Sea Shepherd was founded in 1977 by Captain Paul Watson in Vancouver, Canada, with the mission to protect and conserve all marine wildlife. Incorporated in Oregon in 1981 as the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, today the movement has independent entities in over 20 countries working together on direct-action campaigns around the world. In 2013 Sea Shepherd Global was established in Amsterdam to coordinate communications and logistics for the Sea Shepherd fleet on campaigns outside the United States.
After parting ways with Greenpeace, where he was one of the founding members in 1971, Paul Watson establishes the precursor to Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, called the Earthforce Environmental Society, in Vancouver, Canada.