This short film by producer Rick Morris describes the world Census of Marine Life, a 10 year research project to access the diversity, distribution and abundance of life in the world’s oceans.

A message from Rick Morris:

I have been a diver for over 40 forty years and have been working in television and films for more than 30, so producing and shooting underwater films was a natural progression for me.  Another critical component in this progression was the way in which I experienced the seas around the world. 

Growing up and spending the majority of my life around Cape Cod and having worked in the merchant service meant that I have seen the aquatic environment change—dramatically—during my 55 years of life.  Fish stocks have been depleted, the environment polluted, habitat destroyed and the encroachment of human population reaching critical mass, all leading to where we are today.

In 2001 I began a quest to inform, educate and entertain my viewers about this world beneath the waves but I decided to do so by taking a positive tack rather than being the purveyor of gloom and doom.  I started by producing films about sustainable fishing and as time went on I branched out to concentrate on marine science. 

In 2008, and after about 10 films, I was awarded a grant from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, to document the first World Census of Marine Life.  This 10-year project to study the diversity, distribution and abundance of all aquatic creatures in the world’s oceans began in 2000 and ends in 2010 with the world ocean report to be presented in London on October 4th.  More than 2,000 researchers from over 80 countries and 200 educational institutions have been participating in the project and the results have been nothing short of amazing. 

For me, the experience has been the opportunity of a lifetime and it has opened an entire new world, a world of discovery, which will be the title of the final Census film as well.  At Beneath the Sea this year, Eric Cheng and I discussed our desire to include more conservation and science content on Wetpixel; the work I have been doing and will continue to do seemed a perfect fit.  For my first installment of what I hope will be many, I am offering up the short film I produced about the Census that won my grant.  The film is called “Counting Creatures” but trust me: the Census is far more than just counting the number of critters in the ocean, far more… 

Enjoy and dive safely,
Rick Morris

Bio:  Rick Morris is a pro-environment documentary producer who focuses on Marine Science and the underwater world.  His recent work will be seen in 2 new National Geographic mini series, “One Ocean” and “News from an Unknown Universe” as well as on www.wetpixel.com.