What drives Sea Shepherd Global
We use methods such as direct action to investigate, document, and stop illegal activities at sea and on land.
In Germany, we focus on protecting the Baltic Sea, which is one of the world’s most endangered marine regions.
Baltic Sea Campaign
Every year from June through October, we patrol the waters between Flensburg and Rügen, as well as around Bornholm, aboard our ship TRITON. During these patrols, we document violations of conservation laws, recover ghost nets, and organize cleanups along the coast. Since 2021, we have recovered over 30 metric tons of old fishing gear from the Baltic Sea, including nets, towing gear, lines, and other fishing equipment.
Off the Danish island of Bornholm, the crew of the BALTIC SEA CAMPAIGN 2026 set a new record: they recovered the largest ghost net that Sea Shepherd has ever retrieved from the Baltic Sea. It weighed 1,867 kilograms.
Marine Meadows
In 2023, we launched the annual MARINE MEADOWS campaign in collaboration with GEOMAR Helmholtz Center for Ocean Research Kiel. The goal is to restore seagrass meadows in the Baltic Sea. To achieve this, we rely on citizen science: We train organizations and individuals and actively involve them in the effort. This approach is intended to accelerate the restoration of seagrass meadows and expand it to cover larger areas.
The campaign was once again extremely successful in 2026: A total of 62,633 seagrass plants were replanted, restoring an area of over 7,000 m²—roughly the size of a soccer field.
Particularly noteworthy: Several areas that were planted as recently as 2025 have now reached a density of more than 100 plants per m². The highest measured density is 153 plants per m². Originally, eight plants per m² were planted there. That represents an increase of about 1,815% within a single year!
