9.10.2008 11:57 AM

The Politics of Ocean Conservation

Group Endorses Candidates and Lobbies for the Oceans

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Photo: OceanChampions.org

By TDG Community

COMMUNITY NEWS

I am happy to be able to share with you Ocean Champions, the first and only political organization for ocean conservation. I have a PhD in marine biology and have worked passionately for ocean conservation for more than 20 years. Jack Sterne, an environmental lawyer, and I co-founded Ocean Champions just a little over four years ago as a result of a study we conducted on the effectiveness of public advocacy for the oceans. What we found was that the ocean conservation community was focusing on policy rather than politics, and at a cost. We realized that the ocean conservation community needed to participate fully in the political process to be more effective. That means being able to elect good candidates and defeat bad ones.

In the short time we have been around, Ocean Champions has helped get elected or reelected eighteen members to Congress (both Republicans and Democrats), defeated a long time enemy to the oceans, and helped strengthen ocean legislation, including an important national fisheries legislation. We are nonpartisan, as we believe that healthy oceans are the responsibility of all Americans and that healthy oceans benefit all Americans, from fishermen to surfers, from beach goers to hotel owners.

We know the oceans are important to Americans and we have seen our support grow as we now have a community of more than 10,000 online members. This August, I was at the Democratic National Convention in Denver and blogged daily. These blogs provided the news of how the happenings of the convention related to our ocean health. I was happy to hear that some of our ocean champions in Congress, as well as the president of League of Conservation Voters, were reading these blogs.

So for any of you that search for that perfect wave, dream of the winds in your sails, or relish a relaxing day at the shore, I hope you'll find the time to check our blog, log on, and share your thoughts.

– David Wilmot
President, Ocean Champions

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