SPRING 2011 Oceana oceana.org TEd’s TURN Ted Danson explains his dedication to oceans in his first book. PLUS Victories to stop offshore drilling, protect coral reefs and more. Protecting the World’s Oceans Oceana campaigns to protect and restore the world’s oceans. Our team of marine scientists, economists, lawyers and advocates win specific and concrete policy changes to reduce pollution and to prevent the irreversible collapse of fish populations, marine mammals and other sea life. Global in scope and dedicated to conservation, Oceana has campaigners based in North America, Europe and South and Central America. More than 400,000 members and e-activists in over 150 countries have already joined Oceana. For more information, please visit www.oceana.org. BOARD OF DIRECTORS OCEAN COUNCIL Dr. Kristian Parker, Chair Susan Rockefeller, Chair James Sandler, Julie Tauber McMahon, Vice Chair Vice Chair Dr. Andrew Bevacqua 10 109 12 Carolyn Marks Blackwood One of Chile's marine Simon Sidamon-Eristoff, Angela Kinsey and Ted Danson’s biodiversity hotspots Will Patagonia Secretary Pierce Brosnan Rachael Harris first book has been saved from a withstand pressure Treasurer Deborah Buck learn about Valarie Whiting, takes on his proposed power plant. from the salmon farming Keith Addis, President Barbara and Bertram Cohn commitment to sea turtles in a trip industry in Chile? to Mexico Herbert M. Bedolfe III Ann Colley the oceans. Oceana is working to with Oceana. protect this rare place. Ted Danson Dan and Beth Cort Sydney Davis Andrew and Sydney Davis César Gaviria Michael Dershewitz © OCEANA | Tim Calver © OCEANA | Eduardo Sorensen María Eugenia Girón Barbara Ettinger and Sven Huseby Stephen P. McAllister Christina Falco and Michael Frumkin Michael Northrop Benjamin Goldsmith Daniel Pauly Kelsey Grammer SPRING 2011 contents Susan Rockefeller Lea Haratani Heather Stevens Julie Hill Sam Waterston Hardy Jones 12 To Save The Oceans FeatURES DePARTMENTS J. Stephen and Angela Kilcullen OCEANA Larry Kopald Ted Danson starts with the childhood 10 Beneath Still Waters 1 CEO’s Note Chief Executive Officer Eve Kornyei dream that inspired his lifelong Andy Sharpless on the good news about ocean conservation. Gorgeous, still Patagonia is under Andrew Sharpless Willa and Ted Lutz commitment to ocean conservation in Vanessa Noel threat from the salmon farming 2 Making Waves Executive Vice President an excerpt from his first book, “Oceana: & General Counsel Aaron Peirsol industry. Emily Fisher reports The latest campaign victories from Oceana’s international team. James Simon Nicole Polizois Our Endangered Oceans and What from the frontier. Senior Vice President, Linus Roache We Can Do to Save Them.” 4 News & Notes North American Oceans Lois Robbins Oceana’s newest board member, new offices and more. & Chief Scientist Anne Alexander Rowley 6 Two Funny Ladies On Board Michael Hirshfield, Ph.D. Ruthie Russ 5 Q & A For Sea Turtles Vice President, Mark Ryavec Mark Kurlansky introduces conservation to kids with his new book. European Oceans and Seas Starr Scott Xavier Pastor Kelly T. Smith Comedians Angela Kinsey and Oceana is published by Oceana Inc. For questions or comments about 14 Events Vice President, South American Victoria Stack Oceana, or to subscribe to Oceana, please call Oceana’s membership Rachael Harris join Oceana in a Ted Danson’s book launch party and other events in support of Oceana. Oceans & Antarctica Danielle Steakley department at +1.202.833.3900, e-mail [email protected] campaign to save endangered or write Oceana, Member Services, 1350 Connecticut Ave. NW, Alex Muñoz Peter Stranger 5th Floor, Washington, D.C. 20036, USA. sea turtles from fishing gear 17 Donor Profile Vice President, Belize Danielle Thomas and habitat loss. Maureen Case is a longtime champion of saving the oceans. Audrey Matura-Shepherd Susan Trees Oceana’s Privacy Policy Your right to privacy is important to Oceana, Vice President, Strategic Annett Wolf and we are committed to maintaining your trust. Personal information (such as name, address, phone number, e-mail) includes data that you 18 Chef’s Corner Marketing & Communications Nicole Woody may have provided to us when making a donation or taking action as South Carolina’s Sean Brock brings a locavore approach to seafood. Matthew Littlejohn a Wavemaker on behalf of the oceans. This personal information is Vice President, Global EDITORIAL STAFF stored in a secure location. For our full privacy policy, please visit Development Editorial Director Oceana.org/privacypolicy. 20 Parting Shot Bettina Alonso Suzannah Evans On the Cover Caribbean reef sharks. Online Editor Please recycle. Director, Pacific Oceana board member Emily Fisher Susan Murray Ted Danson Graphic Design Printed with Eco-Ink — low volatility vegetable oil-based ink on 25% post-consumer recycled, processed chlorine free paper © Kate Danson Heather Ryan produced using 100% wind power in a carbon neutral process. OCEANA.ORG CEO’S NOTE The good news on ocean conservation? It’s an achievable goal. Scientific indicators of ocean health point those for many other industries) can be set in this issue of our magazine. With your in the wrong direction. The annual global by the World Trade Organization (WTO). continued support, we will continue to catch of wild fish has been declining since The United States, Australia, New Zealand, deliver good news to you and the oceans. the late 1980s, after steadily rising through Norway and other countries are right now all prior human history. Three-quarters of all pressing the WTO to establish rules that will Sincerely, commercial fisheries are overfished or fully eliminate the subsidies that drive overfishing. fished, according to the United Nation’s FAO. And counts of the biggest marine fish Ten years ago, a small group of people met species – the marlins, tunas, sharks and to consider a bold proposal. These people Andrew Sharpless the like – show that their populations are at knew what was happening to the oceans, CEO 10 percent of their levels just fifty years ago. and they knew that the most effective lever Oceana to save the ocean was rapid policy action. This astonishing decline in a food source They were so frustrated that they decided to vital to a billion people is caused by overly create a new NGO whose only job would be aggressive industrial-scale fishing. to deliver policy change that would restore and protect abundant oceans. Oceana is The good news is that this is a fixable that organization. problem. Coastal states set the rules for commercial fishing off their shores, all The good news is that our founders’ vision Give Today the way out to 231 statute miles. If these has delivered results. Today, thanks to the governments will simply enforce scientific support of Oceana supporters like you, Oceana’s accomplishments wouldn’t be quotas, protect nursery habitat and we have a record of more than two dozen reduce bycatch, their oceans will rapidly important policy victories that are helping possible without the support of its members. return to abundance. The simple point to restore abundant oceans. One of our Oceana is grateful for the grants, contributions, You can help Oceana fight to restore our is that huge parts of the ocean can be longstanding trustees is Ted Danson, the and support it has received from dozens of restored and protected by national action. gifted television and film actor. Ted’s pride foundations and companies and thousands of oceans with your financial contribution. in what we are accomplishing is captured individuals. Oceana wishes to thank all of its The overfishing that drives ocean depletion in a book he has written which has just supporters, especially its founding funders as well as foundations and individuals that in is also funded by taxpayer subsidies. been published by Rodale. His book’s title 2010 awarded Oceana grants totaling at least These payments to commercial fishing is “Oceana: Our Endangered Oceans and Call us today at 1.877.7.OCEANA, visit www.oceana.org/give or use the envelope provided $500,000: Arcadia Fund, Gordon and Betty fleets (mostly in Europe and Asia) allow What We Can Do to Save Them.” Moore Foundation, Oak Foundation, The David in this magazine to make a donation. Please contact us if you are interested in planned them to keep fishing at levels that are not and Lucile Packard Foundation, Robertson giving that could support Oceana’s work and also provide you with income and potential tax commercially or ecologically sustainable. Thank you for your generous support Foundation, Rockefeller Brothers Fund, Sandler Foundation, Zennström Philanthropies benefits. Oceana is a 501(c)(3) organization and contributions are tax deductible. of Oceana. We win ocean protections and Ricardo Cisneros. For more information, The good news is that this also is a fixable because you make it possible. I hope you please see Oceana’s annual reports at problem. Limits on fishing subsidies (like are pleased with the good news reported www.oceana.org/annualreport. Protecting the World’s Oceans 4 | SPRING 2011 OCEANA.ORG | 1 © OCEANA | Tim Calver MAKING WAVES MAKING WAVES Thousands Of Miles Of U.S. Ocean Protected From Offshore Drilling Second Power Plant Defeated in Chile In the aftermath of last summer’s oil spill in the in February: Shell Oil announced it would in the region capable of carrying out an For the second time in less than a year, power plant in the same region in a mercury emissions from the plants would Gulf of Mexico, Oceana scored two significant cancel its 2011 plans to drill exploratory wells effective response plan, in addition to a lack Oceana helped defeat a coal-fired power campaign which galvanized the Chilean contaminate fish and mollusks like the victories in the fight against offshore drilling. offshore in Alaska due to continued uncertainty of basic scientific information about the plant on the coast of northern Chile that environmental movement and saw thousands Chilean abalone, damaging a crucial over whether it would receive federal permits.