Great Goliath Grouper Count This is the 15th year of the Great Goliath Grouper Count, scheduled to take place June 1 through June 16, 2024! The Great Goliath Grouper Count is a collaboration between Florida Sea Grant and the Florida Fish ... READ MORE
Category: Coasts & Marine, Conservation, Recreation, UF/IFAS Extension
Sponges Filter Water at Incredible Rates! Sponges are animals that are incredibly important for improving water quality. Ounce for ounce, the amount of water they filter per day is astounding! A basketball-sized sheepswool sponge can ... READ MORE
Category: Coasts & Marine, NATURAL RESOURCES
In Florida, this year’s sea turtle nesting numbers were record-breaking! 2023 state-wide statistics from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission (FWC) counted 133,941 loggerhead sea turtle nests. This is 30,000 nests more than average ... READ MORE
Category: Conservation, UF/IFAS Extension
Do I need a descending tool on-board when fishing from my vessel for reef fish in Florida? The answer is YES! But the regulations are a little different depending upon where you are fishing. Atlantic Ocean federal waters (3+ nautical ... READ MORE
Category: Coasts & Marine, Recreation, UF/IFAS Extension
Greater Amberjack Seriola dumerili is considered overfished and overfishing is occurring in the Gulf of Mexico but not in the South Atlantic Ocean. In the Gulf, Greater Amberjack populations have not been recovering for more than 20 years, and ... READ MORE
Category: , Coasts & Marine, Recreation, UF/IFAS Extension
Imagine you are accustomed to eating 2,000 calories per day. What if your diet was suddenly cut by 85% to only 300 calories per day? You could survive on 300 calories per day, but for how long? This is the issue facing the bleached corals ... READ MORE
Category: , Coasts & Marine, NATURAL RESOURCES, UF/IFAS Extension
Diamondback Terrapins are small turtles that live in the brackish waters of estuaries from Massachusetts to Texas. They can be found in tidal creeks and rivers, bays and sounds, salt marshes, and mangrove systems. Throughout their range, ... READ MORE
Category: Coasts & Marine, Conservation, UF/IFAS Extension, Wildlife
Queen Conch (current scientific name Alger gigas, formerly Strombus gigas) is such an iconic animal in the Florida Keys that local born residents are called “conchs,” especially those living near Key West, Florida. Most locals have ... READ MORE
Category: Conservation, NATURAL RESOURCES, UF/IFAS Extension
Please Report Signs of Disease We are asking for divers and snorkelers to be on the lookout for long-spined sea urchins with and without signs of disease. The long-spined sea urchin Diadema antillarum is a keystone species on Florida’s ... READ MORE
Category: NATURAL RESOURCES, UF/IFAS Extension
In March 2022, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) announced Florida has reached the threshold of 1 million registered recreational boats! If you add in the number of commercial boats for charters, flats guides, trap ... READ MORE
Category: NATURAL RESOURCES, UF/IFAS Extension