Oceana was founded in 2001 as an international marine conservation and advocacy organization and, in 2002, merged with the American Oceans Campaign, which was co-founded in 1987 by actor/activist Ted Danson. Oceana campaigns to protect and restore the world’s oceans.

Oceana bases its policy decisions and campaign goals on science to achieve concrete and measurable results through targeted campaigns that combine policy advocacy, science, law, media, and public pressure to prevent collapse of fish populations, marine mammals, and other sea life caused by industrial fishing and pollution.