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Conservation in Action
Conservation That Stays at Sea

Scorpion Reef points toward a new model of conservation for Sea Shepherd: a permanent presence on the water, with ships and crews dedicated to protection, monitoring, and rapid response.

Through this program, Sea Shepherd Direct Action Crew members are invited aboard ships already deployed on the mission, working alongside our crews to help protect the reef and the marine life that depends on it.

This connects supporters directly with the work they make possible. Members can experience life aboard a working conservation vessel, see these ecosystems firsthand, and help sustain a presence that continues long after their time at sea ends.

Sea Shepherd · Conservation in Action
Scorpion Reef 2027
Cover Image
Sea Shepherd
Conservation in Action
Scorpion Reef 2027
Join the Mission at Sea
50 Years on the Frontlines A New Model of Ocean Conservation
Conservation in Action 1
1977–2027
Five Decades of Direct Action
50 Years on the Frontlines
For fifty years, Sea Shepherd has changed tactics as the threats changed: direct intervention, documentation, gear removal, science, surveillance and government partnerships. The constant has always been presence at sea.
Early Sea Shepherd / 1970s–80s
Southern Ocean / Campaign Fleet
Government Partnership / Modern Ops
1977
Direct Action Begins
Sea Shepherd is founded on a simple idea: marine wildlife cannot be defended only from shore. Protection has to reach the place where harm is happening.
1979
The Hunt for Sierra
The first Sea Shepherd vessel pursues the pirate whaler Sierra, establishing a pattern that endures: find illegal operators, document them, and meet them at sea.
1980s–90s
Nets, Seals & the High Seas
Campaigns confront whaling, seal hunts and high-seas driftnets, helping build pressure behind the global driftnet ban as the fleet expands.
2000
A Government Patrol Partner
Sea Shepherd delivers the Sirenian to the Galápagos and begins official patrols with the national park.
2000s–10s
The Southern Ocean
Multi-ship campaigns disrupt Antarctic whaling at industrial scale and bring the reality of the hunt to a global audience.
2010s–20s
From Confrontation to Collaboration
Government partnerships add sovereign enforcement, radar, drones, science, evidence gathering and long-range patrols.
2023
Permanent Presence
The Seahorse enters the Vaquita Refuge as a sentry ship built to stay—watching, detecting, documenting and supporting rapid government response.
The Tactics Evolved
Direct Intervention Expose the Crime Remove the Gear Gather Evidence Support Enforcement Science + Monitoring Stay on Station
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A Letter from Pritam Singh
A New Model of Ocean Conservation
Fifty years of direct action led to a simple lesson: lasting protection requires the right people, the right tools, legal authority—and the ability to stay.
Pritam Singh · CEO
For fifty years, Sea Shepherd has never been defined by one tactic. We go where marine wildlife needs protection and adapt until the situation changes. One of the most important evolutions in that work is the move from short campaigns to permanent presence built with government partners.
We learned this in the Upper Gulf of California. When the vaquita campaign began in 2014, illegal totoaba gillnets were widespread. The nets fed a transnational trade in swim bladders bound for Chinese black markets and killed indiscriminately—vaquita, sharks, rays, turtles, sea lions and other marine life. Over the next decade, our crews removed more than a thousand illegal nets.
The lesson was hard: when the ships left, illegal activity returned. In 2023, the Seahorse entered service as a sentry platform built to remain in the refuge. Long-range radar, drones, sonar and 24-hour watch now help detect activity early and pass coordinates and evidence to Mexican authorities before the threat disappears.
Sea Shepherd also provided and maintains two 27-foot Seahawk interceptors operated by the Mexican Navy. We do not replace government authority; we extend its reach. A 2025 agreement strengthened that partnership. By 2025, fishing activity inside the Zero Tolerance Area had fallen by more than 95 percent, while surveys still found vaquitas and new calves.
That proof opened the door to Alacranes Reef and Bajos del Norte off Yucatán, where remoteness has favored illegal fishing, ghost gear and limited oversight. Permanent ships, surveillance, science and government partnership can keep the protected area under watch.
It also creates something new for our supporters: the chance to join a real mission already underway—not as spectators, but as associate crew living alongside the people, tools and partnerships protecting these waters every day.
Pritam Singh
President & CEO · Sea Shepherd Conservation Society
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Introduction Contents + What to Expect
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Protection Requires Presence

Marine protected areas around the world represent a critical step forward, but too often they are protected only on paper. Without patrols, monitoring, and real enforcement capacity, illegal activity continues out of sight.

Sea Shepherd helps activate protection at sea by supporting law enforcement with vessels, crew, surveillance capacity, and nearly fifty years of experience confronting illegal activity on the water. Authorities do the enforcement. Sea Shepherd helps make that work possible.

Permanent presence is the new model. If protection leaves, poachers return. If protection stays, illegal fishing is far less able to take hold. That is why long-term deployment matters.

Four newly declared parks now represent the largest protected area in North America. Sea Shepherd works every day to help defend two of them, and we want you to join us.

Direct Action Crew represents thousands of dedicated Sea Shepherd supporters. Through this program, members are invited onto a working campaign as associate crew, becoming part of the mission and working alongside our crew and partner officials as they defend this critical area.

Bottom Image
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Table of Contents
What’s Inside
A look at the mission, the fleet, the wildlife, and what life is like aboard a working conservation campaign.
3–4
Patrol and Enforcement
Presence with purpose
5–6
Science and Reef
Contribute to science that matters
7–8
Wildlife
Wild wonders
9–10
Scorpion Reef Fleet
Hardware already deployed
11
Life Onboard
A shared shipboard mission
13
Join Today
Be part of the mission
What to Expect
Life Aboard a Working Campaign

This is not passive tourism. It is a chance to explore with purpose, grounded in a shared mission and built around real work already underway.

Guests can expect a live working environment aboard ship: hands-on participation, exposure to field operations, opportunities to contribute to meaningful science, and a rare chance to witness the unique relationships Sea Shepherd has built with partner officials on the frontlines.

It is conservation in action: part field experience, part citizen science, and part frontline support effort.

Onboard Life Image
Explore with Purpose Science That Matters Shared Mission Hands-On Work Conservation in Action Real Work. Real Results. Citizen Science
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Patrols & Enforcement Patrol Types
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Patrols &
Enforcement
Protection at Scorpion Reef is built on collaboration: Sea Shepherd, park rangers, government officials, and military personnel working together to maintain a real operational presence on the water. Patrols on and around the reef turn protected status into active defense.
Who Is on Patrol
A Shared Enforcement Presence
This is a coordinated mission environment. Sea Shepherd supports operations with vessels, range, logistics, observation tools, and experienced crew, while partner authorities carry the enforcement role.
Guests experience firsthand how Sea Shepherd, rangers, government officials, military personnel, and associate crew each play a part in keeping the protected area under watch.
Operational Tools
Radar, Satellite, Drones, Evidence
Patrol coverage combines marine radar, satellite awareness, drone deployments, and field documentation. These tools extend visibility, help identify suspicious activity, and strengthen the evidence chain.
Radar Satellite Drone Operations Range Evidence
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Video
Conch Bust
See how patrol, observation, evidence collection, and partner enforcement come together during an interdiction on the reef.
Operation Zone
Reference thumbnail · replace for final artwork
Supplied operation-zone reference map, retained in full without cropping
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Patrol Types
Patrols take different forms depending on the mission need: offshore monitoring, inside-reef presence, night watch, shoreline work, and sea turtle protection. Each has its own role in maintaining a continuous presence across the protected area.
Patrol Type 01
Outside
Offshore patrols extend the mission beyond the reef itself, watching approach corridors, vessel movement, and activity in the broader protected area.
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Outside Patrol Video
Patrol Type 02
Inside
Inside-reef patrols maintain close presence within the operational zone, checking for illegal fishing activity and reinforcing deterrence.
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Inside Patrol Video
Patrol Type 03
Night
Night watch means maintaining radar awareness, monitoring vessel traffic, and staying vigilant not only for illegal activity but also for safety aboard.
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Night Watch Video
Patrol Type 04
Beach
Beach patrols connect marine operations to the shoreline, supporting inspections, site checks, and direct observation where sea and land meet.
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Beach Patrol Video
Patrol Type 05
Turtles
Sea turtle patrol work focuses on monitoring, protection, and frontline presence around critical wildlife activity tied to the reef ecosystem.
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Turtle Patrol Video
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