PORTLAND, ME – Active waterfronts fuel coastal economies from Maine to Alaska, but demographic and financial changes threaten to transform America’s working shorelines. On Thursday, September 30, US Representative Chellie Pingree will charge working waterfront advocates with creating a national strategy for protecting and enhancing access for fishing, boating, and marine industries as part of…
All That Sheens May Not Be Oil…or Tar Balls, Either By Bill Mahan, Florida Sea Grant Agent, County Extension Director, Franklin/UF IFAS Extension Program As a result of the BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill, anyone out boating in the Gulf of Mexico region or walking the beach is keeping an eye out for oil. In…
Two graduate students at universities in Florida have been named the inaugural winners of the Guy Harvey Excellence Award, recognizing their outstanding achievement in marine science research. Melinda J. Donnelly, a Ph.D. student in conservation biology at the University of Central Florida, and Austin Todd, a Ph.D. student in physical oceanography at Florida State University,…
By Mickie Anderson, UF/IFAS New (GAINESVILLE, Fla.) — As Floridians brace for more crude oil on the state’s coasts, University of Florida researchers are racing to complete several newly funded projects that will help assess the magnitude of damage done by the spill. One will look at an organism that is a sentinel for the…
Recorded Webinar: What is Coastal and Marine Spatial Planning? Watch the Webinar Run time 55 min. (Note: You may be asked to open and run a Java file. Afterward, wait a moment and playback will begin shortly.) This webinar was broadcast nationally March 4 by Florida Sea Grant’s Boating and Waterway Planning Program. The presenter…
Boats may become contaminated as a result of the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill. Contaminated boats will have to be decontaminated. While the specifics of the decontamination process are still being worked out, here is the latest information for Florida. Please remember that this decontamination plan is preliminary and is subject to change without prior notice.…
Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill, One Year Later: NOAA Research scientists have taken advantage of opportunities to study and learn from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. What they learned not only helped guide the response to Deepwater Horizon, but also will be applicable to oil spills that may take place in the future. The Deepwater Horizon…
Since the explosion on the Deepwater Horizon oil rig, law firms seeking clients for litigation related to the oil spill have been advertising their services throughout Florida and the Gulf region. Although you may be entitled to compensation from BP and other responsible parties for certain losses, you should exercise caution when making legal decisions,…
Assisting injured animals may seem like a great idea; however, in disasters what seems helpful can be harmful and even dangerous. Picking up an animal that has been exposed to crude oil is a bad idea for several reasons. First, oil is a hazardous material that can cause damage if it comes into direct contact…
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has produced a variety of publications, fact sheets, and one-pagers about the effects of oil spills on coastal and marine resources. Florida Sea Grant has selected the publications most relevant to Floridians and posted them below, along with a brief description of each publication’s contents. All-Purpose Oil Spill Info…