SeaWorld, OCEARCH join together to protect world’s oceans and marine life
Today marks the start of a multi-year partnership between SeaWorld Entertainment, Inc. and OCEARCH, a leader in generating scientific data related to studies of keystone marine species, that will make valuable data available for the first time ever in a widely-accessible format.
The partnership focuses on three main areas:
- Research and rescue
- Education
- Policy
As a result, OCEARCH’s Global Shark Tracker will now include data on rescued, rehabilitated and returned marine animals,. Data on three of SeaWorld’s rescued and returned animals – TJ, a dolphin, Gale, a pilot whale, and Iris, a harbor seal – can now be found on the tracker at OCEARCH.org. Open access will be given to the scientific community in the future.
“Together, OCEARCH and SeaWorld will focus on bringing everyday people closer to the ocean to increase understanding of how to better protect marine animals and habitats,” said Chris Fischer, OCEARCH Fouding Chairman and Expedition Leader. “We are committed to providing open-sourced, real-time data and content, allowing anyone to follow our findings – from classrooms to researchers and experts.”
The partnership also includes missions aboard the 126-foot research vessel M/V OCEARCH, with future missions scheduled for May and September of this year. These missions will bring together SeaWorld veterinarians, researchers and scientists with the OCEARCH team to share their knowledge and experience to help educate and advocate for ocean health and conversation.
“We are thrilled to partner with OCEARCH to continue to raise awareness of critical issues surrounding marine animals and habitats,” said Dr. Chris Dold, Chief Zoological Officer at SeaWorld. “SeaWorld is one of the world’s foremost zoological rescue organizations, and using the global satellite tracker on rehabilitated and returned animals is an exciting way for us to share the next chapter in the lives of rescued animals. Working together, we hope to inspire the next generation of marine scientists and everyday advocates through our common love of the ocean.”
For more information, visit seaworld.com.
