Oil Spill Response: Photos available for media
Mote scientists sample oil-free environments for oil spill studies
Mote scientists have completed a round of environmental sampling designed to provide a "before" snapshot of Southwest Florida's coastal and marine habitats, should there be an "after" caused by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.
Working in Sarasota Bay and Charlotte Harbor, the team gathered baseline samples of bottom-dwelling organisms, water, sediment, oysters, clams, seagrasses, total organic carbon and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), which are chemical components found in oil.
Mote scientists sampled at 25 sites in Sarasota Bay and 12 sites in Charlotte Harbor, including seagrass beds where many marine species feed and grow, muddy sediments where oil could collect, and species such as oysters and clams, which could accumulate oil toxins by filtering the water for their food.
Why are baseline samples important? The Exxon Valdez spill led to years of lawsuits. A key issue was that there was no scientific picture of what the Alaskan environment looked like before the spill happened.
Read more updates about the Mote's Oil Spill Response in a new letter from Mote President Dr Kumar Mahadevan:
http://www.mote.org/index.php?cid=2091042&src=directory&view=topic&srctype=detail&back=topic&refno=1087
Media: For pictures, please contact Hayley at 941-374-0081 or hrutger@mote.org.
Tarpon fishing challenge — Win cool ocean art
Anglers: You could win gorgeous tarpon artwork by helping Mote scientists and state wildlife officials get the "big picture" of what these silver kings do in the wild.
Nokomis artist Brendan Coudal is challenging Florida fishermen now through Aug. 1 to participate in the Tarpon Genetic Recapture Study, an ongoing scientific effort in which anglers help Florida's Fish and Wildlife Research Institute and Mote Marine Laboratory study the secret lives of tarpon by taking a small DNA sample from their catch and sending it to researchers.
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Artist Brendan Coudal stands beside his painting, "Emerald Water Kings." Anglers can enter to win a limited-edition signed print of Coudal's painting by catching, sampling and releasing tarpon for the Tarpon Genetic Recapture Study.
DNA samples collected between May 1 and Aug. 1, 2010 qualify anglers to win a 16-by-24-inch limited edition, signed print of Coudal's painting, "Emerald Water Kings." A stunning picture of tarpon gliding through emerald-colored, shallow Gulf of Mexico water, this piece was the featured artwork for the 2008 Sarasota Anglers Club All-Release Tarpon Tournament.
"I hope my artwork motivates anglers to get involved in the Tarpon Genetics Recapture Study. It's easy and fun, and vital to monitoring the health of the tarpon population," said Coudal, an avid fisherman and diver. "As conservation-minded anglers, I feel we should do what we can to help with research and data gathering in order to further everyone's understanding of this majestic fish. There's still much to be learned about tarpon behavior and migration and, as anglers, we're on the front line, able to observe and interact with what I believe is the perfect game fish."
Biologists analyze tarpon DNA samples submitted by anglers to get each fish's genetic "fingerprint." Scientists can then compare tarpon DNA samples with cataloged samples from other fish to determine if someone had previously caught and sampled the tarpon.
This information is used to determine survival rates, health, migration patterns and movement of individual tarpon within the fishery. Over time, this information will help resource managers understand how well tarpon stocks doing are and how much the tarpon mingle between different bodies of water.
So far, more than 5,800 DNA samples have been collected. Biologists have recorded 37 recaptured tarpon from locations across the state, including Miami, the Florida Keys, Fort Myers, Boca Grande, Sarasota, Tampa Bay and the Indian River Lagoon. Biologists welcome samples from tarpon caught regardless of capture location or fish size. Anglers gather the sample by rubbing a small pad over the tarpon's jaw area, then preserving the sample with the materials provided until it can be mailed in or dropped off at one of 175 participating bait and tackle shops.
To get a kit, anglers should e-mail TarponGenetics@MyFWC.com or call Florida's Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission at 800-367-4461.
For more information on the Tarpon Genetic Recapture Study, visit http://research.myfwc.com/tarpon.
For more information on Mote's Center for Fisheries Enhancement and its work preserving and boosting coastal fish and invertebrate populations, go to www.mote.org.
Media: For interviews with Coudal, please call 941-485-2226 or e-mail brendan@brendancoudal.com.
For a high-res photo of the painting, please contact Hayley at 941-374-0081 or hrutger@mote.org.
For more information about his art, visit: www.BrendanCoudal.com
Disco for Mote's Oil Spill Response
Get out the platform shoes and bell bottoms — we know you've still got 'em — and dance the night away on June 26 at Disco Ball, a strobe-lit dance party benefitting Mote Marine Laboratory's Oil Spill Emergency Fund. Partiers can enjoy snacks and drinks and dance to music by Muzakman & Dj Imminent. You'll feel extra groovy knowing your support will help Mote scientists monitor and study the impacts of the spill and help oiled sea life if animals are brought to Mote's hospitals. Learn more about Mote's response at www.mote.org/oilresponse.
If You Go
What: Disco Ball benefitting Mote's Oil Spill Emergency Fund
When: 10 p.m. on Saturday, June 26
Where: 1646 10th Way, Sarasota
Cost: $25 for general admission and $55 for VIP admission. Tickets include bites and drinks.
Purchase Tickets: Tickets are available at Stitch Boutique, 1636 Main Street in
Sarasota; Frary Gallery, 1419 A 5th Street in Sarasota; and The Naked Florist, 425 Central Avenue in Sarasota.
Etc.: Dress to impress in your finest Disco wear.
More information: www.facebook.com/longliveDISCO
Got good grades? Visit some smart sharks!
If you earned high marks in science, your report card is your ticket to Mote Aquarium in June and July — where you can learn how sharks are smarter than they appear. Children in grades K-12 who show proof of an "A" in science get in free with a parent's paid ticket (one child per adult ticket) from June 1-July 31.
Young science whizzes will love to watch our sharks go to school during Mote's narrated Training Sessions with sharks. During these feeding sessions at 11 a.m. on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, Mote's large sharks are trained to swim to special colored targets for their food, while a Mote aquarist explains how and why we train sharks. Mote Marine Laboratory was the first to show that sharks could learn through training.
Learn more at: www.mote.org/whatsnew.
Mote is dedicated to advancing the science of the sea and educating the public about marine ecosystems. We encourage life-long learning through our many educational programs for kids, families and adults. Check out our summer camps and other upcoming programs by visiting www.mote.org/education.
Fun Facts for Mote's 55th: Fond farewell to Shark Month
We've reached the tail end of Shark Month, the June theme for Mote's 55th Anniversary Year. But the shark tales never end at Mote Marine Laboratory — renowned for 55 years of shark research in Southwest Florida — and Mote Aquarium, where you can come eye-to-eye with real sharks 365 days per year.
We're bidding Shark Month a fond farewell with "True or False" questions about these important ocean predators:
True or false:
Some sharks must swim constantly to breathe, but others can sit still.
True! Some sharks can respire by pumping water over their gills by opening and closing their mouths while at rest on the bottom.
For example, the nurse sharks in Mote Aquarium's 135,000-gallon shark habitat can often be seen resting on the bottom. You might just spot a nurse shark on Mote's Shark Webcam: http://www.seesarasotalive.com/mote/
Most sharks are harmful to people.
False! About 80 percent of Earth's shark species are unable to hurt people or rarely encounter people.
Sharks have complex brains that can learn.
True! Sharks' relatively large and complex brains are comparable in size to those of supposedly more advanced animals like mammals and birds. Sharks can even learn through training. See Mote Aquarists train sharks at 11 a.m. each Monday, Wednesday and Friday at Mote Aquarium.
Sharks eat continuously.
False! Sharks eat periodically depending upon their metabolism and the availability of food. For example, juvenile lemon sharks eat less than 2 percent of their body weight per day.
July - September
Summer Discount for Service Industry Employees
Been working like a dog...fish? Enjoy some time off at Mote Aquarium for a great price during our "Service Industry Summer." Employees of Southwest Florida hotels, restaurants and bars get in for a special $5 rate from July 1 through Sept. 30 with proof of employment. The discount covers you and one guest.
Mote houses more than 100 species of sea life, from cool sea cucumbers to massive manatees. Our dedicated aquarists work hard every day to keep our animal residents healthy and happy. We're all about personalized service! Learn more at www.mote.org.
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