LA JOLLA, Calif. -- If you've got $15,000, the Scripps Institution of Oceanography in San Diego will name a new species of sea slug after you. For $50,000, you could attach your name to a hydrothermal vent worm.

Scripps is offering the chance to name about a dozen newly discovered species for a tax-deductible donation. Bids start at $5,000.

The money will benefit the institution's collection of ocean life collected over the past century. Scripps lost state funding six years ago and has been struggling to keep the collections afloat.

A growing number of research institutions and conservation groups have turned to raising money by selling species naming rights to the highest bidder.