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Our Growing Fleet, 100% from Charity Navigator and 2023 Re-Cap

Dear John,

Thank you to all our supporters who have been there with us every step of 2023, from the debut of the Seahorse to the Vaquita Survey and more recently Giving Tuesday and our current Matching Gift Challenge.

YOU have helped us build incredible momentum throughout 2023, but before we look back on this historic year in marine conservation, here’s a quick update about 2024.

Welcome the Latest Addition to our Fleet!

Starting in January 2024, Sea Shepherd will protect the at-risk Totoaba, which is trapped and gutted by poachers so its swim bladders can be sold in the global black market. Our new responsibilities to help protect the Totoaba will stretch across the entire Vaquita Refuge in the Upper Gulf of California, which leaves us with a need for speed.

Our answer is this 27-foot North River Seahawk OS, an incredibly fast vessel that can bring Mexican Navy and Sea Shepherd teams to any corner of the Vaquita Refuge in minutes. This is true rapid response, and thanks to our supporters who made this possible, the cartels will soon know that trying to illegally capture the Totoaba results in a visit from the newest addition to the Sea Shepherd fleet!

Our supporters helped make this a groundbreaking year in the protection of our oceans. 2023 got a jump-start when our new ship Seahorse entered Operation Milagro and within its first 75 days produced a 90% reduction in illegal fishing activity. In Operation Milagro, Sea Shepherd and the Mexican Government prevent poachers from dropping the illegal fishing gear that ensnares the world’s most endangered marine mammal, the Vaquita Porpoise, and have brought it to the edge of extinction. Additionally in January, we kicked off the first of two phases in Operation Revillagigedo, which boosts protection measures for the North Pacific Humpback whale. Watch a 9-minute video about it HERE.  The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the global authority on the status of the natural world, shared an encouraging report in March entitled “Good News From The Zero Tolerance Area” and you can view it HERE. In June Sea Shepherd announced that the 2023 independent Vaquita Survey showed up to 10-13 Vaquita exist, including a minimum of one newly born calf, who have now been sighted in two consecutive surveys. Dr. Barbara Taylor, leader of the comprehensive evaluation, said “This survey revealed the greatest conservation success for vaquitas in my 30 years working to conserve this species.” See the entire report HERE. The following month, the Martin Sheen set sail for Operation Guadalupe, which helps preserve and protect Cuvier’s beaked whales in the waters surrounding Guadalupe Island off the coast of Mexico.

In July, the White House referenced Sea Shepherd in their Pelly Amendment notice, reflecting the importance of our partnership to protect the Vaquita. Across the Atlantic Ocean, a cove in the Faroe Islands turned red on September 22nd after a “grind” used boats and jet skis to herd cetaceans into coves. Local residents slaughtered the corralled pilot whales, white-sided dolphins and bottlenose dolphins in numbers that wildly exceed any possible human consumption. Sea Shepherd Conservation Society and Sea Shepherd Global are co-leading the Stop The Grind 2024 Coalition, which is “a global coalition of organizations and individuals working together towards a simple mission: To end the inhumane and unnecessary killing of cetaceans (dolphins and whales) in the Faroe Islands,” and can be found HERE.

Sea Shepherd and the Mexican government signed a historic endangered species conservation agreement in October that expanded the area of Operation Milagro’s protection of the Vaquita by more than 60%. The expanded partnership extends protection to the west and northwest of the current Zero Tolerance Area and expands Operation Milagro to include the threatened Totoaba.  October also saw the first steps in a new program to help liberate Sea Lions that get caught in discarded fishing gear, which often leads to death. We look forward to freeing more Sea Lions in 2024 with your support.

In November, Sea Shepherd brought the Direct Action of our captains and crews to the larger global ocean conversation. At the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), Sea Shepherd’s Nina Young attended as the Convention tackled the issue of illegal trade in totoaba swim bladders, which is the reason for the precipitous decline of vaquita in recent years. Later in the month, our own Roger Fisk joined with Sea Shepherd Global staff and Stop The Grind coalition in Brussels for meetings at the European Union’s Parliament around the 2024 strategy for bringing an end to the bloody Grind in the Faroe Islands.

As 2023 comes to a close, we want to express our heartfelt gratitude for your unwavering support in our mission to protect marine life. To show our appreciation, we invite you to explore our Holiday Gift Guide, where every purchase makes a splash in ocean conservation.

To shop the full Holiday Gift Guide collection click here. Your dedication has been the driving force behind our efforts, and we're thankful for each ripple of impact you've created. Let's make this holiday season one to remember by choosing meaningful gifts that give back to the oceans we love.

Charity Navigator Awards Sea Shepherd 100%!

Charity Navigator granted Sea Shepherd a rating of 100%! This is the highest possible rating on Charity Navigator, and this milestone achievement couldn’t have happened without you and your support. Thank you for being part of our family of contributors, funders, Direct Action Crew members and volunteers. Your trust and support help us protect endangered marine wildlife every day.