LibGuides: Marine Science: Websites

Selected websites

AlgaeBase A database of information on terrestrial, freshwater and marine algae.
Algae Research Sponsored by the Department of Botany at the Smithsonian. Provides an introduction to classification and economic uses of algae, a bibliography of marine floras, information on specimen collection & preservation, and links to related web resources
Atlas of Ocean Wealth A large collection of information about the economic, social and cultural values of coastal and marine habitats from all over the world
Catalog of Fishes Online The online version of William Eschmeyer's The Catalog of Fishes.
FAO Fisheries and Aquaculture Department The mission of the Fisheries and Aquaculture Department of FAO is to facilitate and secure the long-term sustainable development and utilization of the world's fisheries and aquaculture
FishBase A global information system containing practically all known species of fish.
Global Bodiversity Information Facility GBIF—the Global Biodiversity Information Facility—is an open-data research infrastructure funded by the world’s governments and aimed at providing anyone, anywhere access to data about all types of life on Earth.
LarvalBase A global information system on fish larvae.
Marine and Coastal Biodiversity The Convention on Biological Diversity was inspired by the world community's growing commitment to sustainable development. It represents a dramatic step forward in the conservation of biological diversity, the sustainable use of its components, and the fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising from the use of genetic resources.
MarineBio.org MarineBio aims to share the wonders of the ocean to inspire conservation, education, research and sea ethics
The Marine Life Information Network (MarLIN) MarLIN provides information to support marine conservation, management and planning.
Marine Species Identification Portal The Marine Species Identification Portal is an initiative of ETI BioInformatics in the KeyToNature programme (a project in the EC e-contentPlus Programme). This website provides open access to scientific information on marine species including identification keys to support the scientific community in activities such bio-monitoring programs, and to provide students and other interested parties with general information on marine biodiversity.
OBIS: Ocean Biogeographic Information System Geographical and tracking information on marine life
ReefBase A global information system providing free and easy access to data and information on the location, status, threats, monitoring, and management of coral reef resources in over 100 countries and territories.
Regional Seas Programme The Regional Seas Programme, launched in 1974, is one of UNEP’s most significant achievements in the past four decades. The Programme aims to address the accelerating degradation of the world’s oceans and coastal areas through a “shared seas” approach – namely, by engaging neighbouring countries in comprehensive and specific actions to protect their common marine environment.
SeaLifeBase This is a joint project of the Sea Around Us (University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada) and Quantitative Aquatics, Inc. (Q-quatics, Los Baños, Philippines), and is endorsed and monitored by the FishBase Consortium. It was built using the highly successful FishBase model, drawing on the over 20 years of FishBase experience. With a few changes, the adaptation of SeaLifeBase data was efficient, employing less programming and development time. It uses the taxonomic structure of the Catalogue of Life, which is itself enhanced by expert-reviewed taxonomic data of the World Register of Marine Species. These two global catalogues are the source of 56% of the nearly 129,934 scientific names of metazoan species in SeaLifeBase, including information necessary for the management of commercially important non-fish metazoans.
UN Atlas of the Oceans The Atlas is an information system designed for use by policy makers who need to become familiar with ocean issues and by scientists, students and resource managers who need access to underlying data bases and approaches to sustainability
World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS) The aim of a World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS) is to provide an authoritative and comprehensive list of names of marine organisms, including information on synonymy. While the highest priority goes to valid names, other names in use are included so that this register can serve as a guide to interpret taxonomic literature.

Searching for information can be overwhelming. Part of what makes research challenging is that not all information is reliable or high in quality. When evaluating information, a researcher should consider the Currency, Relevance, Authority, Accuracy, and Purpose of each source he or she encounters.

Source: https://libguides.library.cofc.edu/c.php?g=230724&p=7770695