Gainesville, Fla. (September 14, 2021) – Have you ever caught and released a fish only to see it float away on the surface? Each year millions of reef fish are discarded — and many die — due to barotrauma, damage caused by the rapid expansion of gases in fish brought to the surface. Return ‘Em…
Two writers from Florida universities have been awarded $1,000 each as the 2021 recipients of the Florida Outdoors Writers Association scholarship for outdoor communicators. The winners are Mack White, a PhD candidate in Earth Systems Science at Florida International University in the Coastal Fisheries Research lab and Megan Cahill, an undergraduate at the University of…
By: Brad Buck Originally posted at UF/IFAS News Betty Staugler, Harmful Algal Bloom Liaison Betty Staugler, a veteran Florida Sea Grant UF/IFAS Extension agent will now work in a larger role to help mitigate harmful algal blooms nationwide. For 17 years as an Extension agent, Staugler has been based at the UF/IFAS Extension Charlotte County…
Thank you to those who took the time to enter their photographs into our 2021 Keep Our Oceans Clean Photo Contest during last month’s #PlasticFreeJuly themed event. Our panel of judges were blown away by each photo submission and the commitments made to preserving the environment around us from the threat of plastic pollution. The…
Calling all shutterbugs! Show us what motivates you to reduce your plastic use. In celebration of Plastic-Free July, Florida Sea Grant is running a photo contest to honor the many motivations that lead individuals to cut back their plastic use, opting instead to reduce, reuse, recycle, or refuse. Plastics are present in our everyday life—but…
People love Florida-farmed clams. They are great on pasta or to eat baked, steamed or raw. Sales of these munchable mollusks typically peak around holidays, but during the 2020 Memorial Day weekend, Florida clam farmers watched as markets for their product dwindled in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic. Restaurants and bars are the largest…
Communities in the South Atlantic coastal region are increasingly experiencing the effects of re-occurring flooding from sea-level rise, which compromises infrastructure critical to transportation, stormwater and emergency operations. This ‘nuisance flooding’ also impacts the quality of life for residents faced with disruption of essential services and reduced mobility. The effects of rising seas and flooding…
Save the date for goliath grouper! The 12th Annual Great Goliath Grouper Count is scheduled to take place June 1–14, 2021. The Great Goliath Grouper Count is a stakeholder driven effort, made possible through collaboration with Florida Sea Grant, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and county partners. Every year, the project provides a “snapshot”…
Each year, Florida Sea Grant awards the $1000 Skoch Scholarship to an outstanding high school senior competing in the State Science and Engineering Fair of Florida. The scholarship recognizes promising young researchers in a coastal or marine science-related field. This year’s winner is Camila Rimoldi Ibanez, a senior in the dual enrollment program at Sebring…
Harmful Algal Blooms and Piney Point Reservoir Piney Point is a wastewater storage facility located in Manatee County, Florida. In late March of 2021, a tear was reported in the liner of the largest pond putting the reservoir — which contains processed water from a former phosphate facility, seawater from a Port Manatee dredge project, and…