New reefs deployed as planning begins for artificial reef summit
As planning gets underway for the 2015 Statewide Artificial Reef Summit, Florida Sea Grant continues to assist coastal communities with the deployment of new reef materials.
Apalachicola Update: Funding awarded for restoration of oyster bars
Florida Sea Grant is working in partnership with state agencies, the Gulf Coast Workforce Board, local counties and other groups to obtain funding necessary to tackle the primary recommendation of the Oyster Recovery Team’s report: the need for large-scale restoration to achieve recovery of the Apalachicola Bay oyster industry. The first proposed project, led by…
Leading efforts to restore Apalachicola Bay
Apalachicola, home of world-famous oysters and producer of about 10 percent of the U.S. oyster supply, is once again making headlines, but this time it’s for all the wrong reasons. A steep decline in the oyster harvest has hundreds of fishermen, local leaders and seafood producers wondering if their unique fishery and way of life…
Indian River Lagoon Oyster Restoration Program
Oysters are loved by seafood connoisseurs around the world, but these briny mollusks are much more than a taste treat. They also provide important benefits to a healthy coastal environment. Oyster reefs act as natural filters to improve water quality, stabilize shoreline and provide habitat for young fish and other marine life. Unfortunately, oyster populations…
Model ordinance aims to help beachfront properties save turtles
Students at the University of Florida College of Law Conservation Clinic have developed a model ordinance for sea turtle friendly lighting, and extension agent Brooke Saari helps a beachfront community dim the lights.
Improving Water Quality and Bringing Back the Bayous
Those who have lived in the Panhandle area for many years will remember the days when our local bayous were places people water skied, kids learned to swim, and fishermen brought home plenty of speckled trout. But today we see little of this. Water quality within our bayous has declined to a point that the…
Sea Grant training inspires man to rescue manatees
Update April 11, 2013: The tide has killed 241 of Florida’s roughly 5,000 manatees, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Research Institute, and the toll appears certain to rise. A red tide bloom along the southwest Florida coast has claimed the lives of 174 manatees so far this year, and one Fort Myers man…
Scallop larvae released in Charlotte County
Bay Scallop recovery efforts in the waters off Charlotte County will be getting a much needed boost on Sunday, Dec. 16 when 8 million young scallop larvae are released into local waters. The release is being spearheaded by Florida Sea Grant agent Betty Staugler, Charlotte County, with assistance from area volunteers, the Florida Fish and…
Freezing Sea Oats
Deep-freezing sea oats seeds and sheets may create business opportunities for commercial growers when dunes need restoring Sea oats are much more than decorative beach foliage. The wispy grass creates a natural barrier between land and water by trapping wind-blown sand, providing stability in beach dunes. A Florida Sea Grant researcher is developing novel techniques…
Celebrate World Oceans Day on June 8
Originally conceived at the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro in 1992, World Oceans Day gives us an opportunity to celebrate our world and own personal connection to the sea. Floridians should have a special place in their hearts for our oceans, for our connection is direct and profound. We have more than 1,300 miles…