Ocean Defenders Alliance

Marine debris removal: safely locate, remove, and dispose of man-made pollution from the oceans, leaving marine habitat and wildlife safe to thrive. The debris is primarily nets, traps, and lines abandoned by commercial fishing operations, but a large amount of trash (mostly plastic) is collected as well. The majority of oda's work is done at sea from aboard our vessels. Our boat crews consist of volunteer deckhands, mechanics, and divers. The captain of our flagship "mr. barker's legasea" is usually oda founder and president kurt lieber. In Hawaii, we charter vessels from our partner organizations. We also conduct onshore cleanups in harbors, along shorelines and inland waterways, and we conduct "plastic patrols" (surface plastic collections from a small boat) in harbors when weather inhibits open Ocean work. Current coverage areas include the coastal waters of California and Hawaii. We have chapters on the islands of hawai'iHawaii'i, maui, and oahu. Along any coastline where fishing occurs, oda's cleanup and renewal work is needed, so we are considering expansion as time and resources permit.

Education and outreach (e&o): oda believes that for change to occur, people must be made aware of the issues, problems, and challenges that currently threaten the oceans' health and survival. We work with students, volunteers, and the public to inspire all generations to act as life-long stewards of the environment. Oda's e&o efforts include:-giving educational presentations at schools, universities, and dive / boat / yacht / community clubs;-sharing information at public gatherings such as expos, festivals, and conferences;-working with the seafood industry to help them operate responsibly.