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Saving corals
Fighting coral disease in the Florida Keys WHO GOES THERE?
LEARNING FROM LOSS
RED TIDE INSTITUTE
Wiring the Bay to listen for multiple species
Responding to animal strandings
Founding donors support mitigation research
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VOLUME 79
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Mote Magazine (ISSN 1553-1104) is published by Mote Marine Laboratory, a world-class nonprofit organization devoted to the ocean and its future. Through marine science stories, Mote hopes to enhance ocean literacy among the public and encourage conservation and sustainable use of marine resources. PRESIDENT & CEO Michael P. Crosby, Ph.D. EDITOR Hayley Rutger
07 WHO GOES THERE? Rays, sharks, dolphins, sportfishes prized by anglers, and other species spend part or all of their lives in Sarasota Bay, its creeks, or the passes connecting these inshore areas to neighboring Gulf of Mexico waters. Scientist lacked a unified, local system to monitor this array of species — until recently. Enter the Sarasota Coast Acoustic Network.
GRAPHIC DESIGNERS
Alexis Balinski, Catalina Montalvo CONTRIBUTING WRITERS
Amanda Chandler, Kaitlyn Fusco, Stephannie Kettle, Hayley Rutger CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS
Kevin Bauman, Jim Culter, Sarah Glaser/One Earth Future, Conor Goulding, frantisek hojdysz/Adobe Stock, Stephannie Kettle, Chip Litherland/ New College of Florida, Dr. Vincent Lovko, Rick Moskovitz, Kim Pederson, Michael Persson, Haley Preininger, Mark Sickles, Rob Vernon/AZA, Tonya Wiley/ Havenworth Coastal Conservation
Mote Magazine is proud to recognize Sarasota Magazine as its publishing partner. For information on sponsorship, please contact Sarasota Magazine at 941-478-1109.
On the cover Mote's science-based strategy for restoring Florida's coral reefs. Story: Page 20 Photo by: Conor Goulding
PHOTO BY: CONOR GOULDING/MOTE MARINE LABORATORY.
05 MARINE IMMUNOLOGY Study could improve manatee rehabilitation
26 EXTINCT IN NATURE? Fascinating story of African lake fish
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LEARNING FROM LOSS Responding to an unusual mortality event
28 OCEANIC EVENING Mote Science Education Aquarium is part of our broader vision for the future
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DEEP EXPLORATION Blue hole studies advance using high-tech bottom lander
19 RESILIENT CORALS Genetic diversity for reef restoration
30 MOTE MILESTONES Aquarium hero; Campaign Director 31
SPECIAL EVENTS A sneak peek at Mote's upcoming events
C OV E R STO RY
20 ISSUES & IMPACTS A senator and a scientist discuss coral restoration 21
32 LEGACY MEMBER SPOTLIGHT Meet Kathleen Cellura
FISHERIES ENHANCEMENT Amid red tide, snook need our help
24 RED TIDE INSTITUTE Founding donors support mitigation research
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Board of Trustees CHAIRMAN
Letter from the President URGENT ISSUES REQUIRE ACTION.
Robert A. Essner VICE-CHAIRMAN
Dr. Howard (Sam) Seider, Jr. TREASURER
LTG Howard G. Crowell (USA Ret) SECRETARY
Sandra Stuart PRESIDENT & CEO
As I write this, Florida’s Gulf Coast has been beleaguered by a year-long red tide bloom stretching well over 100 miles. Here at Mote, our hearts go out to all those whose lives and livelihoods have been affected. We all share a blend of emotions including sadness, resolve, anger, desperation and hope for the future. With financial support from donors and the State of Florida, Mote scientists are working tirelessly with many partners to respond to this red tide by: assessing impacts to fisheries and launching a major snook stock enhancement program; ramping up response capabilities for sea turtle and marine mammal strandings; determining airborne toxin impacts to humans; and increasing water quality monitoring.
Dr. Michael P. Crosby Arthur L. Armitage, Chairman Emeritus Eugene Beckstein, Chairman Emeritus Philip (Mickey) Callanen Robert E. Carter, Chairman Emeritus Ronald D. Ciaravella Scott Collins Maurice Cunniffe Frederick M. Derr, P.E., Chairman Emeritus Richard O. Donegan Rogan Donelly Dean H. Eisner James D. Ericson Susan C. Gilmore Judy Graham, Chairman Emeritus Penelope Kingman Trudo Letschert Kirk Malcolm Elizabeth Moore G. Lowe Morrison, Past Chairman Rande Ridenour Alan Rose Charles R. Smith Jeanie Stevenson
We are also transitioning years of innovative red tide research by Mote and partners into science-based solutions for mitigating and controlling bloom impacts, to benefit Gulf Coast ecosystems, communities and economies. This issue of Mote Magazine shares how Mote scientists — aided by generous donations and peer-reviewed government funding — are addressing the most challenging red tide in a decade, with one goal: working together and emerging with an even stronger scientific foundation for attacking harmful algal blooms. Once the latest red tide is out of public sight, it certainly will not be out of mind at Mote. Mote scientists are also responding to an unprecedented outbreak of coral disease assaulting the last vestiges of a once-vibrant barrier reef ecosystem in the Florida Keys. It’s crystal clear that even the best science and conservation efforts alone cannot solve this dilemma. Therefore, Mote is leading a consortium of partners in a paradigm-changing, science-based, coral reef restoration revolution to bring back to life a vibrant and self-perpetuating “rainforest of the sea” over the next decade. Amid these ecological emergencies in our coastal marine ecosystems, independent and objective science is vital to cut through bureaucratic red tape and counter-productive finger-pointing and to empower an ocean-literate public to advocate for science-based solutions to the ocean’s grand challenges. Our vision for Mote Science Education Aquarium (Mote SEA), the hub of learning we plan to create on mainland Sarasota County, emphasizes just that — helping visitors from around the world and every school in our region enhance their level of ocean literacy. We were thrilled to share exciting updates on Mote SEA during October’s Oceanic Evening gala, and we’re delighted to share them with you, our Mote family, in these pages. Sincerely,
Michael P. Crosby, Ph.D., FLS President & CEO
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MARINE IMMUNOLOGY
Get well soon(er)?
Seeking better treatments for manatees poisoned by red tide BY STEPHANNIE KETTLE
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he sight of a manatee grazing in a residential canal or bobbing just off the beach is treasured by most southwest Florida residents and visitors. Unfortunately, when a bloom of Florida red tide, caused by the microscopic alga Karenia brevis, moves into the area, it can have devastating impacts on manatees. Manatees may suffer from red tide exposure sickness, called brevetoxicosis, after eating seagrass with attached filter-feeding organisms that have accumulated red tide brevetoxins or after breathing in the aerosolized brevetoxins. Affected manatees may seem “intoxicated” in the water, with uncoordinated swimming patterns and difficulty coming up for air, potentially leading to
death. At press time in late October 2018, 188 manatees were suspected to have perished due to the intense red tide bloom off southwest Florida’s coast. While marine scientists and conservationists cannot prevent manatees from becoming affected by red tide toxins, they are working hard to improve treatment efforts for rescued manatees to ensure this beloved species can continue to thrive. Mote Marine Laboratory’s own Dr. Cathy Walsh, Program Manager for Marine Immunology, is co-leading a new, three-year project with the ultimate goal of improving veterinary care for rescued manatees suffering from red tide exposure.
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In fall 2018, Florida International University (FIU) chemist Dr. Kathleen Rein and Walsh at Mote launched the project, which is funded through a $428,000 grant from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s ECOHAB program. Red tide toxins can compromise a manatee’s immune system, causing a harmful phenomenon known as oxidative stress and leaving the animal vulnerable to illness. The project will consist of studying how manatee immune system cells respond to certain antioxidants. The goal is to identify those antioxidants that may work better than the current treatment for rescued manatees, which uses anti-inflammatory substances. “The current approach is simply to give palliative care and wait for them to clear the toxin and get better,” Rein said. “This new treatment could accelerate the healing process. If this treatment is successful, it could be used with many other animals including dolphins, turtles and birds.” “We’re identifying what compounds are the most promising in minimizing oxidative stress levels so they can be tested in a veterinary setting with these animals in the future,” Walsh said. “The need for better treatment is underscored by the current, long-lasting bloom of Florida red tide and its intense impacts on Florida manatees.”
Below: A manatee surfaces in a canal near Sarasota Bay.
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Above: Dr. Cathy Walsh, Manager of Mote's Marine Immunology Research Program, is co-leading a new, three-year project with the ultimate goal of improving veterinary care for rescued manatees suffering from red tide exposure.
The 2017-2018 red tide bloom, though not the longest in Florida’s history, is nonetheless uncommon and serious. In general, Florida red tide is to blame for 10 percent of manatee deaths over the last 10 years. During bloom years, that number can jump to 30 percent. This important research, if ultimately applied to veterinary care, could greatly improve the success rate for rehabilitating rescued manatees and returning them as soon as possible into their natural habitat.
HABITAT ECOLOGY & ACOUSTICS
WHO GOES THERE? Listening for multiple marine species through a Bay-wide network BY HAYLEY RUTGER
On Sarasota Bay, Florida, human life has patterns — snowbird season and summer boating season, for example. Those patterns can be disrupted by hurricanes, Florida red tides and other disturbances — and societal leaders must keep track of changes for the good of their communities. Animals in Sarasota Bay have their own patterns and challenges, but those are far less understood. Rays, sharks, dolphins, sportfishes prized by anglers, and other species spend part or all of their lives in the Bay, its creeks, or the passes connecting these inshore areas to neighboring Gulf of Mexico waters. Current knowledge about them is hard-won, through multiple research programs undertaking years or decades of boat surveys, photographing or tagging countless animals for identification with later re-sightings or recaptures, tracking through radio telemetry, and more. Until recently, Sarasota Bay lacked a unified system to monitor such a wide array of species at all hours. Now, thanks to a multi-institution team, that system has launched and is producing its first results.
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HABITAT ECOLOGY & ACOUSTICS
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tarting in 2015, scientists from Mote Marine Laboratory, the Sarasota Dolphin Research Program (SDRP)*, New College of Florida, Florida Atlantic University (FAU) and Loggerhead Instruments** established the Sarasota Coast Acoustic Network (SCAN). The network has two primary components: tracking tagged animals and listening for environmental sounds including those produced by dolphins and fishes.
SCAN fills a gap in the young-but-growing, scientific network iTAG: Integrated Tracking of Aquatic Animals in the Gulf of Mexico. Some 90 members of iTAG have built
*A Chicago Zoological Society program in collaboration with Mote **A Sarasota-based design and manufacturing company
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Proposed passive receivers Installed land-based acoustic stations
Palma Sola Bay Cortez Bridge
Proposed land-based acoustic + video stations Long Bar Point
Longboat Pass
Bowless Creek
Sarasota Bay
As of fall 2018, SCAN included 48 acoustic receivers able to detect tagged bull sharks, blacktip sharks, great hammerheads, spotted eagle rays, common snook and other species in the passes between Sarasota Bay’s barrier islands, at creek mouths opening into the Bay, under bridges, and at nearshore and offshore reefs. SCAN also includes three underwater “listening stations” recording sounds of dolphins, fishes and human activity. SCAN has grown with funding support from Mote Scientific Foundation, Disney Conservation Fund and private donors.
iTAG, you tag, we all get data
Installed passive receivers
Manatee Ave. Bridge
Some SCAN members tag marine animals with acoustic transmitters that regularly emit an ultrasonic “ping” too high-pitched for human hearing. Each animal’s unique signal can be detected by underwater receivers the team installed between Anna Maria Island and Venice, Florida.
“We are multiple researchers coming together to understand this system as a whole, including how several animal species might interact at specific places over time,” said Kim Bassos-Hull, Senior Biologist with Mote’s Sharks & Rays Conservation Research Program and SDRP, who coordinates the tracking of tagged fish for SCAN. “Through tagging and listening systems, we’re monitoring for predators as well as prey. For example, large sharks and dolphins are top predators in the Bay, while rays and snook are each at lower levels of the food web. The data will help us investigate how each of these animals, and the system, respond to challenges like cold snaps, human interaction, storms, predation by other animals, pollution and Florida red tide.”
Passive Acoustic Receivers
Anna Maria Sound
Whitaker Bayou
Longboat Line
Hudson Bayou
New Pass
Siesta Key Bridge
Big Sarasota Pass
GULF OF MEXICO
Phillippi Creek
Siesta Line
North Creek
Offshore Reef Locations MD1
Midnight Pass (closed)
Sarasota Bay
M1 M7
South Creek
Alan Fisher
Cuda Hole M8
Silvertooth
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Above: A map of the SCAN receivers and land-based acoustic stations around Sarasota Bay.
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HABITAT ECOLOGY & ACOUSTICS
a “patchwork quilt” of acoustic receiver arrays that detect tagged wildlife around the Gulf of Mexico. iTAG members share data — for instance, when a fish tagged by one scientist pings on another scientist’s receiver — to understand animal movements, residency and responses to disturbances over a wide scale. When animals tagged in the Gulf migrate to Florida’s Atlantic coast, they can be detected by another network, Florida Atlantic Coast Telemetry (FACT). Why do scientists need these networks? FACT’s logo says it all: “Fish move.”
Better baseline SCAN is beefing up the baseline data on Sarasota Bay — a fundamental understanding of its animals and their circumstances, which sets the bar to measure change over time. The first animals tagged for SCAN were the near-threatened spotted eagle rays — whose leopard-patterned wings can stretch wider than a human is tall. Their basic migration patterns remain a key mystery for conservation and management. Bassos-Hull of Mote and colleagues began studying southwest Florida’s spotted eagle rays in 2009, then Mote and FAU partners acoustic-tagged 16 rays in 2016, eight in 2017 and 10 during 2018 in the Sarasota Bay region. Those rays have since been detected on receivers as far away as the Florida Keys and Panhandle, and most have revisited Sarasota with timing opposite of human snowbirds.
“The network of acoustic receivers in Sarasota Bay greatly enhances this work — by acoustic tagging and tracking animals, we are able to determine whether the young animals that we see are resident in the Bay or just passing through,” Gardiner said. “Also, finding newborn blacktip sharks provides a good indication that there might be a primary nursery here — a place where they are born — and recently we’ve placed new acoustic receivers where we suspect the nursery might be.” During 2017 Gardiner and colleagues acoustic-tagged four young-of-the-year blacktip sharks in Sarasota Bay and one pregnant female just off Longboat Pass. She wants to know if they will return year after year, including to give birth. She hopes long-lasting acoustic tags will yield valuable insight, as they have through earlier studies of blacktips in Terra Ceia Bay in Palmetto. “In Terra Ceia Bay, tagging efforts have already shown that some blacktips return again and again. The tags we’ve been putting out in Sarasota Bay have a 10-year battery life; we need more than a few years to understand the long-term patterns here.” Other shark species interest the SCAN partners because of their interactions with Sarasota Bay’s long-term resident Below: Mote Captain Greg Byrd works on one of the underwater receivers in Sarasota Bay. Bottom: One of the solar-powered listening stations, visible from the shores of Sarasota Bay.
“Our data suggest the rays are seasonally resident in Sarasota Bay and nearby Gulf coastal waters, leaving during winter months and returning to the area for spring through fall,” Bassos-Hull said. “This information we’re gathering through SCAN and the broader iTAG and FACT networks is vital to understand and effectively manage this species, which is protected in Florida state waters but fished for in neighboring countries such as Cuba and Mexico.”
PHOTOS BY: RICK MOSKOVITZ
In spring 2018 Bassos-Hull and colleagues trained a scientist from ECOSUR in Campeche, Mexico, in ray-tagging research, as ECOSUR scientists hope to implement a similar acoustic array in Laguna de Términos in the southern Gulf of Mexico. Sharks are also in the SCAN spotlight. Monthly gillnet surveys led by Dr. Jayne Gardiner, Assistant Professor of Biology and Director of Pritzker Marine Biology Research Center at New College of Florida, and Mote Adjunct Scientist, have found young blacktip sharks in Sarasota Bay, even newborns — intriguing data that Gardiner is sharing with the NOAA-led Gulf of Mexico Shark Pupping and Nursery Area (GULFSPAN) project and augmenting through SCAN.
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Above: Scientists acoustic-tag various fishes for monitoring via SCAN. Dolphins are detected by listening stations. Dolphin photo credit: Sarasota Dolphin Research Program under NMFS Permit No. 15443
bottlenose dolphin population, which SDRP has studied since 1970. Krystan Wilkinson, a University of Florida graduate student working with SDRP, said: “We have learned a lot about these dolphins, and Mote has learned a lot about sharks along the Gulf Coast, and now we want a better look at how large sharks — particularly bull sharks — use the Sarasota Bay estuary itself, because they’re a natural source of mortality for these dolphins. The information we gain is of value for the conservation and management of the dolphins as well as the sharks.” Dolphins are not acoustic-tagged because they can hear and would be disturbed by the high-frequency pings. Instead, SDRP and Loggerhead Instruments established “listening stations,” at Mote on City Island, Sarasota, at Longboat Key and at Cortez/Palma Sola. These stations and related software were designed by Loggerhead Instruments to record and process underwater sounds, and are being optimized to detect dolphin whistles and echolocation. The data are available in near-real-time, accessible via the internet. The system can pick up dolphin echolocation clicks as indications of presumed feeding, and the individually specific signature whistles that serve as names for each dolphin. “My dolphin acoustic colleagues and I have dreamed of being able to remotely observe Sarasota’s dolphins acoustically since the 1980s, when we first determined that these dolphins had unique whistle identifiers — Dr. David Mann of Loggerhead Instruments is bringing this dream to life,” said Dr. Randall Wells, director of the SDRP. “We are interested in the overall soundscape of the Bay and how ambient and human-made noise may mask dolphin communications or fish sounds they need to hear to find their prey,” said Dr. Katie McHugh, Staff Scientist with SDRP. “Sound is important for dolphin communication, and we want to better document their vocalizations and better understand how boats or other human-made noises might impede their communication.” SDRP scientists are currently seeking new sites where waterfront residents might be willing to host additional listening stations. In 2017, Mote fisheries scientists brought the popular sportfish common snook into SCAN, building upon the Lab’s decades of
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SHARK PHOTOS BY: CHIP LITHERLAND /
other snook research, including a locally novel effort by University of Florida and Mote to acoustic tag Sarasota Bay snook in 2004-5 to better understand causes of their mortality. For SCAN, Mote scientists installed acoustic receivers in six main tidal creeks entering Sarasota Bay, and as of September 2018 they’ve acoustic-tagged 37 snook, with the goal of tracking movements between areas used for shelter and breeding. “Tidal creeks are nursery areas where young snook start their lives and adult snook overwinter, and we need to understand which snook from which creeks end up at specific Bay passes where adults spawn during summer — if one creek environment is disturbed, which spawning aggregations are affected?” said Dr. Ryan Schloesser, Postdoctoral Scientist in Mote’s Fisheries Ecology & Enhancement Program. “So far, one of the fish we tagged in South Creek showed up on the acoustic array in Venice. Do all the fish that overwinter in South Creek always go to Venice to spawn? That’s one kind of question that interests us.” Mote scientists have noted that some snook in the region have been hit hard by this year’s ongoing bloom of Florida red tide — including large, breeding individuals. However, some may be better off. One adult snook tagged this year in Venice Inlet traveled all the way into Phillippi Creek, Schloesser said: “Phillippi Creek provided that snook a refuge from the red tide.”
Fleeing the bloom? The 2017-2018 bloom of Florida red tide algae (Karenia brevis) killed tens of thousands of fishes, including sharks and rays, and also killed or sickened numerous sea turtles, dolphins and manatees. How the SCAN-tagged animals fared during the bloom is an open question to be explored as scientists retrieve acoustic receivers to download and analyze this year’s data. In 2016, another red tide bloom coincided with interesting behavior among Mote-tagged spotted eagle rays, which normally leave the area for the winter.
HABITAT ECOLOGY & ACOUSTICS
of the local resident dolphin population died from ingesting fishing gear. SDRP hopes to establish new listening stations at sites used heavily by both humans and dolphins, such as western New Pass, the eastern shore of Sarasota Bay, north and east Siesta Key, and an Anna Maria Island site, potentially with video recorders. NEW COLLEGE OF FLORIDA; TONYA WILEY / HAVENWORTH COASTAL CONSERVATION
In October 2016, some tagged rays lingered along Sarasota Bay. “When we downloaded the data from our receivers, we said, wow, the rays that were still here left the area right when red tide arrived,” Bassos-Hull said. “We had a suspicion that the rays have the ability to move away from red tide, but we didn’t previously have hard data on that. Did the red tide speed up their departure to their winter habitat?” By April 2017, that red tide bloom had declined, and, “Boom — the rays were back,” she said. The next bloom, which started in October 2017 persisted into fall 2018, intensified in Sarasota Bay during July, into August and September. “This red tide bloom hit our area hard at a different time of year than the last one,” Bassos-Hull said. “When we next download data from our receivers, it will be really interesting to see if the rays have left our area months earlier than normal.” SDRP’s and Loggerhead Instruments’ listening stations show one impact of the bloom. “Red tide is making Sarasota Bay very quiet,” said Dr. David Mann, President of Loggerhead Instruments and Adjunct Scientist at Mote. “Real-time data from our listening station on Longboat Key showed biological sound levels drop two-fold starting in mid-August. Most recently the station in Palma Sola has showed a similar decrease in sound.” The listening stations can record overnight, when more fish are normally calling, and they can distinguish the frequency bands produced by fish from other sounds. Even snapping shrimp, which produce a click sound like frying bacon, have been impacted. Reduced boat traffic (less engine noise) from the red tide has also been apparent. McHugh of SDRP hopes that listening stations, potentially paired with video, will help document the Bay’s recovery from red tide; past SDRP surveys revealed increases in dolphin-human interactions, such as dolphins taking bait and catch from fishing gear — which puts them in danger — after prey fish numbers declined amid red tide. In 2006, the year when an 18-month bloom ended, 2 percent
Sharks and storms In 2001, Mote’s acoustic-tagging research in Terra Ceia Bay, under then Mote staff scientist Dr. Michele Heupel, showed that young blacktip sharks fled to deeper waters as Tropical Storm Gabrielle approached, then returned to their shallow nursery after the storm — apparently responding to changing barometric pressure. Recently, SCAN provided the first hint of similar behavior in Sarasota Bay’s blacktip sharks. “One of our animals left the Bay through Big Pass before Hurricane Irma, and after the storm, it made the 16-kilometer track back into Sarasota Bay, to the area where it was prior to Irma,” said Gardiner. “It matches what was found in Terra Ceia, but Sarasota Bay is a larger system and the animals had to travel further to leave and return here.”
SCANning the horizon SCAN partners are looking ahead, hoping to grow their network of receivers strategically and tag more species — potentially tarpon, goliath grouper, and perhaps even critically endangered smalltooth sawfish. Three sawfish have already pinged on SCAN receivers after being tagged by others in the Florida Keys. “The fact that this array focuses on multiple species that may respond differently to changes in the Bay is uncommon and important,” Schloesser said. Acoustic receiver networks sometimes change or conclude without steady funding and coordination, but SCAN partners hope their regional success can provide the model for a long-term “backbone” of acoustic receivers along the Gulf Coast as part of a larger initiative — the Integrated Ocean Observing System’s Animal Telemetry Network (ATN). Wells, who serves on the ATN steering group, said: “One of our goals is to integrate the tag receivers and listening stations into one system that is affordable, easily deployed and maintained, and provides near-real-time data on a broad range of species and their environment, and to help to make this technology available for scientists in other regions.”
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STRANDING INVESTIGATIONS
Marine animal post-mortems amid red tide
LEARNING FROM LOSS BY STEPHANNIE KETTLE Above: Gretchen Lovewell, Manager of Mote's Stranding Investigations Program, conducts a necropsy on a recovered dolphin on Aug. 8, 2018.
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n Aug. 7, 2018, cameras, tripods, lights and mic stands joined the typical tools found in the necropsy room at Mote Marine Laboratory, as reporters and videographers buzzed around to get the best angle of something not typically shown during the 5 o’clock news hour: a deceased bottlenose dolphin, likely a victim of exposure to Florida red tide. Necropsies are exploratory animal autopsies, and while they are an important part of the job for the Stranding Investigations Program (SIP) at Mote, they largely go unseen. But the nine deceased dolphins found along Sarasota County between Aug. 7 and 9 were attention grabbing for Mote, the media and the general public. By Aug. 21, that total had climbed to 13. Over the past 10 years, dolphin recoveries by the SIP averaged 11 per year, and in August they surpassed that average in two weeks. From August to press time in mid-October, Mote’s total number of deceased bottlenose dolphins reached 21.
For Mote’s small SIP team of 4.5 women (three full-timers, one part-timer, one intern), the task is herculean, but also a call to action. In addition to the dolphins, Rebeccah Hazelkorn, Jessica Blackburn, Ashley Lysaught, Eliza Nolan and Gretchen Lovewell, Program Manager, have recovered more than 200 sea turtles since July. The yearly average is 100-115 sea turtles. This year, the team has responded to more than a dozen manatee carcasses, many that
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they transported to the Marine Mammal Pathobiology Laboratory operated by Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) in St. Petersburg, and they were first on the scene for three live manatee rescues in Sarasota County. The team often works from the road, taking calls from Mote’s Strandings Hotline in the middle of another recovery, and returning to the Lab with several animals. Uninterrupted weekends, nights off and sleeping in don’t exist for a team that answered 488 hotline calls this August – compared with their yearly call average of 602. Upon returning to Mote, SIP members have time for only a quick bathroom break before heading straight for the necropsy room to begin the taxing task of documenting possible causes of death. Mote’s SIP responds to deceased or distressed cetaceans (whales and dolphins), sea turtles and manatees, as part of a federally coordinated stranding network with other organizations and agencies. While Mote provides assistance to FWC for manatee recovery, they are the primary responders for cetaceans and sea turtles in Sarasota and Manatee counties. Animals recovered alive are immediately transported to Mote’s hospitals, and deceased animals are necropsied to learn as much as possible and improve the collective understanding of their species. Unfortunately, during a significant bloom of the toxic Florida red tide algae (Karenia brevis) such as the one in 2017-2018, the team is responding to deceased animals more than
STRANDING INVESTIGATIONS
Above left: Gretchen Lovewell conducts a necropsy on a recovered Kemp's ridley sea turtle on Aug. 16, 2018. Above right: Staff from Mote's Stranding Investigations Program recover a bottlenose dolphin off of Manasota Key, Florida, on Aug. 21, 2018.
living ones. This year, only 17 sea turtles have been recovered alive, and no bottlenose dolphins have. Luckily, sea turtles that are suffering from brevetoxicosis (red tide exposure sickness) are usually able to recover once they are in clean water and able to eat uncontaminated food.
Local to national response The huge increase in strandings did not go unnoticed by state or federal officials. On Aug. 13, Governor Rick Scott declared a state of emergency in southwest Florida due to red tide and directed an immediate $100,000 to Mote for rapid response efforts. On Aug. 30, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) declared the elevated number of bottlenose dolphin deaths in southwest Florida since July an unusual mortality event (UME). Under the Marine Mammal Protection Act, NOAA Fisheries is responsible for the protection of whales, dolphins, porpoises, seals and sea lions. NOAA declares a UME if certain criteria are met; the higher number of dolphin mortalities this year indicated that further investigation is needed. Dr. Teri Rowles, Coordinator for the Marine Mammal Health and Stranding Response Program at NOAA Fisheries, stated that the “number of stranded dolphins in the affected counties is well above historic average for this time period and geographic area.” Declaration of a UME begins a federal, science-based investigation into the event, led by various expert partners. This investigative team works to determine the cause of the event and its effect on the population. By press time, samples from 10 dolphins, all recovered by Mote, had come back from lab analysis as positive
for brevetoxicosis, indicating that this UME is likely related to the ongoing bloom of Florida red tide that has been present off the southwestern coast since November 2017. The investigation continues, and as of Sept. 27, 65 dolphins had stranded during the UME, which stretches from Collier to Pinellas counties. Mote’s SIP has been the primary responder to the UME in Sarasota and Manatee counties. Lovewell has been designated by NOAA as the On-Site Coordinator for the UME investigation, to provide on-site leadership and expertise, evaluate the response, coordinate data management, and compile results of data and analyses from partner organizations. Mote necropsies have revealed several important pieces of information vital to better understanding how dolphins are affected by red tide. The vast majority of dolphins necropsied had stomachs full of food, often a characteristic of animals dying due to acute red tide toxicity. A primary way that dolphins might be exposed to toxic levels of Florida red tide brevetoxins is through consumption of contaminated prey. During a prolonged bloom, dolphins are often affected later than other animals, as the toxins bioaccumulate up the food web – dolphins are top predators in the ocean ecosystem. One recovered dolphin was well known by Mote and its partners from the Sarasota Dolphin Research Program (SDRP, a Chicago Zoological Society program in collaboration with Mote). “Speck,” a 12-year-old male, was documented by SDRP researchers more than 340 times since his birth in 2006. SDRP’s decades-long study of the long-term residents of dolphins in Sarasota Bay provides comprehensive data on each dolphin’s life and habits. Combining that data with the necropsy results from Mote’s SIP provides researchers a detailed biography of each local dolphin,
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crucial information for the species’ conservation and management. Upon learning of Speck’s death and digging through his history provided by SDRP, Mote scientists were reminded that both Speck’s mother and grandmother died of fishing gear ingestion, a threat to local marine life regardless of the presence of red tide. Another known dolphin in the area, “Jety,” was also recovered.
'How does this affect you?' That’s one of the most common questions asked of the SIP team. From the beachgoers that report strandings, to journalists gathering red tide updates, to the person in a grocery store line behind a Mote-logo-clad SIP team member, everyone wants to know: How DO you deal with this? Lovewell has been working in marine animal strandings for nearly 20 years, and she says it always affects her. But feeling affected, whether it's sadness from recovering another endangered Kemp’s ridley or exhaustion from dragging in a 9-foot dolphin across a stretch of beach, is what reminds the team that their work is vitally important to the animals they care about so deeply. It’s the drive that keeps them going around the clock to rescue distressed marine life, and to put on that “science hat” during a necropsy to learn as much as possible about an animal’s death to ensure it did not die in vain.
Below: Staff from Mote's Stranding Investigations Program respond to stranded dolphin on Aug. 21, 2018.
DISTRESSED WILDLIFE DOESN’ T SLEEP, AND NEITHER DO WE. Donate to Mote’s Stranding Investigations Program by visiting mote.org/donate and choosing “Marine animal rescue and rehabilitation” from the donation drop-down menu.
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HOW TO REPORT A STRANDING Mote, NOAA Fisheries and state partners at FWC say it is critical to report distressed or deceased marine mammals and sea turtles to trained responders immediately — it could be the difference between life and death. Stranding network partners work together to address strandings at the local, state and national levels. When calling, be ready to provide a thorough description of what the animal looks like, and of any behaviors it is showing. Take photos and video if possible, as it greatly assists responders.
If you see a distressed or deceased sea turtle, manatee, dolphin or whale: In Sarasota/Manatee counties, call: Mote’s Stranding Investigations Program at 941-988-0212. For other Florida counties, call: FWC’s Wildlife Alert Hotline at 888-404-3922. In the southeastern U.S., call 877-WHALE-HELP (877-942-5342) to be connected to your local Marine Mammal Stranding Network organization.
BLUE HOLE EXPLORATION
A ‘hole’ new look into Florida’s offshore frontiers BY HAYLEY RUTGER
When you’re doing ocean research more than 300 feet deep, your dive trips start looking a bit like space missions. A new study in the Gulf of Mexico is taking research divers to some of the deepest sites they can access without piloting submersibles — two offshore structures called blue holes — which the scientists will explore in new detail by deploying a “benthic lander” that, to the untrained eye, looks suited for sampling on a distant planet. Study partners from Mote Marine Laboratory, Florida Atlantic University’s Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute (FAU), Georgia Institute of Technology and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) are fascinated by Florida’s blue holes — undersea caverns, springs or sinkholes that are just starting to be understood. After years of fundamental exploration by Mote scientists and technicaldiver partners, this new study will use improved scientific tools and expanded partnerships to ask deeper questions about why blue holes might be unique places and how they influence the Gulf and Florida.
KEEP READING
BLUE HOLE EXPLORATION
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o far, Gulf blue hole expeditions have found diverse marine animals, plants and signs of microscopic algae (phytoplankton) around the hole rims, elevated levels of certain nutrients and other notable water-chemistry differences from surrounding sandy-bottom habitats. Each finding raises more questions, and the life forms in blue holes have never been surveyed comprehensively and systematically. Also, some blue holes seem connected to other cavities in Florida’s porous, limestone bedrock. Such connections, if confirmed in multiple blue holes, should be investigated as possible “shortcuts” for saltwater intrusion into the Florida Aquifer and its drinking water, or conversely, for freshwater carrying land-based chemicals offshore. Lastly, scientists wonder how the unique chemistry in blue holes — which are numerous in the Gulf — influences carbon cycles and the diverse microorganisms controlling them. Earth’s carbon cycles, including the “greenhouse” gas carbon dioxide, must be deciphered to understand and forecast large-scale processes including climate change. The new study — launched in late 2018 with plans for 2019 dives — will investigate these questions in two remote sites: Amberjack Hole (32 miles offshore of Mote’s Sarasota campus, 120 feet deep at its rim and 300-360 feet at bottom) and Green Banana (50 miles off, 160 feet at the rim, 425 at bottom). Winter and summer expeditions will help explore how blue hole conditions change over time. This study is possible thanks to a grant from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Office of Ocean Exploration and Research, which helps advance marine science in deep, remote and unexplored ocean areas.
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Previous page and above: Marine organisms thrive around the rim of a blue hole, similar to the ones mentioned in this article.
“These offshore submerged sinkhole and spring features have avoided mainstream scientific inquiry as they exceed normal scuba diving limits and many have openings too small for efficient access with submersible vehicles,” said Mote Benthic Ecology Program Manager Jim Culter, who began scientifically exploring Amberjack and Green Banana in the early 2000s with tips and accompaniment of technical diver friends. “Most of these features have not been discovered by scientific surveys, but instead by fishermen and sport divers. For over 10 years, the exploration of many of these sites has been pioneered by a very limited number of technical diving enthusiasts.” Perhaps the most science-y of those enthusiasts are Culter and Mote Ocean Acidification Program Manager Dr. Emily Hall, Principal Investigator on the new study. Their pioneering surveys have helped draw the broader scientific community’s attention to the blue holes speckling the West Florida Continental Shelf. “This collaborative study could open up a whole new world of questions,” Hall said. “For instance, what allows these blue holes to be such biodiverse environments, and what kinds of microbes live there? Why does the water chemistry in blue holes look different from what we’re used to seeing in the offshore Gulf of Mexico? In the blue holes we’ve studied so far, we’ve seen conditions that remind us of coastal estuaries — lower pH (acidification) and elevated nutrients, in contrast to what we would normally expect in the deeper, sandy-bottom areas where the holes are found.”
BLUE HOLE EXPLORATION
Left: Dr. Jordon Beckler, Director of FAU's Geochemical Sensing Lab, works to convert a benthic lander that will take samples from the bottom of a blue hole, a difficult depth for scientist divers to reach. Below: A closeup of the lander's instrument array.
compounds consumed by different living things in the ocean’s food web. Important primary producers include microscopic algae, which can proliferate in nutrient-rich waters near shore but are usually sparser in nutrient-poor waters offshore. Some highly productive species such as the blue-green algae Trichodesmium, and infamous species like the toxic Florida red tide alga, Karenia brevis, can succeed offshore. Florida red tides (above-normal concentrations of K. brevis) tend to start 10-40 miles offshore at depth, and appear limited at least in part by the availability of nitrogen nutrients. Exactly how red tides form — including what physical, chemical and biological conditions aid formation — remains a topic of research and debate, and project partners wonder if blue holes might release enough nutrients and trace minerals to be a piece of that puzzle. Beckler has hypothesized the holes’ elevated nutrients could play a role in initiating some red tides.
Sticking the landing To get to the bottom of blue hole mysteries, scientists must get to the bottom of blue holes, literally. However, divers usually spend less than half an hour at the rim to minimize risks including decompression sickness. To explore deeper for longer, FAU’s Geochemical Sensing Lab Director Dr. Jordon Beckler is converting a benthic lander — a triangular metal frame standing almost as tall as a person and housing various instruments and syringes — to sample at the bottom. The lander was originally designed at Georgia Tech by project collaborator Dr. Martial Taillefert, with help from Beckler. “I am adding flotation foam to this 500-pound lander to make it weigh just a few pounds underwater, so divers can lower it on a rope line into the blue holes, giving it a better chance of successful deployment than lowering it from a ship,” Beckler said. “It will have a benthic nutrient flux chamber, basically an inverted ‘coffee can’ placed onto the sediment surface that will accumulate nutrients and carbon from sediments over time. If we know the exposed sediment surface area and the internal volume (inferred from the injection of a tracer solution), we can infer a flux rate between sediment and water. Jim Culter at Mote has already shown that there are elevated concentrations of nutrients in these holes. We also think it’s logical to expect nutrients are being secreted into the water around them, but we need to better estimate what nutrients are released and how influential they might be on primary production.” “Primary producers” are life forms that use sunlight energy to build nutritious, complex carbon molecules and other
The benthic lander will sample for nutrients and other chemical compounds, and its syringes will sample water and divers will collect water and sediment cores for lab analyses. The lander’s electrochemical profiling system can delineate various microbial processes (activities of microscopic life such as bacteria) to shed light on how nutrients form in the sediments. The carbon chemistry of blue holes interests scientists studying climate change, a process driven primarily by excess carbon dioxide from human activity and including Hall’s focus: ocean acidification. “We don’t know if these holes are a carbon source or sink,” Hall said, referring to whether the holes release or capture carbon compounds. The answer may relate to the chemistry of the limestone (calcium-carbonate) holes themselves, along with their microscopic life.
Life, big and small Mote scientists will document the abundance of marine wildlife at Amberjack and Green Banana, noting any protected species to better inform their management. “Blue holes are ecological ‘hot-spots,’ having elevated chlorophyll concentrations (from algae) and diverse biological communities that thrive locally above the holes, including commercially important fish species such as grouper, amberjack and snapper,” Culter said. Hole openings can also host algae, sponges, corals, mollusks, crustaceans, echinoderms, sea turtles and sharks.
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BLUE HOLE EXPLORATION
Meanwhile, Georgia Tech partners will investigate the holes’ microscopic menagerie: bacteria and another single-celled but distinct group, archaea. Studying these microbes in Gulf blue holes is essentially brand new, says Dr. Frank Stewart, Associate Professor of Biological Sciences with Georgia Tech. “In general, bacteria and archaea are drastically under-characterized in terms of scientists knowing who they are, what they do, and how they contribute to ecosystems — and that’s especially true for blue holes,” Stewart said. “The interesting chemical features of Gulf blue holes suggest there might be distinct microbes in the holes and adjacent waters. We don’t yet know if that’s true, but we hope there’s a chance of seeing some novel, unexplored diversity. From the patterns of microbe diversity, we can learn about how new species of microbes arise and learn about the tool kits in their genome (genetic material) to deal with their environments. In general, exploring microbes can also yield biochemical tools of practical value, for the discovery of new drugs and natural products, for instance.” Some blue holes have low oxygen. If that’s true in the current study sites, Stewart will be excited to compare their microbes to those from other oxygen-starved places — like the northern Gulf’s “dead zone” — to better understand such systems in general. Stewart and colleagues will classify the sampled microbes — including checking for genetic varieties new to science — using a piece of genetic material called 16S rRNA, which serves as a “barcode” for microbes. Georgia Tech Postdoctoral Scientist Dr. Nastassia Patin adds: “One of the most interesting questions about these blue holes is whether they are connected with groundwater systems on the coast — if there is some kind of consistent freshwater input to these features, I think it might create potential for unique habitats for microbes.”
Secret passages Florida residents — if you’re not curious about blue holes yet, consider that they might just be gateways between your home and the ocean depths. Beneath much of Florida lies “karst” limestone (part of the Florida Aquifer) riddled with holes full of water. Where that groundwater is fresh and potable, it furnishes drinking water and irrigates agriculture. However, groundwater also carries natural and human-contributed nutrients. Project partners will investigate whether offshore blue holes might receive any fresh groundwater. Study partner Dr. Christopher G. Smith, Research Geologist with the USGS St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center, and his colleagues have already helped reveal that groundwater and ocean waters can mix along west Florida, through patterns of undersea flow including karst or other means. However, undersea
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Above: A map of sinkhole and spring karst features on the West Florida Shelf. Yellow numbered sites have been verified with site visits by Mote scientists or other reliable sources. Red dots indicate additional reports of features by fishermen and divers that have not been verified by Mote Marine Laboratory. "AJ" and "GB" are "Amberjack Hole" and "Green Banana," the blue holes that will be explored in this study.
structures remain the biggest holes in this understanding (pun intended) because they’re tough to reach. Answering the big question — whether blue holes are outlets for the Florida Aquifer — starts with answering simpler ones. “The simplest question you can address is: Do all of these structures ‘look’ the same (in terms of the water inside and outside them), and if not, how do they differ?” Smith said. With the hard-won, deep samples from upcoming expeditions, Smith will apply a technique from his previous work to check for evidence of groundwater in the blue holes. “By analyzing and looking at different chemical signatures (like radon and radium isotopes) in the water of the blue holes, water above them, and seawater farther from them, we can start asking and answering whether these waters ‘look’ the same, which then paves the way back to the larger question,” Smith said. Project partners wonder if sea-level rise and storm-surge events, projected to intensify with climate change, will push more ocean water through karst passages into the coastal Florida Aquifer, where it can affect drinking water. Culter has documented that, during hurricane-related surge, water can be forced deep inside blue holes. Climate change might also bring higher-impact rainstorms that release land-based nutrients, trace metals or other groundwater contaminants — and if those travel out through blue holes, their impacts on the Gulf might be more intense than previously realized.
CORAL HEALTH & DISEASE
CORAL GARDENS NEED DIVERSE ‘FAMILY TREES’ BY HAYLEY RUTGER
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he beautiful, branching staghorn coral once prevailed on Florida’s Reef Tract, but its numbers have declined dramatically over several decades, particularly due to warming ocean temperatures and coral disease outbreaks. Staghorn coral restoration programs led by Mote Marine Laboratory and others have planted tens of thousands of nursery-raised staghorn colonies onto depleted reefs, in a process some call “coral gardening.” Now, restoration scientists are taking a closer look at which genetic varieties of coral are best suited for planting into an increasingly hostile environment. “With imminent threats to the staghorn coral, it is now the focus of restoration efforts throughout much of the Florida Reef Tract,” said Dr. Erinn Muller, Program Manager and Science Director of Mote's Elizabeth Moore International Center for Coral Reef Research and Restoration on Summerland Key, Florida. “Now, scientists are recognizing that some staghorn coral genotypes are more resilient to threats than others. However, there could be tradeoffs associated with these resilient traits, such as heat-tolerant corals being highly susceptible to disease infection.” Just as some humans have better resistance to infections, some genotypes (genetic varieties) of staghorn coral seem to resist serious pathogens: “Previous studies showed there are certain staghorn genotypes resistant to white band disease,” said Muller, noting that white band has devastated countless staghorn coral colonies lacking this resistance. “However, it is still unclear how high water temperatures caused by climate change influence disease resistance, and what role, if any, the algae that live and interact with the corals – their ‘algal symbionts’ – play in stress resistance. Therefore, we wanted to see what percentage of staghorn corals within the lower Florida Keys are disease resistant, and how this resistance changes during a warm-water event that leads to coral bleaching.” Bleaching occurs when high temperatures or other stressors cause the corals to expel the nutrient-giving algae from their tissues. Bleaching and disease have been a serious one-two punch for multiple coral species throughout the Florida Reef Tract, a natural treasure estimated to provide $6 billion and 70,000 jobs to Florida’s economy per year. Many of the Reef Tract’s ecosystem services will be lost if the living coral is not restored. To study disease and bleaching together, Muller and colleagues exposed the same staghorn coral genotypes to white-band-diseased tissue before and during a bleaching event and worked
with Penn State researchers to analyze the outcomes for a peer-reviewed study published during September 2018 in eLife. Partners found that, in the absence of bleaching, around 25 percent of the staghorn population tested was resistant to the disease. However, when the corals were exposed to the disease during the bleaching event, their mortality rate doubled. Interestingly, the team found that two staghorn coral genotypes were resistant to white band disease even while bleached. In addition, the level of bleaching was not related to the corals’ disease susceptibility or the strain of algae living in their tissues, suggesting there were no direct tradeoffs between the heat tolerance and disease resistance. How can coral restoration professionals use these results? Planting just these two coral genotypes would be unwise – the threats facing corals are diverse, and these resistant genotypes might not withstand every threat yet to come. Instead, the researchers say it is best to find or even breed a wide variety of genotypes — a healthy genetic diversity — to increase the chances of finding additional genotypes that can resist each new, unpredictable challenge. “While we are working on reducing carbon dioxide emissions that cause climate change and ocean warming as fast as possible, our best chance at enhancing adaptation of corals and their symbionts to their warming environments is to promote genetic diversity of coral and symbiont populations,” said Iliana Baums, an associate professor of biology at Penn State and expert in coral molecular ecology. Baums developed the genetic methods used in this research to fingerprint the genetic strains of algal symbionts associated with each of the coral colonies. Such high-level resolution has not yet been applied commonly in coral experiments. It allowed the team to disentangle how each genotype of coral and each genotype of coral-dwelling algae responded to each stressor. “Our findings show that the staghorn coral’s susceptibility to temperature stress creates an increased risk in death from disease, and that only two of the genotypes tested may maintain or gain disease resistance under high temperatures,” Muller said. “As recurring warming events may cause continued loss of these resistant genotypes, it is crucial that restoration efforts focus on maintaining high genetic diversity to help keep these corals alive in a warming climate.”
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ISSUES & IMPACTS
We have the resources to save Florida’s dying coral reefs. Now, we just need the will. BY U.S. SEN. MARCO RUBIO AND MOTE MARINE LABORATORY PRESIDENT & CEO DR. MICHAEL P. CROSBY. ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE MIAMI HERALD ON SEPT. 6, 2018.
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lorida’s coral reef system is the third-largest living reef on the planet and the only barrier reef system in the continental United States. It supports more than 70,000 local jobs, draws $6.3 billion into Florida’s economy and buffers our coasts from wave energy and storm surge in our hurricane prone region. The fact that our reefs, despite their severely diminished condition, are capable of providing Floridians so many benefits is a testament to their importance and an indication of the enormous value restored reefs could deliver. While much of the attention on Florida environmental issues — including our own — has rightly been focused on harmful algal blooms, an ecological catastrophe has also been unfolding on our reefs. During the last four decades, Florida’s indigenous corals have declined in some areas by more than 90 percent, with some species losing more than 97 percent of their populations. Today, Florida’s coral reefs are experiencing a devastating, multiyear outbreak of a new, unidentified coral disease. Evidence suggests the disease may be transmitted by touch and carried by water currents, making it difficult to contain. While some have shown resistance, the vast majority of corals coming into contact with the disease, including some that may have taken hundreds of years to grow, die in as little as a month. Corals growing in good water quality conditions typically are more resistant to disease. And it was recognized decades ago that to save the Florida reef tract, drastic action to improve water quality was required. Critical efforts currently are under way to restore the Everglades to enhance freshwater flows and salinity levels in Florida and Biscayne Bays, complete the Florida Keys Water Quality Improvement Program, and reduce wastewater discharges through ocean outfalls. These infrastructure projects will all augment nearshore water quality and habitat for reef species. Despite continued progress on water quality, however, it is likely that our devastated coral populations will be unable to execute a quick, natural recovery of the reef. That means conservation strategies alone cannot solve this dilemma. A bold restoration program to actively assist the recovery of this ecosystem is essential, and we are closer than ever to amassing the scientific knowledge,
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technological tools and public investment and support needed to make reef restoration a reality. Mote Marine Laboratory, a Florida-based, independent, nonprofit, global marine research institution, has developed innovative coral reef restoration technologies focused on growing threatened and reef-building coral species for replanting on degraded sections of reefs. Mote scientists now have the ability to “re-skin” a dead 100-year old coral skeleton in just two years with living tissue from native coral strains resilient to the impacts of disease, warming waters and ocean acidification. Working with multiple partners, Mote has already planted more than 43,000 corals onto Florida’s reefs, and during the last two years, the state of Florida awarded a total of $1 million for Mote to plant an additional 50,000 corals. With philanthropic support, Mote has built a new state-of-the-art marine science laboratory in Summerland Key to serve as a base of operations for its proposed Florida Keys Coral Disease Response & Restoration Initiative to dramatically scale up restoration efforts along the Florida Reef Tract. The Appropriations Committee of the U.S. Senate has even approved an unprecedented $5 million in FY19 (proposed and secured by Rubio) to advance this vital effort. In spite of the urgency with which restoration solutions need to be implemented, some in the science community may prefer to fully “study the problem” before intervening, while bureaucrats in regulatory agencies are likely to demand unequivocal (and unrealistic) guarantees of outcomes before initiating any action. But, the conventional approach will only make the challenges before us more daunting. We cannot wait for the current disease epidemic to run its course before employing our best option for restoring Florida’s reefs. We have the knowledge, tools and resources necessary to begin to restore Florida’s reefs. Mote’s scientifically rigorous and environmentally strategic Florida Keys Coral Disease Response & Restoration Initiative, implemented in concert with federal, state and nonprofit partners, will provide a framework to significantly address an ongoing ecological emergency and stem a potential economic disaster for our state. All that’s needed now is the will, and an opportunity, to try.
FISHERIES ENHANCEMENT
Helping snook weather the bloom
STAFF REPORT FROM MOTE MARINE LABORATORY, THE FLORIDA FISH & WILDLIFE CONSERVATION COMMISSION, AND COASTAL CONSERVATION ASSOCIATION FLORIDA
Common snook — favorites for many Florida anglers — return to the same passes or beaches to spawn annually during summer. Unfortunately, summer 2018 brought intense Florida red tide to multiple spawning sites. “The impacts of red tide in southwest Florida are unmistakable, and one of the potentially most devastating and highly visible impacts was to Charlotte Harbor’s spawning snook population,” said Dr. Michael P. Crosby, President & CEO of Mote Marine Laboratory. “Many of the dead snook in the region were laden with eggs to produce the next generation.”
Fortunately, Mote and the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) had a head start: Through decades of collaborative research on snook aquaculture and sustainable stock enhancement, they have just the insight needed to boost snook recovery by raising juvenile snook in land-based hatcheries and releasing them strategically and responsibly.
The State of Florida quickly called upon Mote to conduct a rapid snook population impact assessment focused on areas hit hard by red tide — Gasparilla and Little Gasparilla islands — and by press time in October, Mote scientists were finalizing survey results. From the start, however, scientists and resource managers knew that much more work would be needed to ensure the species’ quick recovery.
In September 2018, Mote and FWC partnered with Coastal Conservation Florida (CCA Florida) to turn their insight into impact. The partners announced a two-year initiative that includes raising and releasing 10,000 hatchery-reared juvenile snook along southwest Florida. The initiative will launch in April 2019 following the Florida red tide bloom and when waters are determined to be safe; however, preparation is already under way.
Right: Mote staff member Ashley Hill assists with a field survey to assess the status of common snook in two areas that have experienced high fish mortality during the ongoing bloom of Florida red tide: Gasparilla Island and Little Gasparilla.
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FISHERIES ENHANCEMENT
“Anyone who lives or fishes the southwest coast understands the devastation our fisheries are seeing from this red tide, and it’s our duty to address the issue,” said Brian Gorski, CCA Florida Executive Director, in late September 2018. “Snook are an iconic fish to our state, and we are extremely excited and honored to partner with FWC and Mote to help recover this fishery and enhance it for future generations.” FWC Executive Director Eric Sutton said: “FWC and Mote have a decades-long partnership with snook research and recovery, and we are pleased to be a partner with CCA Florida, Mote and the community to enhance this effort.” With support and partnership from CCA Florida and FWC, Mote will locate and restock juvenile snook to specific, tidal-creek “nurseries” that would usually be supplied by spawning aggregations hit hard by the bloom. Each of the hatchery-reared snook will be tagged with passive integrated transponder (PIT) tags to allow Mote scientists to monitor and track the progress of the juveniles throughout the study, which includes monthly stocking efforts designed to elevate the system toward its carrying capacity. Left: Mote Intern Garrett Stephens with a common snook. Below: Dr. James Locascio, Manager of Mote's Fisheries Habitat Ecology and Acoustics Program, works with Garrett Stephens and Mote staff member Ashley Hill to measure a snook.
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FISHERIES ENHANCEMENT
Mote’s experimental work has shown that the abundance of juvenile snook can nearly double in underutilized nursery habitats through stocking 10-month-old juveniles. In addition, ongoing Mote studies in Sarasota County suggest that tagged, juvenile snook find some degree of refuge from red tide in tidal creek and riverine environments with fresher water less conducive to the red tide alga, Karenia brevis.
post-release monitoring to measure our impact so we can improve moving forward.” Fundraising for this stock enhancement initiative, a cost of over $440,000, launched in September 2018 with a community outreach effort featuring an Adopt-a-Snook program and the formation of additional private-nonprofit partnerships.
As of October 2018, some of Mote’s latest research was exploring how to give released, juvenile snook the best chance of survival.
The public can adopt a snook by making a donation at adoptasnook.com — 100 percent of donated funds go toward rearing, tagging, releasing, monitoring and studying snook to “This fall we released approximately 5,000 PIT-tagged snook benefit their populations. Donors will receive an adoption certifinto Phillippi Creek and North Creek in Sarasota County, and icate including the tag number and release location for their before release, we kept the fish in adopted juvenile snook, along with tanks with different habitat conditions, updates on their fish based on the for different durations, to investigate data collected from its PIT tag, which This fall we released approx. what will best prepare these juvenile is designed to last as long as 2021. 5,000 PIT-tagged snook into fish for survival in the wild,” said Mote Postdoctoral Research Fellow Dr. Anglers can also help the snook Phillippi Creek and North Creek Ryan Schloesser. “The results from and other inshore populations by in Sarasota County. this investigation, and others, will releasing their catch. This summer, help us realize our fisheries enhanceCCA Florida launched the “Release ment goals in 2019 and beyond. With Them for Tomorrow” campaign snook or any other species, responsible stock enhancement to support several species’ growth through catch and release, involves much more than placing fish in the water and saying including snook. “It is going to take everyone doing their part to ‘goodbye’. We need to find the best strategies and conduct get our fisheries back to health,” Gorski said.
Everyone can share adoptasnook.com and the hash tag #ReleaseThemForTomorrow in social media photos, comments and messages.
Top left: A juvenile snook is tagged with a passive integrated transponder (PIT) tag at Mote Aquaculture Research Park prior to its release. Left: Mote Postdoctoral Research Fellow Dr. Ryan Schloesser and other Mote scientists will track the tagged snook after their release to gain a better understanding of the species' movements and behavior.
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RED TIDE RESEARCH
When red tide subsides, mitigation quest will continue
Above: A red tide bloom is visible off the coast of Sarasota, Florida.
BY HAYLEY RUTGER
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hen Florida red tide hits the Gulf of Mexico coast, communities grapple with challenging respiratory irritation, dwindling tourism dollars, the sight and smell of countless dead fish and the heartbreaking losses of sea turtles and marine mammals. With increased public attention, state and federal funding for red tide research typically increases in the years following these events. However, decades of history reveal that public attention and funding usually decline after red tide blooms subside, as Mote Magazine reported in its December 2017 feature “Red tide: How to be ready.” The feature called for not only steady public and private support for red tide research and monitoring — including during non-bloom times — but also to embrace a vision to do more by establishing a new, independent Harmful Algal Bloom Center designed to channel science and technology
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development into creation and deployment of innovative tools and methods to stem bloom impacts. Mote scientists were passionate in their call to action, but they couldn’t have anticipated how prescient it would be. The red tide bloom that formed in October 2017 in the Gulf of Mexico proved uncommonly serious, persisting for one year as of press time and fueling significant public concern. In October 2018, Mote President & CEO Dr. Michael P. Crosby announced a major new step toward realizing Mote’s vision for dealing with red tide: a generous philanthropic investment of $1 million from The Andrew and Judith Economos Charitable Foundation to establish and support the first year of operations for the Red Tide Institute at Mote Marine Laboratory.
RED TIDE RESEARCH
With The Andrew and Judith Economos Charitable Foundation as its Founding Donor, the Institute will be an innovation hub of intensive research and development focused exclusively on advancing promising technologies for controlling and mitigating red tide impacts toward practical application. The Institute will also leverage other red tide-related research by Mote and its partners at the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) and other organizations. This fall, the State of Florida announced a $2.2-million investment to advance mitigation science at multiple institutions, including Mote’s novel mitigation technologies such as its ozone treatment system pilot tested for dead-end canals hit hard by red tide, and using a new clay formula for red tide mitigation, a Mote partnership with Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, University of South Florida and FWC. “We cannot thank The Andrew and Judith Economos Charitable Foundation enough for providing this critical bedrock for an intensive, science-based initiative focused on developing and testing red tide mitigation technologies,” Dr. Crosby said. “The momentum created by establishing the Red Tide Institute at Mote will hopefully inspire other visionary, philanthropic leaders to join an effort that must continue long after this year’s bloom is out of sight and out of mind for many.” “As a longtime innovator and supporter of technology and science for public benefit, I know that consistent funding support is essential for scientific advancement to address grand challenges such as Florida red tide,” said Dr. Andrew Economos, who will serve in an advisory role for the new Institute. “As a native of Sarasota, Florida, I also recognize that Mote Marine Laboratory has advanced innovative red tide research for decades and is dedicated to developing mitigation tools that tangibly improve our quality of life. I invite and encourage other community leaders to leverage this unique and important opportunity to support the Red Tide Institute at Mote, knowing that we can do much more together than alone.” Dr. Economos retired from a successful career in computing technology for pioneering applications in aerospace, business and broadcasting. He founded and led the highly successful broadcasting software company RCS, which he sold after 30 years. Today RCS remains a leader in its industry. Since retiring, Dr. Economos has served on the boards of numerous science, technology and cultural institutions and he sponsors college scholarships for students with economic need, along with the national Archimedes Award for outstanding science students. His wife, Dr. Judith Economos, is a poet and artist who taught at Princeton.
Top: Red Tide Institute Founding Donors Drs. Andrew and Judith Economos. Above: Dr. Richard Pierce, Associate Vice President for Research at Mote and Manager of Mote's Ecotoxicology Program, and Mauricio Rodrigues, a USF-REU intern, work in the Ecotoxicology Lab at Mote Marine Laboratory. Dr. Pierce and colleagues conduct red tide mitigation research that will advance through the new Institute.
Dr. Crosby said: “The Economos’ gift leverages the important support that the State of Florida provided earlier this fall for a multi-institution team to study promising red tide mitigation methods. Red tide is a multi-faceted challenge, and it can only be met by combined multi-year, public-private support of a diverse scientific team that Mote will bring together from around the world to develop and test multiple response strategies. We can and we will use science and technology to attack the impacts of red tide for the benefit of our environment, economy and quality of life.”
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SPECIES SURVIVAL PLANNING
Alive at Mote, extinct in the wild? BY HAYLEY RUTGER
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ecades ago, some 600 fish species lived in Africa’s Lake Victoria, the world’s secondlargest lake. Today, about 300 of those are extinct. The threatened survivors include haplochromine cichlids — a diverse group of fish species that evolved many shapes, sizes, colors and survival strategies. One species lives at Mote Aquarium in Sarasota, Florida, but it might be extinct in the wild.
Meet Haplochromis piceatus! Mote is caring for H. piceatus as part of a Species Survival Plan (SSP) overseen by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums. We educate visitors about them, and some U.S. and European aquariums breed them for conservation. SSP-participating aquariums can provide homes for, and even selectively breed, these cichlids to maintain healthy genetics and provide opportunities for conservation-focused research.
Above: Black and silver colored Haplochromis piceatus currently reside in Mote Aquarium's Oh Baby! exhibit, where they educate visitors about the diverse mating behaviors of cichlid fishes.
CICHLIDS OF ALL SORTS The H. piceatus cichlid in Mote Aquarium is black or silver, but its cousins can be quite flashy:
Red fin piebald
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Xystichromis species, nicknamed “earthquake”
Neochromis rufocaudalis
SPECIES SURVIVAL PLANNING
How do we know if H. piceatus is extinct in nature? Visiting scientist Dr. Les Kaufman from Boston University spotted H. piceatus at Mote and told us their story. He has studied Lake Victoria’s fishes since 1987 and created the early version of the Species Survival Plan to selectively breed H. piceatus and its relatives.
PHOTO BY: SARAH GLASER/ONE EARTH FUTURE
Kaufman and partners from University of Denver and its affiliate, Secure Fisheries, led a major new survey of Lake Victoria’s fishes but didn’t observe H. piceatus, despite its former abundance. If a species is not documented in the wild for 50 years, then in practice it is considered extinct. However, Lake Victoria is huge and full of surprises, and sampling efforts are minute.
Can we restore Lake Victoria’s fishes? It would be risky to reintroduce H. piceatus or other aquarium-bred fishes to Lake Victoria. For example, would U.S.-raised fishes bring new diseases back to the Lake? Instead, Kaufman suggests that scientists can study the African cichlids at U.S. and European aquariums with less risk, and exchange knowledge with colleagues in Africa, who can inform environmental management by the nations around Lake Victoria — helping native fishes survive and continue adapting to each new challenge.
Lake Victoria
Above: Dr. Les Kaufman, a cichlid expert from Boston University and visiting Mote scientist.
Above: A map of Lake Victoria, the home of H. piceatus.
Why are many of Lake Victoria fishes — including haplochromine cichlids — declining or disappearing?
Possible reasons: A nonnative fish called the Nile perch was introduced to Lake Victoria in the 1950s and ‘60s and later experienced a population boom; deforestation released nutrient-rich soil into the Lake, affecting water quality; wind patterns shifted with climate change, reducing oxygen levels in the Lake; and more.
Haplochromis species, nicknamed “ruby”
Lipochromis cf. parvidens
WHAT ’S IN A FISH NAME? Haplochromis piceatus is a commonly used name for the fish featured in this story. However, some scientists use another name, Astatotilapia piceata, based on uncertainties about where this animal fits into the genetic “family tree” of cichlid fishes. Either way, it’s a tongue-twister!
Likely Xystichromis species (identity uncertain)
PHOTOS BY: KEVIN BAUMAN; KIM PEDERSON; MICHAEL PERSSON. MOTE MA G AZI N E | WI N TER 20 18
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MOTE'S VISION FOR THE FUTURE
Marine animal post-mortems amid red tide
BY STEPHANNIE KETTLE
The Shark Lady’s legacy In the 1930s, a little girl visited her local aquarium. Inspired by the wondrous marine life there, she wanted to know, needed to know, more about the ocean and her connection to it. That little girl went on to become a world-renowned researcher and the Founding Director of Mote Marine Laboratory: “Shark Lady” Dr. Eugenie Clark.
Oceans for All In February, Mote launched Oceans for All, a $130-million campaign for the construction of Mote SEA. During Oceanic Evening, Crosby announced the first group of Mote SEA Explorers — visionary philanthropists who have donated or pledged $250,000 or more: • Hobart and Janis Swan
Our Vision for the future
• Bob and Anne Essner
On Oct. 27, 2018, Mote’s President & CEO, Dr. Michael P. Crosby, shared Clark’s story with a crowd of Mote supporters at the Lab’s annual Oceanic Evening. Amid the event’s futuristic metallic decor and music reminiscent of a galaxy far, far away, Crosby shared Mote’s vision for the future: a new Mote Science Education Aquarium (Mote SEA) that improves access to marine science and technology and clears the way to transform Mote’s City Island campus in Sarasota into an International Marine Science, Technology & Innovation Park.
• Elizabeth Moore
Mote keeps an eye toward the future, even when responding to current ecological crises: countering unprecedented coral disease in the Florida Keys by identifying disease-resistant strains of coral; launching a new Red Tide Institute to develop mitigation technology that will benefit of citizens and businesses; and restocking a “lost generation” of sportfish in Florida waterways to maintain a key economic driver. Bob Essner, Mote’s Board Chairman, described how “all manner of creatures have been affected by these ecological crises, including humans. Mote SEA will be one of the best tools in addressing ecological problems, as it will inspire future generations of marine researchers.”
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• Ellen Hanson and Richard Perlman • The Benderson Family "We are all connected to the ocean, and Mote SEA will ensure that children and adults from all walks of life feel that connection,” said Mote SEA Explorer, Hobart Swan. “My wife Janis and I couldn’t be prouder to show our support for this campaign." Mote research cannot continue growing within the confines of its current City Island campus. “We’ve turned closets into research laboratories to accommodate our growing staff of Ph.D. scientists,” Crosby said. By creating Mote SEA in Nathan Benderson Park, a nexus for Sarasota and Manatee counties, Mote will clear new paths for expanded research and outreach. “It’s hard for our local schools to reach us on City Island,” Crosby said. “No child should have difficulty accessing marine science or education. At Benderson Park, we will be able to double Mote’s current attendance to 700,000 guests per year, as well as offer marine science teaching labs at no cost to our local schools. With interactive technology and interpretive exhibits, science will touch every moment of a visitor’s experience. With access to these immersive experiences, the next ‘Shark Lady’ will likely walk through our doors.”
MOTE'S VISION FOR THE FUTURE
Above: A cross section of the envisioned Mote Science Education Aquarium. All renderings subject to change.
"Science will touch every moment of a
PHOTOS BY: MARK SICKLES AND CONOR GOULDING / MOTE MARINE LABORATORY
visitor's experience" — Dr. Michael P. Crosby
Top far left: Mote President & CEO Dr. Michael P. Crosby with Judy Graham, Mote Trustee and Event Chair. Top center: Adrian Gadd, Mote Trustee Sandi Stuart, Mary Evelyn Guyton, Mike Murray, Mindy Myers and Abita Mullen. Top left: Don and Susan Featherman. Bottom left: Some of Mote's SEA Explorers attended the gala. Pictured here (left to right): Shaun, Gina, Sarah, Evan and Rachel Benderson, Hobart Swan, Anne Essner, Janis Swan, Elizabeth Moore and Bob Essner.
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MOTE MILESTONES
“I strongly believe in Mote’s mission to inspire the next generation by instilling in them a greater understanding of the importance of our Earth and our oceans,” Moore said. “This science education center will change our future.”
Mote welcomes Campaign Director Michael Moore
In addition to achieving accreditation at the highest level in his field, Moore also earned a Master of Arts degree in Philanthropy and Development from Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota. He is widely published in national journals and is a frequent speaker on nonprofit governance and fund development at conferences throughout North America and in Australia.
entry showcasing her commitment to marine conservation and increased diversity in the STEM field. With passionate enthusiasm, Hodo works to provide excellent, daily care for Mote Aquarium fishes, a task that includes diving in the large shark exhibit! Through the Species Survival Plan for lined seahorses, she ensures genetic diversity of this Threatened species. She also stands for increasing diversity in ocean-related STEM careers. As a female African-American, Hodo shares in her video how important it is for younger children to see someone that looks like them in a STEM career. Visibility is key for inspiring the next generation of marine scientists, because, as Hodo states, “If you see it, you feel more like you can achieve it.”
BY KAITLYN FUSCO Hodo’s video was selected as a top-10 finalist, then the public was asked to vote for finalists online. Once the voting concluded, the judged deliberated, and in late September, Hodo was announced as one of four winners in front of hundreds of zoo and aquarium professionals at the AZA Annual Conference in Seattle.
Mote Marine Laboratory & Aquarium is pleased to welcome Michael Moore as the Campaign Director for its Oceans for All campaign raising funds to create the new Mote Science Education Aquarium (Mote SEA). Moore brings more than 30 years of fundraising experience in health care, higher education and the arts to Mote’s campaign. He also brings a passion for marine research to his new role as Mote’s new Campaign Director. “It’s so exciting to be part of what will be a unique marine life experience for visitors, because the new Aquarium will put science first,” Moore said. “I find it especially rewarding to secure funding for a new facility that will illustrate the links between human health, the oceans and marine life – connecting it all through research.”
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Learn more at aza.org/heroes, and keep your eyes open for AZA’s new video featuring Mote’s own hero.
BY STEPHANNIE KETTLE Earlier this year, the Association of Zoos & Aquariums (AZA), announced a call for heroes: conservation heroes, education heroes — cape-less heroes to be in a new AZA video campaign that would showcase a commitment to animal welfare and protecting wildlife. The video entry contest, judged by AZA leadership and Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom host Stephanie Arne, drew 95 contestants from zoos and aquariums across the country, including some of the biggest names in the biz. Mote’s own Amanda Hodo, Aquarium Biologist I, answered the call with a video
Below: Amanda stands with three other contest winners, the host of Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom and the President of AZA.
PHOTO BY: ROB VERNON/AZA
Mote SEA, being planned for mainland Sarasota County, will allow Mote to reach a larger audience, to support new exhibits, to deepen visitors’ experiences through hands-on teaching labs, onsite diving programs, scientific demonstrations and interactive technology, and to open up space at its current campus on City Island, Sarasota, to advance its science and innovation capabilities.
95 entries. 10 finalists. Four winners. One Mote hero.
Mote staff and volunteers send their deepest gratitude to all of those who voted for and supported Hodo, and thank the judges for highlighting her undeniable heroism. Hodo is, indeed, a true hero of the sea!
EVENT CALENDAR
Mote 2019 Events Calendar More event details and registration at: mote.org/events DECEMBER DEC. 26–28 Mote Winter Break Camp (Session 1) Half-day camps for students currently in kindergarten–5th grade at Mote in Sarasota. mote.org/winterbreak JANUARY JAN. 2–4 Mote Winter Break Camp (Session 2) Half-day camps for students currently in kindergarten –5th grade, at Mote in Sarasota. mote.org/winterbreak JAN. 9 Coffee with a Scientist Join Dr. Vincent Lovko, Manager of Mote’s Phytoplankton Ecology Program, for coffee, pastries and a brief research presentation. 9 a.m. Mote’s Boca Grande Outreach Office. mote.org/coffee FEBRUARY FEB. 6 Tea for the Sea A celebration of female leadership in science and philanthropy. 2:30 p.m. Lakewood Ranch Golf & Country Club. mote.org/tea FEB. 8 Youth Making Ripples Film Festival 6 p.m. Mote’s WAVE Center in Sarasota. FEB. 13 Coffee with a Scientist Join Dr. Jim Locascio, Manager of Mote’s Fisheries Habitat Ecology & Acoustics Research Program, for coffee, pastries and a brief research presentation. 9 a.m. Mote’s Boca Grande Office. mote.org/coffee FEB. 21 Legacy Society Brunch Mote Legacy Society Members Only. Honoring those who support Mote through planned giving. 10 a.m. New Pass Room at Mote in Sarasota. MARC H MARCH 4, 11, 18, 25 Mote’s Special Lecture Series Ocean-focused lectures on Mondays in March. Sponsored in-part by Protect our Reefs Specialty License Plate. 6:30 p.m. WAVE Center at Mote in Sarasota. mote.org/lecture
MARCH 13 Coffee with a Scientist Join Dr. Robert Nowicki, Postdoctoral Scientist in Mote’s Sharks & Rays Conservation Research Program, for coffee, pastries and a brief research presentation. 9 a.m. Mote’s Boca Grande Outreach Office. mote.org/coffee MARCH 15 Party on the Pass A casual evening of good food, good fun and good will supporting Mote’s dolphin, whale and sea turtle hospitals. 6:30 p.m. Mote Aquarium in Sarasota. mote.org/party MARCH 18-22 AND MARCH 25-29 Mote Spring Break Camp Half-day camps for students currently in kindergarten–5th grade, at Mote in Sarasota. mote.org/springbreak APRIL APRIL 6 Mote’s 33rd Annual Run for the Turtles A sanctioned 5K run and 1-mile fun run/walk benefiting Mote’s Sea Turtle Conservation & Research Program. 6:30 a.m. Siesta Key Public Beach, 928 Beach Road. mote.org/run APRIL 10 Coffee with a Scientist Join Dr. Kevan Main, Manager of Mote’s Marine & Freshwater Aquaculture Research Program and Dr. Ryan Schloesser, Postdoctoral Scientist in Mote’s Fisheries Ecology & Enhancement Program, for coffee, pastries and brief research presentations. 9 a.m. Mote’s Boca Grande Office. mote.org/coffee APRIL 13 Mote's Key West Ocean Fest A community celebration supporting coral reef conservation, restoration and research. 11 a.m. Key West. moteoceanfest.org MAY MAY 12 Mother’s Day special at Mote Aquarium Free Mote Aquarium admission for moms with paid child admission (one free ticket per paid ticket). 10 a.m.–5 p.m. MAY 17-18 William R. Mote Memorial Snook Shindig A catch, sample and release tournament targeting snook released by Mote’s Fisheries Ecology & Enhancement Research Program.
Fishing in Sarasota Bay from Venice to Cortez. Details/Registration at: mote.org/snookshindig JUNE JUNE 8 World Oceans Day Family Festival 10 a.m.–1 p.m. Ocean conservation games, crafts and more by Mote and other organizations. Free with admission to Mote Aquarium, Sarasota. mote.org/worldoceansday JUNE 16 Father’s Day special at Mote Aquarium Free Mote Aquarium admission for fathers with paid child admission (one free ticket per paid ticket). 10 a.m.–5 p.m. JULY JULY 12-14 6th Annual Sarasota Lionfish Derby Divers help harvest invasive lionfish. Public festival and tasting on July 14 at Mote Marine Laboratory, Sarasota. 12 p.m. mote.org/lionfish SEPTEMBER ALL MONTH Saturdays in September $7 admission for Florida residents. Mote Aquarium in Sarasota. Some restrictions apply. mote.org/saturdays OCTOBER OCT. 19 Fish, Fun & Fright Buoys and ghouls of all ages can dress up in costume and enjoy snooktacular activities at Mote Aquarium. 4 –7 p.m. mote.org/halloween OCT. 26 Oceanic Evening Annual black-tie fundraising gala for Mote. 6:30 p.m. The Ritz-Carlton, Sarasota. For sponsorship and tickets: Allison Whitten, awhitten@mote.org. NOVEMBER & DECEMBER ALL NOVEMBER Member Appreciation Month Learn more at: mote.org/membership NOV. 11 Veterans Day Special at Mote Aquarium Free admission to all veterans and their dependents with valid IDs.
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NON Profit org. U.S. Postage PAID Lebanon Junction, KY Permit #698
1600 Ken Thompson Parkway Sarasota, FL 34236-1004 (941) 388-4441 www.mote.org
LEGACY SOCIETY SPOTLIGHT
Kathleen Cellura A passion for philanthropy BY AMANDA CHANDLER Kathleen Cellura knows what it means to be a leader in philanthropic giving. Her support of southwest Florida organizations is well known, and she is often highlighted as an inspirational example of paying it forward locally and beyond. She gives grants to non-profit groups through the Kathleen F. Cellura Foundation at the Community Foundation of Sarasota County. Having spent 30 years in the education field in western New York and Florida, Cellura enjoyed writing stories, and in her golden years, spent two and a half years developing the published novel “Forever Footprints,” a tale of courage and kindness. Cellura’s philanthropic interests are vast and varied, and protecting the natural environment is one that is near and dear to her heart. “I am impressed with Mote’s research, and have much love and admiration for its founding director, Dr. Eugenie Clark,” Cellura said. She hopes that modeling the behavior of giving will inspire others to do the same. “I think anyone can be a philanthropist and I am doing it while I’m alive, in order to serve as a positive living example in the realm of charitable works.”
Cellura joined Mote’s Legacy Society in 2017. When speaking of her decision to support, Cellura shared, “Mote is a fantastic educational center for our community, and its research is critical to the world. That’s why I joined Mote’s Legacy Society.” Cellura’s legacy gift supports Mote’s coral reef research and restoration programs as well as the organization’s efforts to ensure good water quality in southwest Florida. “I believe my commitment will continue to impact future generations.”
To learn more about becoming a Mote Legacy Society member, contact the Development Office: (941) 388-4441 ext. 309 or plannedgiving@mote.org