Water quality sampling volunteer

Florida Water Watch Helps Communities Monitor Their Waterbodies

Since 2014, UF/IFAS Extension Florida Sea Grant agents have engaged citizen scientists to help gather data that managers need to evaluate coastal waters. Agents train citizens in agency-approved water quality-testing protocols and provide them with the equipment they need. While the data cannot be used for regulatory purposes, it provides researchers and managers a higher resolution view of trends…

Coastal Policy Analyst Fellowship Opportunity

Applications due March 31, 2021 PLEASE SHARE WIDELY (PDF version) The University of Florida Center for Coastal Solutions (CSS) and Florida Sea Grant (FSG) are pleased to announce a new year-long (12-month) coastal policy analyst opportunity to advance the development and implementation of science-based coastal policy in Florida. The position will support the mission of Florida Sea Grant through the…

Private: Fisheries and Conservation in the Coral ECA: A Stakeholder Process

Public Input Needed For Southeast Coral Reef Ecosystem Conservation Area

By: Lourdes Rodriguez, 954-577-6363 office, 954-242-8439 mobile, rodriguezl@ufl.edu FLORIDA – Florida’s coral reef ecosystems are at a critical state of vulnerability and in need of conservation efforts. Of much concern is the Southeast Coral Reef Ecosystem Conservation Area, also referred to as the Coral ECA, the northernmost part of Florida’s reef tract stretching from the…

collage of three graduate students named 2021 Aylesworth Scholars

Meet The 2021 Aylesworth Scholars

Three graduate students at Florida universities have been named recipients of scholarships from the Aylesworth Foundation for the Advancement of Marine Sciences. The winners are Scott Alford, a doctoral student at University of Florida; Amy Fellgren, a master’s student at University of West Florida; and Katherine Harris, a master’s student at University of Central Florida. Since 1986,…

New Document Helps Measure Benefits of Living Shorelines

Living shorelines use natural materials like sand, oysters, and marsh grass to protect coastal property from erosion and to promote ecosystem health and improved water quality. UF/IFAS Sea Grant agents and affiliate researchers have created a series of documents that describe how living shorelines function, what their benefits are, as well as permitting and installation…

FSG Affiliate Researcher Ashley Smyth on CBS’s Mission Unstoppable

FSG Affiliate Researcher Talks Oysters & Ecosystems on CBS’s Mission Unstoppable

Updated 1/12/2020: The episode is now live. Enjoy below! Florida Sea Grant affiliate researcher, Ashley Smyth, will be featured this Saturday, January 9, on the CBS television show, Mission Unstoppable with Miranda Cosgrove! The program “celebrates women who have become superstars in STEM-related careers” and is geared to a K-12 audience. On the show, Smyth,…

oyster restoration project

Potential Economic Benefits of Restoring Commercial Oyster Harvest Levels in Apalachicola Bay, Florida

By: Susan K Gildersleeve, EDIS editor, UF/IFAS Communications, (352) 294-3318, skgilder@ufl.edu Florida’s Apalachicola Bay has long been known for its oyster harvesting and processing industry, but a steady decline in oyster landings in the Bay has threatened the industry. The complex nature of the human and natural systems that together affect Apalachicola’s oyster reefs has…