Saving the Queen Conch
Researchers received a $2.8 million gift from Builders Initiative to establish a queen conch hatchery in Grand Bahama.
The project, led by Megan Davis, Ph.D., research professor, FAU Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute, will expand the extensive aquaculture and food security program aimed at replenishing the threatened queen conch populations throughout the Caribbean.
Read more.
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Researcher of the Year
Aditya Nayak, Ph.D., earned the FAU Researcher of the Year Award at the assistant professor level for Sponsored Project Oriented Activities. His research in oceanographic processes includes understanding harmful algal blooms.
Nayak is an assistant professor in the department of ocean and mechanical engineering, College of Engineering and Computer Science, and Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute.
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Crunching Clams
To better understand growing, or producing, shellfish, like clams and oysters, researchers from FAU Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute studied the whitespotted eagle ray's ability to eat clams under various anti-predator measures.
Results, published in the journal Aquaculture Environment Interactions, showed that anti-predator treatments reduce clam mortality.
Read more.
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Too Much Seaweed
Brian LaPointe, Ph.D., a research professor at FAU Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute, spoke with NBC News and CNN about the problematic sargassum bloom.
The seaweed's negative impacts include suffocating coral, threatening infrastructure, and decreasing air and water quality.
Read more.
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Conserving Giants
Populations of goliath grouper, an enormous species once on the brink of extinction, are slowly recovering in Florida, according to Clark Morgan, a doctoral student at FAU Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute.
Morgan recently gave a lecture at the Florida Oceanographic Society to discuss the importance of the grouper to the diving industry and ecosystem in Florida.
Watch here.
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Dolphin Rescue
Earlier this month, the FAU Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute Stranding and Population Assessment team assisted in an approved rescue of a 2-year-old dolphin calf in Stuart, Fla. Read more.
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Sea Turtle Talk
Derek Aoki, doctoral student, FAU Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute, presented his research on leatherback sea turtles at the 41st International Symposium for the International Sea Turtle Society in Colombia.
Aoki's advisor is Annie Page-Karjian, Ph.D., assistant research professor and clinical veterinarian at FAU Harbor Branch.
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A Winning Presentation
Amanda Matthews won third place in best student abstract and second place in student spotlight presentations at the annual Aquaculture America conference, for her research on the sea vegetable annual sea-blite as an emerging superfood.
Matthews is a graduate student in the Charles E. Schmidt College of Science and FAU Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute.
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14th Annual Research Day
Christopher Spagnolia recently won first place in the biological and chemistry category for his poster during the Florida Atlantic University Graduate and Professional Student Association Research Day. His poster was titled “The Effect of Thermal Anomalies on Coral Reef Benthic Competitive Interactions.”
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Fin of the Month: Jena
Jena and her calf are regularly seen in the Stuart area and were recently both found entangled with fishing gear. They were rescued and successfully cut free this month by the FAU Harbor Branch Marine Mammal Stranding and Population Assessment Team along with other stranding network collaborators.
If you see dolphins while out on the water, please remember to stay 50 yards away. If you see a marine mammal in distress, please call the FWC hotline 888-404-3922.
Photo ID work is permitted under NOAA NMFS LOC #23069 and stranding response is conducted under a Stranding Agreement with NMFS and FAU Harbor Branch under the authority of the Marine Mammal Protection Act.
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Be a Dolphin Spotter
Next time you're standing on a Florida shore and see a dolphin in the water, take a picture.
Then, submit that picture to the FAU Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute Dolphin-Spotter project, a land-based citizen science project, and become a certified citizen scientist.
Learn more.
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Florida Oceans Day
FAU Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute joined more than 15 marine science organizations from across the state for the Florida Oceans Day event in Tallahassee, Fla.
The goal of the event was to share the role that FAU Harbor Branch and others play in promoting a healthy blue economy. Learn more.
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'To Dive For'
Haley Davis and Sydney Bell, graduate students, Charles E. Schmidt College of Science, doing research with the FAU Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute, recently launched a podcast called "To Dive For."
The two said they aim to make professional diving and marine science accessible through the diverse voices of those who live it firsthand. Listen Here.
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Specialty Experience: Life Under a Lens
Join the April Specialty Experience at FAU Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute to get a glimpse into the microscopic ocean world and learn about the important role of plankton. Attendees will use scientific equipment to capture and identify some of the tiniest creatures living in the Indian River Lagoon.
Limited space is available and reservations and payment are required in advance. For more information, or to make a reservation, call 772-242-2293 or visit the Ocean Discovery Visitors Center.
A different Specialty Experience is held on the second Thursday of each month. Check out the online schedule for what's coming next.
Learn more.
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Science Saturdays
Join FAU Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute at the Ocean Discovery Visitors Center on the last Saturday of every month for a fun-filled, outdoor event. Bring the whole family and learn from our outreach team while participating in a variety of interactive activities.
Upcoming Dates: April 29
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