Please do this one small thing for marine research

You visit The Right Blue because you like the ocean, and you like to see learn about the creatures that live in the sea, right? We'd like to ask you, our readers, to do one small thing that can aid marine research. It won't cost you any money -- just a minute of your time, and lending your name to a very good cause.

We'd like you to click here to sign an online petition. Here's what it's about:

The Johnson-Sea-Link I & II submersibles and their support ship, the research vessel R/V Seward Johnson, may be taken out of service. Kevin Zelnio over at Deep Sea News explains:

A shining legacy of deep sea research is under threat from the state of Florida. Citing economic problems and the high cost of maintaining equipment and crew, the Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institution (HBOI) has announced it’s intention to sell or retire the submersibles and its mother ship the R/V Seward Johnson II. Concerned citizens from the state of Florida have created a petition and are asking for people to “invest in science, education and technology.”

So very little of the ocean depths have been explored. Research submersibles like these afford marine scientists opportunities to view undersea environments, observe deep-dwelling marine life, and collect samples for further study -- activities that cannot be accomplished by any other means.

These submersibles are not tourist rides; they are essential research tools. Please help to insure that they will continue to be made available to the scientists who need them. Click here to sign the online petition. Do it as a favor to The Right Blue.

Here are a couple of videos from the Johnson Sea Link submersibles:



Click here to watch the above video on YouTube.



Click here to watch the above video on YouTube.