DISCOVERY Yacht Anastacia is sailing from Spain to the Canaria islands via Portugal and will be collecting Sargassum samples for Dr. Mike Parsons along this route. In 2024, they will collect neustonic samples for Dr. Rebecca Helm as they cross the Atlantic in January from Grand Canaria via Cabo Verde and end up in Grenada.
In November 2022, The International SeaKeepers Society launched the Neuston Net Research Collective to assist marine researchers with widespread sample collection. Vessels are equipped with neuston or plankton nets to collect Sargassum samples for Dr. Mike Parsons of Florida Gulf Coast University or document neustonic organisms such as Blue Button Jellyfish and Portuguese Man-o-War for Dr. Rebecca Helm of Georgetown University. These vessels allow for more robust data sets that our researchers will benefit from to further their marine studies and aid in the conservation of our oceans.
