Celebrating Victories This World Oceans Day

Happy World Oceans Day! While we continue to fight for a healthy ocean, today is the perfect time to reflect on recent ocean victories.
- More than half a million volunteers picked up more than 12 million pounds of trash in honor of International Coastal Cleanup.
- Maine and Maryland became the first East Coast states to enact legislation to combat ocean acidification.
- 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.
- Shell announced that it would not drill for oil in the Arctic in 2014.
- The red snapper population is on the rise, which is good news for the species and Gulf fishermen.
- In just four months, we removed over 7,000 items of trash from beaches where sea turtles nest thanks to your support.
- The 2014 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change tackled ocean acidification for the first time.
- Dr. Kathryn Sullivan was confirmed as the head of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
- Hilton Worldwide announced they are eliminating shark fin dishes from their menus.
- President Obama’s budget proposal for fiscal year 2015 invested heavily into the ocean’s health.
- The 9th 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.
- Ed Markey, an ocean advocate from Massachusetts, was elected to the U.S. Senate.
- Australia created its largest fully protected marine sanctuary.
- Virginia’s oyster business is seeing a much-needed boom, showing a healthy bay makes a healthy business.
- Twenty-five years later, sea otters have fully recovered after the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill.
- San Francisco became the first major U.S. city to ban the sale of plastic water bottles.
- Indonesia created the world’s largest manta ray sanctuary.
- 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.
- 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.
- YOU stepped up to protect our ocean by following Ocean Conservancy today! Be part of victories like these next year!