Oceana Inc.

“Information for the federal form 990 comes largely from oceana's independently audited financial statements, which consolidates oceana's activities across national boundaries. The accounting department collects this and other information needed for the federal form 990, which is reviewed and presented in draft form by a tax accounting firm. After approval by senior management, the final draft of the 990 is presented to the board for review before it is submitted to the internal revenue service.”

“Every year, oceana's officers, directors, and key employees fill out a disclosure report asking them to disclose any family or business relationships they may have with other oceana officers, directors, or key employees, as well as any financial conflicts of interest they may have. In addition, oceana's conflict of interest policy requires any director or officer who is an interested person with respect to a transaction or arrangement under consideration by the corporation to promptly disclose to the board of directors or the board's designate the existence and nature of his or her financial interest in the transaction or arrangement. If the corporation is considering entering into a transaction or arrangement in which an interested person has a financial interest, the board of directors appoints a committee or subcommittee to review the transaction or arrangement. No interested person with respect to the transaction or arrangement under review will be a member of this committee or subcommittee or otherwise participate in its deliberations, except to furnish such factual information as the committee may request. If the committee finds that an interested person has a conflict of interest with respect to a proposed transaction or arrangement, the committee will obtain reliable information about the terms of comparable transactions or arrangements that are reasonably available to the corporation from unrelated parties free of any conflicts of interest. After reviewing this comparability information, the committee will determine by majority vote whether the proposed transaction or arrangement is fair and reasonable to the corporation and whether it would be in the corporation's best interest to enter into it on the terms proposed. If the board of directors learns that a director or officer has failed to disclose a financial interest as required by this policy, it will inform the individual and afford an opportunity for the individual to explain the alleged failure to disclose. After hearing the individual's response, the board will take appropriate action if any action is needed. As for the staff, oceana's employee manual states its conflict of interest policy enforcement rules. Employees must disclose any actual, potential, or apparent conflict of interest to the general counsel. Where appropriate, the general counsel may require suitable remedial action, such as divestiture of adverse interests, recusal from certain decisions, or other action to avoid an appearance or existence of a conflict. These reports are reviewed each year by the board's finance and audit committee.”

“Oceana's process for determining compensation of its ceo, officers, and key employees is as follows: oceana provides the finance and audit committee of the board of directors with data from multiple sources on comparable salaries in other nonprofit organizations, especially but not limited to those in the conservation field, for oceana's ceo, top management, officers, and key employees. The committee reviews these data to determine if the compensation is reasonable and that oceana has not engaged in an excess benefit transaction with any individual in a position to substantially influence the organization's affairs. The discussions are documented in the minutes.”

“Oceana posts annual reports, its audited financial statements, and the public disclosure copy of its irs form 990 on its website, www.oceana.org. It also shares relevant information with independent "watchdog" organizations such as guidestar, charity navigator and the better business bureau to allow these organizations independent assessment of oceana's accountability and transparency. Oceana's articles of incorporation, by-laws and form 1023 are available on oceana's website and to members of the public upon written request. Oceana's articles of incorporation, as well as a certificate of good standing, are also independently available through the department of consumer and regulatory affairs for the district of columbia (where oceana, inc. Is incorporated), though there is a fee for this service.”

“-all 117 seamounts in chile were declared off limits to bottom trawling or other bottom-touching gear. 68,066 square kilometers of chile's waters are now protected from bottom trawling. -oceana conducted the most comprehensive scientific oceanic expedition ever done in chile's remote juan fernandez islands. Rebuilding fish populations: jack mackerel and common hake are among the most overfished chilean fisheries. Oceana in chile is campaigning to get the government to design and implement management plans for these two species in order to start their recovery in 2015. Highlighted below are our 2014 achievements: -in january, the chilean government made the most important decision to start rebuilding chile's fisheries when it announced quotas for commercial fisheries for 2014. For the first time, the government is using the new mechanism based on mandatory advice from scientific committees. This mechanism is a direct result of years of campaigning from oceana. -science-based fishing quotas were implemented for the first time, producing big catch reductions for fourteen of the sixteen species subject to annual fishing limits. -the chilean government announced the adoption of a comprehensive national plan against illegal, unreported and unregulated (iuu) fishing. -chile signed the united nations agreement on straddling fish stocks and highly migratory fish stocks (also known as new york convention). -oceana held a major seminar, fisheries crisis: the challenge of turning the tide. For the first time in chile, oceana's seminar brought together government authorities and officials, navy officers, world fisheries experts and academics, and leaders and members of the artisanal and industrial fishing sectors. Clean energy: -the construction of the largest coal plant ever planned for south america was indefinitely postponed. This victory was due largely to opposition by the local community organized and supported by oceana. Salmon farming: -oceana in chile is working to get the government to close a still unprotected area of 11,800 km2 in tortel in chilean patagonia to salmon farming. Oceana is also working to ban the use of chemicals for the treatment of sea lice on farmed salmon and to reduce the amount of antibiotics in salmon farming. -oceana stopped the granting of salmon farming concessions, despite the pressure from the salmon aquaculture industry. -oceana formally requested that the government ban the use of chemicals in the treatment of sea lice on farmed salmon that can be harmful to native marine species. -oceana also formally requested that the government reduce the amount of antibiotics used per kilogram of salmon by 50 percent from 2012 levels.”

“Europe: oceana in europe works on fishery management, habitat and species protection, trade and subsidies, and pollution and energy. Fishery management: oceana in europe is campaigning to rebuild european fisheries to sustainable levels by 2020, and increase fish biomass at sea by at least 40 percent above 2012 levels. In doing so, our work focuses on three areas: 1) total allowable catches and quotas; 2) enforcement; and 3) large pelagic fish and sharks. Below are key 2014 achievements in each of these work areas: total allowable catches and quotas: -the council of fisheries ministers of the european union (eu) voted in favor of prohibiting fisheries for roughly 20 species of vulnerable deep-sea sharks in eu waters around the canary islands and madeira, where deep-sea sharks are still fished. -the european parliament enacted a new common fisheries policy (cfp), which includes a ban of the discard of pelagic fish, which will go into effect starting in 2015. -the european union, north east atlantic fisheries commission, and the general fisheries commission for the mediterranean adopted management measures for 5 species. -the eu commission proposed a multi-species management plan for bottom trawling fisheries on demersal stocks in the strait of sicily. -management measures for the roughhead grenadier were adopted in both eu waters and international north-east atlantic waters. The roughhead grenadier was a previously unmanaged deep-sea species. -the north east atlantic fisheries commission adopted a new recommendation to protect vulnerable marine ecosystems, e.g. Coral and sponges, from the impact of bottom gears, mainly bottom trawling. -high-level mediterranean officials adopted new binding commitments to end overfishing in the mediterranean sea by managing the stocks at maximum sustainable yield (msy) levels, and preserving marine ecosystems and fragile habitats. Enforcement: oceana in europe made significant progress towards getting the european commission to propose closing loopholes in the eu control and enforcement framework. -the spanish government passed a law adopting strong sanctions against spanish nationals guilty of any kind of involvement in iuu fishing. Large pelagic fish and sharks: -the international commission for the conservation of atlantic tunas (iccat) agreed that bluefin tuna quota for 2015, 2016, and 2017 would remain within scientific recommendations. Habitat protection: oceana in europe's overall habitat objective is to secure the protection for at least 10 percent of the european waters by 2020. In 2014, significant progress was made towards that goal. New marine protected areas were nominated in the baltics, the north-east atlantic, and in the mediterranean sea. Marine protected areas were also increased in the atlantic ocean and in the mediterranean. -finland is moving to protect three of oceana's proposed sites. -sweden is in the process of establishing a new protected area, which includes a marine area, near the island of marstrand, in kattegat, which is part of oceana's proposal. -the danish nature agency announced the designation of new marine protected areas in kattegat. They will protect soft bottom habitats, based on oceana's findings from 2011 and 2012 expeditions. -the portuguese secretary of state of the sea announced protection for three submarine canyons and several seamounts in their waters, including two proposed by oceana. -after eight years of pressure from oceana, the spanish government banned trawling in a coralligenous reef located east of cabrera and two balearic seamounts, all of which are areas of great ecological value. -the government of portugal announced a plan to create up to 400,000 square kilometers of marine protected areas. Oceana studied the area in 2011 and 2012, and collaborated with portuguese scientists and institutions to improve scientific knowledge of these areas. -spain approved requirements for protecting the balearic seamounts and will create a new marine pro”

“Belize: oceana in belize is working to prevent offshore oil exploration and drilling in belize waters. Oceana in belize is also working to protect juvenile fish and to ban gillnets. Oceana in belize is also opposing the puerto azul development project, which is planning to develop a massive resort near the great blue hole, a unesco world heritage site, and other protected areas. Banning offshore oil exploration and drilling: oceana's largest campaign in belize is to ban offshore oil drilling in belizean waters. We obtained significant new support and attention toward our goal of obtaining a ban on offshore oil drilling. Key achievements are highlighted below. -oceana took the first lady of belize and her 9-year old daughter on their first trip to the great blue hole and halfmoon caye. This visit generated widespread national and regional media coverage. As a result of the trip, the first lady and her daughter have become vocal advocates for belize's marine resources. -oceana cultivated support against offshore oil drilling from community and opinion leaders, elected officials, and close relatives of the prime minister. -oceana sponsored a four-day bike ride across the country, with stops in every major municipality. More than 200 cyclists participated, including the prime minister's brother and niece. Each stop was broadcast live on national radio. Two mayors publicly endorsed oceana's campaign during the event. -oceana hosted our first annual "wavemakers" rally. More than 100 belizeans from every district in the country attended the event, including leaders of important fishing and tourism groups. -oceana continued to pursue legal action to defend our legal victory to invalidate existing oil drilling leases in marine areas from a government appeal on our case. Fisheries: -oceana in belize is campaigning to ban gillnets in national waters by 2016 and to get the government to establish catch size limits for three fish species with high levels of juvenile catch rates. -oceana in belize obtained the endorsement of a ban from the bonefish tarpon trust, which represents the sportsfishermen of belize. -oceana conducted outreach and advocacy with small-scale fishers and government officials. Puerto azul project: -oceana belize, in conjunction with several conservation and tourism groups, sent a letter to the director of the unesco world heritage centre informing him that the government of belize is allowing the developers to conduct environmental compliance activities, despite a lack of official approval for the project. Oceana's letter created "official notice" of puerto azul, and as a result, the project will be on the world heritage centre formal agenda for its next delegation visit to belize in january 2015. Philippines: in 2014, oceana expanded and opened a new office in the philippines. Oceana in the philippines is working to improve fisheries management, to reduce unintended killing and discarding, and to protect nurseries and vital habitats for spawning from destructive fishing gear. Oceana in the philippines is also pushing for stronger enforcement of existing laws, particularly those that protect small-scale from industrial fishers. Key progress in 2014 is highlighted below. -oceana in the philippines hosted a conference, "the road to sustainable fisheries governance," to discuss various perspectives on fisheries in the country. The conference brought together stakeholders from the government, the justice system, academia, and other relevant sectors. Participants discussed challenges, impacts, and proposals on fisheries management and shared best practices in sustainable fisheries governance and effective law enforcement. -oceana was a co-convener and participant in the philippines shark summit in cebu. This event was a great success in raising the threats to sharks, especially finning. This event resulted in oceana's first media hits in the philippines. -the philippines made appropriate changes in its fisheries management”

“Science-based catch limits: oceana is working to get the government to set and enforce science-based limits to govern the amount of fish allowed to be taken out of the seas. Highlighted below are oceana's achievements in 2014. -oceana's advocacy for sustainable fishing and better management of steller sea lion prey needs resulted in the 2014 fishing season starting with the first-ever separate quotas for the pacific cod stocks in the aleutian islands and bering sea. -the california fish and game commission voted to set the herring quota at 2,500 tons, representing 4.2 percent of the estimated biomass. -the pacific fishery management council prohibited the development of new fisheries for forage fish off the west coast of the united states unless or until it can be shown that such fisheries will not harm the health of the ecosystem. -five species of sharks became subject to global trade protections under the convention on international trade in endangered species of wild fauna and flora (cites) in an effort to prevent their overexploitation. -massachusetts became the ninth state to regulate the trade of shark fins within their state borders. This is an important step forward in the fight for global shark conservation. Massachusetts joins california, delaware, hawaii, illinois, maryland, new york, oregon, washington, and the u.s. Territories of guam, american samoa, and the commonwealth of the northern marianas islands. -the national oceanic and atmospheric administration removed its challenge to california, maryland and washington's shark fin laws. In 2013, noaa challenged state shark fin bans across the country, suggesting that they might be preempted, or overruled, by federal law. Bycatch: the unintentional catch of marine species in fishing for targeted species (bycatch) undermines successful fisheries management and wastes the ocean's living marine resources. Oceana is advocating to reduce bycatch using a three-step approach: count, cap, control. Highlighted below are our 2014 achievements. -the new england fishery management council approved an action implementing the federally mandated standardized bycatch reporting methodology. In its final approval the council included clear guidance to the national marine fisheries service that bycatch information should be specific to particular stocks of fish and connected to the management of the fisheries. -the u.s. Government announced it will better monitor the amount and type of wasted catch in gulf and southeast region fisheries. -the united states court of appeals for the district of columbia released an opinion that will require the national marine fisheries service to establish a standardized system for counting and reporting the amount of bycatch in commercial fisheries from north carolina to the canadian border. -the national marine fisheries service announced emergency actions to protect endangered sperm whales from the california swordfish and thresher shark drift gillnet fishery, whose mile-long floating nets incidentally capture and drown these endangered animals. -the u.s. Government closed off part of the gulf of mexico and atlantic waters off north carolina from longline fishing during the spring spawning season for bluefin tuna. The government also placed strict limits on bluefin tuna bycatch and requires longline fishing vessels to improve data collection and monitoring. -oceana launched the "dusky's bucket list" campaign to raise awareness about dusky shark bycatch. Populations off the coast of the atlantic coast are estimated to have declined by 98 percent during the last 40 years as a result of overfishing and bycatch. The story of "dusky the shark" was told through cartoon strips and costume shark appearances during discovery channel's shark week. Protect habitat: oceana is protecting the most important and productive marine areas to increase the biodiversity and abundance of the oceans. Highlighted below are our 2014 achievements. -oceana won important victor”

“Offshore wind: oceana is supporting the development of offshore wind and energy from other marine sources, provided they comply with all requirements for environmental impact. Highlighted below are our 2014 achievements. -a memorandum of agreement was forged by oceana and six other environmental ngos with an offshore wind developer (deepwater wind). The agreement provides enhanced protections for the north atlantic right whale in the rhode island and massachusetts wind energy area. -the u.s. Senate committee on finance extended the investment tax credit (itc) for offshore wind projects, for two years.”

“Built a supporter base of close to 1 million supporters, including: -600,000 wavemakers (online supporters); -167,000 facebook fans; -38,000 instagram followers; and several thousand followers on youtube and google plus. -had more than 3 million visits to its websites (more than a 10 percent increase in overall traffic over 2014 levels). -engaged more than 200,000 of our e-supporters to take at least one political action. Pr and media: oceana was widely featured in the media- from high-profile television appearances to recognition in prominent newspapers and websites. The stories generated 8,616 press hits (12 percent increase over end of year 2013 total). -generated high profile press, featuring oceana or its leaders in 48 high profile publications and websites. These include: -oceana, google, and skytruth's new technology platform, global fishing watch, was covered in several topline publications including the wall street journal. -ceo andy sharpless' talk at the economist's world ocean summit was covered by national geographic. -oceana's expedition to juan fernandez island generated a four page feature in chile's most important newspaper, el mercurio. -actress rashida jones went on nbc's "late night with jimmy fallon" and discussed her work with oceana. -a new single-celled species was discovered in oceans off the coast of spain and named after oceana, generating press coverage in 29 languages. -news about our seafood fraud campaign received massive coverage, including being featured on the a section of the washington post. -oceana organized a visit for belize's first family, which generated extensive in-country news coverage. -oceana published two magazines and one annual report. Feature stories from the spring magazine issue include: chile's juan fernandez islands, bloomberg's vibrant oceans initiative, and threats to right whales. Feature stories from the summer magazine issue include: leonardo dicaprio joins oceana to protect the pacific, u.s. Bycatch, and arctic drilling. The annual report details oceana's accomplishments, financials, and staff list for 2013. -launched three new oceana public service announcement (psa) campaigns. Oceana's psas have appeared on outside television, bloomberg tv, hgtv, food network, diy channel, national geographic and cnn international. Print psas were featured in tv guide magazine, los angeles confidential and travel + leisure. -developed new relationships with key media contacts, at variety magazine, e! News, extra tv, new york daily news, bloomberg tv and the associated press. -cultivated four new celebrity supporters -- kate mara, joe manganiello, connor cruise and joshua jackson. Other major celebrity activities included a nautica-sponsored shark-tagging trip with austin nichols and a washington d.c. Trip by actor reid scott of the tv show veep to advocate to congress against seismic airgun use off the atlantic coast. Publications: oceana published 21 reports in 2014. -a system-wide approach to supporting improvements in seafood production practices and outcomes. -oceana co-authors new vision for sustainable seafood certification published today in the scientific journal "frontiers in ecology and the environment." -in contrast to previous efforts, this program concentrates on both ecosystems and various human stakeholders, relies on an adaptive management approach (termed "continual improvement") to enhance outcomes, and considers socioeconomic factors. The goal of this program is to support the restoration and maintenance of healthy ecosystem states and thriving human communities as well as the improvement of whole social-ecological systems. -exposing california's dirty little secret: the truth about drift gillnets off our coast. -drift gillnets, meant for swordfish and thresher sharks off the coast of california entangle, injure and drown iconic marine life. This report details the deadly toll drift gillnets take on marine life, and why better great types should be used. -frozen f”

“Scientific information to describe areas meeting scientific criteria for mediterranean ebsas. In this report, 37 marine sites are described to contribute on the identification of ecologically or biologically significant areas (ebsas) in the mediterranean sea in order to follow requirements under the barcelona convention (decision ig.21/5) and the convention on biological diversity. Shrimp: oceana reveals misrepresentation of america's favorite seafood: -in the only known study of its kind in the u.s., dna testing confirmed that 30 percent of the 143 shrimp products tested from 111 grocery stores and restaurants were misrepresented. Oceana also found that consumers are often provided with little information about the shrimp they purchase, including where and how it was caught or farmed, making it difficult, if not impossible, for them to make informed choices. -the bering strait marine life and subsistence data synthesis. This report, by oceana and kawerak, inc., portrays areas of importance and high abundance for marine species such as ice seals, walrus, polar bears, and whales, as well as other marine ecosystem components like benthic habitat and sea ice. This synthesis uses both western science and alaska native's local and traditional knowledge to create a synthesis that decision makers can use to help protect valuable and vulnerable marine areas from human threats such as shipping, and large-scale commercial fishing. The gfcm at a glance: rebuilding mediterranean fish stocks. In 2014 a new gfcm agreement came out of the 38th meeting of the contracting parties, held on 19-24 may, in rome (italy). Oceana, which has long advocated against overfishing in the mediterranean sea, welcomed the new gfcm agreement. The text will deliver the needed framework to rebuild fish stocks to sustainable levels and preserve mediterranean ecosystems through increased protection. -the seamounts of gorringe bank oceana conducted various scientific expeditions to the gorringe bank, cataloguing more than a hundred species and a wide variety of habitats. Expeditions took place in 2005, 2011 and 2012. The newly-discovered species and habitats support the case for protecting the gorringe bank's highly valuable enclave. -towards a new regulation establishing specific conditions to fishing for deep-sea stocks in the north-east atlantic. The european deep-sea access regime has failed to ensure the sustainable management of deep-sea fisheries and ecosystems in the north-east atlantic ocean. This briefing presents a comparison of the current system respect different proposals, including eu commission, european parliament and oceana, in order to improve the management of these fisheries and the conservation of deep-sea vulnerable marine ecosystems. -wasted catch: the price of waste in the u.s. Fishing industry bycatch, or the capture of non-target fish and ocean wildlife, remains one of the biggest threats to the health of ocean ecosystems, contributing to overfishing and the decline of fish populations around the world. As much as 2 billion pounds of fish are discarded by fisheries in the united states each year, hindering the recovery of depleted stocks. What is the price the industry pays for this wasteful habit? In this report, oceana estimates that the value of discarded fish in the u.s. Is at least $1 billion annually. -wasted catch: unsolved problems in u.s. Fisheries despite strong management measures and conservation initiatives in some regions, bycatch remains a persistent problem for far too many united states fisheries. Researchers estimate that 17 to 22 percent of u.s. Catch is discarded every year, according to the best available data. In this report, oceana exposes nine of the dirtiest fisheries in the u.s., responsible for more than 50 percent of all reported bycatch in the country.”

“This return presents consolidated financial statements for oceana, inc. And its non-u.s. Affiliates. Oceana has field offices in spain, brazil, denmark, belgium, philippines, belize and chile for the purpose of building an international movement to save the oceans through public policy advocacy, science and economics, legal action, grassroots mobilization, and public education. The operations in spain, belize, brazil, philippines and the united kingdom follow the host country's regulations and, as a result, were incorporated as independent entities. However, these entities are dependent on oceana for funding, participate in oceana activities and decision-making, and carry out the general mission and international activities of oceana.”