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The Nature Conservancy is seeking to engage the public in the naming of its new Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV). The competition began this week and will continue until midnight on August 31. Participants may vote online from the following names: “Beagle” (the name of Darwin’s famous ship), “Petrale Patrol,” “Rachel Carson” (an environmental legend), “Rock Lobster,” and “Nemo.” The Nature Conservancy will announce the winning name on its website on September 25.
The Nature Conservancy is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to promoting, among other things, better management of California’s marine resources. The ROV will be a valuable tool in reaching this goal: an underwater robot that hovers just above the ocean’s floor, the ROV gathers high-resolution video and still photos of marine life and habitats. Such information is vital to many of the Conservancy’s endeavors – for example, its efforts to pioneer sustainable fishing practices and research and monitor deep-sea habitats worldwide.
Starting in September, the ROV will be used in a specific study: the assessment of the impact of trawl fishing on the ocean bottom off California’s Central Coast. This is the first controlled study of its kind on the West Coast. For this study, the ROV will gather information on soft-bottom seafloor habitats. The study could yield information about deep-sea life impossible to obtain through other means.
The Nature Conservancy acquired the ROV through a grant from the California Ocean Protection Council provided by the California State Coastal Conservancy. For the September project, the Nature Conservancy is partnering with researchers from California State University Monterey Bay, National Marine Fisheries Service, Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary, Marine Applied Research and Exploration (MARE), and fishing partners.
