Re: How do researchs get funded for using sea animals products and what animals

Nicole,

I actually do marine natural products research only minutes away from where 
you live!  I will answer your question in 2 parts:

1)  Funding - It depends on how commercially important a product could be.  
If it could be profitable, you can typically get a corporation like Kelco 
(no longer under that name - but they are the kelp harvesters) to sponsor 
your research.  If your work is of a more basic scientific nature, there 
are many public and private granting agencies to ask for funding.  These 
include the California Sea Grant Program, the National Science Foundation, 
the National Institutes of Health, just to name a few.  You try to match 
your research interests with the funding interests of these and other 
agencies.

2)  There are hundreds of marine products other than fish and shellfish 
being sold today.  For example, the carrageenan from kelp and xanthum gum 
from other marine algae are found as thickening agents in ice cream, 
toothpaste, and many other products.  There are several anti-cancer 
treatments in clinical trials right now, such as ecteinascidin 743 from a 
marine tunicate.  There is even a product called Resilience that is sold by 
Estee Lauder as an anti-wrinkle cream that contains an extract of a sea 
whip (Pseudopterogorgia elizabethae) as a major active ingredient due to 
the anti-inflammatory properties of this extract.  There is a wonderful 
display about this at the Stephen Birch Aquarium in La Jolla.  I recommend 
a field trip!

Dr. Jackie Trischman
Assistant Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry
Cal State San Marcos