Ocean Wise Conservation Association is a 1-star charity. It is not financially transparent and has a B results reporting grade, which is average. Its overhead spending is 96%, which is not within Ci’s reasonable range. Its reserve funds can cover program costs for over five years, which is not within Ci’s reasonable range. Read Ci’s report before donating.

Founded in 1951, Ocean Wise Conservation Association (OWCA) is an environmental charity that aims to protect and restore the world’s ocean and fight climate change. The charity reports that 93% of the heat accumulated in the Earth’s atmosphere is absorbed by the ocean. It also reports that 11 million tons of plastic ends up in the ocean annually.

The charity spent $8.7m on its programs and grants in 2024. OWCA funds six impact areas: Youth, Education, Seaforestation, Seafood and Fisheries, Whales, and Ocean Pollution. It spent 45% ($3.9m) on Youth and Education and spent 55% ($4.8m) on its remaining conservation impact areas. The charity did not break out its program costs between each of these impact areas.

Youth programs aim to help young people engage in their communities through initiatives that protect the world’s ocean. The programs also support youth to become ocean ambassadors who execute freshwater projects on local and national scales. As of August 2025, the charity runs three Youth programs. In 2024, Youth programs had 105 new participants.

Education aims to connect youth globally through digital, in-person and mobile programs that encourage ocean literacy and inspire stewardship. In 2024, OWCA trained 200 educators in climate and ocean knowledge. The charity’s virtual programming reached 23,000 students.

Seaforestation aims to restore kelp forests to improve biodiversity and ecosystems. In 2024, OWCA transplanted nearly 2,000 adult giant kelps to a restoration site. It also upgraded its kelp nursery, increasing its capacity by 500%.

Seafood and Fisheries works with fisheries to encourage sustainable practices regarding seafood and provide greater market access in the fishing industry. In 2024, OWCA launched a Salmon Advisory Panel, bringing together leading experts on B.C. salmon. At this panel, the charity identified 15 new Ocean Wise Recommended B.C. Salmon options, including the Gitanyow Sockeye Dip Net Fishery. These recommendations provide guidance for sustainable seafood decisions for individuals and fisheries. The charity also released its second Rapid Assessment Standard Report, which identifies the sustainability of Canadian fisheries and tracks their progress over time. This report generated 300 sustainability ratings.

The Whales program uses technology, citizen involvement, and non-invasive collection methods to monitor the health of whales and reduce threats to the species. The charity funds a Whale Report Alert System designed to protect whales from ship strikes and disturbances by alerting surrounding sailors. In 2024, it sent out 17,995 whale alerts. It also hosted its first World Ocean Day through the Whale Sanctuary project, which had over 500 event attendees.

Ocean Pollution initiatives aim to address plastic pollution through shoreline cleanups and plastics labs that analyze microplastics in the ocean. In 2024, it removed 18,092 kilograms of litter from shoreline cleanups.

Ocean Wise Conservation Association is not financially transparent. Its audited financial statements are not posted on its website but are provided when requested. OWCA’s audited financial statements follow activity-based costing, a financial reporting best practice. This means its expenses are divided into program, administrative, and fundraising costs.

OWCA received $4.5m in donations in 2024, which is 28% of total revenue. It earned $4.6m in investment income in 2024, which is 29% of total revenue. In 2024, it got $4.5m in government funding, which is 29% of revenue. In 2024, it spent $8.7m on its programs and grants, which is 55% of total revenue; $8.2m went to programs and it granted $535k to the Entertainment Industry Foundation. OWCA recorded a deficit of $720k in 2024.

OWCA spent $1.9m on fundraising costs, which is 44% of donations. It spent $5.7m on administrative costs, which is 52% of revenue. OWCA has total overhead spending of 96%. For every dollar donated to OWCA, four cents are available to go to the cause. This is not within Ci’s reasonable range of 65-95.

OWCA has $45.7m in reserve funds (cash and investments). It has donor endowments of $124k. Excluding donor-endowed funds, OWCA’s reserve funds can cover 526% or five years and three months of its annual program and grant costs. This is not within Ci’s reasonable range of three years or less.

In 2024, OWCA had investment returns of 10%. It is 74% invested in portfolio investments. Its investment returns have averaged 6% over the last five years.

The Ocean Wise Conservation Foundation (the “Foundation”) previously operated under common management with the Association. During 2022, the Foundation's board chose to no longer support the Association. Effective June 6, 2022, an agreement was reached whereby the Foundation would become administratively independent from the Association.

This report is an update that has been sent to Ocean Wise Conservation Association for review. Changes and edits may be forthcoming.

Updated on August 22, 2025, by Leah DeFrancesco.