After successfully writing a grant proposal for the NOAA Sea Grant & The Aquatic Invasive Species Program, Susan Sember and Dr. Bud Cross, in collaboration with NOAA research biologist Paula Whitfield, see the lionfish educational and outreach objectives begin to materialize today in a dynamic and wide-reaching way. Months of research and communication with the NOAA scientists, as well as with the medical, SCUBA, fishing, aquarium and the coastal target communities, lead now to the production of our high definition products. In addition, the opportunity to be a part of the R/V Nancy Foster lionfish research cruise provides an unmatched platform for this vitally important invasive species subject matter.
Susan Sember, President and Founder of EISF and Executive Producer on the Lionfish Project; Betsy Crowfoot, writer; Dr. Bud Cross, EISF Scientific Advisor; Norbert Wu, underwater high definition cinematographer; and Curtis Callaway, topside high definition cinematographer all head to North Carolina to participate in the NOAA lionfish research cruise today. A bit tired from the intense preparation for this production shoot but running on excitement and adrenalin, the team-each flying from different cities and every part of the country-heads to the east coast in great anticipation of discovering the “Lions of the Deep.”