Ocean Defenders Alliance

Ocean Defenders Alliance (ODA) will expand our defense of ocean life and habitat through pursuit of the following objectives:

• Utilize our volunteer crews and vessel(s) to clean the oceans of harmful man-made marine debris, by removing more debris each year.

• Work with business/industry (especially those related to commercial seafood), as well as consumers, politicians, legislators, and relevant agencies to recover manmade debris from the oceans. We will work with these same entities to reduce and eventually eliminate harmful debris going into the seas.

• Build our alliance by educating and forming respectful, effective relationships with the general public; other conservation organizations; current and retired commercial fishermen; and local, regional, and national politicians and “influencers."

• Starting with California, we ultimately seek a debris-free sea where ocean wildlife is able to not only survive, but thrive.

As our team and resource growth allows, ODA continues our ocean-going debris removal operations, and is slowly expanding into other regions. We are proud to now be able to shift operations between Los Angeles, Orange, San Diego, and Ventura counties (California) and the Hawai'ian islands (Big Island and Oahu)—prioritizing according to circumstances and logistics.

As funding allows, we will obtain more and better boats of the type that fit our needs and financial realities.
ODA is also building alliances with politicians, legislators, and business. We seek at all times to work in a constructive manner with representatives of business, politics, enforcement, and conservation; we will work together with a focus on mutual best interests.

Thoughtful use of our social media and website helps update existing supporters. This allows ODA to more effectively share our progress with our various audiences—and greatly enhances our ability to both educate the public, and garner new support.

ODA's team of volunteers is made up of hundreds of volunteers from southern California and Hawai'i, and a core group of highly dedicated and highly qualified divers, mechanics, and electricians. The people involved in our work are ODA's most valuable “resource."

As we continue our work within California's Channel Islands—which is simultaneously a National Park, National Marine Sanctuary, and Marine Protected Area—we have built effective relations with many oversight agencies governing this special ecosystem. They have reissued the requisite permits that allow us to carefully remove debris from within this highly sensitive island region

Thanks to the generous support of TV celebrity and animal advocate Mr. Bob Barker, we have a vessel that is much more capable than our previous boat, and much more reliable.

Our website is highly functional and engaging, has fresh content added regularly, and is equipped with a variety of donation methods to allow public support easily/quickly.

2017 was a great year of successful expansion in the Hawaii Islands. We had mechanical challenges in California, but it did not stop us. We had an overall total of 61 outings; 31 in CA and 30 in HI. Our dedicated teams removed: 7,850 pounds of man-made debris; 8 traps; 2,640 feet of trap line; 9,000 feet of fishing line; and 3,295 pounds of nets. Our reps gave 32 presentations to students, boat/dive clubs, and civic organizations. Both onshore and at-sea volunteer involvement grew.

Goals: In 2018, ODA plans to conduct 48+ life-saving, debris removal expeditions; complete 20 harbor and inland waterway cleanups; give 40 presentations to dive clubs, civic groups, schools; remove 5,000 pounds of nets and other miscellaneous debris from the ocean; retrieve 18,000 feet of trap and fishing line from the ocean.

Objectives: In the next 1-3 years and beyond, ODA will increase our debris removal in CA and HI for each of the coming years.