ORCA (Organisation Cetacea)

What ORCA (Organisation Cetacea) does

ORCA (Organisation Cetacea) is a Portsmouth-headquartered UK-registered charity (Charity No. 1141728) focused on the conservation of whales, dolphins and porpoises. Founded in 2000 and operating with a paid headcount of approximately 80, the organisation runs a citizen-science model in which volunteers are trained through the Marine Mammal Surveyor and OceanWatchers programmes to conduct standardised at-sea surveys, supplemented by an in-house Ocean Conservationists field team placed on research and commercial vessels. Since 2006 this workforce has accumulated 1,848,758 km of survey effort, 60,059 hours of active searching, 363,193 individual animal records, and positive identification of 54 cetacean species across Northeast Atlantic, Southern Ocean, Arctic Ocean, Pacific Ocean and Indian Ocean waters.

The organisation's core technology is its citizen-science methodology and longitudinal dataset, which feeds the annual State of Cetaceans report and underpins evidence submitted to policymakers. Supporting programmes include Seafarers Training (vessel-strike mitigation, with over 1,000 seafarers trained), Corporate Engagement with shipping partners conducting behavioural research in the Bay of Biscay and Alaska, a Schools Education Zone, and the Surveyor Network membership platform.

Revenue is generated across six streams: annual membership subscriptions, single donations, in-memory giving, corporate memberships, ORCA Shop merchandise, and Sea Safari excursion bookings. Go-to-market is community-led, combining a self-serve website (membership, donations, volunteer sign-up, safari bookings) with direct corporate engagement for shipping-sector partnerships and content marketing supported by high-profile patrons (Chris Packham, Mark Carwardine, Lizzie Daly, Nigel Marven). Pricing is not publicly disclosed and the organisation does not operate as a commercial enterprise — it is funded primarily by supporter contributions.

Name

ORCA (Organisation Cetacea)

Legal name

ORCA (Organisation Cetacea)

Website

https://orcaweb.org.uk

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

ORCA is a UK-registered whale and dolphin conservation charity that trains and deploys citizen-scientist volunteers to collect cetacean survey data across global oceans, funding its work through memberships, donations, corporate shipping partnerships, retail and guided sea safaris.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Marine Conservation Services

NAICS

Tour Operators (56152), Nature Parks and Other Similar Institutions (712190)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYTHAAAIAH

Marine Conservation & Citizen-Science Experiences (reef monitoring, turtle walks)

Travel & Hospitality/Adventure, Amusement Parks & Ecotourism/Marine & Coastal Ecotourism (Diving, Snorkeling, Whale Watching)

SECONDARYTHAAAIAC

Whale Watching & Marine Mammal Tours

Travel & Hospitality/Adventure, Amusement Parks & Ecotourism/Marine & Coastal Ecotourism (Diving, Snorkeling, Whale Watching)

SECONDARYTHAAAEAD

Marine Wildlife & Coastal Nature Tours (Whale/Dolphin Watching, Sea Kayaking)

Travel & Hospitality/Adventure, Amusement Parks & Ecotourism/Ecotourism Operators & Nature-Based Tours

Keywords

• Marine mammal conservation
• Citizen science monitoring
• Cetacean survey training
• Whale dolphin protection
• Vessel strike mitigation

Headquarters

HQ city

Portsmouth

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership subscriptions: Annual membership fees providing supporters ongoing engagement with ORCA's conservation work
2. Individual donations: Single donations from supporters who contribute to funding conservation work; described as an essential part of funding
3. Corporate Membership: Business partnerships offering corporate engagement with whale and dolphin conservation
4. ORCA Shop: Sale of merchandise and products related to whale and dolphin conservation
5. In-memory giving: Donations made in memory of loved ones
6. Sea Safari bookings: Revenue from booking whale and dolphin watching sea safari experiences

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

ORCA is a UK-registered whale and dolphin conservation charity that runs citizen science programs to collect marine mammal observation data across the world's oceans. The organization trains volunteers through programs such as Marine Mammal Surveyor, OceanWatchers, and Seafarers to conduct standardized at-sea surveys, and publishes annual State of Cetaceans reports. It funds these activities through individual donations, memberships, corporate partnerships, merchandise sales, and paid Sea Safari excursions.

Product overview

ORCA (Organisation Cetacea) is a whale and dolphin conservation charity operating a platform-based approach to marine conservation. The core offering consists of citizen science programs including the Marine Mammal Surveyor training, OceanWatchers initiative, and Ocean Conservationists field program, which collectively enable volunteers to collect marine mammal sighting data. Supporting offerings include the Surveyor Network membership platform, the annual State of Cetaceans report, Corporate Engagement partnerships, and educational programs such as the Schools Education Zone. Additional revenue-generating activities include Sea Safari excursions, the ORCA Shop, and membership subscriptions. The organization functions primarily as a conservation charity rather than a commercial software product company.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• OceanWatchers: Training program for citizen scientists to monitor marine mammals
• Marine Mammal Surveyor
• Sea Safari
• Ocean Conservationists
• State of Cetaceans

Products and services

• Whale & Dolphin Sightings

Quantifiable outcome

• 363,193 individual animals recorded since 2006
• +4 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Shipping partners (unnamed)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-term collaborations with key shipping partners enabling research into how whales and ships interact during close encounters. These partnerships have advanced bespoke vessel strike behavioural research in the Bay of Biscay and Alaska.
• UK Government (via evidence submission)minorOthersORCA submitted evidence and served as witnesses in a House of Commons select committee inquiry in 2023 regarding UK Government failure to protect whales and dolphins. Continues to urge the UK Government to make positive changes.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves1 record

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• The Wildlife Trusts: Federation of 46 UK wildlife trusts with a significant marine and coastal programme; overlaps with ORCA on UK marine conservation, citizen engagement and membership-driven funding.
• Ocean Conservancy: US-based international ocean conservation organisation working on cetaceans, shipping and ocean policy; provides a comparable global policy and corporate-engagement benchmark for ORCA.
• WWF-UK: Large UK arm of a global conservation network that includes cetaceans and ocean health within a much broader species and habitat portfolio; competes for high-value corporate partnerships and major-donor philanthropy.
• Greenpeace UK: High-profile environmental campaign organisation covering oceans, climate and whales/dolphins; competes for media attention, donor share and policy influence in the UK marine conservation space.
• Fauna & Flora International (FFI): Long-established UK-headquartered wildlife conservation NGO operating across marine and terrestrial species; comparable charity scale, donor base and corporate partnership model.

Direct peers

• Whale and Dolphin Conservation (WDC): UK-based charity dedicated to the protection of whales and dolphins; the closest direct peer to ORCA, competing for the same UK donor base, corporate partnerships and policy influence on cetacean protection.
• Marine Conservation Society: UK charity focused on ocean health including marine mammals, fish stocks and pollution; comparable in scale, membership model and reliance on UK volunteer and donor networks.
• Sea Shepherd UK: Direct-action marine conservation organisation that also campaigns for cetacean protection and engages corporate partners and volunteers — overlapping with ORCA's mission and donor pool.

Regional players

• Surfers Against Sewage: UK marine conservation charity focused on ocean health, plastic pollution and coastal campaigning; comparable community-led advocacy model and overlapping UK volunteer / donor ecosystem.

Emerging players

• Happywhale: Citizen-science platform for whale and dolphin photo-identification; comparable technology-enabled, community-contributed marine mammal data model and a potential partner or competitor for ORCA's sighting database.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/orca-organisation-cetacea-

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 ORCA (Organisation Cetacea)