These are the governments, scientists, rescue teams, networks and companies at the table with Sea Shepherd. Companies and agencies looking to work with us will find the way in at the end of the page.
A protected area only works if someone is there to enforce it. Sea Shepherd brings the ships, crews and equipment that many protected areas lack. Our crews work at sea to detect and deter illegal fishing and poaching, while government officers aboard carry the authority to make arrests.
That capability was built over nearly half a century on the front lines. For decades our crews went independently where others would not, often as the first response to an emergency, with no mandate beyond the lives of the animals at risk.
That independence is still part of who we are, and it is why we can move quickly when a species is in crisis. Today that experience goes to work for governments that want their protected waters enforced.
Vaquita Refuge, Scorpion Reef, Revillagigedo and sea lion rescue in the Upper Gulf of California
Our closest partner at sea. Since Operacion Milagro began in 2015, the Mexican Navy and Sea Shepherd crews have patrolled the Vaquita Refuge together, removing illegal gillnets and intercepting poachers. In 2023 the partnership extended protection to the totoaba across the whole refuge, and in 2025 it was expanded again.
Mexico's environment ministry. Our current agreement with SEMARNAT and its agencies runs through September 2030. It covers our work in the Upper Gulf of California, research cruises in protected areas and training for local observers. SEMARNAT leads the vaquita survey together with the Navy and CONANP.
Mexico's protected areas commission. CONANP leads acoustic monitoring for the vaquita survey and manages the protected areas where our crews work, including the Upper Gulf of California, Revillagigedo National Park, Isla Guadalupe and Scorpion Reef.
Mexico's federal environmental enforcement agency. PROFEPA holds inspection authority in the Vaquita Refuge, joins our sea lion rescues in the Upper Gulf, and its officials have sailed with our crews in the refuge.
Mexico's fisheries authority, part of the coordination behind ghost net removal in the Upper Gulf of California.
Each year the Government of Mexico leads a visual and acoustic survey of the vaquita, the world's most endangered marine mammal, in the Upper Gulf of California. SEMARNAT, the Navy and CONANP lead the work with an international team of scientists.
Sea Shepherd provides the ships, observers and logistics. Our vessels Seahorse and Bob Barker served as survey platforms in 2025, and our science team is part of the research group.
The survey team includes scientists from the IUCN SSC Cetacean Specialist Group, the International Committee for the Recovery of the Vaquita (CIRVA), NOAA's Southwest Fisheries Science Center and universities in Mexico, the United States and Scotland.
See the survey results
A sea lion rescue team based in La Paz, Baja California Sur, founded in 2014 by Erendira Valle Padilla and veterinarian Daniela Barcenas. They specialize in freeing entangled sea lions in the wild, using remote sedation so the animals can be handled safely.
Their team works with our crews at Consag Rock and San Jorge Island in the Upper Gulf of California, cutting sea lions free from illegal nets and fishing line. Local groups Pesca ABC, Cabet Cultura y Ambiente and Grupo Lobos del Ejido Rodolfo Campodonico join the rescues, with PROFEPA and CONANP overseeing the work.
About the sea lion rescuesSea Shepherd's partnerships with national governments reach well beyond Mexico.
As of 2024, our partnerships with African governments had led to the arrest of 98 vessels fishing illegally in their waters.
Film and television have carried our crews' work to audiences far from the sea. We credit the networks and filmmakers who told these stories.
Animal Planet's series followed Sea Shepherd crews on campaigns to stop whaling in the Southern Ocean, bringing direct action at sea to television audiences for seven seasons.
Animal Planet's series followed people defending the oceans around the world, including Sea Shepherd's 110-day pursuit of the illegal fishing vessel Thunder across the Southern Ocean.
Follows Sea Shepherd crews working alongside the Mexican Navy, scientists and undercover investigators to save the vaquita from the illegal totoaba trade in the Gulf of California. Winner of the World Cinema Documentary Audience Award at Sundance.
Ali Tabrizi's investigation into the impact of industrial fishing features Sea Shepherd's work at sea, and reached viewers around the world on Netflix.
Companies that share our values have supported our crews, sponsored our events and introduced our work to their customers. Each partnership is built around what the company does best.
Chapters
Sea Shepherd chapters run cleanups, meetups and fundraisers across the country, and a local business can sponsor an event and appear on its listing. Sand Cloud and Dr. Bronner's are both based in San Diego County, close to our San Diego chapter.
Tell us about your company and what you have in mind. Our team reviews every proposal for fit with the mission, and someone will follow up with you.
Governments and agencies
If your agency is looking for support at sea, from patrols and enforcement to research platforms and rescue, write to Julian Escutia, our Executive Director, who leads our campaigns in Mexico.
Email Julian EscutiaCampaign updates and ways to act, sent by email.
Sea Shepherd Conservation Society is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit in the USA (EIN 93-0792021), and donations are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law. Partnership questions: donations@seashepherd.org. More ways to give are on our support page.
Read our IRS Form 990 and GDPR Statement. PO Box 7750, Woodbridge, VA 22195, USA. Tel: 212-220-2302
Contact
Sea Shepherd Conservation Society
