Article Summary:

The first census of marine life has taken ten years to complete, 2,700 researchers from 80 nations and has spent a total of 9,000 days at sea during at least 540 expeditions, reports the BBC. The publication of “First Census of Marine Life 2010: Highlights of a Decade of Discovery” due later today, brings to a close the first phase of the project, but also highlights how much more work there is to do to completely catalog the oceans diversity. Professor Boris Worm, leader of Census Studies of the Future said:

“The rapidly changing ocean that we are now uncovering helps us to understand ourselves,” and “it compels us both to continue with journeys of discovery and to make wise choices in the future.”