The International SeaKeepers Society (ISS) is a non-profit organization of international business and political leaders who work toward the awareness and protection of the world's oceans.
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The International SeaKeepers Society was founded in 1998 by Albert Gersten and Tom Houston along with a group of concerned yacht owners who wanted to make a global impact in the preservation of the oceans. Their mission was to construct a monitoring unit that would provide data to scientists about the conditions of the seas. The resulting unit was called the SeaKeeper 1000, and since its inception, it has been deployed on more than 90 platforms across the globe including yachts, cruise ships, buoys, and piers. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the U.S. National Weather Service are currently utilizing the SeaKeeper 1000 on many of their NOAA vessels to better monitor oceanographic changes.[1]
The SeaKeeper 1000 unit is designed to record weather and near surface oceanographic data automatically. It then transmits the data via NOAA satellites and through the Global Telecommunication System (GTS). The design of the unit requires minimal maintenance which makes it ideal for yacht owners who contribute to ocean monitoring.
The SeaKeeper 1000 unit won the 2002 Environment Award from The Tech Museum of Innovation.[2]
The Society partners with organizations and businesses who navigate vessels on the world's oceans to install the SeaKeeper 1000 on their ships.[3] As of 2002, 61 society members and 4 cruise lines had installed SeaKeeper 1000, and 14 yacht manufacturers had agreed to include the technology on their boats/ships.[2]
In response to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, a collaboration of ISS, researchers at the University of South Florida and environmental sensor company YSI were able to attach and interface a hydrocarbon sensor to the SeaKeeper 1000 environmental monitor in June 2010. The new sensor is being added to existing SeaKeeper 1000 units, which will begin establishing a baseline in areas outside the spill zone, and track oil plumes in the Loop current and Gulf stream.[4]
The SeaKeeper Award is an annual presentation during the Bal de la Mer[5] charity event in Monaco. The honor is bestowed upon an "individual who has demonstrated extraordinary commitment to marine conservation", according to the organization's website. The commendation originated in 1996, and the artwork which symbolizes the award was designed by Dale Evers.[6][7]