By: Tory Moore, 352-273-3566, torymoore@ufl.edu At the mention of climate change, most people think of melting ice and increasing global temperatures. While those are key elements of climate change, one of the lesser-known aspects is the direct impact on human health. Low-income communities, communities of color, rural communities and tribal and indigenous communities suffer the…
If coral reefs went extinct, much of our marine life would lose their essential ecosystems, millions of people would lose their main source of food, and the global economy would take a huge hit. Coral reefs are among the most ecologically rich and economically robust ecosystems on the planet. They are also among the most…
Florida Sea Grant bids a fond and optimistic farewell to Ms. Corina Guevara, our Student and Education Coordinator for the past seven years. Corina came to the United States from Guatemala in 2003, accompanying her husband, Christian, who was the recipient of a Fulbright Scholarship to pursue M.S. and then Ph.D. degrees from the University…
September is marked as Microplastics Awareness Month and September 18th is International Coastal Cleanup Day (ICC) for people around the world. As Floridians, coastal cleanups are essential to preserving the quality of life for not only humans, but for our aquatic friends as well. The Ocean Conservancy, a national nonprofit, started International Coastal Cleanup Day…
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…