It's the most expensive project of its kind, costing $1bn
What's checked: Pacific shorelines, North Atlantic sea floor, hydrothermal vents, coastal salmon runs, and animals of the abyss
In Angola, there's an aquatic environment with more species per area than any other area on earth
So far 15,304 species of fish have been noted down.
Between 2,000 - 3,000 more are expected to join the list by the end of the project in 2010 and many will be previously unknown species.
Programme director Jesse Ausubel said: "We are at the start of a great adventure, like going to the moon," he added. "But we know more about the surface of the moon."
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