http://marinedebrisblog.wordpress.com/2013/10/23/rozaliaproject/
All Aboard The Rozalia Project!
October 23, 2013 by NOAA Marine Debris Program
By: Dianna Parker
On a hot, sunny Saturday afternoon in September, Hector the Collector
swims to the bottom of Hampton River in Virginia and looks for trash.
Visibility is terrible because of the sediment and plankton kicking up,
but he knows it’s down there, as it was in every other harbor he’s
searched. Giving up, he heads back to the dock, but awestruck kids will
still crowd around him later to learn about his trash dives.
Hector the Collector is yellow, weighs about 15 pounds, and has a
gripper claw, a camera, and headlights. He’s a remotely operated
vehicle, made by VideoRay, that’s a centerpiece of the Rozalia Project’s
marine debris education and outreach initiative, in partnership with the
NOAA Marine Debris Program (NOAA MPD).
“Rozalia Project is thrilled to be working with the NOAA MDP to combine
resources to both cleanup and inspire people, of all ages, to be part of
the solution to marine debris. We appreciate that NOAA’s Marine Debris
Program shares our optimism that every efforts counts and that we all
can make a difference!”
The Rozalia Project for a Clean Ocean has been around for four years
under the leadership of Rachael Miller, an enthusiastic educator,
scientist, and sailor. Its mission is to find and remove marine debris,
from the surface to the sea floor, through action, technology, outreach
and research. Pick it up, don’t point at it, is the motto, and the
Rozalia staff has gotten amazing results through those cleanups.