OCEAN DEFENDERS ALLIANCE
This organization has already been registered
Someone in your organization has already registered and setup an account. Would you like to join their team?Profile owner : d*******s@o************s.o*g
Mission Statement
ODA fills a void in the world of ocean conservation. Awareness of harm to our seas grows, but few move beyond talk to action. ODA not only educates the public about the need for healthy oceans: our crew of wonderful volunteers goes out and “dives in” to help remedy the problems! Each year, commercial fishing operations lose vast quantities of lobster traps, crab pots, lines, and netting. This gear pollutes as it degrades, and is lethal for marine wildlife until removed (they often become entrapped and die). ODA removes and disposes of these deadly hazards. We enhance overall ecosystem health, and in 15 years of activity have seen species rebound where we’ve kept “ghost gear” clear. With our volunteer dive and boat crews, ODA removes derelict fishing gear from marine ecosystems—especially Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) and National Marine Sanctuaries. We work throughout coastal southern California. Although government agencies are encouraging us to expand, our resources do not yet allow it.
About This Cause
Thank you for your interest in ocean conservation! It is difficult to establish a relationship through an online system, but we hope that your review of our activities as presented through the Benevity system will inspire you to help protect ocean life with Ocean Defenders Alliance (ODA). Background and overview: In the years leading up to the launch of ODA, the need for our work became appallingly apparent to Founder Kurt Lieber, an avid diver and self-made scholar of marine conservation. On dive after dive, and all over the world, Kurt found abandoned commercial fishing gear on the ocean floor or attached to boat wrecks—where it indiscriminately killed marine flora and fauna long after its service to the fishing industry was over. At the same time, as he studied of the state of the world’s oceans, Kurt read widely diverse reports about the oceans and came to understand the dire plight of life in the seas. An urgent realization came to him: rampant, escalating overfishing and derelict commercial fishing gear was threatening the survival of marine wildlife and the overall health of our life-giving seas—and someone needed to DO something about it! Kurt’s heart told him to take action, and his intellect agreed. So, with a boat generously gifted to ODA, Kurt began taking volunteer divers to sites reported as plagued by abandoned fishing gear. Using the boat as a dive platform, our divers descend at each location, work gear loose, and float it to the surface. Volunteers on deck haul it onto the boat and sort it for proper disposal. Animals such as lobsters, crabs, sharks, and fish found trapped alive are carefully freed by ODA, and given a new chance to thrive, grow, and breed. In addition to our invaluable work at sea, ODA works onshore to educate the public about the vital need for clean and healthy oceans. Through educational presentations at schools, expos, festivals, and dive clubs, we inform people of all types and ages, raise their awareness about the plight of the oceans, and inspire them to join our efforts. ODA also reaches out to fishermen, restaurants, and the seafood community: we have a growing number of these folks in our alliance. ODA is committed to protecting near-shore ocean ecosystems, such as rocky reefs and seabeds, from dangerous man-made objects and pollution. Unfortunately, there are many factors contributing to the degradation of our oceans that make our work necessary. There are many types of pollution that originate on land and which affect the ocean. Most people are aware of some of the problems, such as oil spills, toxic waste, sewage and fertilizer run-off, etc. However, there is also pollution that originates at sea...such as nets, traps, and lines from ships. ODA’s works to reduce the creation of such pollution, remove existing deposits from marine ecosystems, and educate the public beyond simply informing them: we seek to inspire them to become actively involved in solutions. One of the biggest problems - Ghost Gear: Commercial fishing operations generate a massive amounts of "ghost gear" (lost and abandoned lobster traps, crab pots, nets, lines and ropes, etc.) each year. Ghost gear not only pollutes and degrades water quality over the long term, it also poses immediate and life-threatening risks to marine wildlife (mammals, birds, fish, invertebrates), especially benthic life (plants and animals on and near the ocean floor). Ghost gear causes serious damage to vital reef structures during storms as it is tossed violently back and forth by the currents. The constant thrashing and suffocation threatens fragile kelp beds crucial to a balanced ocean food chain. Near the surface of the water, drifting lines and nets pose navigational hazards to boaters and can possibly entangle and drown ocean surfers, swimmers, scuba divers, and whales-as unfortunately happened several times in the Spring of 2012 off the southern coast of California. With the endorsement of the California Department of Fish & Game; National Park Service; and Office of National Marine Sanctuaries as well as local authorities, ODA's dedicated team of technical divers remain hard at work, making coastal waters safer and cleaner for marine wildlife - as well as humans - by permanently removing ocean debris and checking for illegal fishing activities. How we work: Planning Our Dives - ODA has a large network of divers and other community supporters who contact us and report locations of abandoned fishing gear and sunken vessels. We are also well informed about sites that are routinely visited by commercial fishermen, and too often plagued by derelict gear. After compiling locations, we strategically plan our dive routes and schedules and reach out to our volunteer divers to plan the excursions. The Work Boat – Mr. Barker’s LegaSea is an incredible step up from our previous workboats. The LegaSea is a 55-foot Chris Craft, built in 1987. It has twin diesel engines that burn fuel very efficiently, leaving none of those smelly fumes in our wake that are typical of diesel engines. Thanks to some of our hard-working and committed volunteers, we have new diver benches on the rear deck and an outside toilet/changing room. However, the best upgrades are a hoist on the front deck and a RIB (Rigid Inflatable Boat) that came with the LegaSea. This vessel also has space to install a dive-air compressor (design phase in progress)! Our hoist deploys and retrieves the RIB from the front deck to the water in about two minutes! In the past we have had a very difficult time getting the traps/nets to the boat when the divers send the debris to the surface (using lift bags). But now we can quickly and safely send the RIB out to where a lift bag is floating, attach a towline to it, and tow it over to the LegaSea. We can also lift the debris onto the front deck much more easily with the new hoist, and secure it there for the ride back to port. The Dive and Haul Process – Once on target, ODA divers "buddy up," perform safety checks, and coordinate their dive plans before entering the water. At the underwater site, divers assess the situation and carefully work to free living animals from the traps, nets, etc. Dead animals are also released into the ocean because they serve as food for other marine life. After this freeing process, divers attach a float bag to the debris, which gently lifts the mass of man-made waste to the surface. When the boat crew sees the float bag emerge on the surface, and the divers are safely aboard, the vessel is repositioned and the deadly garbage hauled onto the deck. Once everyone is back on the boat, ODA performs an initial sorting of the debris. We recycle as much of the debris as possible, and ensure proper disposal of the rest. Before releasing this ocean trash from our possession, we thoroughly document the type, amount/weight, recovery locations, type and number of live/dead animals in it, and take photographs. Ancillary Activities: In addition to cleaning the oceans, ODA assists the California Department of Fish and Game and the University of California at Santa Barbara with some aspects of their studies on populations of fish and invertebrates. We also have good relationships with the Coast Guard and other government agencies, and seek to collaborate/partner with the as possible. Education and Outreach (E&O): Strong E&O is essential to the ODA mission, and we take it very seriously. ODA believes that for change to occur, people must first be made aware of the issues, problems, and challenges that currently threaten the oceans’ health and survival. We work with students, volunteers and the public to inspire people of all ages to act as life-long stewards of the environment. ODA’s E & O efforts include: Giving educational presentations at schools, universities, community groups, and dive clubs. Sharing information at public gatherings such as expos, festivals, and conferences. Working to enlighten the seafood community, partner with them when possible, and garner their commitment and partnership. Reaching out via various methods and to spread the facts about the harmful effects of man-made pollution and ghost gear in our oceans—and how, together, we can reduce and work to eliminate them. We welcome help from people of all ages and all walks of life.