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Deep Ecology (company)

Deep Ecology is a company started by Kenneth O'Keefe to pursue his passion to protect the ocean realm.

He says this brought him at loggerheads with U.S. authorities:

I was threatened by U.S. Government bureaucrats from the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) for violating the endangered species act during a scuba tour when I pulled a helpless endangered Green Sea Turtle out of the ocean which had fishing line wrapped around it.

He believes that such civil disobedience as the numerous Green Sea Turtle rescues in which he participated may have inspired numerous activists and consequently contributed to saving many marine species from extinction.

These turtle rescues were featured on local national and international magazines and television including a BBC profile in 2001.

Aside from the turtle rescues Deep Ecology conducted a Spotted Eagle Ray rescue and 13 ‘Ghost Net’ (abandoned or lost fishing nets) recoveries, including two at 200ft. deep.

They freed hundreds if not thousands of doomed fish from these nets and he personally received more than one death threat and threats from fishermen who did not appreciate his actions.

Deep Ecology also conducted dozens of beach clean-ups and collected thousands of pounds of nets to construct a massive Ghost Net sculpture at the back of the shop. This sculpture was used as an educational tool to show the immense waste that daily enters our oceans and needlessly kills untold amounts of life.

As a result of its pioneering work Deep Ecology was responsible for the formation of the first true marine sanctuary on the North Shore of Oahu, where the business is based.

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