Sea Sense

What Sea Sense does

Sea Sense is a Tanzania-based non-profit marine conservation organization founded in 2000, focused on protecting endangered marine wildlife — principally sea turtles, dugongs, and whale sharks — along Tanzania's approximately 1,400 km coastline. Its operational model is community-based: the organization coordinates a network of 77 Beach Management Units (expanded from 61) that conduct nesting beach patrols, nest protection, hatchling releases, bycatch mitigation, and species monitoring, with recent geographic extension into the Lindi District covering 10 additional villages and into Mafia Island through the 2025 Mlola Forest Conservation Project. Sea Sense also serves as Tanzania's designated national implementer of the IOSEA Marine Turtle Memorandum of Understanding and the Dugong MoU, and co-developed the 5-Year National Action Plan for Sea Turtle Conservation launched in 2024 with USAID.

Sea Sense's "products" are field conservation programs and policy outputs rather than commercial goods: nest and hatchery protection campaigns, bycatch reduction training for fishers, seagrass habitat conservation under the Convention on Migratory Species framework, community awareness programs, and the OceanLove Turtle Parent Campaign that channels individual donations toward named nest protection (approximately €26,000 / $30,000 per year). Technical components are human- and field-intensive: trained community patrols, standardized nest tagging and data recording, partnerships with research institutions, and integration into national and international policy instruments (IOSEA MoU, Dugong MoU, CMS).

Sea Sense's revenue model is grant-funded rather than commercial. Operating income is derived primarily from institutional grants awarded by international development and conservation funders — including the UK Blue Planet Fund (OCEAN programme), Bloomberg Philanthropies' Vibrant Oceans Initiative, the Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund (CEPF), USAID, Blue Ventures, and a corporate channel linked to EACOP for the Tanga Seascape — supplemented by smaller-scale individual donations through the Turtle Parent Campaign. The customer/funder base is therefore concentrated in institutional philanthropy and bilateral aid rather than diversified individual giving, with 51–100 staff supporting operations across the coastline.

Name

Sea Sense

Legal name

Sea Sense

Website

https://seasense.or.tz

Company type

Private

Founded year

2000

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Sea Sense is a Tanzania-based marine conservation NGO that protects endangered sea turtles, dugongs, and whale sharks along the country's 1,400km coastline through a network of 77 community-led Beach Management Units, funded primarily by international institutional grants and supplemented by individual donations via its Turtle Parent Campaign.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Marine Conservation Services

akta.pro primary industry

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

akta.pro secondary industries

Oceans, Coastal & Marine Resource Management (BPADALAI), Coastal & Marine Resources Administration (Oceans, Fisheries, Shorelines) (BPAIAMAI)

Keywords

• Marine conservation services
• Sea turtle protection
• Community fisheries management
• Coastal livelihoods support
• Endangered marine wildlife

Headquarters

HQ city

Dar Es Salaam

HQ country

Tanzania

HQ region

Africa

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Donations and Grants: Sea Sense operates primarily through donations, grants from international development organizations, and funding from environmental foundations. The organization receives support from donors including Blue Ventures, UK International Development, EACOP, and Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund.
2. Turtle Parent Campaign: Individual donations through the 'Be a Turtle Parent' campaign where supporters can adopt a turtle nest for €100 (or $115 USD) per year. The campaign requires €26,000 (USD 30,000) annually to protect around 260 sea turtle nests.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Sea Sense is a Tanzania-based marine conservation non-profit that protects endangered marine wildlife (sea turtles, dugongs, whale sharks) along the country's 1,400 km coastline through community-led programs. Its core activities include daily beach patrols, nest monitoring and protection, marine wildlife tagging, fisheries co-management, mangrove and reef habitat restoration, and education/outreach to coastal communities and schools. Funding for these activities comes primarily from international grants and individual donations through the 'Be a Turtle Parent' adoption campaign.

Product overview

Sea Sense is a Tanzania-based marine conservation NGO focused on protecting endangered marine wildlife (sea turtles, dugongs, whale sharks) and empowering coastal communities through research, education, and sustainable livelihoods programs. The organization does not offer a commercial technology product; its activities are field-based conservation work including sea turtle nest monitoring, marine wildlife tagging, community education, fisheries management, and mangrove restoration. Sea Sense operates primarily through grant funding, donations, and the 'Be a Turtle Parent' adoption campaign where supporters can contribute €100 to protect a turtle nest for a year.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Be a Turtle Parent: A nest adoption campaign where donors can adopt a sea turtle nest for EUR 100 (USD 115) per year to support conservation efforts.
• Turtle Parent Campaign

Products and services

• Be a Turtle Parent / Turtle Parent Campaign Annual donation/adoption program enabling individual supporters worldwide to fund sea turtle nest protection along Tanzania's coastline; donors receive nest progress updates, hatchling media, and an adoption certificate.
• Sea Turtle Nest Monitoring Community-led sea turtle conservation service monitoring and protecting nesting beaches of green and hawksbill turtles (with loggerhead, olive ridley, and leatherback also present) along Tanzania's 1,400 km coastline, delivered by trained Conservation Officers and BMUs.
• Dugong Conservation Conservation service protecting the remnant Tanzanian dugong population and its seagrass habitat, implemented in collaboration with the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS) and fishing communities in the Rufiji Delta.
• Whale Shark Conservation Marine wildlife conservation service monitoring and protecting the small population of whale sharks (~200 individuals) off the west coast of Mafia Island, which feed on sergestid shrimps.
• Green Turtle Reproductive Behaviour (Tagging Research) Scientific research service using tagging to study green turtle reproductive behavior and generate long-term population data along Tanzania's coastline.
• Sea Turtle Ecotourism Community-based ecotourism service linking visitors to sea turtle conservation experiences along Tanzania's coastline, generating sustainable livelihood support for coastal communities.
• Fisheries Management Community-led fisheries co-management service supporting BMUs and Collaborative Fisheries Management Areas, including reef closures that accelerate fisheries recovery and improve household incomes.
• School Education Programmes Marine conservation education service delivering interactive sessions in secondary schools across Tanzania's coastal districts to teach students about marine ecosystems and biodiversity.
• Empowering Women Fish Workers Livelihood and inclusion program supporting women in fish processing, seaweed farming, and small-scale fisheries along Tanzania's coast to participate in decision-making and improve economic opportunities.

Quantifiable outcome

• 45% decrease in marine turtle mortality (53 cases vs 96 last year)
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Blue VenturescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBlue Ventures supports capacity building programmes for community fisheries managers in Kilwa, Kibiti, and Lindi Districts. Sea Sense provides a comprehensive training programme in fisheries co-management and supports the establishment of Collaborative Fisheries Management Areas.
• Convention on Migratory Species (CMS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSea Sense signed a grant agreement with CMS focusing on building capacity for seagrass conservation and management amongst fishing communities in the Rufiji Delta. Project includes community outreach on World Dugong Day.
• WWFminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWWF is listed as a partner organization supporting Sea Sense's marine conservation work.
• Wildlife Conservation Network (WCN)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerWCN organizes the Wildlife Conservation Expo where Sea Sense presents its work. WCN also supports Sea Sense fundraising through their online donation portal, passing 100% of donations to Sea Sense.
• OceanLoveminorGTM or Marketing PartnerOceanLove partnership launched the 'Be a Turtle Parent' campaign, combining shared commitment to protecting sea turtles and preserving marine ecosystems.
• Mafia Island Marine ParkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative partner in the Mlola Forest Conservation Project and whale shark conservation initiatives off Mafia Island.
• Tanzania Forest Services (TFS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGovernment partner in the Mlola Forest Conservation Project on Mafia Island for coastal forest habitat restoration.

Scale indicators13 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• World Wildlife Fund: WWF is one of the largest global conservation NGOs and is already listed as a Sea Sense partner with active marine programs in Tanzania and East Africa. It is comparable in mission but operates at far greater scale and program breadth than Sea Sense.
• Wildlife Conservation Society: WCS is a large global conservation organization with marine, freshwater, and terrestrial programs including significant East Africa presence. It shares species-protection goals with Sea Sense but operates at materially larger scale and program breadth.
• Conservation International: Conservation International is a global conservation NGO working on biodiversity, oceans, and climate. It overlaps with Sea Sense on marine protected areas and community-led conservation but operates globally across multiple ecosystems.
• Fauna & Flora International: FFI is a long-established global conservation NGO with marine and coastal programs across multiple regions. It is comparable in its species-protection and community-engagement approach but operates at broader geographic and taxonomic scale than Sea Sense.
• The Nature Conservancy: TNC is a global conservation organization with active marine and coastal programs worldwide. Its community-based fisheries management and habitat restoration work is conceptually similar to Sea Sense's, but TNC operates across dozens of countries with a much larger staff and budget.

Regional players

• CORDIO East Africa: CORDIO (Coastal Oceans Research and Development – Indian Ocean) is a regional research and conservation organization focused on coral reef and coastal ecosystem management in East Africa. It overlaps directly with Sea Sense on reef monitoring and coastal livelihoods but operates across the broader Western Indian Ocean rather than a single country.

Direct peers

• Blue Ventures: Blue Ventures runs community-led marine conservation and fisheries co-management programs in Madagascar and East Africa. It shares Sea Sense's grassroots BMU/Collaborative Fisheries Management Area model and is already a Sea Sense capacity-building partner, making it the most directly comparable peer.
• Sea Turtle Conservancy: Sea Turtle Conservancy is one of the oldest sea turtle-focused conservation organizations globally, conducting research, nesting-beach protection, and policy advocacy. It shares Sea Sense's primary species focus on sea turtles but operates primarily in the Americas rather than the Western Indian Ocean.
• Ocean Conservancy: Ocean Conservancy is an international ocean conservation NGO working on marine wildlife protection, sustainable fisheries, and ocean policy. It shares Sea Sense's marine-ecosystem mission but operates globally with a stronger advocacy and policy focus versus Sea Sense's field-community model.

Others

• Wildlife Conservation Network: WCN is a fundraising and exposure platform that supports small wildlife NGOs including Sea Sense, channeling 100% of donations through its Wildlife Conservation Expo and donation portal. It is comparable as an ecosystem enabler rather than a direct conservation peer.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/seasensengo
• Facebookfacebook.com/profile.php
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sea-sense-org
• Instagraminstagram.com/seasense_ngo/?hl=en

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

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 Sea Sense