SHOP | SUPPORT | VOLUNTEER

2 New Campaigns and Special Guests on Sea Shepherd Show!

Dear John,

You made 2023 an incredible year of progress in our fight to protect the oceans, and 2024 is already off to a galloping start with two new campaigns, a growing team, and new boats on the water protecting marine wildlife.

Peter Hammarstedt to Join February Sea Shepherd Show!

Episode II of the Sea Shepherd Show on Facebook LIVE will feature Director of Campaigns Peter Hammarstedt who will update you on the recently completed swing of Operation Antarctica Defense and how you can help protect this critical food supply for the world’s whales! We will go LIVE to our ships for updates from the Martin Sheen’s Captain Meg and the Seahorse’s Captain Alejandro. And roll up your sleeves and sharpen those knives as we cook vegan aboard the Seahorse! RSVP here for the show which will air LIVE Feb 29 5pm PST, 8pm EST.

Fighting For Whales in New Campaign

USHUAIA, ARGENTINA – on January 22, 2024, Sea Shepherd Conservation Society announced its partnership with Sea Shepherd Global to challenge the Krill fishing fleet’s destructive exploitation of the Southern Ocean. Krill is a key food source for whales, dolphins, and other animals, many of which migrate for thousands of miles to reach this critical food supply that is being devastated by industrial trawlers. 

Sea Shepherd’s vessel the Allankay departed from Ushuaia, the southernmost city in the world, embarking on its return journey to the Antarctic with staff from both organizations on-board and officially kicking off the 2024 campaign “Operation Antarctica Defense.”

"In recent years, we've seen a concerning expansion in the krill fishing fleet, exploiting some of the most remote waters in the world," stated Captain Peter Hammarstedt, Director of Campaigns. "Most people assume that the Antarctic is fully protected from industrial fishing. But over a dozen supertrawlers—each one as large as two Olympic-sized swimming pools—are licensed to kill krill, a foundational species that whales, penguins, seals and the entire ecosystem depends on for survival".

“Our ultimate goal is to use this effective campaign in Antarctica to build global awareness so real Marine Protected Areas are put in place that can bring this devastation to an end,” remarked Sea Shepherd Conservation Society CEO Pritam Singh.

In 2023, Sea Shepherd's efforts played a significant role in the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR)'s decision to not increase the krill quota for 2024, despite the fishing industry’s best efforts to have it doubled. We will keep the krill fishery on the political agenda and make the case for why the Antarctic Peninsula and the South Orkney Islands need to be closed off to krill fishing. The mission is also supported by Sea Shepherd Germany, Switzerland and all the countries that are part of the global Sea Shepherd movement.

Helping Turtles in New Campaign!

January 24 – MEXICO CITY, MEXICO – Sea Shepherd announced a new partnership with the Government of Mexico to protect the Caretta caretta Turtle in the Gulf of Ulloa. The partnership, signed by Secretary Admiral Ojeda of Mexico’s Navy and Sea Shepherd CEO Pritam Singh at Naval Headquarters, will take place on the south-eastern coast of Baja California.

Also called Loggerhead Sea Turtles, Caretta caretta perform one of the longest trans-oceanic migrations of any marine vertebrate, migrating from nesting areas in Japan to the Gulf of Ulloa. Mexican Wildlife Law Enforcement reported significant numbers of deceased Caretta caretta Turtles from 2018-2020 of roughly 500-1,000 turtles per year, and some historical estimates have numbered up to 3,000 turtles. The deaths result from the illegal use of bottom gillnets whose large mesh size cause entangled turtles to drown.

“Our message to the Caretta caretta turtle is simple; help is on the way,” remarked Sea Shepherd CEO Pritam Singh upon adding his signature to the agreement.

The agreement commits Sea Shepherd to providing ships, crews, scientists and cutting edge data collection technology, including sonar, radar, drones and on-the-water surveillance in partnership with the Mexican Navy to reverse this trend of turtle deaths.