Featured News

Ocean Champion Rep. Kathy Castor speaks out on oil drilling 4/18/08

Read the article printed April 17, 2008, in the South Florida Sun-Sentinel: Plan withdrawn — for now — on drilling as close as 25 miles to Florida coast

Check Us Out in Sunday’s San Diego Union Tribune (4/6/08)

Ocean Champions positioned as important bi-partisan player in securing healthy ocean policy and elected representation.

Read the Article: Advocate for oceans finds common ground with GOP

Mexico Give-Away Announcement

We’re happy to announce Joanna Kelly of West Hollywood, CA., as the winner of our first ever Mexico Give-Away. Giving back to Joanna (a solid OC Community Member), feels great to us!

To all of you who participated in our first ‘Win a Trip To Mexico’ campaign, we shout out a BIG THANK YOU! Please keep this good thing going. Invite your friends to join the Ocean Champions Community. It’s never been more important!

What Are They Waiting For?

Global warming may be the biggest challenge the new President-elect will face. So why aren’t political TV show hosts asking the tough questions? Why aren’t the candidates even mentioning the looming crisis? The League of Conservation Voters has recently launched What Are They Waiting For? to put some pressure on reporters to discuss global warming.

Check it out and promote their effort. Global warming may affect ocean health more than any other environmental threat and we deserve to know what the presidential candidates plan to do about it.

New Red Tide Research Center in Florida

University of South Florida gets state funds for a red tide center. Just think how a center like this could be strengthened by the type of federal support outlined in the Save our Shores Act . Ocean Champions continues to fight for this important legislation.

See the original article at the Naples News.com

Check out our Letter to the Editor in response to the news.

Ocean Champions Launches Eco-Conscious Insight Study

Ocean Champions is launching a new qualitative insight study to gain values, attitudes and information needs of their over 7,000-person nationwide support base. The study, executed by an independent strategic communications firm, will be used to report general insights surrounding conservation and specific perceptions of ocean health. Ocean Champions plans to share findings with all interested parties wishing to promote healthy ocean initiatives.

To read more, click here.

Rep. Pallone Advocates Passage of the BEACH Protection Act

Last week Ocean Champion Rep. Frank Pallone (D-NJ, 6th) advocated the passage of an important piece of ocean legislation he introduced earlier this year: The BEACH Protection Act. At the release of the 17th annual national water quality report “Testing the Waters: A Guide to Beach Water Quality at Vacation Beaches”, Pallone stated:

“Each weekend, thousands of people flock to New Jersey beaches to enjoy the sun and the surf. During their visits we want our visitors to be assured that our beaches are clean. Thanks to the BEACH Act, a law that I helped author with Senator Lautenberg back in 2000, we have made some strides over the last six years. However, there is more to be done.”

“Despite the actions New Jersey and other states have taken since the BEACH Act was signed into law, this Act must be improved. That’s what why Sen. Lautenberg and I introduced the Beach Protection Act of 2007 (H.R. 2537), which not only reauthorizes the grants to states through 2012, but also doubles the annual grant levels from a total $30 million under the old authorization to a new level of $60 million annually.”

Ocean Champions applauds Rep. Pallone’s efforts and his vision for improving coastal water quality. We will continue to monitor this situation so be sure to check here for the latest updates on this bill and others.

Toxic Algal Blooms Hit The Mid-Atlantic Region Hard

According to a recent NOAA report, the Chesapeake Bay ranks among the most polluted estuaries in the nation. Chesapeake Bay and other surrounding areas off the coast of Maryland and Virginia, including the Potomac River watershed, have been hit hard this summer by a recent string of algal blooms.

The algal blooms have caused dramatically large fish kills this year and de-oxygenated water bodies all along the Mid-Atlantic region, upsetting the delicate balance of the area’s aquatic ecosystem. To read more about this, follow the links below:

Ocean Champions In The News

The recent success of our national outreach effort to increase funding for red tide research and support for the Save Our Shores Act has garnered some attention on California’s Central Coast. The Santa Cruz Sentinel, a local newspaper near Ocean Champions’ headquarters in Capitola, California, ran a story about how we are addressing a growing problem in coastal waters.

Increase in red tides prompting environmentalists to seek answers
August 5, 2007
By Terri Morgan

“Coastal water quality is a critically important issue here, and we have water quality problems along the Central Coast,” said David Wilmot, president and co-founder of Ocean Champions. “Hazardous algal blooms, while naturally occurring, are becoming more frequent and increasing in intensity around the world and along the Central Coast”.

Click here to read the full article.

Ocean Champions Helps Secure Funds For Red Tide Research

We’re happy to announce today that our national outreach effort for the Save Our Shores Act helped Rep. Kathy Castor (D-Fl) secure significant funding for red tide and other harmful algal bloom research. Naturally occurring algal blooms cause respiratory problems humans and kill fish, shellfish and other marine animals. Castor offered an amendment in Congress that authorized $90 million dollars in increased research funding. This comes after thousands of Ocean Champions’ clean water advocates, from around the country, contacted Congressional offices in support of the Save Our Shores Act.

We couldn’t be happier that two of our Ocean Champions in Congress worked together on this effort. Toxins produced by red tide and other harmful algal blooms ar wreaking havoc on coastal water quality and ocean wildlife all over the country. Securing this funding for algal bloom research is a big win for ocean conservation.

To read our full press release, click here.