Along with a thriving career that has garnered two Emmys, three Golden Globes, and decades of longevity, Ted Danson feels equally passionate about his other life’s work: saving the world’s oceans. The star discusses his commitment to this cause on the new exclusive ichannel series Celebrity Soapbox. The program profiles famous people and the charitable or social causes they adopt, support and represent.
Danson says that one of the catalysts of his oceanic interest was an epiphanic moment when he had to explain to his daughter why she couldn’t swim at the beach. The water was deemed unsafe, because of pollution.
He helped found the American Oceans Campaign in 1987, originally established to challenge offshore drilling in coastal California. In 2002, American Oceans Campaign merged with Oceana, the largest conservation organization in the world. Danson sits on the board of directors of Oceana, often serving as spokesperson. In 2007, he addressed the World Trade Organization in Geneva concerning the issues of subsidizing and over-fishing.
One key factor identified by Oceana that precipitates over-fishing is governmental subsidies for the industry. These subsidies enable large commercial fisheries to afford bigger boats and fleets that trawl giant expanses of the ocean floor, causing considerable damage to the ecosystem.