The International SeaKeepers Society is to host its annual Founders’ 2016, kicking off the Fort Lauderdale Boat Show on the 3rd of November. The event will recognise the work of DISCOVERY Yacht Members and showcase a selection of research projects that SeaKeepers has undertaken this year.
Shark Tagging with University of Miami’s Shark Research and Conservation aboard Fleet Miami’s D/Y Shredder- Photo Credit Frank Gibson
In conjunction with the international yachting community, The International SeaKeepers Society has developed and implemented key research and conservation programmes throughout 2016 as well as providing educational trips for children and teenagers across the world. As of March 2016, SeaKeepers has extended its educational programme to the Asia region, giving participants in Singapore the chance to take part in real-life research expeditions and ‘floating classroom experiences’ outside the traditional teaching environment.
Educational Outreach Program aboard D/Y Lady Jo with the National University of Singapore
About SeaKeepers
The International SeaKeepers Society was established in 1998 to promote oceanographic research, conservation and education. Now in its 18th year, the society has evolved thanks to the support it has received from individuals and organisations across the world and currently activates a fleet of discovery yachts which it uses to carry out its key programming.
In recent months, a number of projects have been successfully carried out providing valuable research and insight into the changing oceanic conditions:
September 2016
- DISCOVERY yacht Final Final and her crew collected water samples from two sites in the Intracostal waterway around Delray Beach in Florida. The samples will be used as part of a research for the ASC Global Microplastics Project into the environmental and human health risk they pose.
- A DISCOVERY Yacht from Insetta Boatworks was used by both SeaKeepers and University of Miami researchers from The Consortium for Advanced Research on Transport of Hydrocarbons in the Environment (CARTHE). Together, they deployed biodegradable drifter cards with attached GPS devices across multiple locations within Biscayne Bay. The drifter cards will be tracked to study the flow of currents within the bay, which affects how oil and other pollutants migrate and accumulate in the marine environment.
- DISCOVERY Yacht Silver Cloud deployed two SeaKeeper Drifters while en route to Iceland. Drifters are data collection devices. The collection of consistent and accurate data is extremely important for oil spills and marine debris accumulation analyses; weather and hurricane prediction models; quality control tests on satellites; and an overall better understanding of the marine environment. It is vital that the global instrument arrays are well distributed; private vessels achieve this along routes which are not typically traveled.
eDNA Research with UCLA aboard the D/Y Valkyrie in the Channel Islands, California
August 2016
- DISCOVERY Yacht Valkyrie took scientists from the Barber Lab of UCLA to study eDNA (environmental DNA) along the coasts of Anacapa and Santa Cruz in California. Water samples were collected and analyzed to determine which marine species had recently passed through the area, providing valuable data on the region’s biodiversity.
The International SeaKeepers Society is a not-for-profit organisation.
Drifter deployment aboard D/Y Forget About It into the Gulf Stream near Miami FL
Founders’ 2016
WHEN
Thursday, November 3rd
7:00 PM – 11:00 PM
WHERE
Private Residence, Fort Lauderdale, Florida
FOR EVENT INFORMATION AND TICKETS
Gill@seakeepers.org | 305.448.7089
seakeepers.org
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