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4A Look BackReflecting on last year’s achievements. 6Bequests for the OceanWe honor in memoriam supporters whose foresight and generosity create an ocean legacy for future generations.3Champions for Sea ChangeWe are grateful for ocean stewards who support our work with annual gifts of $1,000 and above. 8Financial SummaryAn overview of Ocean Conservancy’s revenues and expenses.INSIDEyou will find a plastic bag blowing in the wind, an empty soda bottle right at water’s edge or a foam cup or plastic fork from someone’s picnic buried in the sand. We all see it—plastic debris fouling the ocean vistas we so enjoy. Plastic debris devastates waters all over the world—causing injury and death to turtles, seals, seabirds and other wildlife, contaminating fish, damaging marine habitats and, quite possibly, affecting human health. It is high time to reverse this tide, and Ocean Conservancy is doing just that.Ocean trash: far from a new issue for Ocean ConservancyOcean Conservancy has “talked trash” for years. Each fall since 1986, we’ve led the world’s largest marine debris recovery efforts through our International Coastal Cleanups. Millions of volun-teers have removed tons of trash from waterways and coastlines in more than 150 countries and throughout the United States and its territories.But we’ve long known trash removal does not solve the ocean pollution problem. And for a number of years, we’ve conferred with experts, engaged renowned scientists and appealed to industry to help us develop a solution.Four years ago, Ocean Conservancy commissioned a group of leading scientists with the National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis (NCEAS) at the University of California, Santa Barbara. Their scientific mandate was to examine the best available data from around the world about plastics in the ocean and quantify how much there is, where it comes from, what happens to it, and how it impacts fish and wildlife. The scientists’ findings will be published in peer-reviewed scientific literature in 2015.Over the past year, Ocean Conservancy also conducted its own research on the supply chain of plastics. Our goal was to craft a solution that will keep plastics from getting into the ocean in the first placeThe situation is far from hopeless. There are many ways to stem the tide of plastics into the ocean. All have value and they work:•Bans on plastic bags: Countries like Bangladesh and cities like Portland, Ore., and Mexico City have passed laws banning them, and the first statewide ban recently passed in California. •Innovative redesign of products and packaging: Using alternative materials and pressuring manufacturers to rethink their plastic footprints are increasing.•Consumer awareness: Public-facing campaigns urge consumers to shed “disposable mentalities,” reduce consumption and reuse containers like water bottles, mugs and grocery bags. And we need other solutions as wellWhile these efforts, as well as recycling products that can be used again, definitely help, we need an intervention, global in scope, to dramatically reduce the flow of plastics into the ocean. Consider the facts:•Ocean plastics are greatest in rapidly developing countries where waste collection is weak or absent. •Without intervention, within 25 years the ocean will contain approximately one pound of plastic for every three pounds of fish.•Only a small percentage of ocean plastics rest at the surface of the “gyres.” •Evidence suggests that, over time, the plastic breaks into tiny pieces often eaten by marine mammals and fish that mistake them for food.•Research confirms that plastics are present in more than 200 species of fish. This could have implications for animals that ingest them and for people, too.So what is Ocean Conservancy doing about plastic pollution?Global plastics consumption is predicted to explode to an estimated 400 million tons per year by 2025. This consumption will largely take place in rapidly industrial-izing countries, which also have some of the lowest waste collection rates on the planet. Without effective waste collection, an avalanche of plastic debris will enter the ocean. If we focus our efforts on managing waste in those places where plastic pollution is greatest, we can reduce ocean plastic inputs. While plastic products have done much for the world—think medical equipment, industrial machinery, automobiles, construction—plastics producers and consumer products companies have to Walk along any river bank or ocean beach and it’s almost inevitable—© JTYLERReversing The Tide: STOPPING PL ASTICS FROM DES TROYING THE OCEANSPRING|!O"#© ELYSE BUTLER Continued on page 2
Effective January 1, Ocean Conservancy’s Board of Directors appointed Janis Searles Jones as President of the organization. Andreas Merkl remains Chief Executive Officer. Over the past seven years, Janis has ably served Ocean Conservancy as Chief Counsel, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer. In her expanded role, Janis oversees administration, communications and finance and jointly directs Ocean Conservancy’s programmatic efforts with Andreas, allowing him more time to focus on new program development, fundraising, and external relations.From the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of Maine to the Bering Strait, fishery and ocean management practices are more effective, scientific, and well-implemented because of Ocean Conservancy and our partners in the regions. We hope you share our pride in these accomplishments. In the center section, you will read about our victories in U.S. waters—which have occurred amidst ongoing attempts in Congress to weaken our national fisheries laws. The California coast is teeming with wildlife—we have seen wonderful recoveries, such as the return of the Northern Pacific blue whale to numbers higher than ever recorded. But the work of Ocean Conservancy is more critical than ever, and we look forward to 2015 as we expand our work on U.S. waters and beyond. We hope you will stand with us as we work to shift fisheries management in the Pacific from a species-by-species model to one that incorporates the entire marine ecosystem. And we need your continued support as we work with affected states to address increased acidity that threatens their shellfish industries and communities.Together, we will face the fifth anni-versary of the BP Deepwater Horizon disaster in the spring, and we know that the work to restore the Gulf is far from over. We celebrated recently with the announcement of “blue water” projects to be funded to the tune of almost $100 million, but we lamented the news in November that links oil from the spill to the decline of Kemps’ ridley sea turtles in Texas and Louisiana waters. And internationally, we have much to do in 2015. While we are heartened over the U.S. chairmanship of the Arctic Council—and the opportunity to make a real difference in protecting this threatened ecoregion, an avalanche of plastic trash is still flow-ing into the ocean. As you read in the cover story, we are launching a major global campaign to convince the consumer goods and plastics industry WELCOMESPRING 2015ANDREAS MERKLChief Executive OfficerJANIS SEARLES JONESPresidentDEANDRA HICKSManaging Director, Resource Development AMY FONVILLEManaging EditorAARTHI ANANTHANARAYANAN, LESLIE BROWN, NELLE CROSSAN, AMELIA MONTJOY, THOMAS PERKINSContributorsDESIGNFuszionPRINTED IN THE USAStephenson PrintingOur MissionOcean Conservancy educates and empowers citizens to take action on behalf of the ocean. From the Arctic to the Gulf of Mexico to the halls of Congress, Ocean Conservancy brings people together to find solutions for our water planet. Informed by science, our work guides policy and engages people in protecting the ocean and its wildlife for future generations. OceanConservancyOcean Conservancy1300 19th Street NW, 8th FloorWashington, DC 20036Splash is printed on forest-friendly recycled Orion Satin text. Paper requirements: 16,100 lbs. Using this paper for this publication saves the following: Trees: 14. Water-borne waste: 39 lbs. Wastewater flow: 5,745 gal. Solid waste: 636 lbs. Greenhouse gases: 1,252 lbs CO2. Total energy: 9,6579,500 BTUs. FSC® is not responsible for any calculations on saving resources by choosing this paper.Splash is the newsletter of Ocean Conservancy.© "#$% Ocean Conservancy. All Rights Reserved.CFC #11436to accept their responsibility to help solve the plastic pollution crisis. Overfishing remains a huge problem in the developing world, and we are now working with some of the best scien-tists around the globe to develop an entirely new approach. So we celebrate our achievements in 2014—as we plan to accomplish even more for the ocean in 2015. And we look forward to sharing our success every step of the way with you, our committed supporters.Kind regards,take responsibility for what plastics are doing to the ocean. Ocean Conservancy has developed a plan—and industries are getting on board. Through our Trash Free Seas Alliance®, we have signed up several global companies that agree we’re on the right track and have pledged to work with us. With industry, econo-mists, waste experts, and other NGOs, we are developing a funding mecha-nism to establish sound waste management in countries that need it. Once implemented, these systems create the conditions that make it Reversing The Tide: Stopping Plastics From Destroying The OceanContinued,QZHFHOHEUDWHGDQXPEHURIWHUUL¿FVXFFHVVHV²IRUWKHRFHDQDQGIRU2FHDQ&RQVHUYDQF\1RQHRIWKHPZRXOGKDYHEHHQSRVVLEOHZLWKRXWWKHWUHPHQGRXVVXSSRUWIURPPHPEHUVOLNH\RXZKROLWHUDOO\PDNHRXUZRUNKDSSHQWKURXJK\RXUJHQHURVLW\DQGFRPPLWPHQWDr. David C. AldrichChairVienna, VirginiaMs. Dane NicholsVice ChairWashington, D.C.Mr. Edward M. MillerTr e a s u r e rCharlottesville, VirginiaMr. Will MartinSecretaryNashville, TennesseeMr. Thomas H. AllenPortland, Maine and Washington, D.C.Ms. Laura Burton CappsSanta Barbara, CaliforniaMr. Steve HennGlenview, IllinoisMr. Andreas MerklChief Executive OfficerWashington, D.C.Dr. Stephen PalumbiPacific Grove, Californiaex officioMr. John Turner Sargent, Jr.New York, New YorkMr. Steven StronginNew York, New YorkMr. Lawrence WagenbergNew York, New YorkDr. Suzanne H. WoolseyHarwood, Maryland Board of Directorspossible for local communities to prof-itably gather, separate, sell and store plastic waste, thus reversing the tide of plastics entering the ocean—while advancing the health, economies and well-being of the communities served.We are convinced we are on to something big, bold and ambitious that can truly make a difference and help rid the ocean of plastic. We will keep you informed as this exciting project develops. And we hope we can count on your support as we go forward in 2015 and beyond to stem the tide of plastics in our ocean.DAVID C. ALDRICHBoard ChairANDREAS MERKLChief Executive Officer2SPRING "#$%© OCEAN CONSERVANCY © MICHELE HOFFMAN TROTTER © PAOLO VESCIA© JEROD HARRIS