I posted this question on http://deepseanews.blogspot.com/ and I wonder if anyone can further help me.

Round this time of year I like to donate some of my extra money (where applicable) to charity. I have in the past always donated to Greenpeace but I wonder it's the best donatee? Is there someone out there who would use my money to better effect? Anyone have any thoughts?

I did some searching on this some time back. At one time the TONMO.com community adopted a coral reef in Palau (http://www.tonmo.com/adoptareef.php), but I don't believe that program still exists. I believe WhiteKiboko had dug up something worthy a couple of years back, but I don't recall. I'm hoping some folks from the community can help out here...

I volunteered and worked at the Pacific Marine Mammal Center in Laguna Beach, California for 15 years. They are a small rehabilitation center for marine mammals (yes, I know they eat cephalopods...). They do a lot of marine conservation education to the general public and for school children. Their website is http://www.pacificmmc.org/. Just my :twocents:

Here's an adopt a reef site. http://www.savenature.org/adoptreef.html

.... Hi Toren; just to address one question you had, re Greenpeace. I'm a huge Greenpeace supporter!! This has been money well spent/donated.

.... Hi Toren; just to address one question you had, re Greenpeace. I'm a huge Greenpeace supporter!! This has been money well spent/donated.

But is there any way that I can be sure that my money is going towards deep sea conservation over, say, stopping genetic engineering?

Does anyone know anything about http://www.seafriends.org.nz/index.asp ?

Any advice on:

Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC)
http://www.nrdc.org
The Natural Resources Defense Council is a US non-profit organization of scientists, lawyers and environmental specialists dedicated to protecting public health and the environment. Founded in 1970, NRDC has more than 1 million members and e-activists nationwide, served from offices in New York, Washington, Santa Monica and San Francisco.

or

Oceana
http://www.oceana.org
Oceana campaigns to protect and restore the world's oceans. Our teams of marine scientists, economists, lawyers and advocates win specific and concrete policy changes to reduce pollution and to prevent the irreversible collapse of fish populations, marine mammals and other sea life.

or

The Antarctic and Southern Ocean Coalition (ASOC)
http://www.asoc.org
The Antarctic and Southern Ocean Coalition's (ASOC's) Southern Ocean Fisheries Campaign works on five continents to stop the Illegal, Unregulated and Unreported (IUU) fishing that is dramatically depleting toothfish stocks - the most important commercial fish in the Southern Ocean. At the same time, the long-liners are killing thousands of endangered albatrosses and other seabirds each year.

??

NRDC has been very effective for a number of years, and Oceana has been doing good work too. I don't know anything about the other one. If you are choosing which one to donate to, I think it's probably kind of a tossup, but NRDC does not focus only on ocean issues, so that may influence your choice.

I wonder if there's a way for the public to donate to the NRCC...?

Does anyone know anything about http://www.seafriends.org.nz/index.asp ?

I believe it's defunct :sad: Steve may know as it's from his neck of the woods, ie way up north!

J

I don't know whether the NRCC is in a position to accept donations - the last I heard, they were funded by grants. Will have to find out.

Nancy

I see through the World Wildlife Fund you can, for $40, get a "adopt our oceans" package. I think I'll be giving a couple of those as Christmas gifts.
http://wwf.ca/HowYouCanHelp/PandaStore/PandaStore.asp?IGNOREcart=&IGNOREtransactionID=919&product=DR630&data=TYPE%3AOC&step=0

Oceana also has $20, $35, $50, and higher donations that you can make in honor of someone else.
https://secure.democracyinaction.org/dia/organizationsORG/oceana/Forms/donate-us.jsp

The adopt-a-reef deal at http://www.savenature.org/ comes with coffee or chocolates, in $25, $50 or $75 gift packs.