Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
The following are summaries of the most frequently asked questions we receive. If your question is not answered here, please check our Plankton Forums before contacting us if your question has to do with school, career advice or general marine life science. We get thousands of questions a year and are unable to answer all of them individually. Thank you!
General Questions about MarineBio
Questions about education or careers in the marine life sciences
Questions about marine life
Questions about marine conservation

General Questions about MarineBio
Who are you guys?
Since 1998, we have been a volunteer nonprofit organization of marine biologists, students, professors, and conservation advocates working to share the wonders of the ocean realm online to inspire conservation, education, research, and a sea ethic. For information on the founder and current directors, see our About Us page, which also lists information about our mission and philosophy.
Who funds you?
Currently we cover most of the costs ourselves, although we have some help from sponsors on the site and the generous donations from our members. We also receive help from our contributors and interns who have contributed to the site as either professionals or interns. See our MarineBio Projects page to see what projects we're currently working on to achieve our Mission.
Are you hiring?
Not at this time though we are always seeking talented interns/volunteers to help out with the immense work we have yet to do.
I'm an expert about a group of marine animals or plants and would like to get involved. Who should I talk to?
Contact our Founder, David Campbell at David@marinebio.org or +1 (713) 248-2576 PST to discuss the possibilities. We are currently seeking Directors of the following: Dolphins, Pinnipeds, Fishes, Coral, Crustaceans, Echinoderms, Plankton (Phyto and/or Zooplankton) and the Deep Sea. See /scientists.asp for more information.
What do your internships entail?
We are looking for biology, zoology, marine biology, etc. students and/or marketing or communications students who wish to gain some experience and to supplement their resumes. Internships are volunteer virtual assignments to help with the MarineBio Network itself and it's various projects. Areas include:
1. Expansion/refinement of content in the Ocean, Marine Conservation and Marine Life sections - please read those sections and email David@marinebio.org with suggestions, references, URLs, etc.
2. Projects on the Projects page - see /research/projects
3. Marketing/PR work - work would include writing letters and emails to potential partners, helping with our online/offline marketing plan, etc. Email David@marinebio.org if you're interested, and please send a brief description of your background and a few words about what aspects of the above you would like to get involved with and how you think you might benefit MarineBio's Mission.
How else can I get involved to help save/protect/restore the ocean?
1. Please visit our Marine Conservation section to learn more about a Sea Ethic, Sustainable Fisheries, Biodiversity, Global Warming, Habitat Conservation, Sustainable Tourism and more. Knowledge is power. Tell others about it, talk to strangers, tell your kids... the ocean needs our help and we need the ocean.
2. Read Dr. Carl Safina's books, the EYE of the ALBATROSS and the Song for the Blue Ocean that we cannot recommend highly enough.
"Since our species first evolved, we have concentrated our efforts on ensuring the survival and well-being of ourselves, our families, our tribes, and, more recently, our nations. Now we must broaden our focus once more to embrace the goal of ensuring the survival and well-being of our living planet. Deciding how we will maintain the biological parts and processes of our home, how we will save, study, and sustainably use life on Earth, is a challenge far beyond anything humankind has faced. But alternatives that fail to maintain our biotic systems will inevitably lead to diminishing living standards, to widespread misery, and, finally, to death on a scale beyond anything that has befallen our species... all within the life span of a single massive coral head. People and institutions can avoid this by keeping the goal of maintaining the integrity of life constantly in mind as we formulate and implement our strategies to conserve biological diversity." - Dr. Carl Safina
3. We also highly recommend Marine Conservation Biology: The Science of Maintaining the Sea's Biodiversity edited by Michael E. Soule, Elliott A. Norse, Larry B. Crowder, Marine Conservation Institute, Island Press, 2005
4. See our "101 Ways to Make a Difference" and Dr. Moyle's "What you can do to save wildlife" pages.
5. Make a donation and/or join the MarineBio Conservation Society and help us continue spreading the word and more.
Do you offer advertising?
Not in the traditional sense because we are a nonprofit organization (though non-tax deductible traditional advertising is possible, contact us for more information). However, we do offer a Network Sponsorship Program. See our MarineBio Sponsors page for more information.
If you would like exposure for your marine life related service, etc. you may also add it in our Marine Life Directory. All submissions are reviewed and moved to the proper category if needed. You may also "Suggest a Site" to us here /oceans/resource. We will review and add it wherever we think it would be most useful to members and visitors. You may also join our forums at planktonforums.org and post interesting information about your group that would interest marine biologists, students, ocean lovers, etc. (the forum is closely moderated and spam is not tolerated). All links are tested monthly and those that return errors are removed.
What sort of partnerships and sponsorships do you offer?
At this time we are open to all possibilities. If you are involved in marine research, education, conservation or photography/videography, etc. we would like to hear from you. Or if you like what we do and would like to help support our efforts, you can contact us via email at info@marinebio.org or direct at anytime at +1 (713) 248-2576 PST.
Can I use your photos or other content?
With the exception of photography, feel free to contact us to use specific content that you would like to publish. All content is copyrighted and we expect credit for any content used. We do not allow our photographs to be used; many of them are provided through strict and exclusive agreements with the photographers. Linking directly to our photos so that they show up on pages outside the MarineBio Network is also forbidden. This is called "hotlinking" and is essentially stealing both the photos and our bandwidth. We test for this periodically and report the websites that are doing this. You can, however, use our content for offline, personal reasons such as printing copies to study, etc. If you have any questions, email us at info@marinebio.org. Please see our Copyright and Terms of Use which you agree to by default when visiting the MarineBio Network.
Do you offer memberships?
All those that register at the Plankton Forums are considered "Plankton Forum Members". All those who join or make donations to the MarineBio Conservation Society are considerd either MarineBio Conservation Society donors or members.
Can you send me printed materials about you or of content on MarineBio?
At this time we do not produce any printed materials, such as brochures, etc. and with at least 1,000 pages of content on the MarineBio Network we do not offer printed copies for free. You are free to print your own copies of pages of interest.
I found an error on one of your pages, what should I do?
We appreciate all feedback concerning content on the MarineBio Network. When an error is found, please click the appropriate link under "Feedback?" on species home pages or simply email us at info@marinebio.org and describe what you found to be in error. We will review it and make updates as soon as possible. If you find an error related to scientific data, please be sure to include a reference to published literature so that we can verify the correction.
Can you put a link to my site on MarineBio.org? Are you paid by those you link to?
We are not paid by any of those we link to on the MarineBio Network. All links from the network were chosen by us or suggested by visitors and then reviewed by us as useful or interesting resources for those visiting who are usually interested in marine life, research, education or conservation. If your site meets our standards then we may include a link to your site in a number of places. You can suggest a site to us in the following ways:
1. Email the link and a short description to info@marinebio.org.
2. Add it to the Resource Directory via the "Submit Marine Life Resource" link in the upper right of any page in the directory.
3. Post it in the Plankton Forums under the appropriate category or join and add it to your signature.
I'm a Marine Biologist or studying to become one in [a country or U.S. State] and would like to help with an international or State page about marine biology and conservation in my area, what should I do?
Wonderful! Please send us an email to info@marinebio.org if you would like to help build a page on the network for your country or State.

Questions about education or careers in the marine life sciences
I'm interested in becoming a Marine Biologist, what should I do?
Please review the content and posts at: Marine Biology Education Resources and Careers & Education in Marine Biology. If you still have questions afterward, feel free to register with the Plankton Forums and post them in the appropriate forum.
I need to know which school is best for me to study Marine Biology. Can you help?
That will depend upon many factors, many of which are discussed in the forum at planktonforums.org/viewforum.php?f=5. If you don't find your answer there, feel free to register and post your questions in there for the best responses. We also have a list of schools that offer Marine Biology degree programs at /marinebio/careers/us-schools.asp (US schools) and /marinebio/careers/international-schools.asp (schools outside the US). The lists are always changing and contain what we think are the majority of schools offering degree programs in Marine Biology to help people just like you.
I'm doing a research article on marine biology. I was wondering if you could recommend any topics.
Sure! We recommend any topics that have to do with marine conservation. Marine conservation is a vital subject that currently is too often ignored in mainline research. One book we would like to recommend as a great resource for possible research topics concerning marine conservation is Marine Conservation Biology - The Science of Maintaining the Sea's Biodiversity. If you would like to discuss this further, please see our forum here: planktonforums.org/viewforum.php?f=7 and post at will.
What's it like being a Marine Biologist? I need to interview one for a school project, etc.
See our latest reply to a request for an interview at planktonforums.org/viewtopic.php?t=4936. Otherwise, please visit our forum titled: "Need Help with School Reports, Interview...?" at planktonforums.org/viewforum.php?f=9 which was created just for you.
Where can I meet/chat with Marine Biologists?
We currently have many Marine Biologists as members of our very popular Plankton Forums located at planktonforums.org. We'll look forward to seeing you there!
Questions about marine life
I'm interested in marine life/Marine Biology, can you tell me more about it? Where do I start?
So are we! We have hundreds of pages and counting of information just for you. You might start at The Ocean section where we explore some of what is known about the ocean in what is essentially an online introduction to marine biology and ocean science. The Marine Life section is the essence of MarineBio, so in this section we explore information on the biology, morphology, behavior, ecological relationships, taxonomy, and conservation status of the fascinating marine life that inhabits the ocean from nanoplankton to Blue whales. The Marine Conservation section covers some of the key issues in marine conservation and we hope that by helping to educate the public we can mobilize action to stop the destruction, prevent the loss, and preserve what's left of marine life in our largest living space—the ocean. We hope you enjoy your journey and we love feedback either directly or in our Plankton Forums.
I saw a marine thing/fish/crab/shrimp/... and need help identifying it. Can you help?
Sure, we love a challenge though we usually recommend the many books out there for the best help with species identification. If you have a good photo(s) or video and can upload them somewhere on the Web, post your question(s) and links to the photos/videos in the Plankton Forums and we'll be happy to help.
I need to find good books about marine life to read, can you suggest any?
We've made a page of the wonderful books we use everyday at our MarineBio References page at: /research/references - most are linked to their Amazon.com pages where if you buy them we get a very small percentage from the sales (4%) that goes directly to help with our efforts. We have also posted our favorite marine life DVDs at /research/references/ which are also linked to Amazon.com.
I read an interesting story about marine life that I think you should know about....
Feel free to email us a link to it at info@marinebio.org or post it in the Plankton Forums so that everyone benefits. We also have a Marine Life News page that pulls news from many different sources with news stories generally about marine life at /news.asp.
I would like to submit some information about a particular species that you don't yet have online. What should I do?
Great! You can email us suggestions at info@marinebio.org.
Questions about marine conservation
How can I find out more about marine conservation?
The best place to start is in our Marine Conservation section at /oceans/conservation. If you have any questions, feel free to post them in the Marine Conservation forum at planktonforums.org/viewforum.php?f=7. We've listed the majority of marine conservation organizations at /oceans/conservation/organizations.asp with descriptions about them to help you decide which to join if you would like to get involved further. The list is updated frequently, let us know if we've missed any or if you would like to know more about an issue at info@marinebio.org.
How can I get more involved? (Save the whales, dolphins, turtles, sea otters, etc.)
See the question above, read Dr. Carl Safina's books, the EYE of the ALBATROSS and the Song for the Blue Ocean that we cannot recommend highly enough as well as Marine Conservation Biology : The Science of Maintaining the Sea's Biodiversity by Michael E. Soule, Elliott A. Norse, Larry B. Crowder, Marine Conservation Institute, Island Press, 2005, visit our "100 Things We Can ALL Do" and Dr. Moyle's "What you can do to save wildlife" and finally, you can make a donation or join the MarineBio Conservation Society to help us continue spreading the word and more.
Share your thoughts
Feedback & Citation
Sea Life News :: ScienceDailyCommon fungicide wreaks havoc on freshwater ecosystems
A new study on chlorothalonil, one of the world's most common fungicides, shows it was lethal to a wide variety of freshwater organisms.
Sulfur finding may hold key to Gaia theory of Earth as living organism
Is Earth really a sort of giant living organism as the Gaia hypothesis predicts? A new discovery may provide a key to answering this question. This key of sulfur could allow scientists to unlock heretofore hidden interactions between ocean organisms, atmosphere, and land -- interactions that might provide evidence supporting this famous theory.
Hidden lives of elephant seals: Record-setting dive more than a mile deep
The same researchers who pioneered the use of satellite tags to monitor the migrations of elephant seals have compiled one of the largest datasets available for any marine mammal species, revealing their movements and diving behavior at sea in unprecedented detail.
Ancient sea reptile with gammy jaw suggests dinosaurs got arthritis too
Imagine having arthritis in your jaw bones ... if they're over 2 meters long! A new study has found signs of a degenerative condition similar to human arthritis in the jaw of a pliosaur, an ancient sea reptile that lived 150 million years ago. Such a disease has never been described before in fossilized Jurassic reptiles.
Arctic seabirds adapt to climate change
The planet is warming up, especially at the poles. How do organisms react to this rise in temperatures? Biologists have now shown that little auks, the most common seabirds in the Arctic, are adapting their fishing behavior to warming surface waters in the Greenland Sea. So far, their reproductive and survival rates have not been affected. However, further warming could threaten the species.
The gut could reveal effect of climate change on fish
As sea temperatures rise, stocks of some fish species can decline while others may grow, reveals new research looking at gastrointestinal function in fish.
New species of fish in Sweden
Reticulated dragonet have been found in Väderöarna -- "Weather Islands" -- off the west coast of Sweden. It is not often that a new species of fish is discovered in Sweden.
Roadmap towards sustainable pole-and-line-caught tuna
New research offers a blueprint for the long-term sustainability of tuna caught using the pole-and-line method.
First satellite tag study for manta rays reveals habits and hidden journeys of ocean giants
Using the latest satellite tracking technology, conservationists have completed a ground-breaking study on a mysterious ocean giant: The manta ray.
First forecast calls for mild Amazon fire season in 2012
Forests in the Amazon Basin are expected to be less vulnerable to wildfires this year, according to the first forecast from a new fire severity model.
What do marine snails and insulin have in common? New approach to treat diabetes?
The cone snails are predators of the sea. They capture fish by injecting a venom into the prey that consists of a cocktail of different substances. The single components of the snails' venom, so-called conopeptides, are known for their extraordinary pharmacological properties and potential.
Protein analysis investigates marine worm community
Techniques used by researchers to analyze a simple marine worm and its resident bacteria could accelerate efforts to understand more complex microbial communities such as those found in humans.
Whale population size, dynamics determined based on ancient DNA
Researchers compare ancient, modern whale DNA to investigate discrepancies between genetic data and historical estimates.
One-quarter of grouper species being fished to extinction
Groupers, a family of fishes often found in coral reefs and prized for their quality of flesh, are facing critical threats to their survival. Scientists report that 20 species are at risk of extinction if current overfishing trends continue, and an additional 22 species are near "threatened" status.
Encyclopedia of Life reaches historic one million species pages milestone
The Encyclopedia of Life has surged past one million pages of content with the addition of hundreds of thousands of new images and specimen data. Launched in 2007 with the support of leading scientific organizations around the world, the Encyclopedia of Life provides global access to knowledge about life on Earth by building a web page for each of the 1.9 million recognized species.
Antarctic octopus study shows West Antarctic Ice Sheet may have collapsed 200,000 years ago
Scientists have found that genetic information on the Antarctic octopus supports studies indicating that the West Antarctic Ice Sheet could have collapsed during its history, possibly as recently as 200,000 years ago.
Plastic trash altering ocean habitats
A 100-fold upsurge in human-produced plastic garbage in the ocean is altering habitats in the marine environment, according to a new study.
Bats, whales, and bio-sonar: New findings about whales' foraging behavior reveal surprising evolutionary convergence
Though they evolved separately over millions of years in different worlds of darkness, bats and toothed whales use surprisingly similar acoustic behavior to locate, track, and capture prey using echolocation, the biological equivalent of sonar. Now researchers have shown that the acoustic behavior of these two types of animals while hunting is eerily similar.
Dolphin speaker to enhance study of dolphin vocalizations and acoustics
To gain new insights into how dolphins communicate, researchers in Japan created a prototype of an extremely broadband "dolphin speaker" capable of projecting dolphins' communication sounds, whistles, burst-pulse sounds, as well as detection sounds such as echolocation clicks.
Built-in ear plugs: Whales may turn down their hearing sensitivity when warned of an impending loud noise
Toothed whales navigate through sometimes dark and murky waters by emitting clicks and then interpreting the pattern of sound that bounces back. The animals' hearing can pick up faint echoes, but that sensitivity can be a liability around loud noises. Now researchers have discovered that whales may protect their ears by lowering their hearing sensitivity when warned of an imminent loud sound.
Help us continue to share the wonders of the ocean with the world, raise awareness of marine conservation issues and their solutions, and support marine conservation scientists and students involved in the marine life sciences. Join the MarineBio Conservation Society or make a donation today. We would like to sincerely thank all of our members, donors, and sponsors, we simply could not have achieved what we have without you and we look forward to doing even more.












