The objectives of the Philippe Cousteau “Union of the Oceans” Foundation, through its different action areas, are the preservation of the marine environment and biodiversity, the international cooperation, the sustainable development with regard to fisheries and aquaculture and the promotion of the marine culture, it all through the planning and implementation of programmes and projects on a national and an international level, as well as the carrying out of popularization actions, always involving society and its relationship with the sea and the oceans.

The Foundation was born on June 18th, 1999 as an initiative of the Cousteau family and the promoter group and it is a foundation attached to the Protectorate of the Ministry of Culture by Ministerial Order of September 10th, 1999..

Philippe Cousteau, the second son of Captain Jacques Cousteau, lost his life on June 1979 in a hydroplane accident in the waters of the Tagus, close to Lisbon. The Foundation aspires to be the living image and the guardian of his qualities and to perpetuate his legacy. . 

A symbol of the fusion of the seas and the oceans, the Union of the Oceans ceremony is an act created and organized by the Foundation in different marine cities. It pays homage to Philippe Cousteau and reflects the values and the mission of the Foundation. Held for the first time in Salinas, Asturias, at the Museum of Anchors of Philippe Cousteau, the King of Spain, Juan Carlos I, inaugurated it in the presence of Philippe Cousteau’s widow and children, who are now trustees of the Foundation. Cartagena of the Indies, in Colombia, and Punta del Este in Uruguay, are some of the different places where the ceremony has been held.

The Museum of Anchors of Salinas (Asturias) shows a very beautiful bronze bust of Philippe as a symbol of a whole life devoted to the sea.