Authors: Holly Abeels, UF/IFAS Florida Sea Grant Extension; Gabby Barbarite, Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute, FL Atlantic University; Betty Staugler, UF/IFAS Florida Sea Grant Extension; L Scott Jackson, UF/IFAS Florida Sea Grant Extension Recent news headlines report another emergence… Read More
Bivalves are mollusks that have a two-part hinged shell which hides the soft-bodied animal inside. Clams, oysters, scallops and mussels are all considered bivalves. Let’s take a closer look at a couple. Bay Scallop Bay scallops (Argopecten irradians)… Read More
With all the bad press about algae, we often forget that it really can be beneficial. In fact, algae are responsible for much of the air we breathe, and they form the base of the food web upon… Read More
Surface waters provide a huge, but nearly featureless place for fish to live. In bottom waters there’s vegetation like seagrass and mangrove roots, there’s rock outcrops, oyster reefs, docks and pilings, and even artificial reefs. But up at… Read More
Common snook, Centropomus undecimalis is one of five snook species found in Florida and the only one we see here in southwest Florida. Where they live Snook occur from South Carolina to Brazil, including Florida to Texas along… Read More
Are you ready to celebrate? June 14-21 is Cephalopod Week. So exciting! No, we don’t get to take the week off from work, and it’s not a real holiday, but it is a way to raise awareness about and celebrate octopi, squid, cuttlefish… Read More
“Worm” is our common word for invertebrate animals that have soft, elongated bodies. When most people think of worms, they usually think of nightcrawlers or red wigglers. Both may be called earthworms since they both are found in… Read More
Macroalgae are large species of algae often referred to as seaweeds. When not attached to bottom sediments, they are commonly called drift algae. Macroalgae come in colors of red, green, brown and black, and they randomly wash up… Read More
Your ears are prominently displayed on the sides of your head. But when you look at a fish, you can’t see its ears. That’s because a fish’s ears are located inside its head, right behind each eye. Each… Read More
Productivity in natural systems refers to the amount of biomass produced by living organisms over a given period of time. Estuaries are one of the most productive ecosystems on earth, and freshwater inflows are the single most important… Read More
