Ocean Institute Assists in SCCWRP Hornyhead Turbot Research Study

DANA POINT, CA, May 18, 2009 - The Ocean Institute is currently assisting in a research project led by Doris Vidal-Dorsch of the Southern California Coastal Water Research Project (SCCWRP, visit www.sccwrp.org). Marine biologists onboard the Institute's R/V Sea Explorer are collecting hornyhead turbot, a bottom-dwelling flatfish, for the project.

Tim Sullivan, the Institute's Director of At Sea Programs, explained that SCCWRP researchers are trying to determine if contaminants of emerging concern, such as pharmaceuticals, personal care products, pesticides and other industrial commercial compounds, have the potential to cause effects in the hornyhead turbot.

The Institute's pivotal role supports an interdisciplinary team of university researchers, wastewater utilities, and State water quality regulatory agencies.

The Ocean Institute conducts a variety of public ocean science programs to educate youth about our seas and their inhabitants. For information, please call (949) 496-2274 or visit www.ocean-institute.org.