The ocean is teeming
with life that one cannot possibly fathom all its deepest secrets.
But if data is crunched into its meaty bits, made sense of and presented cohesively, it is certain to
be useful in marine studies and conservation.
Such
have been the roles of FishBase and SeaLifeBase, two online global biodiversity
information systems that, together, provide biological and ecological
information on more than 110,000 marine species.
Last month, a video highlighting the origin and evolution of FishBase from its conceptualization in the late
1980s to the present.
Now, it is SeaLifeBase’s turn!
SeaLifeBase covers
most marine species in the world apart from finfish (and notably those that are
exploited, threatened, endemic and charismatic).
This responded to making sure
all remaining sea creatures of the world other than fishes can share the
limelight.
In essence, SeaLifeBase emulates the highly commended framework of
FishBase, aiming to provide key information on scientific and common names,
distribution, ecology and life history data for all multi-celled organisms of
the world’s oceans.
It has been around since 2005, and to date, has been strengthened
by contributions from over 300 collaborators from all around the world.
Embracing the gift of sharing free and relevant information its
proponents have perpetuated, SeaLifeBase team carries with it the goal of
forming meaningful collaborations and providing relevant and far-reaching
information to attain its long-term goal of completing all large marine
ecosystems.
We hope you get to learn more about the origin of
SeaLifebase, its evolution and the people behind the scenes that brought this
project to life, adding value to students, researchers, fisheries managers,
NGOs and enthusiasts alike.
Enjoy the video!
