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International Outreach Overview
In 2015, after visits by the Board and Senior Management of SeaKeepers, it was agreed that with the heightened consciousness of conservation in Singapore and the surrounding region, it was time to start reaching out to the region’s yacht owners and general public.
The International SeaKeepers Society established SeaKeepers, Asia. This expansion with a new chapter in Asia is also under the leadership of Board Member, Julian Chang, who is also an active member of the yachting and shipping industries in Singapore and China. He has been tasked with expanding the success of SeaKeepers’ programs throughout this region.
Building upon established international programming, the efforts in Asia are on creating better local awareness of the current situation of our oceans in order to build a sense of appreciation and a commitment to protect, conserve, and restore the marine ecosystem where possible.
With our principal group of volunteers, our mission remains to save the oceans by applying the motto:
Research. Educate. Protect and Restore.
Singapore Program Highlights
SeaKeepers outreach events have focused around marine wildlife, instrument deployments, plastic pollution, sustainability practices, and more. SeaKeepers staff work closely with the yacht owner to determine the appropriate type of group and outreach
Citizen science expeditions offer an opportunity for vessel owners to get involved in smaller-scale marine research initiatives. These expeditions do not require scientists to be aboard, but they permit vessel owners and crew to participate in ongoing research projects which depend on the participation of non-scientists within the community. One of our main projects supported by citizen scientists is Biscayne Bay Water Watch (BBWW), a community-based initiative that utilizes volunteers with boats to help collect water samples in order to monitor water quality in Biscayne Bay. The program was developed and is managed by the UF/IFAS Sea Grant Extension Program in Miami-Dade County.
Instrument Deployments
The International SeaKeepers Society works with a number of institutions, including the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), World Meteorological Organization (WMO), and Argo to make ongoing oceanographic measurements. The collection of consistent and accurate data is extremely important for oil spill 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 can achieve this along routes that are not typically traveled. Currently, The International SeaKeepers Society employs the use of two types of devices — SeaKeepers Drifters and Argo Floats. These instruments have been designed to be scientifically productive and efficient while minimally invasive to the environment.
SeaKeepers has also partnered with Florida International University’s Global FinPrint, a Paul G. Allen initiative, which is conducting the first global survey of shark and ray populations with the use of baited remote underwater video (BRUV) surveys. SeaKeepers vessels can support the effort by deploying the BRUV rigs at coral reef locations around the world. Each rig is minimally invasive and includes an underwater camera and attached bait box. Marine organisms are attracted to the bait and are then filmed. Researchers review the footage to obtain important information about the populations of these globally threatened species, in order to drive shark and ray conservation through research and policy. Areas of particular interest include the Dry Tortugas, Indonesia, and French Polynesia.
SeaKeepers shares its mission of ocean research and conservation with local communities throughout the year. Headquarters is actively involved in multiple Floridian communities, taking part in scientific seminars, educational events, beach cleanups, and yachting industry functions. Similarly the SeaKeepers Asia Chapter organizes community engagement opportunities throughout the year and activities can be found on their page.
Advisors Alliance
Educational Outreach
July 2017
Asean Lady
Educational Outreach & Citizen Science
2016-2018 | 2019
Dafne 11
Citizen Science
November 2019
Eagle Wings 11
Educational Outreach
2019
Halo
Citizen Science
2018
Illimite
Citizen Science
2019
Lady Jo
Educational Outreach
July 2016
Lady Olivia
Educational Outreach
2017
Luzerne
Educational Outreach & Citizen Science
August 2018 | 2017 -2018
Nymphaea
Educational Outreach
August 2019
Paraffin
Educational Outreach & Citizen Science
June 2017 | May 2019
Solita
Citizen Science
2019
Sun One
Educational Outreach
August 2019
The Admiral
Educational Outreach
2017-2020
Become a DISCOVERY Yacht
SeaKeepers needs vessels to complete these projects. Get actively involved in ocean research and conservation today. If you’d like to be a DISCOVERY Yacht, please contact [email protected] or 786.924.6209.
SeaKeepers Asia’s Conservation Strategy
Education & Outreach
Our core focus is the introduction to marine science and conservation through the The International SeaKeepers Society Asia Educational Outreach Programme which is targeted at youth.
The outreach programme provides learning experiences and is composed of two stages. Initially, the sharing of this knowledge is at the school, to promote a deeper facilitation of the programme's curriculum to a wider group. Subsequently the students are invited aboard DISCOVERY Yachts (private vessels supplied by members of the Society) that are transformed into "Floating Classrooms" and participate in marine-based lessons with experts from various fields of science.
Involvement through Citizen Science
Citizen Science projects offer an opportunity for vessel owners to get involved in smaller-scale marine research initiatives with ongoing programme partners. These expeditions do not require scientists to be aboard, but they permit vessel owners and crew to participate in independent activities such as the UMT Ocean Monitoring Project, a water and data collection project focused on understanding the health of Malaysian Waters.
Support of Specific Projects
SeaKeepers works with universities, marine institutions, NGOs and experts in the marine science and oceanography fields to promote and facilitate specific projects such as creation of coral nurseries and reef restoration.
Creating Awareness in the Community
We actively partner and are involved in scientific seminars, educational and community events, beach and underwater cleanups, and yachting industry functions.
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