The founders of the Nereus Foundation met while involved with another marine project; they talked, exchanged ideas, and came to the sudden realisation that what seemed like a simple, commonsense concept to them was being debated and discussed by many senior people in the scientific, education and shipping communities.
The constant reaction to the Foundation's mission statement and goals put together by the founders can best be summed up by one very senior figure who said, simply: 'This is an idea whose time has come'.
The founders had an apparent runaway concept on their hands.
People wanted, positively, to be involved. People offered suggestions, provided introductions, and spent hours explaining things scientific. The goodwill and the enthusiasm was palpable.
Translating that enthusiasm into the reality of a functioning, viable organisation is the hard part and is a work in progress.
It will be achieved.
Founders: Chris Nicholls & Alan Edenborough
(Updated: January 2007)