Our Sole Mission – Sea Shepherd Conservation Society

Report on Sea Shepherd’s Operational Evolution and Contribution to Sustainable Development Goals

Foundational Direct-Action Campaigns

Sea Shepherd was established in 1977 to provide direct defense for marine ecosystems. The organization’s initial activities focused on tangible interventions to protect marine wildlife.

• 1977: Initial missions disrupted the commercial hunting of newborn harp seals by rendering their pelts commercially non-viable through the use of indelible organic dye.
• Late 1970s-Early 1980s: Operations evolved into enforcement-style actions, targeting illegal pirate whaling ships in the North Atlantic. These campaigns involved tracking, exposing, and disabling vessels engaged in illicit activities.
• 1980s Expansion: The organization expanded its operational fronts to Eastern Canada, the North Pacific, and coastal waters of Europe and Japan to document and disrupt illegal whaling, dolphin hunts, and other marine mammal kills.

Strategic Realignment with SDG 14: Life Below Water

The organization’s modern strategy has shifted towards achieving lasting institutional impact, directly aligning its mission with the objectives of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals, particularly SDG 14: Life Below Water.

1. Mission Focus on IUU Fishing: The sole mission is now defined as the protection and conservation of global marine wildlife from illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing.
2. Contribution to SDG Target 14.4: By working to end IUU fishing, Sea Shepherd directly contributes to the goal of effectively regulating harvesting and ending overfishing and destructive fishing practices.
3. Comprehensive Ecosystem Protection: The mission encompasses the entire marine ecosystem, from whales and dolphins to sharks, rays, fish, and krill, supporting the sustainable management and protection of marine ecosystems as outlined in SDG Target 14.2.

Collaborative Enforcement and SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals

Sea Shepherd’s contemporary operational model emphasizes collaboration with state actors, reflecting a commitment to SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals and SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions.

• Official Partnerships: The organization now works directly with national governments, environmental agencies, coast guards, and navies.
• Capacity Building: Sea Shepherd provides ships, trained crews, and technology to assist partner nations in enforcing their conservation laws, particularly in regions with limited resources.
• Impact on Governance: These joint operations enhance the rule of law in maritime jurisdictions, reduce illegal fishing in critical habitats, and have transformed the organization into a lasting institutional force for marine protection, thereby strengthening the implementation of international conservation law as called for in SDG Target 14.c.

Analysis of Sustainable Development Goals in the Article

1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?

The article highlights issues and actions that are directly connected to several Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), primarily focusing on marine conservation and collaborative law enforcement.

• SDG 14: Life Below Water: This is the most prominent SDG addressed. The article’s core theme is the conservation and protection of marine ecosystems. Sea Shepherd’s mission is explicitly stated as being “to protect and conserve the world’s oceans and marine wildlife,” which aligns perfectly with the overall goal of SDG 14. Their actions against illegal whaling, sealing, and fishing directly contribute to this goal.
• SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions: The article connects to this goal by describing how Sea Shepherd has evolved to work “directly with national governments, environmental agencies, coast guards, and navies.” This collaboration helps “enforce conservation laws,” thereby strengthening the capacity of national institutions to combat illegal activities at sea and uphold the rule of law in their maritime jurisdictions.
• SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals: This goal is addressed through Sea Shepherd’s modern strategy, which is built on partnerships. The text emphasizes their “joint operations” with various state actors. This represents a multi-stakeholder partnership between a civil society organization and public institutions to achieve common conservation objectives, which is the essence of SDG 17.

2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?

Based on the activities described, several specific SDG targets can be identified:

• Target 14.2: By 2020, sustainably manage and protect marine and coastal ecosystems to avoid significant adverse impacts. Sea Shepherd’s work in disrupting illegal whaling, dolphin hunts, and seal kills, as well as reducing illegal fishing in “key habitats,” directly contributes to the protection of marine ecosystems.
• Target 14.4: By 2020, effectively regulate harvesting and end overfishing, illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing and destructive fishing practices. The article explicitly states that Sea Shepherd’s mission is to protect marine wildlife from “illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing.” Their actions of tracking and stopping “pirate whaling ships” and reducing “illegal fishing” are direct contributions to this target.
• Target 14.c: Enhance the conservation and sustainable use of oceans and their resources by implementing international law. By partnering with governments, coast guards, and navies to “enforce conservation laws,” Sea Shepherd helps in the practical implementation of national and international laws designed to protect marine life.
• Target 16.a: Strengthen relevant national institutions, including through international cooperation, to build capacity at all levels, in particular in developing countries, to prevent violence and combat terrorism and crime. While the focus is on environmental crime, Sea Shepherd’s provision of “ships, trained crews, and technology” strengthens the capacity of national agencies to combat the crime of illegal fishing.
• Target 17.17: Encourage and promote effective public, public-private and civil society partnerships. The partnership model described in the article, where Sea Shepherd (a civil society organization) forms “joint operations” with “national governments, environmental agencies, coast guards, and navies” (public institutions), is a clear example of the type of partnership this target aims to promote.

3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?

The article does not mention official SDG indicator codes, but it implies several qualitative and quantitative measures that can be used as indicators of progress:

• For Target 14.4 (End IUU Fishing): The article implies progress can be measured by the reduction of illegal activities. An implied indicator is the number of illegal fishing and whaling operations disrupted or stopped. The text supports this by stating that Sea Shepherd’s actions “put vessels out of business” and that their joint operations “have reduced illegal fishing in key habitats.”
• For Target 14.2 (Protect Ecosystems): Progress can be measured by the scope and scale of protection. Implied indicators include the number of species protected (the article lists “whales and dolphins to sharks, rays, fish, and even krill”) and the geographic area under surveillance or active protection (“the ice floes of Eastern Canada, the North Pacific, and coastal waters in Europe and Japan”).
• For Target 17.17 (Partnerships): The success of partnerships can be measured by their formation and operational activity. An implied indicator is the number of formal partnerships and joint operations established with national governments and their agencies. The article highlights this as a key part of their “modern strategy.”

4. Table of SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

Source: seashepherd.org