To revist this article, visit My Profile, then View saved stories. Recognizing that the oceans are “the birthplace of all life on the planet,” and that the planet will die without them, Canadian environmentalist Paul Watson established in 1977 what is now the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society. Its mission? To defend, conserve and protect the world’s oceans using direct action. Through its fleet of 10 boats, Sea Shepherd implements international campaigns, including Operation Milagro (meaning miracle in Spanish)—an effort to save the vaquita porpoise, the most endangered marine mammal—investigating illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing; a marine debris clearing operation; and research into the elusive beaked whale.