Profile of WildSeas & John Flynn
Wildseas was founded by Capt. John Flynn with the assistance of Neil Davis in 2012 following a conservation expedition to Ghana, West Africa late in 2011. Wildseas saw an urgent need to protect local marine life, and in particular sea turtles, from many threats. To be successful Wildseas was founded on the principle of community involvement and participation at all stages of the conservation process. In so doing we have gained the support of the relevant authorities and local communities where we work and are welcomed in these communities.
John has led beach patrols, nest relocations, turtle tagging, turtle rehabilitation and release, and environmental education programs to both students and teachers alike. Wildseas understands that to protect turtles both at sea and on land those people who may come into contact with turtles must be educated at to the ecological role of sea turtles and their importance in the marine ecosystems they inhabit, forage in, or migrate through. Only by understanding the importance of the turtles will these people come to have an attitudinal change towards protecting and conserving, instead of killing, sea turtles.
Our program, known as Bahari Karuna, based in the Western Region, includes the Wildlife Division of the Forestry Commission and community elders for their support, artisanal canoe fishermen who release captured turtles, local schools, and community youth who patrol the nesting beaches at night to deter poachers and relocate nests as required. Only by adopting a holistic approach to the program can our work be successful.
Despite the fact that there are many small scale conservation efforts, Wildseas at that time was the only organization operating in the region that carried out turtle tagging. In 2014, the first full year of the initiative, our ‘Safe Release’ program in conjunction with the artisanal fishermen, resulted in 208 reproductive adult turtles being tagged and released and a further 15 turtles being released at sea without being tagged. Since the initial launch of the program, Wildseas has secured the release of over 3,750 by-catch turtles to the end of 2025. As of mid-May 2026 and additional 96 turtles have been released since year start.