THE EARLY YEARS: 1970 - 1983
The Habitat Programs: 1984 - 1988 | TEEC & MITS 1992-1998 | MarineLab: 1985 - present day
Marine Resources Development Foundation (MRDF) began in 1970 in the United States Virgin Islands, created by its current President, Ian G. Koblick . During the subsequent years, MRDF worked with the Governor of the U.S. Virgin Islands and the Governor of Puer Rico, helping these islands establish ocean policies, set up marine training programs, operate undersea labs, improve fisheries techniques, test new diving equipment, initiatie environmental management strategies, and develop marine archeological and commercial diving techniques.
From 1971 to 1976, MRDF developed, built and managed the government-sponsored Puerto Rico International Undersea Laboratory (PRINUL) program. This extensive research program was designed to demonstrate the value of using undersea habitats to inventory marine resources. Using the island of Puerto Rico as a mini-continent, the project was meant to be a model for a similar program for North America. Located on a 30-acre site, the Foundation operated the most advanced undersea laboratory in the world, the La Chalupa habitat. Designed and managed by Ian Koblick, this habitat program achieved major accomplishments in the development of ocean research and saturation diving technology.
In 1976, MRDF moved its headquarters to Florida and began working with the U.S. Department of Commerce on the creation of a national ocean program. From 1981 through 1982, the Foundation operated The Golden Venture, a 147 foot research vessel equipped with submarines, cranes, and diving equipment designed for ocean exploration projects. In 1982, MRDF used The Golden Venture to locate and uncover artifacts from the sunken Spanish galleon, Nuestra Senora de Atocha
- one of the most significant shipwreck finds in American waters. Next...