They say life began in the oceans. We know that the lithosphere is cracked, adding new land, subducting land over time. But much of the lithosphere is covered with water – and here life began. Initially it had to begin on either rock ... READ MORE
Category: Coasts & Marine, Natural ResourcesI have played in the waters of the northern Gulf of Mexico all of my life… but I have never heard of this – “sea lice.” It has been in the news recently and I have had a couple inquiries concerning it so I decided to investigate. A ... READ MORE
Category: Coasts & Marine, Natural Resources, WildlifeI have played in the waters of the northern Gulf of Mexico all of my life… but I have never heard of this – “sea lice.” It has been in the news recently and I have had a couple inquiries concerning it so I decided to investigate. A ... READ MORE
Category: Natural ResourcesGiant Tiger Prawn (Penaeus monodon): This catchy phrase coined by Robert Turpin (Escambia County Marine Resources Division) describes a recent invader to our marine waters in the past decade. Many coastal residents are aware of ... READ MORE
Category: Natural ResourcesFrom Fear to Fascination: White Sharks in the Florida Panhandle UF/IFAS Extension – Florida Sea Grant By Rick O’Connor (Escambia County) and L. Scott Jackson (Bay County) Recently, I was walking on our local Gulf fishing pier checking ... READ MORE
Category: Natural ResourcesIn the final segment of this 3 part series on worms we will discuss the largest, most commonly encountered members of the worm world… the Annelids. Annelids differ from the other two groups of worms we have discussed in that they have segmented ... READ MORE
Category: Natural ResourcesFor locals along the coast ghost crabs are as common as mockingbirds and mourning doves. Before Ivan, when the dunes were larger and closer to the road, viewing the white crabs scouring across the road at night in your headlights forced ... READ MORE
Category: Natural ResourcesFor many who are seafood lovers there is nothing like a good grouper sandwich; makes me hungry just to write that. Groupers are members of the one of the largest families of fish in the Gulf of Mexico. There are 33 species in the family Serranidae, ... READ MORE
Category: Natural ResourcesThese curious ancient animals have been roaming the waters of the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico for over 450 million years. Though they appear dangerous they are quite harmless and are actually more closely related to spiders and scorpions than ... READ MORE
Category: Natural ResourcesMaking the Big Sabine hike on Santa Rosa Island in February was COLD! A front had pasted over the day before and temp was in the 30’s with a north wind. But the sky was a beautiful blue and the Gulf was calm and clear. Joining ... READ MORE
Category: Natural Resources