Category: Coasts & Marine

Upcoming Cold Temperatures Signals Manatee Season is Near!

by Brittany Hall-Scharf
October 29, 2025

As cooler weather begins to move into Florida this weekend, we’re once again reminded that the time when the Florida manatee (also known as the West Indian manatee, Trichechus manatus latirostris) seeks warm-water refuge is upon us. These ... READ MORE

Category: Coasts & Marine, Conservation, Natural Resources, Recreation, SFYL Hot Topic, UF/IFAS Extension, UF/IFAS Extension, Water, Wildlife
Tags: Chassahowitzka, Cold Events, Florida Sea Grant, Manatees, Weeki Wachee

Marshes in Motion

by Brittany Hall-Scharf
September 15, 2025

Ever wandered through the salt marshes of Hernando County and noticed the ground moving? Look closer, and you might catch sight of an entire troop of fiddler crabs scurrying across the mud. Meet the Fiddler Crab The most obvious fiddler ... READ MORE

Category: Coasts & Marine, Natural Resources, SFYL Hot Topic, UF/IFAS Extension, UF/IFAS Extension, Water, Wildlife
Tags: Fiddler Crabs, Florida Sea Grant, Healthy Ecosystems, Marine Life, Salt Marsh

Summer is here and so are the scallops!

by Brittany Hall-Scharf
June 27, 2024

Summertime along Florida’s Nature Coast offers a unique adventure: recreational scalloping. Enthusiasts and families alike eagerly anticipate this activity, seeking out the bay scallops that inhabit the shallow seagrass beds. These fascinating ... READ MORE

Category: Coasts & Marine, Conservation, Natural Resources, Recreation, SFYL Hot Topic, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Extension, Water, Wildlife
Tags: Clean A Scallop, Florida Sea Grant, Florida's Adventure Coast, Nature Coast, Scallop Sorter, Scalloping

Reporting Sightings of Tagged Horseshoe Crabs in Hernando: A Citizen Science Opportunity

by Brittany Hall-Scharf
April 18, 2024

Since 2018, volunteers in Hernando have been diligently tagging horseshoe crabs as part of an ongoing statewide effort to study and conserve these fascinating creatures. Horseshoe crabs are known to come ashore during the new and full moons ... READ MORE

Category: Coasts & Marine, Community Volunteers, Conservation, Natural Resources, Recreation, SFYL Hot Topic, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Extension, UF/IFAS Extension, Water, Wildlife
Tags: Conservation, Ecosystems, Wildlife

Fire from the Sky

by Brittany Hall-Scharf
April 11, 2024

The University of Florida recently hosted an intensive 4-day drone course for the Florida Forest Service, providing foresters with the essential aviation knowledge and hands-on drone operation skills. This initiative is revolutionizing how the ... READ MORE

Category: Coasts & Marine, Conservation, Forests, Natural Resources, Professional Development, SFYL Hot Topic, UF/IFAS Extension, UF/IFAS Extension, Water, Wildlife
Tags: Drones, Florida Forest Service, Florida Sea Grant, UF/IFAS Extension Hernando County

Taking the sponge plunge to enhance an important species in the Gulf

by Brad Buck
March 28, 2024

On a recent overcast day, University of Florida experts dove into the Gulf, hoping to increase sponge abundance in an area off Hernando Beach. It’s not a deep dive – about 10 feet. But the hard bottom is key: It’s where sponges live ... READ MORE

Category: Coasts & Marine, Natural Resources
Tags: Brittany Scharf, Don Behringer, Enhancement, Hernando Beach, Hernando County, School Of Forest Fisheries And Geomatics Sciences, Sponges, Tarpon Springs

M.A.T.E.S. on the Weeki Wachee

by Brittany Hall-Scharf
October 24, 2023

Manatees are unquestionably one of the most fascinating and gentle creatures to grace the warm waters of Florida. These herbivores, renowned for their slow, deliberate movements, play a vital role in preserving the health and balance of their ... READ MORE

Category: Coasts & Marine, Conservation, Natural Resources, Recreation, SFYL Hot Topic, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Extension, Water, Wildlife
Tags: Florida Sea Grant, Manatees, Save The Manatee Club, Weeki Wachee

7th Annual UF/IFAS Hernando County Coastal Cleanup

by Brittany Hall-Scharf
August 22, 2023

Gear up for the 7th Annual UF/IFAS Coastal Cleanup in Hernando County! Date: Saturday, September 16, 2023 Time: 8:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. Check-in Location: 6340 Shoal Lind Blvd., Spring Hill Pre-registration: https://2023coastalcleanup.eventbrite.ca Each ... READ MORE

Category: 4-H & Youth, Clubs & Volunteers, Coasts & Marine, Community Volunteers, Conservation, Events, Natural Resources, Recreation, Relationships & Family, SFYL Hot Topic, UF/IFAS Extension, Water, Wildlife, WORK & LIFE
Tags: Coastal Cleanup, Florida Sea Grant, International Coastal Cleanup, Marine Debris, UF/IFAS Extension Hernando County

Catch a Tagged Snook?

by Brittany Hall-Scharf
November 18, 2022

The University of Florida and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission released 30 tagged snook in Pasco and Hernando counties. Each fish has an internal acoustic tag that communicates its unique ID onto a receiver and an external ... READ MORE

Category: Coasts & Marine, Conservation, Natural Resources, Recreation, SFYL Hot Topic, UF/IFAS Extension, Water, Wildlife
Tags: Florida Sea Grant, Snook, UFIFAS Tropical Aquaculture Lab

Food Wrappers for Thought

by Brittany Hall-Scharf
October 17, 2022

The 2022 Coastal Cleanup was a success! We had 266 volunteers of all ages remove debris from land and sea. Our trash sorting station not only logged the types and amounts of trash but also weighed the debris this year. We estimated that ... READ MORE

Category: Coasts & Marine, Conservation, Natural Resources, Recreation, SFYL Hot Topic, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Extension, Water, Wildlife
Tags: Coastal Cleanup, Florida Sea Grant, Marine Debris

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