Sea Shepherd protects highly biodiverse UNESCO world heritage sites

Operation Mamacocha © Sea Shepherd Conservation Society

Sea Shepherd's interceptor vessel, the M/V Brigitte Bardot, is currently undertaking Operation Mamacocha, our campaign addressing Illegal, Unreported, Unregulated (IUU) fishing in the Eastern Tropical Pacific Ocean. This area is home to many species of sharks, giant manta rays, dolphins, and blue whales, among thousands of other animals. The indiscriminate killing by IUU operators poses a huge threat to all of this life.

Marine wildlife knows no boundaries and Sea Shepherd is currently working with SkyTruth to monitor the extremely important corridor, protecting the life cycles of many species. This is one of the last regions that exhibits such a diverse abundance of marine life on the planet.

Thanks to SkyTruth's advanced technology, Sea Shepherd is able to observe IUU fishing vessels on the high seas from outer space. This allows us to gather intelligence and report vessels operating outside the law.

Areas such as Cocos Island act as a barometer to the wider biodiversity of the Eastern Tropical Pacific. But these protected waters cannot flourish in a vacuum of their own. There must be assured protection of migratory species on the high seas for these ecosystems to thrive.

As we travel through the Corridor, Sea Shepherd also identifies other issues we can address. For example, the M/V Brigitte Bardot crew were privileged to be part of Limpieza Nacional - the largest nationwide cleanup day in Costa Rica. There were more than 1,250 volunteers who joined over 40 events across the country and together we collected approximately 19,000 pounds of trash.