AGE OF UNION ALLIANCE MAKES $4.5M DONATION TO SEA SHEPHERD

Age of Union Alliance makes $4.5m donation to Sea Shepherd. Age of Union Alliance, led by tech leader and environmental activist Dax Dasilva, has announced a $4.5 million donation to Sea Shepherd, the global NGO that partners with governments to patrol their Ocean and fight illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing all over the world.

An Age of Union Alliance press release claims:

“Overfishing, climate change, ocean acidification, and habitat deterioration threaten our planet’s fragile marine ecosystems which are teetering on the verge of collapse. IUU fishing, in particular, is threatening our world’s Ocean and its ability to survive. Fish populations are being decimated, endangered species are nearing elimination, and developing nations’ waters are being emptied. Given that over 70% of the Earth’s surface is covered in water, a healthy Ocean leads to a healthy planet.

“IUU fishing is a global threat, and this transformational donation will fund the operating costs of a 56 metre Sea Shepherd vessel for three years, beginning January 2022, under the name Age of Union. The ship will begin patrolling waters to prevent bycatch of dolphins off the West Coast of France until the end of March. From there, the ship will journey on to the West Coast of Africa to protect marine wildlife for approximately three months.”

Dax Dasilva, Founder of Age of Union, said:

“I have long admired Sea Shepherd’s unyielding efforts to protect our planet’s most sacred oceanic ecosystems.” “With these funds from Age of Union, we hope to help Sea Shepherd save the lives of endangered species, preserve their habitats, and support local communities disrupted by illegal poachers. We must continue to shine a light on the important work organisations like Sea Shepherd do to keep our waters safe for the prosperity of critical marine wildlife.”

“Sea Shepherd is proud to have the support of Age of Union,” said Alex Cornelissen, CEO of Sea Shepherd. “Thanks to their passion and support, we will expand our operations, save more wildlife, and protect critical marine habitats that are crucial to the survival of our Ocean. Shoulder to shoulder, we stand in our fight against poachers in the larger effort to save our Ocean. To honour the partnership with Age of Union, we will proudly bear their name on one of our flagship vessels.”

Sea Shepherd’s projects off the coasts of France and Africa mark only the beginning of the Age of Union vessel’s plans for the next three years. Support from Age of Union will continue to keep the vessel operational until the end of 2024, helping to ensure worldwide protection of marine wildlife and threatened species.

This announcement follows Age of Union’s initial launch as a non-profit in October 2021 when Dax Dasilva announced an initial pledge of $40 million toward protecting ecosystems around the world. Sea Shepherd is the sixth global partnership that Age of Union has announced using funds from this initial pledge, which will continue to grow in years to come.