People love Florida-farmed clams. They are great on pasta or to eat baked, steamed or raw. Sales of these munchable mollusks typically peak around holidays, but during the 2020 Memorial Day weekend, Florida clam farmers watched as markets for their product dwindled in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic. Restaurants and bars are the largest…

Communities in the South Atlantic coastal region are increasingly experiencing the effects of re-occurring flooding from sea-level rise, which compromises infrastructure critical to transportation, stormwater and emergency operations. This ‘nuisance flooding’ also impacts the quality of life for residents faced with disruption of essential services and reduced mobility. The effects of rising seas and flooding…

Save the date for goliath grouper! The 12th Annual Great Goliath Grouper Count is scheduled to take place June 1–14, 2021. The Great Goliath Grouper Count is a stakeholder driven effort, made possible through collaboration with Florida Sea Grant, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and county partners. Every year, the project provides a “snapshot”…

Each year, Florida Sea Grant awards the $1000 Skoch Scholarship to an outstanding high school senior competing in the State Science and Engineering Fair of Florida. The scholarship recognizes promising young researchers in a coastal or marine science-related field. This year’s winner is Camila Rimoldi Ibanez, a senior in the dual enrollment program at Sebring…

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