What The Outlaw Ocean Project does

The Outlaw Ocean Project is a Washington, D.C.-based non-profit journalism organization founded in 2019 and directed by Ian Urbina. It produces investigative reporting on human rights, labor, and environmental issues in the global seafood industry and on the high seas — covering forced labor in fishing fleets, Uyghur and North Korean labor in seafood processing, illegal fishing, piracy, seasteading, and seabed mining. Its core editorial products are long-form reporting, the award-winning Outlaw Ocean Podcast, and a 10-part short-film series called Dispatches. Distribution is global and free, syndicated through partnerships with outlets including The New York Times, BBC, PBS, TIME, The Guardian, and Le Monde; the 2019 China: The Superpower of Seafood investigation reached 241 outlets across 53 countries and 24 languages.

The organization's notable technology asset is Bait-to-Plate, an interactive database tracing seafood supply chains from vessels and processing plants to downstream brands, currently cataloguing 869+ vessels with documented human rights, labor, and environmental concerns. Adjacent sub-brands include the Music Project (launched 2020), the Mural Project, and the Outlaw Ocean Institute for policy work.

Revenue is donation-based via Stripe with no public disclosure, no institutional investors, and a small team of 1–10 employees. The business model relies on individual donations, likely supplemented by philanthropic grants, to fund expensive on-the-water investigative reporting that is then distributed globally at no cost to readers.

Name

The Outlaw Ocean Project

Legal name

The Outlaw Ocean Project

Website

https://theoutlawocean.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Outlaw Ocean Project is a non-profit journalism organization that produces free investigative reporting on human rights, labor, and environmental abuses in the global seafood industry and high seas, distributed globally through media partners, podcast, films, and interactive data tools.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Investigative Journalism

akta.pro primary industry

Marine & Freshwater Conservation (BPAGAGAE)

akta.pro secondary industry

Oceans, Coastal & Marine Resource Management (BPADALAI)

Keywords

• Investigative journalism
• Ocean reporting
• Seafood traceability
• Documentary filmmaking
• Media partnerships

Headquarters

HQ city

Washington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Donations: The Outlaw Ocean Project is a non-profit journalism organization that relies on financial contributions from supporters. They distribute their journalism globally for free.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The Outlaw Ocean Project is a non-profit journalism organization that produces investigative stories about human rights, environmental, and labor concerns at sea. Its core offerings include in-depth written investigations, an award-winning anthology podcast, a short-film documentary series, and an interactive Bait-to-Plate tool that traces seafood supply chains from vessels to consumers, all distributed globally for free through its website and 240+ media partners.

Product overview

The Outlaw Ocean Project is a non-profit journalism organization dedicated to investigative reporting on the high seas. The organization operates a multi-platform content strategy consisting of: the Outlaw Ocean Podcast (award-winning anthology series), Dispatches short-film series (10-part documentary), the Bait-to-Plate interactive tracing tool (documenting seafood supply chain crimes), the Mural Project (artist collaborations for visual storytelling), and the Music Project (musician partnerships for audience expansion). All investigations are produced for global distribution, with flagship investigations published through 59-241 media outlets across 20-53 countries in 8-24 languages.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• The Outlaw Ocean Podcast: Award-winning anthology podcast exploring the most lawless place on earth—the vast unpoliceable ocean.
• Dispatches From The Outlaw Ocean
• Mural Project
• Music Project
• Bait-to-Plate
• Outlaw Ocean Institute

Products and services

• The Outlaw Ocean Podcast An anthology podcast exploring the high seas, featuring stories about traffickers, pirates, forced labor, conservationists, and other characters in maritime environments. Distributed globally for free as a core offering of the non-profit.
• Dispatches From The Outlaw Ocean A 10-part short film documentary series chronicling gritty characters including traffickers, smugglers, pirates, shackled slaves, and vigilante conservationists in oceanic settings.
• Bait-to-Plate An interactive tracing tool that follows seafood from fishing vessels and processing plants to downstream brands and consumers, documenting supply-chain risks including human-rights violations, illegal fishing, and labor abuses.
• The Outlaw Ocean Mural Project A global initiative collaborating with muralists to amplify investigative stories through captivating visual imagery displayed in public spaces worldwide.
• The Outlaw Ocean Music Project A global music collaboration project launched in 2020, partnering with musicians to disseminate investigative reporting to younger and more diverse audiences.
• Investigative Reporting In-depth written investigative journalism covering ocean-related issues including human trafficking, illegal fishing, environmental destruction, forced labor, and seabed mining, distributed globally for free through partner media outlets.

Quantifiable outcome

• Investigations published in 241 outlets across 53 countries in 24 languages
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Stella MariscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 April 2023Non-profit organization that helps fishers, which compiled reports on working conditions aboard vessels like the Chokephoemsin 1 in the Saya de Malha Bank.
• Monaco ExplorationscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Ocean research organization tied to H.S.H. Prince Albert II of Monaco that conducted a 2022 expedition to the Saya de Malha Bank. Sent a 440-foot research vessel to document the seafloor, deploying scientists and remote-controlled submarines.
• Global MusiciansminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2020Global effort to collaborate with musicians for disseminating reporting to younger and more diverse audiences, launched in 2020.
• Muralists WorldwideminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2019Global collaboration with muralists who use their talents to amplify stories through imagery. The Outlaw Ocean Mural Project website showcases these collaborations.
• Greenpeace Southeast AsiacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2016Collaborated on investigations into Thai fishing fleet activities in the Saya de Malha Bank, documenting forced labor, fishing violations, and environmental destruction.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Mongabay: Mongabay is a non-profit environmental science and conservation news platform producing global investigative journalism on forests, oceans, and wildlife. Like The Outlaw Ocean Project, it is an asset-light non-profit newsroom that combines original reporting with a global distribution network.
• ProPublica: ProPublica is a Pulitzer-winning non-profit investigative newsroom funded largely by donations. It is the archetypal US small-team non-profit investigative outlet converting limited headcount into award-winning, high-impact journalism through partnerships.
• International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ): ICIJ is a global network that coordinates cross-border investigative reporting across member outlets. Its model of distributing investigations through 100+ international media partners closely mirrors Outlaw Ocean's 240+ outlet distribution strategy.
• The Bureau of Investigative Journalism: The Bureau is a UK-based non-profit newsroom producing high-cost, public-interest investigations as core output and funded by foundations and donations. Its small-team, donation-funded investigative model is structurally analogous to Outlaw Ocean's.
• Bellingcat: Bellingcat is a non-profit investigative outlet specializing in open-source and data-driven investigations on global affairs. Its small team, donation model, and data-centric investigations parallel Outlaw Ocean's Bait-to-Plate approach.
• The Marshall Project: The Marshall Project is a non-profit investigative newsroom focused on the US criminal justice system. It shares Outlaw Ocean's small-team, donor-funded newsroom model and its multi-format distribution strategy (podcasts, films, newsletters).
• Center for Public Integrity: Center for Public Integrity is a US non-profit investigative newsroom producing high-impact accountability reporting. It mirrors the small-team, donor-supported investigative newsroom archetype Outlaw Ocean fits.

Broad incumbents

• Oceana: Oceana is the world's largest international ocean conservation advocacy organization, with campaigns against illegal fishing and seafood fraud. It overlaps substantively with Outlaw Ocean's marine conservation and supply-chain transparency mission but operates at a vastly larger scale.
• Greenpeace International: Greenpeace is a global environmental NGO running large-scale ocean campaigns, including direct partnerships with Outlaw Ocean (Greenpeace Southeast Asia). It offers overlapping subject matter and a broader advocacy/direct-action platform.

Emerging players

• Sea Shepherd Conservation Society: Sea Shepherd is a marine conservation organization that runs at-sea campaigns and direct-action operations targeting illegal fishing and ocean wildlife crime. It overlaps with Outlaw Ocean's marine crime reporting focus, though via advocacy rather than journalism.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Outlaw Ocean Project