Astronauts Recall View Before Earth Day

April 20, 2007 — By Seth Borenstein, Associated Press

The rarest view in humanity -- Earth from afar -- moves many of the lucky few observers to tears and gives them a new appreciation of that blue marble we all call home.

When astronauts return from space, what they talk about isn't the brute force of the rocket launch or the exhilaration of zero gravity. It's the view.

Only two dozen men -- those who journeyed to the moon -- have seen the full Earth view. Most U.S. spaceflight has been in low orbit where only a piece of the planet can be seen -- a lesser but still impressive glimpse. Those travelers have seen the curvature of Earth, its magnificent beauty, its fragility, and its lack of borders.

The first full view of Earth came from the moon-bound Apollo 8 during the waning days of a chaotic 1968. Apollo 8 astronaut Bill Anders put it all in perspective in a documentary: "We came all this way to explore the moon, and the most important thing is that we discovered the Earth."

Some of the photos Anders took were used on posters and pins on the first Earth Day in 1970. They've been "an environmental staple of Earth Days ever since," said Denis Hayes, the first Earth Day coordinator.

For Earth Day this year -- at a time when perhaps some perspective is needed -- The Associated Press asked space travelers to recall what it's like to see Earth from above:

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"It was the only color we could see in the universe. ... "We're living on a tiny little dust mote in left field on a rather insignificant galaxy. And basically this it for humans. It strikes me that it's a shame that we're squabbling over oil and borders."

--Bill Anders, Apollo 8, whose photos of Earth became famous.

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"It's hard to appreciate the Earth when you're down right upon it because it's so huge.

"It gives you in an instant, just at a position 240,000 miles away from it, (an idea of) how insignificant we are, how fragile we are, and how fortunate we are to have a body that will allow us to enjoy the sky and the trees and the water ... It's something that many people take for granted when they're born and they grow up within the environment. But they don't realize what they have. And I didn't till I left it."

--Jim Lovell, Apollo 8 and 13.

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"The sheer beauty of it just brought tears to my eyes.

"If people can see Earth from up here, see it without those borders, see it without any differences in race or religion, they would have a completely different perspective. Because when you see it from that angle, you cannot think of your home or your country. All you can see is one Earth...."

--Anousheh Ansari, Iranian-American space tourist who flew last year to the international space station.

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"Up in space when you see a sunset or sunrise, the light is coming to you from the sun through that little shell of the Earth's atmosphere and back out to the spacecraft you're in. The atmosphere acts like a prism. So for a short period of time you see not only the reds, oranges and yellows, the luminous quality like you see on Earth, but you see the whole spectrum red-orange-yellow-blue-green-indigo-violet.

"You come back impressed, once you've been up there, with how thin our little atmosphere is that supports all life here on Earth. So if we foul it up, there's no coming back from something like that."

--John Glenn, first American to orbit the Earth (1962) and former U.S. senator.

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"I think you can't go to space and not be changed, in many ways ....

"All of the teachings of the Bible that talk about the creator and his creation take on new meaning when you can view the details of the Earth from that perspective. So it didn't change my faith per se, the content of it, but it just enhanced it, it made it even more real."

--Jeff Williams, spent 6 months on the space station and set a record for most Earth photos taken.

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"Earth has gone through great transitions and volcanic impacts and all sorts of traumatic things. But it has survived ... I'm not referring to human conflicts. I'm referring to the physical appearance of the Earth at a great distance. That it generally is mostly very peaceful (when) looked at from a distance."

--Buzz Aldrin, second man to walk on the moon.

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"I see the deep black of space and this just brilliantly gorgeous blue and white arc of the earth and totally unconsciously, not at all able to help myself, I said, 'Wow, look at that.'"

--Kathy Sullivan, first American woman to spacewalk, recalling what she said when she saw Earth in 1984.

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"...From up there, it looks finite and it looks fragile and it really looks like just a tiny little place on which we live in a vast expanse of space. It gave me the feeling of really wanting us all to take care of the Earth. I got more of a sense of Earth as home, a place where we live. And of course you want to take care of your home. You want it clean. You want it safe."

--Winston Scott, two-time shuttle astronaut who wrote a book, "Reflections From Earth Orbit."

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"You change because you see your life differently than when you live on the surface everyday. ... We are so involved in our own little lives and our own little concerns and problems. I don't think the average person realizes the global environment that we really live in. I certainly am more aware of how fragile our Earth is, and, frankly, I think that I care more about our Earth because of the experiences I've had traveling in space."

--Eileen Collins, first female space shuttle commander.

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"You can see what a small little atmosphere is protecting us.

"You realize there's not much protecting this planet particularly when you see the view from the side. That's something I'd like to share with everybody so people would realize we need to protect it."

--Sunita Williams, who has been living on the international space station since Dec. 11, 2006.

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"I left Earth three times. I found no place else to go. Please take care of Spaceship Earth."

--Wally Schirra, who flew around Earth on Mercury, Gemini and Apollo missions in the 1960s.

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EDITOR'S NOTE: AP writers Rasha Madkour in Houston, Mike Schneider in Cape Canaveral, Fla., and Alicia Chang in Los Angeles contributed to this report.

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On the Net:

NASA's database of astronaut photos of Earth:http://earth.jsc.nasa.gov/sseop/clickmap/

NASA biographies of astronauts quoted:

http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/aldrin-b.html

http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/anders-wa.html

http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/collins.html

http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/glenn-j.html

http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/lovell-ja.html

http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/schirra-wm.html

http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/scott.html

http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/sullivan-kd.html

http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/williamsj.html

http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/williams-s.html

Anousheh Ansari's biography: http://www.anoushehansari.com/about.php

Source: Associated Press

DEMA Recap From SeaLife Cameras

SeaLife introduces new Digital PRO Flash, repositions Reefmaster Mini and introduces new Logo during Orlando event.

Digital PRO Flash

At DEMA 2007, Sealife introduced the Digital PRO Flash – SL961, which replaces the Digital Flash – SL960D.

The Digital PRO Flash is compatible with any SeaLife camera as well as all other brands of digital underwater cameras. It also features a new AUTO mode setting, which automatically adjusts the flash brightness for the optimal image exposure. A variable power adjustment setting allows the user to manually fine-tune the brightness for the desired effect.

“The best underwater photographs capture a whole other world,” said Joe Ifi, SeaLife Cameras director of sales and marketing. “This flash enables the photographer many different options in both settings and uses thus making that other world so much more accessible.”

Depth tested up to 200 feet (60m), this flash has an effective underwater distance range up to about 8 feet (2.5m), which makes it one of the most powerful flashes available in the market. Its flexible, rubberized arm allows for a sure grip and easy aiming. The flash is operated by 4 AA batteries for approximately 100 flashes.

The SeaLife Digital PRO Flash includes a universal mount, an optical cable connection which attaches to any camera as well as a deluxe carrying case. The Digital PRO Flash has a suggested list price of $399.95 and MAP of $349.95.

New Pricing

As of November 1, 2007 SeaLife has repositioned its ReefMaster Mini and Ecoshot cameras, just in time for the Holidays. The ReefMaster mini will now have a Sugg. Retail of $279.95 and MAP of $249.95 while the Ecoshot will be at $229.95 Sugg. Retail and $199.95 MAP. Both cameras are in stock and available for immediate shipment.

New SeaLife Logo

SeaLife unveiled their new contemporary logo design October 31 at the DEMA show in Orlando, Fla. The new image was reflects the ever-evolving aspects of the SeaLife brand and identity in today’s modern digital world.

“We place great emphasis on making sure that our brand image and logo reflect our dedication to providing consumers with the latest digital technology,” said Bjorn Harms, Vice President of SeaLife Cameras. “This new look for SeaLife encompasses the multi-faceted aspects of our growing business.”

For more details, visit the SeaLife Cameras website at www.sealife-cameras.com

Material posted and distributed through DiveNewswire

International Underwater Photo & Video Competition

Under the Blue 2007

Over $20,000 in Prizes!

Next in the series of UnderwaterCompetition.com underwater imagery events, and on the heels of the popular Our World Underwater & DEEP Indonesia competitions, Wetpixel, DivePhotoGuide and the 2007 SCUBA Show are proud to bring you “UNDER THE BLUE 2007”.

Photographers will compete in four still image categories, including a category for images that focus on California’s unique and beautiful underwater environment, and one video category. Winners will share in more than $20,000 in prizes, including premium dive travel, underwater photography and diving equipment! Travel prizes include trips to some of the top photo destinations in the world including Fiji, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, South Africa and Australia.

2007 CATEGORIES

1. Majesty of the Oceans
2. The Macro World
3. Man & the Sea
4. California Underwater
5. Video

The Great Turtle Race

Eleven Leatherback Turtles to Compete in the Great Turtle Race from Costa Rica to Galapagos from April 16 to April 29

The Great Turtle Race, a unique international sea turtle conservation event bringing corporate sponsors together with conservation organizations, will take place from April 16 to April 29 in a global bid to raise awareness and funds for the critically endangered leatherback turtle.

Ten corporations and institutions will compete in The Great Turtle Race, including Dreyer’s Ice Cream, GITI Tires, Plantronics, Travelocity, West Marine and Yahoo!, which is hosting The Great Turtle Race online at www.GreatTurtleRace.com .

Non-corporate sponsors include Bullis Charter School in Los Altos, CA; Drexel University in Philadelphia, PA; Life Sciences Secondary School in New York, NY (through the financial sponsorship of Microsoft); and Offield Center for Billfish Studies. An eleventh “celebrity” turtle will be announced during the week of April 9. The Great Turtle Race is organized by Conservation International, the Costa Rica Ministry of Environment and Energy, The Leatherback Trust and the Tagging of Pacific Predators (TOPP) program.

The sponsored turtles have been equipped with satellite tags and are “racing” toward feeding areas south of the Galapagos Islands after nesting at Playa Grande in Costa Rica’s Las Baulas National Park, the primary nesting area for leatherbacks in the Pacific. The leatherback is a 100 million-year-old, massive sea animal that outlived the dinosaurs but is now dangerously close to extinction. Leatherback numbers have decreased at Playa Grande from thousands of nesting turtles 10 years ago to fewer than 100 in the last five years. This online event will raise funds to protect Playa Grande and raise awareness about what individuals can do—no matter where they live—to help protect sea turtles in our daily actions.

James Spotila, president of The Leatherback Trust, said, “It’s time for people to rally around these ancient creatures and to understand that the actions we take—as individuals, as governments, as businesspeople—can have either a negative or positive effect on the ocean.” Poaching of eggs, bycatch in gillnets and longline fishing, destruction of sea turtle nesting beaches and ocean pollution threaten leatherbacks with extinction.

“One of the wonderful things about this event is that it allows us to engage the public in conservation with upbeat messages,” said Roderic Mast, vice president of Conservation International and co-chair of the IUCN—World Conservation Union’s Marine Turtle Specialist Group. “It also just so happens that when we eradicate threats to leatherback turtles, we eradicate threats to countless other species of marine wildlife.”

Corporate Sponsors Participate to Help Save 100-million-year-old Species from Extinction

Starting April 5, fans will have a chance to choose a favorite turtle at www.GreatTurtleRace.com to cheer throughout the race. During the race, viewers can follow each turtle’s journey and learn about the obstacles it will face along the way—including fishing lines, nets, and trawls; plastic bags (often mistaken for jellyfish, the leatherback’s primary food source) and other marine debris; and many other human-created hazards.

“It’s fascinating to consider that we are able to bring together these prehistoric animals with such cutting-edge science. With every move the turtles make, the satellite tags collect information that would be extremely difficult and prohibitively expensive for humans to gather,” said Stanford University researcher George Shillinger of TOPP. “The data provides a nearly real-time ‘turtle’s-eye view’ of animal behavior in relation to environmental change.”

As the leatherbacks surface to breathe every several minutes, the satellite tags transmit data such as geolocation, water temperature and water depth to satellites in space, which then transmit the data back down to computer servers in the U.S. in nearly real time. That data is then combined with remotely-sensed data about sea surface temperature, sea surface height, bathymetry and more to build a more comprehensive understanding of the ocean with each dataset.

This information will enable scientists and managers to development innovative conservation measures and adaptive management strategies that consider oceanography, animal behavior and human pressures and work to conserve sea turtles and other migratory species.

Activities for fans on www.GreatTurtleRace.com include an opportunity to choose their favorite turtle in the race; an interactive animation of the habitats and hazards along the leatherbacks’ journey; original blogs by scientists, students, and a character known as Mr. Leatherback who are following the race; and Great Turtle Race educational curriculum for teachers to incorporate the event into lesson plans.

Shark Alliance send open letter to Commissioner Borg

On March 1st, 2007, the Shark Alliance sent an open letter to Commissioner Joe Borg. The letter calls on Borg to ensure that the European Union (EU) use the occasion of next week’s meeting of the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) Committee on Fisheries (COFI) to address the plight of the world’s valuable yet vulnerable shark populations.

Commissioner Borg acknowledged last year that a comprehensive set of management measures is required and the Shark Alliance calls on him to set a timeline for plan development and implementation.

Less than 20% of COFI member nations have completed the promised National Plans of Action and no international catch limits for sharks have been adopted. COFI provides a key opportunity for the EU to take the floor during discussions of the FAO International Plans of Action (IPOAs) to report on progress and expected completion of this important goal.

OPEN LETTER TO COMISSIONER BORG
Commissioner Joe Borg
European Commission
B-1049 Brussels

Dear Commissioner Borg:

On behalf of the Shark Alliance, a coalition of 27 non-governmental organizations committed to improving European shark policy, I am writing to urge you to ensure that the European Union (EU) use the occasion of next week’s meeting of the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) Committee on Fisheries (COFI) to address the plight of the world’s valuable yet vulnerable shark populations. We thank you for recently underscoring the EU commitment to producing a shark action plan, as agreed at the 1999 COFI meeting, and request that the EU take the floor during discussions of the FAO International Plans of Action (IPOAs) to report on progress and expected completion of this important goal.

It has been eight years since global concern over the plight of these slow-growing and under-protected species led to the adoption of the Shark IPOA. Sadly, progress under this agreement has been pitiful. Less than 20% of COFI member nations have completed the promised National Plans of Action and no international catch limits for sharks have been adopted. We believe the EU, given its role and influence in the global fisheries arena, has the responsibility to set a good example and act as a leader in encouraging other fishing countries to conserve sharks on national and regional scales.

Since 1999, scientific warnings of shark depletion have only intensified. The IUCN now considers one third of European sharks (and closely related skates and rays) assessed to be Threatened with extinction. Advice from International Council for Exploration of the Sea scientists to end fishing for severely depleted spiny dogfish and porbeagle sharks, considered Critically Endangered off Europe by the IUCN, has been ignored. Rapid expansion of deepwater shark fisheries has led to disaster for the targeted populations and associated industries. Last week, IUCN experts added shortfin mako and thresher sharks to the IUCN Red List, demonstrating that even the fastest, widest-ranging sharks are vulnerable to serious overfishing.

The Shark Alliance agrees with your assertion during last fall’s European Parliament debate on shark finning that prohibiting the practice is not sufficient to ensuring sustainable shark fisheries and that a more comprehensive set of management measures is required. Whereas we appreciated your commitment to complete such a plan at the earliest possible date, we believe setting a timeline for plan development and implementation is necessary to ensure steady progress and timely completion of this critical task.

Considering that much preliminary work has been done, we believe that the plan can be completed by the end of 2007, provided sharks are given the high priority that is warranted by their biology and status.

Sharks are among the oceans most vulnerable animals. As top predators, they are also vital to marine ecosystems. We believe the upcoming COFI meeting offers the EU a key opportunity to signal a new era of responsible stewardship of these exceptionally imperiled and important species. We hope you will embrace this opportunity by ensuring that the EU delegation details its plans and timeline for shark conservation and calls on other nations to do the same.

Thank you for your consideration.

Sincerely,
Sonja Fordham, Policy Director

Read more about the Shark Alliance HERE

DoubleClick

(306) Alesti RSS Reader: "Posted by Susan Wojcicki, Vice President, Product Management

At Google, we are constantly looking for new, innovative ways to make the information you want more accessible and more relevant—and to deliver it as fast as possible. Since Google's inception, it has always been our intention to present users with highly targeted, useful advertisements when appropriate—ads that unobtrusively complement users experience. We have always believed in, and tirelessly pursued, the idea that serving relevant, unintrusive ads would best serve our advertisers in the long term.

To that end, we are truly excited to announce our acquisition of DoubleClick. DoubleClick provides a suite of products that enables agencies, advertisers, and publishers to work efficiently, that will enable Google to extend our ad network and develop deeper relationships with our partners.

This new partnership represents a tremendous opportunity for us at Google to broaden and deepen our inventory of available ads and to better serve both our publishers and users. Together, Google and DoubleClick will empower agencies, advertisers, and publishers to collaborate more efficiently and effectively, which will, in turn, provide a better experience for our users.

Sponsored information served by Google has always been, and will always be, clearly distinguished from objective content available via our search results and across our "

American Chronicle: Self Enlightenment While Diving in Fiji

American Chronicle: Self Enlightenment While Diving in Fiji

Vickie Milazzo

Inc. Top 10 Entrepreneur, Vickie L. Milazzo, RN, MSN, JD is the founder and president of Vickie Milazzo Institute, a legal nurse consultant training and certification company. She is the author of Inside Every Woman: Using the 10 Strengths You Didn?t Know You Had to Get the Career and Life You Want Now, 2006.

We all understand the significance of agility to grow a successful business. But how agile are we really and how can agility in our personal life help us grow in our business life?

A near-drowning experience when I was a child left me wary of swimming and totally unwilling to go deeper than snorkeling along the water's surface on a trip to Fiji.

Before Tom and I went to Fiji, he had already been scuba diving many times during the preceding five years. I'd heard his fun stories, but I knew he still occasionally experienced anxiety due to a long-ago diving incident. Tom, the daredevil, with all his diving experience, having anxiety? That made it even harder for me to decide to go for it. The only way I would venture"

Read the full scoop here how diving in Fiji really opened Vickie's eyes...

Scuba Diving Board - Dive Fiji Fiesta 2004

Scuba Diving Board - Dive Fiji Fiesta 2004: "Dive FIJI!

Fiji can be described with one word: WOW!

Believe me, you want to go to Fiji at least once in your lifetime. You owe it to yourself! But be forewarned: once won't be enough."

As a media representative from ScubBoard.com on a familiarization trip sponsored by the Fiji Visitor's Bureau I recently spent 11 days in Fiji and had the opportunity to visit ten different resorts. We barely scratched the surface of what Fiji has to offer but in that short time I came to realize what a treasure Fiji is� especially for a scuba diver!

Read full article here

Island Dreams celebrates 20th Anniversary

Fiesta Americana Hotel Cozumel and Dive House recognize Ken Knezick and Island Dreams for the company’s years of service

A big celebration took place recently at Saint Arnold Brewing where friends, associates, the adventure experts of Island Dreams Travel, dive shop members, representatives of the world’s finest resorts all came together to enjoy refreshments, music, belly dancer show and excellent prize drawings for lodging and diving. The occasion was the 20^th anniversary of Island Dreams travel.

Island Dreams has been serving the dive industry for two decades. During this event, two prominent operations in Cozumel provided special acknowledgement to Ken Knezick and his staff.

Fiesta Americana Cozumel & Dive House gave recognition to Island Dreams for its professionalism and compromise during 20 years to the Dive Travel Industry. Island Dreams has been working closely with both operators for more three-quarters of the time they have been in business.

Island Dreams carefully serving dive travelers since 1987, from the Caribbean to the Pacific, for more information visit: www.divetrip.com

Toll free: 800-346-6116
Phone: 713-973-9300
Fax: 713-973-8585
Email: info@divetrip.com

Effort to Catalog Species Tops One Million

April 10, 2007 — By Randolph E. Schmid, Associated Press

WASHINGTON -- A worldwide scientific effort to catalog every living species has topped the 1 million milestone.

Six years into the program the total has reached 1,009,000, researchers report. They hope to complete the listing by 2011, reaching an expected total of about 1.75 million species.

Thomas M. Orrell, a biologist at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History, said the finished catalog will include all known living organisms, from plants and animals to fungi and microorganisms such as bacteria, protozoa and viruses.

"Many are surprised that, despite over two centuries of work by biologists and the current worldwide interest in biodiversity, there is presently no comprehensive catalog of all known species of organisms on Earth," Orrell said.

The listing does not include fossil species from the past.

The Integrated Taxonomic Information System-Species 2000 Catalog of Life provides access to data maintained by a variety of scientific organizations, each specializing in a certain area.

For example, information on dipteran flies is maintained by the Agriculture Department's Systematic Entomology Laboratory at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History.

Natural history museums in London, the Netherlands and New York maintain clothes moth, dragonfly and spider data. Experts in Canada and Paris keep the data on Ichneumon wasps and longhorn beetles.

These lists are peer-reviewed and checked technically, and then integrated into special software for the catalog.

The project, involving some 3,000 biologists, is led by Frank Bisby of the University of Reading in England and Orrell.

"We tidy it up and do a peer review to see which pieces are the best ones to use, like putting together a giant jigsaw puzzle," Bisby said in a recent interview with The Associated Press. "If you want to do international comparisons, you need a master list. It's a little like if you were running a supermarket, you would have to do an inventory."

Having internationally accepted standards for species' names will help researchers compare the diversity of life in various regions of the world and produce uniform catalogues of germs, packets of seeds or genetic resources, he said.

Only rarely is there competition among names, such as occurred with sea anemones, hard corals and spiders, and occasionally an element of subjective opinion plays a role among the peer reviewers with various taxonomic expertise, Bisby said.

"It can sometimes be very difficult to decide," he said.

Taxonomy, the formal system of naming living things, was launched by the Swedish scientist Karl von Linne -- known as Linnaeus -- in the 1700s and his name still appears in the database.

Look up gray wolf in the ITIS catalog and it produces the scientific name Canis lupus. Go to that listing and find that the wolf was given its scientific name by Linnaeus in 1758 and has two synonyms. Included are the wolf's common names in English, Spanish and French. So, too, its scientific classification and reports where it is distributed.

Confusion occurs when the same plant or animal has many common names in different places. Taxonomists seek to solve that problem with the catalog's use of scientific names along with the various common uses.

The biggest section of the database currently is LepIndex, listing 253,680 species of lepidoptera, which are butterflies and moths.

At the small end of the scale is a database that covers 86 species of krill, the tiny shrimplike creatures that whales eat.

The U.S. Geological Survey's National Biological Information Infrastructure is providing support for the effort.

Associated Press writer John Heilprin contributed to this report.

Catalog of Life: http://www.catalogueoflife.org

Catalog source data: http://tinyurl.com/258ej4

National Biological Information Infrastructure: http://www.nbii.gov

Source: Associated Press

Trawling, Industry Threaten India Turtle Nesting

DEVI, India -- The scattered carcasses of dead turtles bake on the hot sand. Scraps of the white shells of turtle eggs surround a hole where stray dogs have dug up a nest.

Until a decade ago, this beach on India's east coast used to witness one of nature's most spectacular sights -- the mass nesting of tens of thousands of Olive Ridley turtles on a single night.

Not since 1995 has that happened. These days just a handful of turtles come to the beach at Devi to nest, and its status as one of three main nesting sites for the Olive Ridleys in India's coastal state of Orissa is under threat.

Read the full article on ENN...

Tagging of Pacific Pelagic (TOPP) research project

The Tagging of Pacific Pelagic (TOPP) research project explores the Pacific, using a carefully selected group of animals from its ecosystems to gather data about their world. As a pilot program of the Census of Marine Life (COML), an international endeavor to determine what lives, has lived and will live in the world’s ocean, TOPP scientists will tag individuals from 21 species of marine predators in the Eastern Pacific to obtain an “organism’s eye” view of their world. Jointly run by Stanford’s Hopkins Marine Lab, the University of California, Santa Cruz’s Long Marine Laboratory, NOAA’s Pacific Fisheries Ecosystems Lab, and the Monterey Bay Aquarium, TOPP also includes team members from several countries.

TOPP tests the effectiveness of using animals to gather biological and environmental data, tracking the individuals’ movements while recording valuable oceanographic and ecosystem data from their immediate surroundings. TOPP tags have collected and returned massive quantities of this data, helping scientists build a rich picture of key travel corridors and “ocean hot spots,” or gathering zones where animals feed and breed. While several projects have tagged limited numbers of individual species, TOPP scientists and engineers lead the animal-tagging research community in building a broad, multi-taxa (group of species), interdisciplinary approach to data collection and sharing.

Read more about this great project here...