The Sir Alister Hardy Foundation for Ocean Science (SAHFOS) is an international charity that operates the Continuous Plankton Recorder (CPR) survey. The Foundation has been collecting data from the North Atlantic and the North Sea on biogeography and ecology of plankton since 1931. More recently, as the foundation has become more involved in international projects, work has been expanded to include other regions around the globe.
The results of the survey are used by marine biologists scientific institutes and in environmental change studies across the world. The CPR team is based in Plymouth, England and consists of analysts, technicians, researchers and administrators, who all play an integral part in the running of the survey.
The foundation is a charity and company limited by guarantee. It depends on voluntary cooperation of the international shipping community. A consortium of agencies from nine countries, the EU and international organisations provide financial support.