This is an insider's description of the comprehensive scientific project Census of Marine Life, and what it is revealing as ocean life is seriously threatened. The Census of Marine Life was launched in the year 2000 with the goal of producing the first-ever ocean census by 2010. Two thousand scientists from 82 nations agreed to the mandate to answer three important questions: what once lived in the global ocean? what is living there now? what will live there in the future? With the census nearing completion, scientists around the world will inherit critical data that will be studied for decades to come. It will be a basis for answering such simple questions as what will become of sharks, whales and reefs? World Ocean Census deals with the adventures, experiences and the process of gathering the data, and reveals the stories behind the World Ocean Census. It also details the most fascinating findings and exciting discoveries, the thrills encountered and the difficulties overcome, all illustrated with fabulous images captured during the project's explorations.