Ocean Champions, a

501(c)(4) A 501(c) organization is a nonprofit organization in the Law of the United States#Federal law, federal law of the United States according to Internal Revenue Code (26 U.S.C. § 501(c)) and is one of over 29 types of nonprofit organizations exe ...

environmental organization An environmental organization is an organization coming out of the conservation or environmental movements that seeks to protect, analyse or monitor the environment against misuse or degradation from human forces. In this sense the environment ...

in the United States with a connected political action committee (Ocean Champions PAC), is the first national organization of its kind focused solely on

oceans The ocean (also the sea or the world ocean) is the body of salt water that covers approximately 70.8% of the surface of Earth and contains 97% of Earth's water. An ocean can also refer to any of the large bodies of water into which the worl ...

and ocean

wildlife Wildlife refers to domestication, undomesticated animal species (biology), species, but has come to include all organisms that grow or live wilderness, wild in an area without being species, introduced by humans. Wildlife was also synonymous ...

. Their goal is to create a political environment where protecting and restoring the oceans is a national government priority. They do this by helping to elect pro-ocean Congressional candidates and working to defeat the others. Ocean Champions engages with members of Congress to pass pro-ocean laws and shoot down bills that would harm the ocean. Co-founder David Wilmot defines the organization as a "blue group", instead of a "green group" to emphasize its focus on the oceans. In 2016, for the first time in the history of the Peter Benchley Ocean Awards, an organization received Excellence in Policy Award. Ocean Champions and its Co-Founder, David Wilmot, Ph.D., were named that year's awardee.

Organization

Ocean Champions was founded by marine biologis
Elliott A. Norse
and environmental attorney Jack Sterne in 2003. Currently (2011), David Wilmot is the group’s President and the Executive Director is Mike Dunmyer. The group is headquartered on the west coast in

Capitola, California Capitola is a small seaside town in Santa Cruz County, California. Capitola is located on the northern shores of Monterey Bay, on the Central Coast of California. The city had a population of 9,938 at the 2020 census. Capitola is a popular tour ...

, and has since added an office on the east coast in Delaware. On Earth Day 2011, Ocean Champions was recognized as a certified Monterey Bay Area Green Business.

Political action

Some of the issues that Ocean Champions has lobbied in Congress include: harmful algal blooms, ending over-fishing, national ocean policy (OCEANS-21), national endowment for the oceans, offshore oil drilling, water pollution prevention and

ocean acidification Ocean acidification is the reduction in the pH value of the Earth’s ocean. Between 1751 and 2021, the average pH value of the ocean surface has decreased from approximately 8.25 to 8.14. The root cause of ocean acidification is carbon dioxid ...

.S. 1701: Harmful Algal Blooms and Hypoxia Research and Control Amendments Act of 2011
/ref>NOAA Fisheries Feature Magnuson-Stevens Reauthorization Act of 2006
/ref>Response Efforts to the Gulf Coast Oil Spill Hearing Before The Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation United States Senate
/ref>S. 3358: West Coast Ocean Protection Act of 2010
/ref>S.685 - Oil Spill Prevention Act of 2010
/ref>S. 258: Close Big Oil Tax Loopholes Act
/ref> Ocean Champions has supported over 50 Congressmen/women since the

109th United States Congress The 109th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives, from January 3, 2005 to January 3, 2007, dur ...

election in 2004. Ocean Champions works with both Democrats and Republicans. Ocean Champions supported Rep. Farr and worked to defeat re-election of Representative

Richard Pombo Richard William Pombo, GOIH (born January 8, 1961) is an American lobbyist for mining and water-management companies and former Republican member of the United States House of Representatives, having represented California's 11th congressional ...

in 2006. From 2004 to 2014, Ocean Champions has had an 86% success rate of endorsed candidates winning their respective elections. In 2014 Ocean Champions defeated Ocean Enemy #1 Steve Southerland and support 68 champions serving in the 114th Congress.

Ocean topics

Though young, Ocean Champions has already achieved several legislative victories, and that influence continues to grow. Ocean Champions was a major player in the re-authorization of a stronger Magnuson-Stevens Fisheries Management Law, and helped defeat a farm bill amendment that would have exacerbated over-fishing. Key Champions in Congress helped protect the moratorium on new oil drilling off our coasts in 2006 and 2007 and led the efforts in holding BP accountable in 2010. Ocean Champions played a key role in obtaining the President’s Executive Order for a National Ocean Policy. Also in 2010, the organization led the charge on a House bill to reduce toxic algae blooms and ocean dead zones that passed the House, but just missed passing the Senate.H.R. 3650: Harmful Algal Blooms and Hypoxia Research and Control Amendments Act of 2010
/ref> This bill enjoys bipartisan support and has good prospects in 2011. In the 112th Congress, Ocean Champions are focusing on a number of ecosystem issues, including ending over-fishing, reducing coastal water pollution and protecting coral reefs, such as through the introduction of The National Endowment for the Oceans, Coasts, and Great Lakes Act. This proposal is meant to preserve the ecosystems that coastal communities and economies depend on.

References

{{Reflist Environmental organizations based in the United States 501(c)(4) nonprofit organizations