Sea Shepherd / Mission

Direct action for marine wildlife

Since 1977, Sea Shepherd has taken direct action to stop the destruction of marine wildlife where it happens. Today our ships work alongside the governments charged with protecting those waters.

Our mission

Established in 1977, Sea Shepherd Conservation Society is an international non-profit dedicated to ending the destruction of habitat and slaughter of wildlife in the world's oceans. We use innovative direct-action tactics to investigate, document and confront illegal activities on the high seas, protecting ecosystems and species for future generations.

No compromise in defense of marine life.

How we work

Sea Shepherd began with a small volunteer crew willing to put itself between poachers and wildlife. That frontline ethos has not changed. What has changed is how long we stay and who we stand with.

Two Sea Shepherd crew members in a small boat with their ship behind them

01

We go to sea

Illegal fishing and poaching happen far from shore, where few people are watching. Our crews work those waters with ships, small boats and drones to find illegal nets, document what is happening and stop it.

The Sea Shepherd ship Seahorse on patrol

02

We stay

Protection only works if it lasts. Our crews hold station for as long as it takes, patrolling the Vaquita Refuge in Mexico's Upper Gulf of California around the clock and keeping a long-term presence at Scorpion Reef in the Gulf of Mexico.

Sea Shepherd crew pulling an illegal net from the water beside a Mexican Navy boat

03

We work with governments

We put ships, trained crews and technology at the service of the authorities charged with enforcing conservation law. In Mexico our crews patrol with the Mexican Navy, a partnership built to keep illegal fishing out of protected waters.

Since 1977

The original Sea Shepherd ship

1970s

Founded on direct action

Sea Shepherd was founded in 1977 on the belief that the oceans needed direct action, not just protest. Its first missions disrupted the commercial killing of newborn harp seals by marking pups with indelible organic dye so their fur could not be sold. By 1979 the organization had its own ship at sea and was confronting illegal whaling.

  • Defended harp seal pups on the ice off Eastern Canada.
  • Launched the first Sea Shepherd vessel to protect marine wildlife at sea.
  • Exposed notorious pirate whaling operations to an international audience.
  • Built international pressure for stronger protections against marine poaching.
An early Sea Shepherd ship at sea

1980s

Expansion at sea

Through the 1980s new ships and volunteers carried the work to the ice floes of Eastern Canada, the North Pacific and coastal waters in Europe and Japan. Crews confronted illegal whaling, defended seals and helped drive international opposition to destructive driftnet fishing in the Pacific.

  • Helped shut down pirate whaling in the North Atlantic through direct intervention and public exposure.
  • Expanded seal defense campaigns and helped build momentum for import bans.
  • Pioneered anti-driftnet actions that contributed to the ban on high seas driftnets.
  • Began long-term campaigns to defend pilot whales in the Faroe Islands.
A Sea Shepherd ship at sea

1990s

Partnerships and enforcement

Sea Shepherd began working directly with governments and Indigenous communities. Anti-driftnet victories shaped UN policy, while a landmark partnership in the Galapagos Marine Reserve started decades of on-water enforcement.

  • Helped enforce the UN driftnet moratorium through direct interventions.
  • Partnered with communities to defend wild salmon and sacred waters.
  • Established official patrols in the Galapagos Marine Reserve.
  • Grew the fleet for longer, more coordinated campaigns.
The Sea Shepherd ship Steve Irwin in the Southern Ocean

2000s

The Southern Ocean

Multi-ship campaigns in the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary stopped illegal whaling fleets. The TV series Whale Wars brought Sea Shepherd's mission to millions and inspired a new generation of ocean defenders.

  • Blocked whaling fleets in Antarctica, saving thousands of whales.
  • Exposed illegal shark finning and supported regional crackdowns.
  • Added iconic ships like the Steve Irwin and the Bob Barker.
  • Reached millions through Whale Wars and grew support around the world.
A Sea Shepherd ship working with the Mexican Navy in the Upper Gulf of California

2010s

From Antarctica to the vaquita

Southern Ocean campaigns continued while Operation Milagro created a permanent presence in Mexico's Upper Gulf of California to confront illegal totoaba poaching and protect the critically endangered vaquita porpoise.

  • Forced whaling fleets to miss their quotas year after year.
  • Launched Operation Milagro for year-round vaquita defense.
  • Used fast cutters to remove deadly gillnets at sea.
  • Raised awareness through films like Sea of Shadows.
A Mexican Navy inspection during a joint patrol with Sea Shepherd

2020s

Working with governments

Sea Shepherd now patrols around the clock alongside the Mexican Navy in the Vaquita Refuge and at Scorpion Reef. Campaigns from Antarctica to the Faroe Islands expose what happens out of sight and push for stronger protection.

  • Patrols around the clock with the Mexican Navy in the Vaquita Refuge.
  • Runs the Seahorse alongside the Navy-crewed Seahawk boats to stop poachers.
  • Removes illegal nets and recycles the recovered gear.
  • Supports science and patrols at Guadalupe, Revillagigedo and Scorpion Reef.

Fleet and crew

Meet the captains, crews and leadership protecting marine wildlife, and see the fleet that carries our campaigns.

The Sea Shepherd ship Seahorse at dusk with a small boat alongside The fleet The ships working today and the ones that came before them. See the fleet A Sea Shepherd captain and crew on the bridge The crew The volunteers, captains and leadership behind every campaign. Meet the crew

Support the mission

Every patrol is funded by people like you.

Donate Active campaigns