Happy World Oceans Day! While we continue to fight for a healthy ocean, today is the perfect time to reflect on recent ocean victories.

1. More than half a million volunteers picked up more than 12 million pounds of trash in honor of International Coastal Cleanup.
2. Maine and Maryland became the first East Coast states to enact legislation to combat ocean acidification.
3. The National Research Council reported that 43 percent of overfished populations in the U.S. have been rebuilt already or will be rebuilt within a decade.
4. Shell announced that it would not drill for oil in the Arctic in 2014.
5. The red snapper population is on the rise, which is good news for the species and Gulf fishermen.
6. In just four months, we removed over 7,000 items of trash from beaches where sea turtles nest thanks to your support.
7. The 2014 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change tackled ocean acidification for the first time.
8. Dr. Kathryn Sullivan was confirmed as the head of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
9. Hilton Worldwide announced they are eliminating shark fin dishes from their menus.
10. President Obama’s budget proposal for fiscal year 2015 invested heavily into the ocean’s health.
11. The 9^th Circuit Court ruled that the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management must reassess its original, very low environmental impact analysis on drilling for oil in the Arctic.
12. Ed Markey, an ocean advocate from Massachusetts, was elected to the U.S. Senate.
13. Australia created its largest fully protected marine sanctuary.
14. Virginia’s oyster business is seeing a much-needed boom, showing a healthy bay makes a healthy business.
15. Twenty-five years later, sea otters have fully recovered after the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill.
16. San Francisco became the first major U.S. city to ban the sale of plastic water bottles.
17. Indonesia created the world’s largest manta ray sanctuary.
18. Supporters like you helped us defeat Congressman Bill Flores, a former oil executive, from gutting the National Ocean Policy. With your continued support, we can make a National Ocean Policy a reality.
19. The National Research Council confirmed the major barriers to safely drilling for oil in the Artic including the lack of infrastructure, information and preparedness to deal with adverse environmental conditions.
20. YOU stepped up to protect our ocean by following Ocean Conservancy today! Be part of victories like these next year!