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This month's article series will be discussing... Port Arthur, Texas! Port Arthur is a small town on the Northeast coast of Texas. Port Arthur is approximately 90 miles (144.841 kilometers) east of Houston, & 317.1 miles (510.32298 kilometers) south of Dallas. The town is extremely economically important to Texas, as Motiva Oil Refinery, the largest oil refinery in the U.S, is located in Port Arthur. As the town is located directly on the coast, the town is only approximately 7 feet (2.1336 meters) in elevation. Due to this low elevation & proximity to the Gulf of Mexico, the town is extremely susceptible to hurricanes. The town is primarily located in Jefferson County, however, it does have a small strip of land in the neighbouring Orange County. The town census-designated area is approximately 144.1 square miles (373.21729 square kilometers), 46.61% of which is covered in water. The town's coastlines have a very high amount of marine mammals, which have been written about in the town's newsletter. These marine mammals can be seen around the port or prancing off the coast in the ocean. One of these marine mammals is the Sei Whale. The Sei Whale is a species of baleen whale found all around the globe. They tend to live in deeper offshore waters, & prefer to stay away from polar regions. The Sei whale is the third largest Balaenopterid whale on the planet, following after the Blue & Humpback Whale, which was previously covered in The Persaud Catalog on April 10th of 2023. The name “Sei” is very unusual, & comes from the Norwegian word for Pollock. The origin of the word is currently believed to be due to the Sei whale's migration patterns. You see, Sei whales migrate to Norway around the same time that the prime Pollock fishing season starts, meaning that both are seen by Norwegian fishermen at about the same time. As such, they are associated with pollock, & earned this name. The Sei whale has previously had many issues with whalers, which led to them being put on the endangered species list. They are currently internationally protected to help their populations recover, meaning that it is illegal to harvest Sei whales in most cooperating jurisdictions, with a fine of up to 10,000$ per whale in the United States. Like the majority of whales, they have a life span that is about the same as humans, between 65 & 74 years. In this article, we will discuss the discovery & life, the mating procedures, habits, tactics, practices, & strategies, the distribution, & the scientific details of the Sei Whale. With that being said, let us delve into this behemoth.  A heartwarming photograph of a mother Sei Whale & her calf swimming along contentedly. Credit to photographer Christine Khan. The Discovery & Life Of The Sei Whale The Sei whale was discovered by René-Primevère Lesson, a French surgeon, naturalist, & herpetologist, in the year 1828. The Sei whale is approximately 44,092.452437 pounds at adult size, & 14.2 meters (46.58793 feet) long. Some Sei whales can be as small as 12.2 meters (40.02625 feet), while the largest ever recorded was 20 meters (65.6168 feet). They do not grow for their entire lives, & have a set stopping point. As said in the introduction, the Sei whale is the third-largest species of whale in the Balaenoptera genus. The lifespan of the Sei whale is 70 years on average, but it can go up to 74 years. Since this is a cetacean, it is extremely intelligent. They do display some level of intelligence, but in contrast to a bottlenose dolphin or an orca, they are not very smart. However, in contrast to the majority of other oceanic animals, they rank extremely high. They are, in fact, some of the best communicators of the ocean.  They are often solitary aside from breeding, & they do communicate with other whales. Occasionally, they can also be found in very small groups of 2 to 5. With all current fossil records, it can be estimated that this species has existed for at least 13.65 million years. Sei whales are not dangerous to humans or human vessels, & tend to just stay away from humans in general. They used to be captured by humans for their meat & oil; however, with their international endangered status, whalers generally avoid them. Sei whales are not territorial, as they migrate & do not maintain one steady area. Sei whales can swim by moving their lower body up & down, & propelling themselves forward. Their flippers are used for steering, similar to the steering wheel of an automobile. Their buoyancy is maintained by their blubber, as the blubber is generally less dense than the water surrounding it. Being one of the fastest swimming whales, they are able to swim at a maximum of 30 miles per hour. Like the majority of other Cetaceans, they are only able to sleep by turning off half their brain at a time. They tend to “sleep” near the surface, not to drown. These whales primarily feast on krill, copepods, & small fish that can fit through their baleen plates. To maintain their body weight, they have to eat 2,000 pounds (907.1847 kilograms)  of food per day. They hunt diurnally, in 5 to 20 minute dives. Their primary means of locating food is echolocation, similar to that of bats. Due to their behemoth size, they have extremely few predators. Their main predators are larger sharks, & large killer whales, though parasitic crustaceans are common amongst these whales. The Sei whale is dark grey, with a cream coloured underside. Additionally, they have a small protruding dorsal fin about 2/3rds of the way down their back. As of 2025, they have an estimated population of 50,000. In the mid-20th century, 300,000 sei whales were killed for their meat & oil, which led to the massive population decline. Thankfully, their population trend is now considered to be increasing.  The Mating Procedures, Habits, Tactics, Practices, & Strategies Of The Sei Whale The Sei whale breeds via sexual reproduction. This species is not hermaphroditic, & has two distinct sexes. All Sei whales tend to become reproductively mature at 8 to 10 years of age. Their breeding system is polygynous, as one male will mate with multiple females in each breeding season. Breeding occurs during the winter, in temperate oceanic regions, usually in the southern hemisphere. Once the females & the males initiate copulation & complete the mating ritual, the males will not have any involvement in the calf’s life. Their gestation takes 11 to 13 months. One pregnancy tends to only yield 1 child, as the children are so large at birth that the mother has to go through extreme physical strain to gestate more than one. The calf will be 15 feet (4.572 meters) long, & 1,500 pounds (680.3886 kilograms) at birth. The mother will nurse the baby for 6 to 9 months. During the later months, the baby will learn to eat solid foods such as copepods & krill, so that it can get used to that diet. Once the mother is getting ready to stop breastfeeding, she will migrate with the child to one of the optimal food grounds. After the baby departs from the mother to begin a life of its own, the mother most likely won’t have another child for at least a year to recover, & rest. A photograph of a blue whale, a similar species in the same genus, lunging at a large mass of krill, similar to how Sei whales feed. They feed in remarkably similar ways. Credit to Richard Hermann. The Sei Whales' breeding interval depends upon the individual whale, however, it generally doesn’t last longer than 2 years. Interestingly, researchers have noted that there has been a recent increase in pregnancy. It is unclear why exactly this is, but a new hypothesis has emerged dictating that this increase is in response to human predation. The Distribution Of The Sei Whale The Sei whale is found all across the globe, except for in Hudson Bay, Baffin Bay, the Mediterranean Sea, & Antarctic regions. The Sei whale is sporadic in its migrational patterns, as it may visit a certain area, & then not visit for many years after that. Generally, they are observed in deeper waters, though they can occasionally be seen leaping out of the water. It is rare to see them from the coastline, so much so that it is normal not to see Sei whales in a certain location for 2 to 3 years. It is unclear where exactly they breed, as tracking them is extremely difficult.  The Scientific Details Of The Sei Whale Possibly the most interesting thing about the Sei Whale, or whales in general, is their blowhole located atop their skull. What is not often known is that the blowhole on a whale, is that it is their nostril. Since they have a hole atop their head, they do not need to get completely out of the water to breathe. This helps them preserve energy & sleep properly. They use their blowhole by taking breaths of air at the surface, then contracting the muscles around the blowhole so that the blowhole is tightly closed. They close it while underwater so that water does not get into the whales' lungs. When they blow their blowhole, the resulting water stream can be up to 13 feet high. Their bones are not hollow but instead are somewhat thin. Since they are baleen whales, they have tooth plates that they use to strain krill. Additionally, they have frills around their teeth that will catch any debris & dirt from entering the whale's mouth. The sei whale will have 219 to 400 baleen plates in total. These teeth plates are made from keratin, similar to that of a human hair. These teeth are dark in colour, & their frills are white. As of 2025, we are unable to find any records of their fossils that are available to the public domain. Unfortunately, the Sei whale is one of the most understudied baleen whales, so we don’t know very much about their movements, skeletons, or very much of anything else. Their phylum is Chordata, meaning that they developed these 5 characteristics. All species under the phylum of Chordata develop 5 similar characteristics either in adulthood or as juveniles. The characteristics that they develop include, a notochord, dorsal hollow nerve cord, endostyle or thyroid, pharyngeal Slits, & a post-anal tail. & three middle ear bones. Their class is Mammalia. Their order is that of Artiodactyla, which are even-toed ungulates. Species categorized under Artiodactyla are ungulates, hoofed animals which bear weight equally on two of their five toes; these toes are the third & fourth toes. The other three toes are either present, absent, vestigial, or pointing posteriorly. Their infraorder is that of Cetacea. Key characteristics of this infraorder are their fully aquatic lifestyle, streamlined body shape, often large size & exclusively carnivorous diet. Another characteristic is their incredible social intelligence. There are roughly 90 species categorized under Cetacea. Their family is that of Balaenopteridae. All family members have a series of longitudinal folds of skin running from below the mouth back to the navel. These furrows allow the mouth to expand & unhinge in a way when feeding, permitting them to suck in large amounts of food & swallow in one gulp. There are currently 10 species categorized under this family. Their genus is Balaenoptera. There are currently 8 species categorized under this genus. Their binomial name is Balaenoptera Borealis.  Directories / Credits Citation No. 1: “Sei Whale”, Written by Unknown, & Published at an Unknown Date. Published by World Wildlife. Retrieval Date: November 22nd, 2023.  https://www.worldwildlife.org/species/sei-whale Citation No. 2: “Balenoptera Borealis: Sei Whale”, Written by Nancy Shefferly, & Published at an Unknown Date. Published by the Animal Diversity Web. Retrieval Date: November 22nd, 2023.  https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Balaenoptera_borealis/ Citation No. 3: “AnAge: The Animal Ageing & Longevity Database”, Written by Unknown, & Published at an Unknown Date. Published by AnAge. Retrieval Date: November 22nd, 2023.  https://genomics.senescence.info/species/entry.php?species=Balaenoptera_borealis Citation No. 4: “Sei Whale”, Written by Unknown, & Last Updated on October 30th of 2023. Published by the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration Fisheries. Retrieval Date: November 22nd, 2023.  https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/species/sei-whale Citation No. 5: “Sei Whale: Balaenoptera Borealis”, Written by J. G. Cooke, & Last Updated on June 25th, 2018. Published by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. Retrieval Date: November 22nd, 2023.  https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/2475/130482064 Citation No. 6: “Sei Whale”, Written by Unknown & Published at an Unknown Date. Published by Animalia. Retrieval Date: November 22nd, 2023.  https://animalia.bio/sei-whale# Strategic Partnerships Reel Guppy Outdoors SharkedSkooler Marine Enthusiasts Podcast Cash Daniels Tides of Tomorrow Our Loyal Patrons P. R. Ochoa

This article is a part of our collection known as the Marine Hall Of Distinction. It is a different series from our main monthly series & has no connection to the main monthly series. In this special collection, we will discuss marine biologists who we feel have served marine biology & oceanography the most. We do this in order to commemorate these marine biologists & to show gratitude for everything they have contributed to our oceans. This collection has no relation to the main monthly series. This series is published on the 25th of every month, shortly after our article on the oceanic environment of the area of the month on the 20th.  Today’s marine biologist, is British marine biologist & zoologist, Lady Anna Thynne. Lady Anna Thynne is a British marine zoologist known for her expertise related to sponges, & aquariums. She is credited for being the woman who brought Aquariums to London, with the book Theatres of Glass being dedicated to chronicling her work.  In today’s article, we shall delve into Lady Anna Thynne’s Formative Years & Education, Her Personal Life & Career, & her Achievements, Accomplishments, Awards & Honorables. With that being said, let us delve into the life & work of Anna Thynne. Her Formative Years & Education  Anna Constantia Thynne was born Anna Constantia Beresford, in 1806. She was born to Reverend Charles Cobbe Beresford, a priest. It is theorized she was born in Ireland, however that is unclear. Unfortunately, very little is known about her younger years. She developed a love & passion for Zoology from a young age, & was always fascinated by natural sciences.  Her Personal Life & Career   Lady Thynne married Lord John Thynne, an Anglican Priest & Aristocrat, on March 24th, 1823, at the age of 17. Together, they had at least 10 children, with 2 daughters & 8 sons.  Her love for marine biology wasn’t fully developed until a trip to Ireland in 1846 when she came across a Madrepore. Prior to this, she had an interest in sponges, however, she was far more fascinated by Madrepores, a kind of stony cold water coral. She became intrigued by it, as although it seemed like an ordinary rock, it was a living creature. She took a small piece of it back to London with her, & planted it into a glass tank in her drawing room. Due to not having access to constant sea water, the coral would be transferred to different tanks with new water every day. In 1847, she added a few kinds of marine plants to the Aquarium, & created the world’s first balanced marine aquarium, & a small marine ecosystem. Soon after, she built & maintained the world’s first public aquarium at Westminster Abby, in a small tank.  In 1859, she published her first scientific article titled “On the Increase of Madrephores”, in the Annals & Magazine of Natural History, including Zoology, Botany, & Geology. This article can be found at https://archive.org .  Unfortunately, Lady Anna Thynne passed away in 1866, at the age of 60. Her contributions to fish-keeping, marine biology, & marine zoology will not be forgotten, & neither will her love for Madrephores. Her Achievements, Accomplishments, Awards, & Honorables She was the first person to open a public aquarium in London, & pioneered the idea of contemporary fish-keeping.  She directly inspired Philip Henry Goose to open the Fish House at the London Zoo in 1853. The Fish House unfortunately is no longer operational, however it is succeeded by the current Aquarium at the London Zoo. Directories / Credits Citation No. 1: “Anna Thynne: Zoologist”, Written by Unknown, & Published at an Unknown Date. Published by Prabook. Retrieval Date: October 1st, 2024. https://prabook.com/web/mobile/#!profile/2587974 Citation No. 2: “Inventing The Aquarium: A Short History”, Written by Kevin Edge & Published by the Horniman Museum. Retrieval Date: October 1st, 2024. https://www.horniman.ac.uk/story/inventing-the-aquarium-a-short-history/ Citation No. 3: “Victorian Pioneers Of The Marine Aquarium”, Written by Tim Wijgerde, & Published on February 10th, 2016. Published by the Advanced Aquarist. Retrieval Date: October 2nd, 2024.  https://reefs.com/magazine/victorian-pioneers-of-the-marine-aquarium/ Citation No. 4: “First Public Aquarium”, Written by Unknown, & Published at an Unknown Date. Published by London Zoo. Retrieval Date: October 2nd, 2024. https://www.londonzoo.org/zoo-stories/history-of-london-zoo/worlds-first-aquarium Citation No. 5: “Vintage Aquariums”, Written by Unknown, & Published at an Unknown Date. Published by Aquarium Architecture. Retrieval Date: October 2nd, 2024.  https://www.aquariumarchitecture.com/archive/vintage-aquariums/ Citation No. 6: “When Were Aquariums Invented?”, Written by Dominic, & Published on May 30th, 2022. Published by Kraken Corals. Retrieval Date: October 2nd, 2024.  https://krakencorals.co.uk/blog/when-were-aquariums-invented Citation No. 7: “On the Increase of Madrephores”, Written by Anna Thynne, & Published on April 6th, 1859. Published by The Annals & Magazine of Natural History, Including Zoology, Botany, & Geology. Retrieval Date: October 2nd, 2024. https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_CrBMAAAAYAAJ_2/page/n458/mode/1up Strategic Partnerships Reel Guppy Outdoors SharkedSkooler Marine Enthusiasts Podcast StemScribe Our Loyal Patrons Ms. Paloma Rodriguez Ochoa

Recently, we were extraordinarily fortunate to interview Jeffrey Dotzler the III, a Cnidarian Aquarist & Water Quality curator, for a short interview about his work on Jellyfish! Jeffrey Dotzler is a curator of Cnidarians & monitor of water quality at the Cabrillo High School Aquarium, located in Lompoc California. The Cabrillo High School Aquarium is an entirely unique facility, run out of Cabrillo High School, with a volunteer staff of 200 dedicated & passionate high schoolers. In today’s interview, we sit down with Jeffrey to discuss his experience with Jellyfish, his advice for people looking to begin their journey in taking care of jellyfish, & his observations in taking care of them. Before delving into today’s interview, please note everything said has been edited for clarity, & that the opinions of our interviewee do not necessarily reflect the opinions & values of our organization. With that being said, let us delve into the contents of the interview! The Contents Of The Interview Questions About His Passion: 1. What sparked your passion for marine biology and aquariums, & is there any particular thing, such as a person, place, book, or franchise, that sparked your passion? When I got to Cabrillo, I had always heard about the Aquarium program, as they do many tours for grade levels from TK up to 8th grade. When I was younger, I went on a tour of Cabrillo High School Aquarium, & did a lab activity, & it was amazing! It can be a very big moment in someone’s life to get to see these animals up close, & many people don’t have that opportunity to connect with the ocean in this way. 2. When did you begin your work at the aquarium? So I began my work in my junior year, when I joined our Introduction to Aquarium Sciences class, as the majority of freshmen are not allowed to take the class. It’s a highly interesting job working as a student & running an aquarium, we do so many different things. We do everything from feeding the animals, prepping the food, monitoring the water quality, & maintaining the aquariums, which includes the tanks themselves, the substrate, & everything in between. 3. What is your favorite animal, & what is your favorite cnidarian? My favourite animal overall is not an animal from the aquarium, it is based on an experience that I had when I was younger. I was taking a walk down Carpinteria beach when I was younger, which is a beautiful beach by the way. We were walking down & I was simply messing around, as children do, when I saw a plastic bag in a drainage ditch. I went over to pull it out of the water because you don’t want that in the ocean, & noticed something colourful inside. That colourful thing turned out to be a Spanish Shawl inside the bag, wrapped around a piece of rebar. We put the nudibranch inside a cup, & carried it over to a Tide Pool which was further out, & placed it there. Ever since then, they have been my favourite creature. A flamboyant Spanish Shawl nudibranch gliding along the ocean floor contentedly searching for food. Credit to the photographer Jerry Kirkhart. My favourite Cnidarian to work with so far has been the Moon Jelly, Aurelia aurita. For a while I would give tours of our Jellyfish tank, & learned a bit about them in the process, They are such fascinating creatures! Questions Regarding Your Work: 4. How did you begin your work on cnidarians? I did not begin my work on Cnidarians until my Junior Year when I began giving tours. The position of a Cnidarian Curator, or a curator of any kind, is earned through hard work in our aquarium. It is not only earned through the quality of your work & quantity of your hours, but it is also earned through an interview process with our staff advisors. When I applied for the position of Curator, the position of Cnidarian Curator had not been created yet. We had Jelly curators of course, however not anyone specializing in Cnidarians broadly. I find the entire phylum of Cnidaria to be intensely fascinating, because you have your true jellyfish, your box jellyfish, your corals, & your anemones. We got our gorgeous tropical reef exhibit in my junior year, which has a very large coral reef. It is a beauty of a tank. It can be some more work, as it is warm water which is slightly different then water which we are used to, but with the work these students have been putting in, it is well worth it. Now we are installing our tropical fish gallery, we have many new tanks coming in courtesy of the Monterey Bay Aquarium. It has been quite the journey. Anyway, Cnidarians are highly interesting to me, which is why I pursued the title of Cnidarian Curator. 5. How many cnidarians do you have at the aquarium, & what are their habitats? Our Cnidarians at the aquarium range from our corals to our anemones, to our jellyfish. We currently have 2 jellyfish display tanks on our main floor, containing our South American, Sea Nettle, & Pacific Sea Nettles. Our corals are located in our tropical reef exhibit, which is a large rectangular tank housing a variety of tropical species. Our anemones are housed in our touch tanks which are quite fun, & don’t require as extensive cleaning but that's another story. We also have them in our wave tank, which is a tank that mimics an intertidal zone by having a large wave come through on a timed setting. It showcases the push & pull that intertidal animals deal with. Those are the main Cnidarians in our aquarium, sadly I don’t have an exact number of species or individuals. We have also had a highly interesting project going on this last year, of strobilating jellyfish, headed by Gavin Rodriguez. We have been strobilating moon jellies for the last few months in-house, which recently moved into our tanks from our marine biology laboratory. It will be interesting to see the long-term results The life cycle of jellyfish begins when two adult Medusae release their gametes, sperm & eggs, into the water around them. These gametes will then meet, & form a larva. This larva will implant itself into the sediment, & form a polyp. A polyp strobilates when it begins to segment, then pop off into several discs, known as ephyra, which will then grow into adult medusae. 6. Jellyfish are a fan-favorite at the aquarium, what is your caretaking experience with them, & what advice do you give those looking to learn more about jellyfish? My personal experience with Jellyfish has been a bit of a journey because there was a learning curve due to their extremely delicate nature. With many other tanks you have animals which tend to stray away from you during cleanings, & caretaking of the tank, however, jellyfish behave differently. First of all, Jellyfish are floating around you, & will not move away from you, meaning that you have to be extremely attentive. You have to be careful not only with your tools, but with the formation of air bubbles, as air bubbles can cause severe damage to the jellies. Even the slightest touch can form a tear in their outer membrane, so we have to take careful diligent care when working with them. For anyone looking to learn more about them, I highly recommend visiting one at your local aquarium which may be difficult in some parts of the country. Go find these jellies, & learn a little bit about them from your local aquarists. 7. For those who don’t have much experience with Jellyfish, how would you describe them? For those who don’t have much experience with jellies, I would describe them as very jelly-like. They are very beautiful, it just depends on how one is viewing them. I have had the amazing experience of seeing jellies out in the ocean, it’s a lot different to see them in the ocean than it is in an aquarium. They can be truly breathtaking. I also find their way of moving through the water to be rather captivating, it’s mesmerizing. 8. If you could summarize your experience with the caretaking of jellyfish in 5 words; what would those words be? The first word that comes to mind is definitely stressful, they can be extremely stressful. However, they can also be quite fun, & therapeutic in a way. Work also comes to mind, they can be very rewarding. Although all of these words might seem contradictory, they truly embody being stressful, fun, therapeutic, work, & rewarding all at the same time. 9. Do you have any final words regarding the aquarium, jellyfish, & your experience taking care of them? I’m so thankful for the program, & for the opportunity to be a part of it. I’m very thankful that you (Our Head writer!) came out to be a part of the community, & to share this message with the world. It has been an honour. Directories / Credits https://www.cabrillohighschoolaquarium.org Strategic Partnerships Reel Guppy Outdoors SharkedSkooler Marine Enthusiasts Podcast Cash Daniels Tides of Tomorrow Our Loyal Patrons P. R. Ochoa

Our Wonderful Staff Gwenevere Persaud - Executive Director Gwenevere Persaud is our faithful, dedicated, & extraordinarily industrious Executive Director. She has written the majority of our articles, operates every program, hosts every event, & coordinates our volunteers. In December of 2022, she founded The Persaud Foundation with the goal of protecting the ocean through conservation, education, & public involvement. Her favourite marine organism is the gorgeous Wolf Eel (Anarrichthys ocellatus). Jaela Balugo - Board Member Jaela Balugo is one of our amazing members of the dedicated Board of Directors. She is one of the most enthusiastic people about the ocean, about ocean education, & about marine science who has ever graced this planet. Jaela assists with overseeing our programs as a board member, votes on important issues, & assists with advising our science communication programs. Her favourite marine animal is the Baluga Whale for its intellect (and after her last name!). Julia - Science Communication Volunteer Julia is one of our devoted Science Communication volunteers, who is using her artistic skills for good. Julia is using her amazing art skills to assist us in re-designing our course logos, & to assist us in designing impactful & captivating oceanic informational graphics. Her favourite marine animals are sharks. Jasper - Science Communication Volunteer Jasper is one of our delightful, passionate science communication volunteers, dedicated to sharks! Jasper adores sharks, & is currently assisting us in our online course program. Jasper's favourite shark is the Epaulette shark, pictured above! Kapish - Science Communication Volunteer Kapish is an intelligent, devoted science communication volunteer of ours, dedicated to the ocean. Kapish is currently assisting us in our Online Course program, working to create free micro-courses to educate the public on various issues plaguing our oceans. One of Kapish's favourite animals is the Sea Turtle, photographed above! August - Social Media Volunteer August is one of our lovely Social media Volunteers, in charge of designing graphics for our social media & ensuring that our message gets heard by as many people as possible. He is one of the most passionate people about the ocean to ever grace this earth, & is the self-proclaimed biggest Squid Enthusiast in Europe. His favourite animal is the beloved Magnapinna Squid, photographed above in all of its eerie glory!

The Persaud Foundation is a marine biology nonprofit organization, based in the United States. Our goals are to protect the ocean through education, conservation, & public involvement. The Persaud Foundation The Persaud Foundation The Persaud Foundation The Persaud Foundation We are a U.S 501(c)3 marine biological nonprofit organization, dedicated to protecting the ocean through education, & public involvement, & conservation. We currently run an electronic newsletter called The Persaud Catalog , publish online courses about marine biology, & conduct local conservation & education events in Southern California. The Three Pillars Of Our Organization Our Online Courses: We believe in promoting ocean literacy, supporting the ocean through education, and fostering people's oceanic curiosity. For this reason, in August 2024, we officially launched our first course. We currently have five courses available, with four more under construction. Every course can be found here. For updates, please sign up for our mailing list! Our Electronic Newsletter: For those who wish to advance their marine biological knowledge, we publish an electronic marine biological newsletter approximately 5 times per month. We publish on a variety of topics within marine biology, from ecology to individual ocean creatures. We strive to have an article for everyone, & attract marine biological enthusiasts, professionals in the field, & all those with a curious mind. Each article can be found here. Our Public Conservation Events & Public Educational Events: We frequently conduct conservation events in California, such as Beach Cleanups. We cannot do this without people like you! To find out the closest beach cleanup, please consult our Events Calendar. We appreciate each & every volunteer that we get, & highly recommend getting involved if you want to make a difference. If you are interested in volunteering with us, please email us at thepersaudfoundation@gmail.com or consult our Eventbrite page. In addition to this, we currently conduct local oceanic education events, which can also be found on our calendar. Reach Out To Us! Name Email Subject Message Upload File Upload supported file (Max 15MB) Submit Thank you for submitting! We willl respond to your message as soon as possible. What exactly does your organization do & what is its mission? We are dedicated to raising ocean literacy, protecting the ocean through education, conservation, & public involvement. As of 2024, we run our marine biological science communication newsletter The Persaud Catalog which published 5 times per month at least, we publish online courses, & we conduct public marine biological conservation events in California. We are a registered 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, based in the U.S. What exactly are your online courses? We believe in protecting the ocean through conservation, & education. Education about the sea is essential to conservation, as people cannot understand the needs of the sea & its creatures if they do not understand our ocean & its creatures. We currently offer 5 online courses , with 4 more under construction and scheduled for release soon. Our courses vary in topic; however, they typically are about oceanic animals, as people cannot understand the needs of these animals if they do not understand the animals in the first place. Our online courses can be found here. What is the benefit of reading your newsletter? Our newsletter, The Persaud Catalog, publishes approximately 5 times per month, with topics of articles ranging from individual marine animals, to how marine resources were used in different areas historically. In addition, we conduct interviews with marine scientists, ocean ecologists, conservationists, & science communicators alike to share the beauty, value, & wonder of the ocean & marine science with as many people as possible. We work our hardest to provide interesting, informative, & engaging articles to our supporters. Each of our articles can be found in the articles tab of our website, or to search for a specific article or topic, please use our navigational bar. Do you have an Oceanic Question or Question About our Nonprofit / Newsletter? Email Us & We’ll Get Back To You As Soon As Possible. Reach Out To Us

We are a marine biology nonprofit organization, based in the United States. Our goals are to protect the ocean through education, conservation, & public involvement. What exactly does your organization do & what is it's mission? We are The Persaud Foundation, dedicated to raising ocean literacy, protecting the ocean through education, conservation, & public involvement. As of 2024, we run our marine biological science communication newsletter The Persaud Catalog, which is published 5 times per month at least, we publish online courses, we conduct local marine biological education events & we conduct public marine biological conservation events in California. We are a registered 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, based in the U.S. What exactly are your online courses? We believe in protecting the ocean through conservation, education, & public involvement. Education about the sea is essential to conservation, as people cannot understand the needs of the sea & its creatures if they do not understand our ocean & its creatures. We currently offer 5 online courses , with 4 more under construction and scheduled for release soon. Our courses vary in topic; however, they typically are about oceanic animals, as people cannot understand the needs of these animals if they do not understand the animals in the first place. Our online courses can be found here. We also recently began a new series of FREE online courses, called micro-courses, which discuss various dangers plaguing our oceans. These courses are available to anyone, no cost, & teach more about certain issues that our ocea is currently facing, such as overfishing. What is the benefit of reading your newsletter? Our newsletter, The Persaud Catalog, publishes approximately 5 times per month, with topics of articles ranging from individual marine animals, to how marine resources were used in different areas historically. In addition, we conduct interviews with marine scientists, ocean ecologists, conservationists, & science communicators alike to share the beauty, value, & wonder of the ocean & marine science with as many people as possible. We work our hardest to provide interesting, informative, & engaging articles to our supporters. Each of our articles can be found in the articles tab of our website, or to search for a specific article or topic, please use our navigational bar. Where do you most frequently conduct beach cleanups & local conservation events? We semi-frequently conduct local conservation events, or beach cleanups, in Santa Monica, California. Each beach cleanup will be listed in the Events Calendar section of our website, or our Eventbrite profile. We typically limit our attendance for each group, so please be sure to register early & register everyone in your party! Where do you conduct your local marine education events? We semi-frequently conduct local marine biological education events in Los Angeles, California. These events entail different activities such as oceanic educational storytimes, marine biology question & answer sessions, educational fact card distribution, & occasionally, oceanic colouring activities for the youth. Each event shall be listed in the Events Calendar section of our website or our Eventbrite profile. Do you accept donations? Yes! As a nonprofit organization, we gladly accept donations. Each donation is tax-deductible to the fullest extent of the law. We currently accept donations both digitally and by check. For more information on how to donate to us, please visit the donations page of our website. Each person who donates over 65$ will receive a complementary foundation-branded mug! We also accept donations of equipment. For more information, please contact us at theperaudfoundation@gmail.com . For patrons who wish to contribute on a more regular basis, please consider joining our organization as a member! For more information on memberships, please visit the memberships page of our website. Which country are you registered in as a nonprofit? We are a U.S. Registered 501(c)3 nonprofit corporation. For more information on exempt organizations in the U.S., please visit https://www.irs.gov/charities-and-nonprofits .

Hello there, Ocean Enthusiast! Welcome to the Dangers Of Ocean Acidification Micro-Course, a Micro-Course by The Persaud Foundation. In this Micro-Course, we are going to guide you through the phenomenon of Ocean Acidification, its causes, its effects, & how we can implement sustainable solutions to mitigate its impacts. After each lesson, we will have a short quiz, & at the end of the course, you will take a short exam based on everything you have learned. This course is highly visual; however, it does not require any audio equipment such as headphones or a microphone. We appreciate all of your continued interest in marine science, & appreciate your interest in our course! Now, let's take the plunge into the subject of ocean acidification!