Marine Conservation
O'Keefe created a marine conservation social enterprise 'to protect and defend the marine environment' in Hawaii in 1996. This social enterprise conducted ghost net recoveries and endangered Green Sea Turtle rescues of turtles wrapped in monofilament fishing line. Many of the turtles that were rescued required amputation of their fins due to the damage from the fishing line. O'Keefe became a pioneer in sea turtle rescues in Hawaii and led a campaign to create a marine sanctuary (Pupukea MLCD) on the North Shore of Oahu. In 1998 he joined an anti-whaling campaign in which he was bloodied when attempting to retrieve a boat belonging to the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, of which he was a crewmember. It was in this time he was mentored by Captain Paul Watson. Eventually he served as the regional director for the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society in Hawaii.
Read more about this topic: Kenneth O'Keefe
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