MarineBio is seeking funding to support its mission to share the wonders of the ocean to inspire education, research, and a sea ethic. Our goal is to raise ocean literacy so that people understand the ocean and marine life and the urgent need to protect it. Funders interested in supporting MarineBio will provide the much needed resources to expand the site and and extend our outreach through the activities listed below. Please email Joni Lawrence, MarineBio's Vice President and Editor, with requests for proposals or to discuss funding opportunities.

Projects in need of funding:

The Marine Species Database - This is the cornerstone of MarineBio and is a one-of-a-kind marine species database that, with funding, will include 1,200 of the most common and endangered marine species. Each species page includes cross-referenced data on taxonomy, morphology, behavior, diet, habitat, reproduction, and conservation status. Most will also include high quality photographs, video or access to video, as well as a variety of online resources for deeper species research. Species include marine mammals, sharks and rays, fishes, hard and soft corals (and other cnidarians), plankton, echinoderms, crustaceans, cephalopods, marine birds, sea turtles (and other marine reptiles), marine alga, and plants.

Funding would help us expand the number of species homepages available on MarineBio. Our goal is to launch another 500 species as soon as possible, which will both greatly expand the usefulness of MarineBio and will draw potential members to the site to help support our work.

Education on Marine Conservation - MarineBio provides detailed information on the environmental threats to ocean life: global warming, lack of a Sea Ethic and good ocean stewardship, decreasing biodiversity, overfishing, habitat destruction, pollution, and alien species. The complex issues in marine conservation are described along with possible solutions and highlights of exisiting research and conservation efforts. MarineBio provides information on marine conservation to a diverse audience. With funding, we would expand our education on marine conservation issues and reach more people to raise awareness. The media often consults MarineBio for facts and/or photos for news stories related to marine life. Scuba divers interested in the conservation status of the species they encounter refer to us, and the general public interested in marine life and marine conservation also make up a large part of our constituency.

Education on the Fundamentals of Marine Life Science (Marine Biology) - MarineBio provides an introduction to the fundamentals of marine life science to help people understand the complexity of the marine environment and the need for an integrated approach to marine conservation through science. MarineBio is uniquely poised to provide educational benefits to a broad and diverse target audience. With funding, we would expand our education on marine conservation issues. This information is of value for school age children for help with school projects, the media to provide facts and/or photos for news stories related to marine life, teachers to help with lesson plans and assignments, scuba divers for information on marine species of interest, and the general public interested in marine life and marine conservation.

Marine Mammal Stranding Database Project - the Marine Mammal Protection Act falls short of requiring a central database to store and search data from worldwide reports of marine mammal strandings and necropsies. MarineBio would like to aggregate data to reveal the trends that may be hiding so that policy makers and conservation efforts can determine needs for policies and further research.

Funders who support our work are visibly recognized for their contributions. Support for MarineBio is acknowledged throughout the network on banners, on a page dedicated to sponsors, and in the blog and quarterly newsletter. Donors who want recognition, such as corporate sponsors, gain access to a large targeted and valuable audience. MarineBio’s audience and constituency consists of: marine biologists and other scientists, naturalists, underwater photographers, fishermen, travel representatives, divers and dive operators, educators, high school and college students, kids, and parents. We have a worldwide constituency of all ages from all walks of life.

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