Oceana

Internationalbelizeprotect the mesoamerican reefoceana's campaign to protect belize's marine resources from the threat of offshore oil drilling secured an important victory: belize has passed a law requiring the government to "ask belize first" before it conducts any oil and gas activity, including exploration, and prior to any attempt to change the moratorium act which belize passed in 2017 after campaigning by Oceana and its allies. Any such action now requires a national referendum prior to moving in any way towards drilling in belizean waters.this is a major victory for democracy because the law empowers citizens through a decision-making process on an issue that is very close to the hearts of most belizeans. This is also a precedent that we believe will help us win requirements for national referenda on other threats to belize's treasured barrier reef, such as proposed cruise ship terminals, agreements to allow distant water fleets like taiwan to fish in national waters, and more. More broadly, it puts us on a path to bring democracy to ocean issues that are too important to leave in the hands of government and industry alone.brazildefending the bottom trawling ban in rio grande do sulin a 9-1 vote, brazil's supreme court upheld a law in the state of rio grande do sul that bans industrial bottom trawling, a highly destructive form of fishing that clear-cuts the seafloor. Prior to the 2018 ban, bottom trawling was depleting fish stocks, threatening marine biodiversity, and destroying habitat, all of which the local community relies on to support their livelihoods. Oceana campaigned alongside artisanal fishers to pass this law in 2018, which safeguards the entire state's 630-kilometer long coast and the first 20 kilometers offshore (more than 13,000 square kilometers). Since then, local communities have seen many fish stocks recover. The supreme court decision reinforces the importance of this law to ensuring the sustainable livelihoods for more than 20,000 families who rely on artisanal fishing in rio grande do sul. Reduce single-use plasticsbrazil's museum of tomorrow (mot) announced on march 22, 2023, world water day, that it is now the first plastic-free zone (pfz) in the country. Oceana collaborated with the futuristic science museum to first establish the museum's pilot program, which was widely supported by employees and included auditing the disposable plastics used in the museum's operations, creating a plastic-free event guide, and engaging external suppliers. During the pilot phase, mot and Oceana found solutions to eliminate most single-use plastic items, such as bottles, cups, bags, and plastic film. As a next step, the museum will extend plastic-free requirements to visitors, marking an end to the sale, use, and distribution of single-use plastics on museum premises.modernize brazil's fisheries law (11,959/2009)we secured support from the fishing industry for almost all the recommendations to reform brazil's fisheries law that we developed with artisanal fishers and they are part of a bill to amend the law. Our campaign this period has focused on facilitating negotiations between the industrial and artisanal fishing sectors and engaging other ngos and allies in the ministry of the environment, which shares responsibilities with the fisheries ministries for fishing policy. We launched our third annual fisheries audit, recognized in brazil as a benchmark report, updating the status of brazil's fisheries management system. Policymakers and other stakeholders use the report to understand the state of brazil's fisheries and their management.implement catch limits for commercial fisheriesoceana's recommendation for a science-based lobster catch limit was unanimously approved by the council members from the artisanal and commercial sectors and the ministry of environment. Limit controls will be implemented by the lobster processing and export companies, and we expect a new rule detailing the requirements for complying with catch limits to be published in 2024, for a campaign victory.oceana was awarded the salva de prata, a prestigious award of the city council of sao paulo to acknowledge institutions, social organizations, foundations, and other entities that have made a significant contribution to sao paulo. The award emphasized how Oceana has played an important role in the city's effort to curb plastic pollution, through our technical expertise and success creating open dialogue. As latin america's most populous city, sao paulo holds the potential to inspire change far beyond its borders.oceana canadain 2023, Oceana Inc. Provided charitable contributions and in-kind support to Oceana canada, an independent nonprofit organization incorporated under canadian law. With our support, Oceana canada achieved the following victories:rebuild canada's fisheriesour seventh annual fishery audit identified that there has been no substantial change in the status of canada's fish stocks. Less than 1/3 of canada fish stocks are known to be healthy 55 stocks in are in the healthy zone, 35 stocks are cautious, 28 are critical and 76 are of an uncertain status. Oceana has met extensively with fisheries and oceans canada (dfo) managers across canada to brief them on the findings of the audit and validate the results.protect ocean habitat in canadaoceana recommendations on prohibited industrial activities have been incorporated into the draft regulations for the offshore pacific mpa. On february 18, 2023, the government released draft regulations for the creation of a new marine protected area named tang.gwan - hacxiqak - tsigis (the name is a combination of haida, pacheedaht and quatsino languages roughly translating to "creature in the deep ocean"). The regulations reflect all of Oceana's recommendations and enjoy full support from partner first nations. The new mpa will cover 133,019 sq km and encompass 93 percent of known seamounts in canadian waters. This mpa contributes 2.31 percent toward canada's commitment to protect 30 percent by 2030. All bottom trawling will be prohibited in the new mpa. Fishing that does not use bottom-trawls will be managed vertically through the water column, with deepwater and midwater fisheries prohibited below 500 m depth across the whole mpa and restricted to a depth of 100 m in shallower zones around specific seamounts. All oil and gas activities, deep-sea mining, and dumping of waste are also prohibited.reduce non-essential single-use plastic packaging in canadawe launched a new report, breaking the plastic cycle, which outlines a national policy roadmap toward eliminating single-use plastic. The report identifies the seven sectors that are the greatest sources of single-use plastic, collectively generating 41 percent of plastic packaging waste in canada. In a meeting with the minister of the environment and climate change canada and senior officials working on federal plastic regulations prior to the publication of our report, the minister directed his staff to move on Oceana's key recommendations for 2024.protect capelin abundancewe are on track for the establishment of a formal capelin rebuilding plan working group, and we are pushing for more transparency in decision-making to ensure that that the capelin limit reference point has a goal of rebuilding. We are doing this through strong working relationships with key stakeholders in newfoundland and labrador, such as the provincial government, first nations, memorial university, and key advisors to policymakers, to firmly establish Oceana as a voice for science-based fisheries management in a complicated political environment.

Marketing and communicationskey achievements of Oceana's marketing and communication department in 2023 are highlighted below:- Oceana grew our grassroots base to 6.3 million organizational supporters.- Oceana has 9 million supporters worldwide.

United statesin the united states, Oceana is working on science-based policy campaigns that seek to advance responsible fishing, stop new offshore oil and gas development, reduce illegal fishing, protect habitat, protect the north atlantic right whale, reduce single-use plastics, and defend the nation's bedrock conservation laws.stop the expansion of offshore drillingthe biden administration finalized its five-year plan for offshore oil and gas leasing with the fewest number of proposed lease sales to date. The plan offers three lease sales in the western and central gulf of mexico, and fully protects the atlantic, pacific, arctic, and eastern gulf of mexico from new offshore drilling. This five-year plan process began in 2018 under president trump, who proposed 47 offshore drilling lease sales, the largest number ever proposed. Oceana was instrumental in stopping the expansion of drilling beyond the gulf of mexico and minimizing new lease sales in the gulf. Oceana will continue to campaign with our allies to permanently protect u.s. Coasts from new offshore drilling, which will help fight climate change and safeguard the communities, businesses, and wildlife that rely on a healthy ocean.deter illegal fishing through transparencyin november 2023, we suffered a major disappointment when the national oceanic and atmospheric administration (noaa) withdrew the proposed rule that would have expanded and strengthened the seafood import monitoring program (simp) by adding additional species at risk of iuu fishing and seafood fraud (notably including squid). Noaa has stated that it will conduct a full review of simp and has begun a series of listening sessions with all stakeholders to decide whether to expand, contract, or end the program.habitat protectionin the united states, the pacific fishery management council voted to reopen more than 4,500 square miles of southern California ocean waters to recreational and non-trawl commercial gear used to catch groundfish while also permanently protecting more than 600 square miles of habitat including almost half of the area's known deep-sea corals. These areas include coral and sponge ecosystems discovered by Oceana during a 2016 scientific expedition. The entire area remains closed to bottom trawling. This victory is a win-win for fishing communities and ocean biodiversity and is the result of a unique collaboration between recreational and commercial fishermen, Oceana, and the California department of fish and wildlife who worked together to design the new conservation areas. The council also voted to protect five ecologically important areas off the Oregon coast from all forms of fishing gear used to catch groundfish and known to harm seafloor habitats, including bottom longlines and pots. These five areas, which total 182 square miles, are already protected from bottom trawling, and will now receive an additional layer of protection with this action. Oceana was successful in our campaign to protect deep-sea habitat in the gulf of Alaska by ensuring that federal essential fish habitat fishery management plan designations include coral and sponge habitats. The essential fish habitat descriptions for several commercial stocks, including golden king crab, yelloweye rockfish, atka mackerel, and northern rockfish, now include specific reference to coral and sponge habitats because Oceana elevated their importance as essential fish habitat (efh). (congress established the efh mandate in 1996 to improve the nation's main fisheries law the magnuson-stevens fishery conservation and management act highlighting the importance of healthy habitat for commercial and recreational fisheries. )reduce single-use plasticssen. Jeff merkley (or) and rep. jared huffman (ca) reintroduced the oceana-backed break free from plastic pollution act on october 25, 2023, with 45 u.s. Representatives and 11 senators joining as cosponsors. Our field team and policy staff recruited bill supporters, who include members from all of the states where Oceana has field representatives and five new members of congress. The updated version of the bill would set strong national source reduction targets, phase out the most problematic single-use plastics, including plastic foam, and support reuse and refill systems.on september 28, 2023, the national park service and other u.s. department of the interior bureaus released their finalized plans to phase out single-use plastics by 2032. Oceana has been calling on the interior department to publicly release these plans, which were a part of interior secretary deb haaland's june 2022 order on single-use plastics. We applauded secretary haaland's commitment to reducing plastics and support of refill and reuse systems, including prioritizing water bottle refilling stations, and urged the department to move more quickly, including immediately phasing out plastic foam food ware.following campaigning by Oceana and our allies, Delaware enacted a law to phase out plastic foam food ware and reduce other unnecessary single-use plastics. Specifically, the law prohibits restaurants and other food service establishments from providing polystyrene foam food containers, plastic beverage stirrers, and plastic cocktail and sandwich picks, and requires that single-use plastic straws only be provided at the customer's request. Expanded polystyrene is a form of plastic foam, made from fossil fuels, and is commonly used for food containers and packaging. This disposable packaging is usually thrown away after a single use and breaks up into smaller pieces that are hard to clean up, disperse rapidly due to their lightweight nature, and can persist in the environment for decades. With this new law, Delaware joins a growing list of u.s. states and cities that have taken legislative action to tackle the plastic pollution crisis. Following campaigning by Oceana and our allies, Oregon passed two new laws to combat the plastic pollution crisis. The first law phases out polystyrene foam food ware, packing peanuts, and coolers. Plastic foam is not accepted in curbside recycling and is one of the top items found polluting Oregon's beaches. This type of plastic often breaks up into smaller pieces, disperses easily, and can persist in the environment for centuries. This law will also ban pfas, nicknamed "forever chemicals," from food packaging because they accumulate in the environment and pose a threat to human health. The second law requires the state's health code to enable restaurants to use reusable containers to serve their customers.following campaigning by Oceana, the plastics free Washington coalition, and other allies, a new law passed in Washington that increases access to refillable water bottle options, requires hotels to eliminate single-use plastics for personal care products, and reduces pollution from plastic foam-filled floats and docks. Specifically, it requires that new buildings constructed with water fountains also contain bottle refilling stations; phases out the use of small plastic containers, wrappers, and packaging for personal care items like shampoo or soap by hotels and other lodging establishments; bans soft plastic film-wrapped floats and docks; and mandates a study of hard-shell, foam-filled floats and docks. A 2023 poll conducted by Oceana found that 92% of Washington voters are concerned about single-use plastic products and 87% support local and state policies that reduce single-use plastic.following campaigning by Oceana and its allies, new york city lawmakers passed a bill requiring that restaurants, food delivery apps, and online delivery platforms only provide certain single-use items including plastic utensils and condiment packets if requested by the customer. Single-use plastic food ware, including utensils, is a significant source of plastic waste in new york city the largest city in the u.s. a 2022 Oceana poll found that 83% of registered new york state voters are concerned about the amount of plastic items used in food delivery and takeout, and 88% support local and state policies to reduce single-use plastic. Plastic is one of the greatest contributors to climate change and is entering the ocean at an alarming rate. Scientists estimate that 33 billion pounds of plastic wash into the ocean every year.

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Law