. Oceana played a crucial role in Mexico’s adoption of the PSMA, campaigning senators, the Navy, and the Foreign Affairs Ministry to support the measure. According to Mexico’s fisheries agency, illegal fishing accounts for more than 40% of the country’s fish catch. Joining the PSMA will help to curb these illicit activities. Following Mexico’s adoption of this agreement, Oceana continues to campaign for a new national law that will increase transparency and traceability in the country’s fishing sector.

© Christian Lizárraga

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TRANSPARENCY VICTORY

Mediterranean Countries Agree to Mandatory Disclosure of Vessels Allowed to Fish in Restricted Areas NOVEMBER 2022 - The General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean (GFCM), the regional fisheries management organization covering the Mediterranean and Black Sea, will now require countries to disclose key enforcement information for vessels that are allowed to fish in Fisheries Restricted Areas. Member countries of the GFCM must now report information for these vessels including their target species, and when and where they are fishing. The GFCM also agreed to publicly list vessels that are authorized to catch overfished deep-sea shrimp and hake in the Strait of Sicily. Both decisions were the direct result of campaigning by Oceana in Europe.

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© Oceana/Juan Carlos Calvin

TRANSPARENCY VICTORY

Spain Penalizes Fishing Vessels for Turning Off Public Tracking Devices SEPTEMBER 2022 - As a result of data provided by Oceana, the Spanish government fined two of its fishing vessels 20,000 euros each for turning off their public tracking devices (known as automatic identification systems, or AIS) on several occasions while off the coast of West Africa. All EU fishing vessels over 15 meters (50 feet) in length are required to have an AIS device that continuously transmits data on their location, direction, and speed. This information is critical to avoid collisions at sea, while also ensuring transparency in commercial fishing activities. The penalties served as a warning for the fishing industry and set a strong precedent for other EU countries.

© Oceana/Keith Ellenbogen

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TRANSPARENCY VICTORY

New Rule in the United States Requires Seafood Traceability through US Supply Chain NOVEMBER 2022 - In the United States, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a final rule requiring traceability of high-risk foods, including most seafood.

Now, businesses must track most seafood from the point of landing through the supply chain to the final point of sale. These new changes will help curb seafood fraud — which occurs regularly, cheats consumers, and puts public health and the oceans in jeopardy. Oceana and our allies campaigned for years for a strong boat-toplate traceability rule from the FDA, including securing support from members of Congress and Wavemakers.

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© Shutterstock/Esteban Martinena Guerrer

TRANSPARENCY VICTORY

World Leader in Satellite Communications Inmarsat Stops Services to IUU Fishing Vessels NOVEMBER 2022 - Inmarsat, a large satellite telecommunications company headquartered in London, ended contracts with 13 vessels after analyzing official lists of vessels engaged in illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing. This outcome follows campaigning by Oceana in Europe, after Oceana’s research uncovered evidence that Inmarsat was providing services to IUU fishing vessels. Inmarsat provides services to many fishing vessels around the world and its new integration of IUU fishing lists into its system will help ensure the company does not accept illicit operators as clients in the future. This victory will also make it more difficult for these vessels to access the essential satellite services they depend on to fish.

© Oceana/María José Cornax

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TRANSPARENCY VICTORY

Public Database in the Philippines Increases Transparency at Sea JUNE 2023 - The Philippines’ Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources officially launched the Fisheries National Administrative Register, a free database that features information on Philippines-flagged commercial fishing vessels with previous violations under the country’s amended Fisheries Code. The register also includes information on foreign-flagged vessels involved in poaching in Philippine waters, including the penalties previously imposed. Oceana’s campaigning was key to ensuring this register was published and made publicly available. Public information is a key factor in deterring illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing and promoting transparency at sea.

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© Oceana/Diuvs de Jesus

TRANSPARENCY VICTORY

Dow Jones Introduces New Screening Requirements for Illegal, Unregulated, and Unreported Fishing Vessels NOVEMBER 2022 - Following campaigning by Oceana in Europe, Dow Jones, the third-party screening provider for many businesses that service the fishing sector, agreed to integrate illegal, unregulated, and unreported (IUU) vessel checks into its risk screening systems.

These systems are used by businesses that provide fuel, logistical support, crews, satellite communications, and other services, to assess potential risks before doing business with fisheries operators. By limiting their services strictly to legitimate operators, businesses can reduce risks of legal non-compliance and avoid association with environmental crimes, reputational damage, and human rights abuses. Additionally, by reducing access to essential services that keep IUU vessel operations on the water, these businesses are pulling the plug on unscrupulous operators that plunder the ocean.

© Shutterstock

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TRANSPARENCY VICTORY

New International Rule Requires Countries to Investigate and Deter Companies from Engaging with Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated Fishing Vessels NOVEMBER 2022 - The International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT), an inter-governmental organization that oversees the conservation and management of fishes such as tunas and swordfish in the Atlantic Ocean, adopted a new rule that will prevent companies from providing services, such as insurance, satellite communications, and financial services, to fishing vessels known to be engaged in illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing in the ICCAT regulatory area. The 52 member countries of ICCAT will be required to take effective and deterrent action against citizens and businesses that engage with and support IUU fishing. Campaigning by Oceana in Europe was key to securing this victory. This achievement builds on Oceana’s ongoing campaign to get companies that do business with the fishing sector to avoid supporting illicit fishing activities.

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© Shutterstock/Guido Montaldo

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On The Water Around the world, Oceana’s expeditions bring to life the essential underwater areas that we seek to preserve. We document unique habitats and — using the photos, video, and scientific data gathered on our expeditions — collaborate with local communities and allies to persuade policymakers to protect these exceptional places. Since Oceana’s inaugural voyage across the Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea in 2005, we have led more than 57 expeditions and conducted thousands of ocean surveys. From July 2022 to June 2023, Oceana embarked on expeditions in two ecologically important areas:

Juneau

Ottawa Toronto

Portland

Monterey

• Cabo Blanco, Vichayito, and Los Órganos, Peru • Isla Mocha, Chile

Halifax

New York Washington, D.C.

Fort Lauderdale Mexico City

Belmopan

Lima

Oceana Offices

Brasilia

July 2022 - June 2023 Expeditions Earlier Expeditions

Circle size corresponds to approximate expedition distance.

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Santiago

Copenhagen London

Brussels Geneva

Madrid

Manila

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ON THE WATER

PERU Cabo Blanco, Vichayito, and Los Órganos In December 2022, Oceana’s team in Peru launched its first expedition along the first five nautical miles off of Peru’s coastline. The team visited three locations in the tropical Pacific Sea: Cabo Blanco, Vichayito, and Los Órganos to collect photos and video, making it possible to visualize the abundance and diversity of ecosystems and little-known marine life, including species like the dorid nudibranch (a species of sea slug), Ophioderma peruana (a species of brittlestar), and oval damselfish, in a way never seen before. By collecting scientific evidence, the expedition helped further Oceana’s campaigns to protect the first five nautical miles of the Peruvian sea and to modernize Peru’s General Fisheries Law.

Nudibranchs, a type of sea slug, are soft-bodied marine mollusks that bear a wide range of colors and patterns.

Oceana’s team documents a coral reef. © Oceana/Eduardo Sorensen

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© Oceana/Eduardo Sorensen

A sea anemone on a coral reef. © Oceana/Eduardo Sorensen

ON THE WATER

CHILE Isla Mocha In January 2023, Oceana explored the coastal waters around Mocha, a small island in southern Chile that hosts the world’s largest breeding colony of pinkfooted shearwaters (a type of long-winged seabird).

Mocha Island represents an important genetic reserve for species overexploited in many places along the continental coast. Elephant seals change their skin on the sandy island. The highly productive sea around the island serves as an important fishing ground for sardines and is frequented by whales. (The novel Moby Dick was originally titled Mocha Dick after a sperm whale inhabiting the waters around Mocha). Oceana explored the shallow rocky shore by diving to document the feeding ground of the shearwaters. The team also connected with local fishers, who harvest red seaweed and kelp in these waters, an important income source for the islanders.

The team returned in May 2023 with Oceana’s autonomous camera lander to document deeper habitats on the nearby slope, where local fishers catch drum fish and grenadiers. On this second expedition, Oceana recorded two species of fish that had yet to be documented in Chile, including a fish similar to Callorhinchus (“elephantfish”) that could be the first on record.

Egg capsules of the Chilean abalone on a rock surrounded by red seaweed and other algae.

A pink-footed shearwater feeds close to shore.

© Oceana/Mauricio Altamirano

© Oceana/Mauricio Altamirano

A fisher collects seaweed.

© Oceana/Mauricio Altamirano

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Science & Policy Reports

Law Grassroots Organizing & Advocacy Oceana Around The World Strategic Communications

© Oceana/Danny Ocampo

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Science & Policy Reports Oceana wins victories for the oceans through effective campaigns based in science and research.

Reports published from July 2022 through June 2023 include:

© Oceana

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© Oceana

Global | Beyond Expectations: Ocean Solutions to Prevent Climate Catastrophe

Mexico | “Pig in a Poke”: Deception in the Northwest

Oceana’s analysis found that halting new offshore oil and gas drilling is an essential part of the climate solution. According to the report, stopping the expansion of offshore drilling — combined with the phasedown of existing production driven by reduced fossil fuel demand as clean energy comes online — would deliver up to 13% of the annual greenhouse gas emission reductions needed to prevent the worst effects of the climate crisis.

Oceana’s study revealed that, by volume, 49% of fish served in restaurants and sold by fishmongers in Mexico’s two largest states, Sonora and Sinaloa, are substituted, often with aquaculture products, imports, or species protected by Mexican law. This is the latest in a series of studies Oceana conducted surrounding seafood fraud across 10 cities in Mexico, which found that 44% of seafood tested was mislabeled, more than double the global average.

Calling on the country to establish a seafood traceability system, Oceana’s report points out that high substitution rates are a serious problem for Mexican consumers, the fishing sector, and the health of the seas.

© Oceana/Karin Leonard

Transparent Oceans Initiative | Bycatch No More: Global Blue Shark Economic Valuation and Policy Analysis Blue shark makes up 60% of all reported shark catches and singularly dominates both the fin trade (41%) and shark meat trade (36%), Oceana’s first-of-its-kind report found. The analysis demonstrates the importance of the global blue shark fishery, quantifying its global catch and economic value and mapping the global trade network for its meat and fins. The conclusion is clear: blue shark is a highly valuable fishery facing increasing and targeted efforts by longline fishing vessels that, without proper management, will overexploit this important species.

SCIENCE & POLICY REPORTS

Protect Habitat

Protect Species •

Peru | Analysis of CITES Permits for the Export of Sharks Listed in Appendix II

•

United States | Oceana Confirms Hundreds of Speeding Boats off Virginia Beach Prior to North Atlantic Right Whale Death

Stop Overfishing •

Brazil | Brazil’s Fisheries Policy

•

Brazil | Mullet Fisheries Management Between 2018 and 2022

•

Canada | 2022 Fishery Audit: Unlocking Canada’s Potential for Abundant Oceans

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Canada | Oceana Canada’s 2022 Symposium Report

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Canada | Indigenous Priorities for Canadian Fisheries Rebuilding: Workshop Report

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Chile | Towards Sustainability in the Common Hake Artisanal Fishery

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Europe | On the Brink: The Most Depleted Fish Stocks in the Northeast Atlantic

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Europe | Exploring Alternatives to Europe’s Bottom Trawl Fishing Gears

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United States | Pathway to Pop-Up Fishing Gear: A Roadmap to Authorizing Pop-Up Fishing Gear in the California Dungeness Crab Fishery

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United States | The Net Consequence: Impacts of Set Gillnets on California Ocean Biodiversity

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Brazil | The Food Delivery Market and Plastic Pollution

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Chile | Instruments to Promote the Reuse of Packaging in Chile

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Europe | Blue Manifesto: 2022 Progress Assessment

•

•

Mexico | Alacranes Project: Executive Report of the Oceana 2023 Scientific Expedition

Europe | A Pathway to Decarbonise the EU Fisheries Sector by 2050

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•

United States | Net Loss: The Costs of Bottom Trawling in the Gulf of Alaska

Europe | Bioplastic Remains Plastic: Biobased, Biodegradable, and Compostable Plastics

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Europe | Underwater Dumps: The Plastic Siege on Biodiversity

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Global | The Cost of Amazon’s Plastic Denial on the World’s Oceans

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Mexico | Plastic and E-commerce, a Crisis that CDMX Can Solve

•

Mexico | Study to Identify the Unnecessary Single-Use Plastics in Mexico

Increase Transparency •

Europe | Problematic EU Ownership of Fishing Vessels in Countries that Fail to Tackle Illegal Fishing

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Mexico | Fishing and the USMCA: Two Years of Unfulfilled Obligations

•

•

Mexico | The SIMP and the Project of the Mexican Traceability Standard for Fish and Seafood: A Compatibility Analysis

United Kingdom | In Deep Water: Exposing the Hidden Impacts of Oil and Gas on the UK’s Seas

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United States | Americans are Sick of SingleUse Plastic Pollution, Poll Finds

•

United States | Preventing Monster Fish Farms in Maine

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United States | A Simple Solution: How President Biden Can Meet Offshore Clean Energy Goals and Prevent New Offshore Drilling

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Peru | Analysis of Risk and Vulnerability to Illegal Practices in Peruvian Fishery Supply Chains

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Philippines | Transparency in Philippine Fisheries Governance

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Transparent Oceans Initiative | Mapping the Unjust Global Distribution of Harmful Fisheries Subsidies

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United States | No Questions Asked: Nearly 60% of U.S. Seafood Imports Escape Scrutiny

Reduce Bycatch •

Chile | Characterization and Identification of Sustainable Management Practices in the Brown Kelp Fishery in the Northern Chilean Macrozone

Curb Pollution

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Law Oceana leverages the law to ensure protections are enforced and policies are effectively implemented. Our legal efforts win victories by ensuring governments finalize new rules and protections, follow science-based management principles, and enforce key provisions of laws. Our efforts in court lead to real, in-the-water change.

© Oceana Canada

Curb Pollution | Canada

Protect Species | United States

Stop Overfishing | United States

Environmental Groups Join Fight to Protect Federal Ban on Single-Use Plastic

Oceana Wins First Step in USMCA Submission to Investigate US Failure to Protect Critically Endangered North Atlantic Right Whales

Oceana Wins Challenge to US Fisheries Service’s Inadequate Record in Sardine Rebuilding Plan Litigation

In June 2022, the Secretariat for the Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC), part of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), agreed to move forward with the first step in a two-step process to investigate the failure of the U.S. to uphold its environmental laws to protect North Atlantic right whales from deadly vessel strikes and fishing gear entanglements. The CEC made the decision in response to Oceana filing the first-ever Submission on Enforcement Matters against the U.S. government under the USMCA. Oceana says the government has violated the USMCA by failing to enforce environmental laws to protect critically endangered North Atlantic right whales, of which only around 340 remain. In July 2022, Oceana representatives held a press conference during a CEC meeting in Mexico, met with CEC Secretariat staff, and encouraged decisionmakers to vote in favor of proceeding with Oceana’s submission to protect these whales.

In July 2021, Oceana challenged the United States Fisheries Service’s rebuilding plan for Pacific sardines. The agency’s own analysis showed that the plan would not rebuild the Pacific sardine population within the legally required time frame, and potentially not rebuild it at all. In the early phases of the case, Oceana argued that the Fisheries Service produced an inadequate record that did not contain all the documents or internal communications the agency relied on to make its decision. In 2023, Oceana successfully obtained a court order requiring the agency to provide the documents it had previously withheld. If successful, Oceana’s litigation will ensure the sardine population is rebuilt to healthy levels and ensure ocean animals that rely on sardines as a critical food source have enough to eat.

Oceana Canada, Environmental Defence Canada, and Animal Justice, represented by the environmental law firm EcoJustice, went to court on March 7, 2023, to support the Canadian government’s decision to list plastics as toxic under the Canadian Environmental Protection Act (CEPA). This decision was under threat by an industry-led lawsuit. In court, they faced “Big Plastic,” including Dow Chemicals Canada, Imperial Oil, NOVA Chemicals, and the American Fuel and Petrochemical Manufacturers, as well as the provincial governments of Saskatchewan and Alberta, who joined forces to fight progress on regulating plastic pollution. Oceana made national headlines, revealing that “Big Plastic” is fighting progress to tackle plastic pollution rather than focusing on real solutions to this crisis.

After three days in court defending the federal government’s legal power to regulate harmful single-use plastics under CEPA, Oceana awaits a verdict anticipated by the end of 2023.

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© NOAA

© NOAA

Clownfish swim in the waters off Panaon Island in the Philippines, a coral-rich area Oceana is campaigning to protect.

© Oceana/Danny Ocampo

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Grassroots Organizing & Advocacy More than 8.2 million supporters and advocates — ranging from local on-the-ground fishers to activists on social media — help Oceana and our allies win victories all over the world.

Oceana Collects Petition Signatures to Trigger National Referendum

BRAZIL Artisanal Fishers Draft Bill Proposal to Modernize Brazil’s Fisheries Law Oceana hosted 11 workshops between August 2022 and January 2023 to discuss reforming Brazil’s Fisheries Law with 150 leaders who work in the artisanal fishing sector across Brazil. More than 300 hours of discussions led to the “Letter of Brasilia” — a public call for decision-makers to update the country’s fisheries law — which they filed in Congress shortly after the meeting. The bill includes the creation of Fisheries Management Councils and scientific committees, as well as a national institute that would oversee fisheries management. The proposal also aims to increase transparency and participation in decision-making, reduce institutional instability, and allow small-scale fisheries to be managed locally or regionally. The text explicitly includes fisherwomen and their activities within the fisheries policy.

© Oceana/Andressa Anholete

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BELIZE In November 2022, Oceana in Belize began collecting signatures to trigger a national referendum. The vote will give Belizeans the right to decide if the offshore oil moratorium should be lifted. Oceana took this action following a conversation held in September 2022 with Belize’s Prime Minister, the Honorable John Briceño, during which he confirmed his administration’s intention to proceed with seismic testing in Belizean waters without prior approval from the public to lift the moratorium against the exploration and exploitation of offshore oil. The petition moved to strengthen the existing moratorium by implementing a ban on offshore oil unless Belizean voters approve via an official referendum.

© Oceana/Andrew Usher

GRASSROOTS

© Connect Savannah Staff

UNITED STATES Oceana Engages Youth and Communities to Advocate for Protection of North Atlantic Right Whales Oceana hosted the multi-day interactive event “Whale Week” in Savannah, a coastal city in the U.S. state of Georgia, in November 2022.

Planned and led by Oceana’s Georgia Senior Field Representative Hermina Glass-Hill, Whale Week teaches youth about the significance of North Atlantic right whales and engages new advocates with Oceana’s campaign to save this species from extinction. This annual event promotes educational outreach, community engagement, and advocacy for policy to protect right whales, engaging diverse groups and individuals in coastal Georgia. Attendees participated in events including film screenings of “The Last of the Right Whale” with expert speakers, a multidisciplinary panel discussion entitled “Whales and Women,” and an educational tour called “Smoke Goes to School,” where advocates and educators visited four schools with an interactive curriculum and a giant inflatable whale named “Smoke.”

© Jarred Avendano

© Sailors for the Sea

SAILORS FOR THE SEA

PHILIPPINES

Sailors for the Sea Shares Sustainable Practices with Sailing Industry

Oceana Honors Vital Contributions of Fisherfolk Across the Philippines

Sailors for the Sea Powered by Oceana presented at the annual Caribbean Sailing Association Conference held in St. Maarten in October 2022.

The conference provides an opportunity for regatta directors, yacht club managers, and other sailing industry professionals in the region to come together and learn from one another. The Sailors for the Sea team worked with members to address their event sustainability challenges and implement Clean Regatta best practices.

In December 2022, Oceana hosted an event in Quezon City to showcase initiatives and pioneering efforts of artisanal fisherfolk, marking the end of the International Year of Artisanal Fisheries and Aquaculture. About 100 Filipino fisherfolk from different parts of the country joined the conference to emphasize how artisanal fishers have contributed to food security and ocean protection.

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GRASSROOTS

© Oceana/Evermaven

CANADA

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© Oceana/Pablo Acuña

© Quetzalli Nicte Ha

MEXICO

CHILE

Oceana Hosts Rebuilding Fisheries Symposium in Canada

Oceana Takes the Issue of E-Commerce Plastic Pollution to the City Center

Oceana Organizes Workshop with Sardine and Anchovy Fishers in Chile

In October 2022, Oceana hosted a symposium in Ottawa called “Rebuilding Abundance: Priorities for a Resilient Ocean,” which brought together leading oceans and fishery experts, Indigenous and fishing industry leaders, policymakers, and journalists from across Canada. The symposium included panel discussions in which speakers and attendees discussed potential for rebuilding the oceans over the next decade and opportunities to grow food security, income, and livelihoods in coastal communities.

Oceana installed a giant plastic-filled cardboard box on the Palacio de Bellas Artes esplanade in downtown Mexico City in December 2022, before the holidays. Oceana’s team used this visual statement to demonstrate the impact of plastic on the marine environment and collect signatures to demand the government of the Mexican capital require e-commerce companies to ship packages free of plastic packaging.

Torreblanca, a Mexican influencer, supported the campaign by posting a live video on his social networks to promote the event.

In December 2022, Oceana organized a workshop for sardine and anchovy fishers in Chile’s Biobio region, a major fishing hub in the country, to explore how expanding geolocation tracking to artisanal fishing vessels could benefit small-scale fishers. Sardine and anchovy species play a crucial role in balancing ecosystems and are a nutrient-rich food source. Featuring presentations from the regional representative of the Secretary for Fishing and Aquaculture and a fishers’ union leader, the event focused on the current state of sardine and anchovy populations, current management regulations, and the role of geolocation tracking to prevent exploitation of these important species.

A lion’s mane jellyfish and juvenile whiting, photographed off the coast of Denmark during Oceana’s 2017 North Sea Expedition.

© Oceana/Juan Cuetos

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Oceana Around The World Oceana sponsored and participated in important events with our supporters around the world. These events ranged from government hearings to international symposiums on the oceans to media appearances and more.

Oceana’s Vice President in Belize Janelle Chanona (center), stood with supporters and members of the World Wildlife Fund Mesoamerica team in Belize at the Reef Ride and Run during Reef Week 2023.

Oceana Board Member and New York Gala Co-Chair Susan Rockefeller and Oceana Board Member Ted Danson attended Oceana’s 2022 New York Gala at the Rainbow Room in Rockefeller Center.

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© Oceana/Andrew Usher

© Rob Rich

AROUND THE WORLD

Daniel Olivares, Oceana’s Vice President in Peru, visited artisanal fishers associations along the Peruvian coast to discuss urgent reforms to the General Fisheries Law.

© Oceana

Oceana rallied coalition partners and supporters in front of the White House during the public comment period of President Biden’s proposed five-year plan on offshore drilling.

© Oceana/Addison Bauer

Oceana supported an event in Brasilia that created space for fisherwomen to discuss gender-related issues such as health, access to social aid programs, education, and more.

© Andressa Anholete

Artisanal fishers prepared their boats for the competition “The Great Regatta of the Century” in Piura, Peru. Oceana attended the event and spoke with local fishers about the need to update the Fisheries Law.

© Oceana/CLJ Giordano

Oceana hosted a workshop with representatives from Indigenous communities and organizations to identify priorities and approaches for rebuilding wild fish populations in Canada.

© Oceana Canada/Evermaven

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AROUND THE WORLD

Oceana hosted an interactive stand at Chile’s Nature Festival that featured information about Oceana’s campaigns.

© Oceana/Pablo Acuña

Oceana Board Members Dr. Daniel Pauly and Dr. Rashid Sumaila were awarded the 2023 Tyler Prize for Environmental Achievement for their “rigorous scientific work to end overfishing and restore equity to our oceans.”

© Kim Bellavance

Oceana’s Senior Scientist and Campaign Manager Jon Warrenchuk was named one of Nautica’s Wavemakers in 2022. Warrenchuk leads campaigns and expeditions to protect Alaskan seafloor.

© Nautica

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Oceana recognized two extraordinary Belizeans as its 2022 Ocean Heroes: Marine Ecologist Dr. Leandra Cho-Ricketts and Marine Conservationist Dr. Rachel Graham.

© Oceana

AROUND THE WORLD

Iran Magno (left), Oceana’s Campaign Analyst in Brazil, presented Oceana’s campaign to reduce singleuse plastics in a discussion with Vinícius Soares, Secretary of the Environment of Paraty, and Márcio Rogério Grogião, representative of the Secretary of Agriculture and Fisheries, mediated by Daniela Oliveira, representative of the Paraty Environment Secretariat.

© Oceana/Nathalia Carvalho

Oceana recorded a series of videos with Claudia Lizaldi, a Mexican influencer, actress, and host of the new season of MasterChef Mexico. The group went whale watching and discussed Oceana’s campaigns. © Captin CE

In August 2022, Julie Dabrusin, Canada’s Parliamentary Secretary to the Federal Minister of Environment and Climate Change, met with Sayara Thurston, Oceana Canada campaigner, to discuss the government’s Zero Plastic Waste Agenda in Ottawa.

© Oceana Canada

Mayor of Paris Anne Hidalgo, Oceana Board Chair Sam Waterston, Oceana Senior Advisor Alexandra Cousteau, and Oceana President Jim Simon attended the 2022 Earthshot Prize Innovation Summit in partnership with Bloomberg Philanthropies.

© Bloomberg

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AROUND THE WORLD

Zanny Minton Beddoes, editor-in-chief at The Economist, interviewed Oceana Senior Advisor Alexandra Cousteau at the March 2023 World Ocean Summit in Lisbon, Portugal.

© Economist Impact’s World Ocean Summit

Alongside Oceana staff and supporters, Hugo Tagholm, Oceana’s Vice President in the United Kingdom, attended a “Wave of Resistance” demonstration in London against Rosebank, a potential new offshore oil and gas development in the North Sea that could produce up to 500 million barrels of oil.

© Oceana/Mat Arney

Shelley Brown, Director of Sailors for the Sea Powered by Oceana, spoke about sustainability in a video for the 2022 Newport Bermuda Race.

© Sailors for the Sea

The Coalition for Fisheries Transparency was joined by Ghanaian Fisheries Minister Hon. Mavis Hawa Koomson, U.S. Deputy Asst. Secretary Dr. Kelly Kryc, and other key stakeholders to launch the Global Charter for Fisheries Transparency at the 2023 Our Ocean conference in Panama.

© Ocena/Andres Salazar

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Oceana Chief Policy Officer Jacqueline Savitz, Oceana’s Vice President in Mexico Renata Terrazas, actress and singer Ingrid De Ycaza, and Oceana CEO Andrew Sharpless discussed solutions to the ocean plastic pollution crisis at a media roundtable ahead of the Our Ocean conference in Panama.

© Oceana/Andres Salazar

AROUND THE WORLD

Lara Levison, Oceana’s Senior Director of Federal Policy, and Beth Lowell, Oceana’s Vice President in the U.S., presented Rep. Gregorio Sablan with a framed “shark hero” poster to thank him for his leadership in passing the Shark Fin Sales Elimination Act that banned the trade of shark fins in the U.S.

© Oceana/Addison Bauer

Oceana staff celebrated at the premiere of Oceana’s documentary “The Ancient Ocean” in Chile, which included a panel with Corporación Nacional Forestal (CONAF) authorities, who manage Chile’s national parks, and the Kawésqar community to discuss their connection to Katalalixar and the conservation of its ecosystems.

© Oceana

Vera Coelho, Oceana’s Deputy Vice President in Europe, and Virginijus Sinkevičius, European Commissioner for the Environment, Oceans and Fisheries stood outside the Council of the European Union Building during a demonstration to mark World Fisheries Day in November 2022 in Brussels, Belgium. © Oceana/Yulia Smishkewych

Oceana staff members Sonia Sharan and Tess Geers, accompanied by Moustapha Deme (consultant), interview Alassane Dieng (far left), the head of GAIPES, an industrial fishing group in Senegal, on a May 2023 trip to scope out the potential for a future Oceana office in Senegal.

© Papa Samba Diouf

Media interviewed Gloria Ramos, Oceana’s Vice President in the Philippines, at the launch of the Fish in Nutrition Systems study, a collaboration by Oceana, MRAG Asia Pacific, and the Philippines’ Department of Science and Technology: Food and Nutrition Research Institute.

© Ocena/Rhea Yray Frossard

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Strategic Communications Oceana’s campaigners design media and communications strategies that target key decision-makers, inform the public, and help achieve victories.

Oceana and our scientists and policy experts are quoted in top media outlets every year, from The New York Times, to El Pais, to the Associated Press. Here are some of our press highlights from July 2022 to June 2023:

One year after the La Pampilla oil spill

U.S. will ban the sale of shark fins. Here’s why.

House bill seeks protection of Panaon Island

Study finds blue shark fishery worth more than bluefin, but management almost nonexistent

Laying the groundwork for climate-smart fisheries Pisagua: crean primera área marina protegida de Tarapacá, hogar de 150 especies y pesca artesana

Editorial: Philippines tries to bring back small fish key to rural diet

How China Targets the Global Fish Supply

The first 5 miles will be exclusive to artisanal fishing

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Big Wave Surfer, Maya Gabeira Is Turning The Tide On Ocean Decline

“Our oceans face big threats like overfishing, plastic pollution, and climate change,” says Gabeira. “But anyone, no matter how young, can help turn the tide.”

STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS

Coke falls behind on pledge to boost reusable packaging

las ONG celebran la decisión y gremio minero acusa motivaciones políticas

New Marine Protected Area being created off Vancouver Island

Food delivery boosts use of plastic packaging in Brazil

How climate change is putting endangered North Atlantic right whales at heightened risk

The sailing community’s turn towards activism is good news for the oceans

Oceana urges the development of public policies to regulate fishing in Mexico

Group casts doubt on Amazon’s claims of reducing plastic

Oceana Asks How the People Feel About Removal of Offshore Oil Moratorium?

Sustainability campaigners criticize UK-EU fishing deal

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Support Oceana Donate to Oceana

Planned Gifts and Bequests

Gift of Appreciated Securities

Each of us has the power to help save the oceans and feed the world. Your support allows Oceana to carry out targeted campaigns to protect the climate, end overfishing, limit bycatch, protect habitats and species, curb ocean pollution, and increase transparency at sea. Oceana wins victories that restore ocean abundance and biodiversity for generations to come. Become part of a growing base of ocean advocates by joining Oceana today.

Choose to leave a gift to Oceana through your will or living trust. You may also designate Oceana as the beneficiary of your life insurance policy or retirement plans.

Stocks and mutual funds held for more than one year may be itemized for a tax deduction for their full market value. Save by paying no capital gains taxes and pass those savings on to Oceana.

Contact Oceana at plannedgiving@oceana.org or +1.202.833.3900 to learn more about ways to give and become a LegaSea Circle member.

Adopt an Animal

You can provide financial contributions to Oceana via web, phone, or mail. Credit card donations may be made on a sustaining basis by designating a monthly, quarterly, or annual contribution. Checks may be mailed to our headquarters at the address below. Supporters who give $1,000 or more annually receive a variety of benefits, including Oceana Magazine, invitations to special events, and updates throughout the year.

Visit us at Oceana.org/donate.

Oceana, Inc. 1025 Connecticut Ave. NW, Suite 200 Washington, DC 20036 USA 65

© Oceana/Carlos Aguilera

Donor Advised Fund Use a Donor Advised Fund to make a one-time or recurring gift, or to make Oceana the beneficiary of your fund for a future gift.

Charitable IRA Rollovers The charitable IRA rollover or qualified charitable distribution is a simple and financially smart way to support Oceana and may include some financial advantages for you if you are 70 and ½ or over. If you are 72 or over, the rollover may count towards your required minimum distribution for the year, which could reduce your taxable income, and is a tax-free gift to Oceana.

Many of the world’s most iconic creatures rely on healthy oceans for their habitat and food. Adopting a sea creature is the perfect gift for friends and family and supports Oceana’s campaigns. Show your support for ocean conservation with an animal plush, t-shirt, or other item from our online store at gift.oceana.org.

Take Action

Follow Oceana

Become a Wavemaker and join supporters from around the world who have signed up with Oceana to protect our oceans. Being a Wavemaker means you will advocate for safer fishing gear to protect whales from entanglements and stopping ocean plastic pollution at the source to prevent harm to marine life. With you by our side, we can fight these and other important threats. Take action to help protect our oceans by visiting Oceana.org/ takeaction.

Follow Oceana on social media for breaking news from around the world and insights into our research and campaigns.

@Oceana

@Oceana

Oceana is a member of EarthShare, a federation representing the nation’s most respected environmental and conservation charities in hundreds of workplace giving campaigns. To find out how you and your workplace can support Oceana through an EarthShare campaign, email wavemaker@oceana.org.

Instagram Followers:

3 Million

Facebook Followers:

1 Million

Twitter Followers: @Oceana

Make Every Day Earth Day

By The Numbers:

499,000

Other Social Media Followers:

2.2 Million Wavemakers:

1.5 Million Total Supporters Worldwide:

8.2 Million

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Financial Summary

2022 Revenue $46,109,996

90% 3%

Oceana’s contributors provide the support that is essential to our campaigns to preserve and rebuild ocean life. In 2022, Oceana received cash and commitments from our generous donors totaling $46 million, of which approximately $31 million was timeor program-restricted support and approximately $15 million was unrestricted.

Expenses totaled $44 million in 2022, of which $34 million was paid from restricted funds, and $10 million was paid from unrestricted funds. Of every dollar of expenses, approximately 77 cents were spent directly on Oceana’s programs. The remainder was spent on general and administrative costs (about 15 cents) and raising funds (about 8 cents).

Including cash received and commitments for additional contributions in future years, Oceana ended 2022 with $63 million in net assets available for use in 2023 and beyond.

Financial data was derived from audited financial statements, copies of which are available upon request, and are posted on the websites for the following Oceana entities: Oceana, Inc.; Fundación Oceana; Oceana Belize; Oceana Brasil; Oceana Philippines; and Oceana Canada. Donations to the various Oceana entities may be tax deductible.

Oceana, Inc. Attn: Development Department 1025 Connecticut Ave. NW, Suite 200 Washington, DC 20036 info@oceana.org | +1.202.833.3900 67

Grants & Contributions Special Events Other Income

2022 Expenses $44,331,842

7%

8%

77%

15%

Total Program Services General & Administrative Fundraising

Oceana Consolidated Net Assets as of 12.31.22 Unrestricted Temporarily restricted for 2020 Temporarily restricted for 2021 Temporarily restricted for 2022 Temporarily restricted for 2023 Temporarily restricted for 2024 Temporarily restricted for 2025 Temporarily restricted for 2026 Temporarily restricted for 2027 Temporarily restricted for 2028

2019 2020 2021 2022 Millions of Dollars

5.0

10.0

15.0

20.0

25.0

30.0

35.0

40.0

45.0

Several of the largest donors provide multi-year funding, often on 2-3 year cycles.

The changes in net assets above reflect that funding cycle.

50.0

55.0

60.0

65.0

FINANCIAL SUMMARY

2022

UNRESTRICTED

RESTRICTED

TOTAL

Grants and Contributions

$9,901,311

$31,844,241

$41,745,552

Special Events

3,354,001

-

3,354,001

(4,480)

-

(4,480)

In-Kind Revenue

1,162,035

-

1,162,035

Loan Forgiveness

-

-

-

Employee Retention Tax Credit

-

-

-

47,073

-

47,073

(194,185)

-

(194,185)

Satisfaction of Time Restrictions

8,819,096

(8,819,096)

-

Satisfaction of Program Restrictions

25,758,564

(25,758,564)

-

48,843,415

(2,733,419)

46,109,996

Revenue and Support

Investment Income

Miscellaneous Foreign Currency Transaction (Gains) Losses Net Assets Released from Restrictions:

Total Revenue and Support Expenses Program Services

-

United States Oceans

11,168,994

-

11,168,994

International Activities

16,140,016

-

16,140,016

Communications

2,517,250

-

2,517,250

Law

1,965,878

-

1,965,878

Marine Science

2,408,536

-

2,408,536

116,261

-

116,261

34,316,935

-

34,316,935

Oceana Action, Inc. Total Program Services Supporting Services General and Administrative

6,507,096

-

6,507,096

257,753

-

257,753

Fundraising - Other

3,250,058

-

3,250,058

Total Supporting Services

10,014,907

-

10,014,907

Total Expenses

44,331,842

-

44,331,842

Change in Net Assets

4,511,574

(2,733,419)

1,778,154

Fundraising - Cost of Direct Benefit to Donors

Net Assets (Beginning of Year)

$27,934,473

$33,345,082

$61,279,555

Net Assets (End of Year)

$32,446,047

$30,611,663

$63,057,710

68

Leadership

Oceana’s Board of Directors in New York City. September 2022.

Board of Directors Sam Waterston, Chair As the Chair of Oceana’s Board of Directors, Waterston brings to the organization a wealth of talent and resources in support of Oceana’s programming and mission. As an actor, his trophy case includes television awards such as the Emmy, Golden Globe, and Screen Actors Guild and theater awards like the OBIE and Drama Desk. Other accolades include an Academy

69

© Oceana/Melissa Forsyth

Award nomination for his role as journalist Sydney Schanberg in 1984’s The Killing Fields and six Emmy Award nominations for his roles in I’ll Fly Away and Law & Order. Waterston grew up in New England, where he saw the effects of fisheries collapses on the life of seaside towns.

María Eugenia Girón, Vice Chair Girón is Vice Chair of Oceana’s Board of Directors, Chair of the Board of Fundación Diversidad, a member of the Board of IC-A, and co-founder of the Women Corporate Directors Chapter in Spain, as well as a jury member at the European Innovation Council for Horizon Europe and the “Green Deal,” and an ESG expert at ECODA (Institute of Directors in Europe). Girón

is an associate professor for entrepreneurship at IE Business School and INCAE and an angel investor. Previously, she served as CEO of Carrera y Carrera jewelry company and VP at Loewe. Girón holds an industrial engineering degree from ICAI and an MBA from Harvard Business School.

Diana Thomson, Treasurer Thomson is Chair of The Nikita Foundation, a Toronto-based charity she co-founded in 2012.

The Nikita Foundation supports charitable initiatives in the areas of health, education, and environmental protection.

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

James Sandler, Secretary Sandler was a member of Oceana’s founding Board of Directors and is in charge of the Sandler Foundation’s environmental giving.

Keith Addis, President Addis is the co-founder of Industry Entertainment, a leading management and production company. He is also a longtime environmentalist. Prior to joining Oceana’s Board, Addis was the Chairman of the American Oceans Campaign (AOC). Under his leadership, AOC — founded by Addis’s longtime friend and client Ted Danson — achieved victories on key marine issues including bottom trawling and offshore oil drilling. AOC merged with Oceana in 2001.

Gaz Alazraki Alazraki is the director of HBO Max’s Father of the Bride (2022), writer and director of Mexico’s record-breaking comedy Nosotros los Nobles (2013), and the co-creator, executive producer, and director of Club de Cuervos (2015) — Netflix’s first original series in Spanish. He heads Alazraki Entertainment, a Mexico City-based production company focused on high-quality entertainment for general audiences in Latin America and Hispanic USA. Herbert M. Bedolfe, III Bedolfe, the Executive Director of the Marisla Foundation, was one of Oceana’s founders and was Chair of the Board from 2002 — 2008.

During that time, Oceana’s victories included the protection of over 1.8 million kilometers (700,000 square miles) of ocean habitat from destructive trawling, the commitment of a large cruise line to stop dumping inadequately treated

sewage and wastewater into the ocean, and a decision by the European Union to shut down illegal driftnetters.

Ted Danson To most, Danson is known for TV and movie acting roles, but for those in the conservation movement, he is much more famous for his work as a passionate ocean advocate and Oceana spokesman. Danson helped create the American Oceans Campaign in 1987, which eventually became Oceana in 2001. In the last two decades, Danson’s stellar acting career has been complemented by his staunch ocean advocacy. He has appeared in public service announcements, appealed to donors, and testified before the government on the condition of our oceans.

Nicholas Davis Davis currently serves as the President of EuroAmerica, a Chilean insurance and financial services group. Davis is the founder of Fundación Punta de Lobos, a nonprofit organization aiming to protect and preserve the Chilean coastline and its ecosystems. This organization seeks to educate, create awareness, and become a national example by implementing scalable models of conservation, focused on coastline public access, marine protected areas, and zoning tools and regulations.

Maya Gabeira Gabeira is a Brazilian big wave surfer, best known for setting the 2020 World Record for the biggest wave at 73.3 feet ever surfed by a woman, and the biggest wave surfed by anyone — male or female — that year. As an ESPY award winner and

7x Big Wave Award champion, Gabeira is one of the most influential female surfers of all time.

She is also passionately committed to, and a fierce advocate for, restoring the world’s oceans.

César Gaviria Gaviria served as the President of Colombia from 1990 to 1994 and facilitated the country’s entrance into the international economy.

Colombia’s Constitution of 1991 strengthened democracy and defended human rights and justice. Gaviria served as Secretary General of the Organization of American States from 1994 to 2004. Since 2009, he has served as a founding member of the Global Commission on Drug Policy. Gaviria has served as director of the Colombian Liberal Party since 2017, playing a pivotal role in the pursuit of peace and defending democracy.

Loic Gouzer Joining Oceana’s Board of Directors in 2013, Gouzer — most recently Chairman for the Post-War & Contemporary Art Department at Christie’s Auction House — uses his position in the art world to raise money and draw attention to ocean conservation. He is also an avid freediver.

Jena King King founded the Jena and Michael King Foundation with her late husband in 1999. The foundation has supported the efforts of 78 environmental and humanitarian nonprofits. As an advocate for the environment and human health, King is also a founding member of C.O.A.C.H. for Kids, an organization that provides medical assistance to underserved children.

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BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Sara Lowell Lowell is a long-time ocean philanthropist and board member of the Marisla Foundation. She is also the Foundation’s Marine Conservation Program Director and oversees efforts to create marine protected areas, advance sustainable fisheries, and protect coastal lands in California, Hawaii, Baja California, Chile, and the broader Pacific.

Kristian Parker, Ph.D. Parker is Vice-Chair of the Board of Trustees of Oak Foundation. The foundation commits its resources to address issues of global, social, and environmental concern, particularly those that have a major impact on the lives of the disadvantaged. Through its grant-making, the foundation supports others to make the world a safer, fairer, and more sustainable place to live.

The foundation’s environment program funds ambitious initiatives to safeguard our future by restoring our connection to nature and changing the ways we feed and fuel our world.

served on the Pew Oceans Commission and was previously the Citizen Chair of the National Park Foundation. He and his wife Susan are active in overseeing an organic and biodynamic farm in upstate New York, and they like to use the phrase “Healthy Seas, Healthy Soils” to describe their collaborative work.

Susan Rockefeller Susan Rockefeller is a documentary filmmaker whose award-winning films have appeared on HBO and PBS. Rockefeller also authored the groundbreaking guide Green At Work (Island Press) that helped usher environmentally-friendly jobs into nontraditional arenas. She is also a designer of inspirational jewelry. She sits on the Program Committee of The Stone Barns for Sustainable Agriculture, the Global Leadership Council for NRDC, the Audubon’s Women in

Conservation, and is Chairwoman of Oceana’s Ocean Council. Rockefeller holds a BA from Hampshire College and a MA in education from NYU. Lex Sant Lex Sant is president of The Summit Foundation in Washington, DC. He has extensive nonprofit board experience, including serving on the executive committee of the board at The Trust for Public Land and, previously, at The Chesapeake Bay Foundation. He is past chair of Island Press.

Simon Sidamon-Eristoff Sidamon-Eristoff leads the tax-exempt organizations group at Kalbian Hagerty LLP in Washington, DC. He has deep experience working with national and international nonprofit

Daniel Pauly, Ph.D. Pauly is a world-renowned fisheries scientist and co-recipient of the 2023 Tyler Prize for Environmental Achievement. He currently serves as the Principal Investigator of the Sea Around Us initiative at the University of British Columbia’s Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries. His global, multi-year analyses of fisheries catches and marine ecosystems have allowed him to reach startling and important conclusions — most critical among them that fish populations are declining rapidly all over the world.

David Rockefeller, Jr. David Rockefeller, Jr. is a lifelong sailor and conservationist and was a founder of Sailors for the Sea, now a component of Oceana. He

71

© Oceana/Denisse Sotomayor

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

organizations, both as a board member and as a staff member. His nonprofit experience includes chairing the boards of both the Chesapeake Bay Foundation and American Friends of Georgia. He has also served as General Counsel for American Farmland Trust, and as a staff attorney for the Trust for Public Land and the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy.

Rashid Sumaila, Ph.D. Sumaila is a professor and Director of the Fisheries Economics Research Unit and the OceanCanada Partnership at the University of British Columbia, as well as the co-recipient of the 2023 Tyler Prize for Environmental Achievement. He specializes in bioeconomics, marine ecosystem valuation, and the analysis of global issues such as fisheries subsidies, illegal fishing, climate change, and oil spills.

Valarie Van Cleave Van Cleave’s business career encompasses work in mergers and acquisitions, sales and marketing, and new business development.

She has spearheaded successful fundraising efforts for political campaigns and conservation advocacy. She is the founder and Chair Emeritus of SeaChange, an annual record-breaking benefit for Oceana.

Elizabeth Wahler Wahler is a long-time ocean advocate and philanthropist. Growing up on the California Coast, and having a father who pioneered carbon capture, she has a deep love and interest in protecting our oceans. Her business career is technology-centric, specializing in working on the tools of tomorrow and creating strategic solutions to simplify complex problems. She serves as an advisor to tech start-ups, is an angel investor, and is proficient in fundraising.

© Renee Capozzola

She currently serves as event chair for Oceana’s highly successful SeaChange Summer Party.

Jean Weiss Weiss is a philanthropist with a business background in training and development. She worked for The American Funds, a member of The Capital Groups Companies. Weiss’s connection to Oceana began the day the BP Deepwater Horizon oil rig blew up and destroyed the marine life, fishing industries, and way of life in her hometown on the Louisiana Gulf Coast.

Antha Williams Williams leads the Environment program at Bloomberg Philanthropies. Under Williams’ direction, Bloomberg Philanthropies supports environmental initiatives to improve the sustainability of cities around the world, accelerate the transition to clean energy, and combat overfishing and protect coral reefs.

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Executive Committee Andrew Sharpless Chief Executive Officer

Daniel Olivares Vice President, Peru

Jim Simon President

Gloria Ramos, J.D. Vice President, Philippines

Jacqueline Savitz Chief Policy Officer

Hugo Tagholm Executive Director and Vice President, United Kingdom

Kathryn Matthews, Ph.D. Chief Scientist Matthew Littlejohn Senior Vice President, Strategic Initiatives Joshua Laughren Senior Vice President, Oceana Canada Liesbeth van der Meer, DVM Senior Vice President, Chile Christopher Sharkey Chief Financial Officer Janelle Chanona Vice President, Belize Ademilson Zamboni, Ph.D. Vice President, Brazil Pascale Moehrle Executive Director and Vice President, Europe Renata Terrazas Vice President, Mexico 73

Beth Lowell Vice President, United States Nancy Golden Vice President, Global Development Abbie Gibbs Vice President, Institutional Giving Dustin Cranor Vice President, Global Marketing and Communications Susan Murray Deputy Vice President, U.S. Pacific Vera Coelho Deputy Vice President, Europe Kathy A. Whelpley Chief of Staff, President’s Office Michael Hirshfield, Ph.D. Senior Advisor

Ocean Council Susan Rockefeller Founder Kelly Hallman Vice Chair Dede McMahon Vice Chair Anonymous Samantha Bass Violaine and John Bernbach Rick Burnes Vin Cipolla Barbara Cohn Ann Colley

Elias Sacal Regina K. and John Scully Maria Jose Peréz Simón Sutton Stracke Mia M. Thompson David Treadway, Ph.D. Edgar and Sue Wachenheim III Valaree Wahler David Max Williamson Raoul Witteveen Leslie Zemeckis

Edward Dolman Kay and Frank Fernandez Carolyn and Chris Groobey J. Stephen and Angela Kilcullen Ann Luskey Peter Neumeier Carl and Janet Nolet Ellie Phipps Price David Rockefeller, Jr. Andrew Sabin

© Oceana/Carlos Minguell

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Oceana Campaigns in Countries Responsible for One-Quarter of the World’s Wild Fish Catch Global Headquarters Washington, DC, USA 1025 Connecticut Ave., NW 2nd Floor Washington, DC 20036 USA Phone: +1 (202) 833-3900 Fax: +1 (202) 833-2070 Email: info@oceana.org

North America Juneau, AK, USA 175 South Franklin Street, Suite 418 Juneau, Alaska 99801 USA Phone: +1 (907) 586-4050 Email: northpacific@oceana.org Monterey, CA, USA 99 Pacific Street, Suite 155C Monterey, CA 93940 USA Phone: +1 (907) 586-4050 Email: pacific@oceana.org Fort Lauderdale, FL, USA P.O. Box 24361 Fort Lauderdale, FL 33307 USA New York City, NY, USA 845 3rd Avenue, 6th Floor New York, NY 10022 USA Phone: (202) 833-3900 Fax: +1 (212) 371-9388 Email: info@oceana.org

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Portland, OR, USA Phone: +1 (907) 586-4050 Fax: +1 (503) 235-5429 Email: pacific@oceana.org Toronto, Canada 18 King Street East, Suite 505 Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5C 1C4 Phone: +1 (416) 583-2350 Email: info@oceana.ca Ottawa, Canada 176 Gloucester Street, Suite 310 Ottawa, Ontario, Canada K2P 0A6 Halifax, Canada 1701 Hollis Street, Suite 800 Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada B3J 3M8 Mexico City, Mexico Poseidon 39 Col. Credito Constructor Ciudad de México México CP 03940 Phone: +52 (55) 4435 9792 Email: mexico@oceana.org

Central America Belmopan, Belize 2358 Hibiscus Street P.O. Box 731 City of Belmopan, Belize Central America Phone: +501-822-2792 Fax: +501-822-2797 Email: info@oceana.org

Europe Madrid, Spain Fundación Oceana Gran Via, 62, 7 Izda.

28013 Madrid, Spain Phone: + 34 911 440 880 Email: europe@oceana.org Brussels, Belgium Rue Montoyer 39 1000 Brussels, Belgium Phone: +32 (0)2 513 22 42 Fax: +32 (0)2 513 22 46 Copenhagen, Denmark Klosterstræde 9, 1157, København K, Denmark Email: copenhagen@oceana.org Geneva, Switzerland Friends of Oceana Walder Wyss AG – Rue d’Italie 10 1211 Geneva 3, Switzerland Email: oceana-geneva@oceana.org London, United Kingdom c/o Bates Wells & Braithwaite 10 Queen Street Place London EC4R 1BE, United Kingdom Email: oceanauk@oceana.org

Asia

Manila, Philippines P.O. Box 255, UP Post Office, University of the Philippines Campus, Diliman, Quezon City 1101

South America Brasília, Brazil SIG Quadra 1, lote 985, sala 251 Centro Empresarial Parque Brasilia CEP 70610-410 Brasilia – DF, Brasil/Brazil Phone: +55 61 3247-1800 Email: brazil@oceana.org Santiago, Chile Av Suecia 0155, Off. 1001 Providencia, Santiago, Chile Postal code: 7510114 Phone: +56 2-27128696 Email: oceanachile@oceana.org Lima, Peru Av. del Ejército 250 Oficina 302 Lima 15074, Peru Phone: +51 (1) 500-8190 Email: peru@oceana.org

© Milton Rodriguez

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Oceana is the largest international advocacy organization dedicated solely to ocean conservation. Oceana is rebuilding abundant and biodiverse oceans by winning science-based policies in countries that control one-quarter of the world’s wild fish catch. With more than 275 victories that stop overfishing, habitat destruction, oil and plastic pollution, and the killing of threatened species like turtles, whales, and sharks, Oceana’s campaigns are delivering results. A restored ocean means that 1 billion people can enjoy a healthy seafood meal every day, forever. Together, we can save the oceans and help feed the world. Visit Oceana.org to learn more.

Editor Sarah Holcomb Designer Addison Bauer