Privacy Policy

Mote Marine Laboratory & Aquarium is strongly committed to protecting the privacy of our visitors, donors, members, program participants and all others who interact with us in person and online.

This Privacy Policy discloses how we collect, use and protect the privacy of your information and the choices you have regarding our use of and your ability to correct the information.

Whether you register for an event, sign up to receive communications from us, become a member, make a purchase or donation online, through the mail, or in person, we protect your information in a variety of ways, using industry standard safeguards.

Many people use credit cards for donations and purchases. We protect the security of credit card transactions using a number of measures such as encryption, access controls, network firewalls, and physical security. These measures make it extremely difficult for anyone to intercept the credit card information you send to us.

We do not sell, rent or share a donor's, member's or ticket purchaser's personal information with anyone else, nor will Mote send donor mailings on behalf of other organizations. When we work with other companies to process specific data—credit card transactions and analytics for our online platforms—those companies also use encryption and other security measures and required to abide by our privacy policy.

You always have a choice of whether to provide personal information to Mote. Please note: Some of our services may be unavailable to you without such information. At the time you provide your information, you will be notified of the purpose and use of your information. You have the right to request access to and/or corrections of your data. You also have the right to opt out of Mote communications.

For all questions and requests relating to our Privacy Policy and your data, please write to:

Mote Marine Laboratory & Aquarium
Community Relations & Communications Department
1600 Ken Thompson Parkway
Sarasota, FL 34236 at 941-388-4441

Most of the information provided by Mote is offered without our collecting any personally identifiable information from you.  In order to maximize your experience and to provide you with enhanced products and services, however, Mote collects personally identifiable information (e.g., name, e-mail address, etc.) and demographic data (e.g., zip code, gender, birth date, interests, etc.) that you voluntarily supply to us.  When you make a purchase or sign up for one of our premium services, we will also collect your billing address, phone number, and credit card information.  Some examples of instances when we collect personally identifiable information include when you: 

  1. Complete a survey
  2. Register for a promotion
  3. Make a purchase from our online store
  4. Send us an e-mail message

Thus, you have a choice as to whether to provide your personally identifiable information.  Although you are not required to disclose any personally identifiable information to us, portions of our site and other specialized services may be unavailable to you without such information. 

How We Use Your Information
We use the information you provide in a limited number of ways.  We may use the information to service your account, conduct a transaction that you have requested, display information that you request and compile statistics about our users.

How We Share Your Information
Mote does not rent, sell or share personal information about you with other people or nonaffiliated companies except as described below.  
We provide you with the opportunity to opt in to receive special offers from Mote.  If you opt in, Mote will use your personally identifiable information to inform you of opportunities available from Mote. These opportunities may include, for example, schedules for special programs at Mote or other events related to Mote’s mission.  

Third-Party Processors
When you submit your personal information to Mote, it may be shared with a reputable third party (“Third Party Processors”).  These Third Party Processors may include, for example, companies that process credit card information or handle shipping for Mote.  These Third Party Processors may correct and/or update users’ data based on information we provide them.  We may also use Third Party Processors to deliver materials to you via e-mail or the postal service.  The data we provide to Third Party Processors is securely stored and maintained by them so that it can be accessed when needed for future purposes.  Furthermore, all such Third Party Processors are contractually bound by us to keep the information confidential.

Links to Other Web Sites
Like many web sites on the Internet, Mote links to pages located on Web sites maintained by various other entities that are not be not bound by our Privacy Policy.  In some cases you may link to pages of other web sites that are framed with elements of Mote such as in the header or footer.  The URL will identify the site you are visiting.  We are not responsible for the information collection practices of other web sites.  The privacy policies of other organizations may differ from ours, for example, with respect to the level of security, use of cookies, and collection, use and disclosure of personally identifiable information.  

Other Limitations on Privacy
Mote may provide personally identifiable information without your permission (i) pursuant to judicial or other government subpoenas, warrants, or orders; (ii) where Mote believes our property or an individual's safety or security is at risk; iii) if we find that your actions violate our terms of use or iv) where otherwise required by law.  
Cookies are small electronic files transferred from our web site to your hard drive.  Cookies enable Mote to recognize repeat visitors, track usage behavior and facilitate your access to and use of our site.  If you wish, you can choose to have your computer warn you each time a cookie is being sent, or you can choose to turn off all cookies.  You can do this by resetting your browser settings.  Each browser is somewhat different, so look at your browser’s Help menu to learn the correct way to modify your cookies settings.  If you turn cookies off, however, you won't have access to many of the features which make your experience more efficient and some of our services may not function properly.

Opting-Out, Corrections and Cancellations
In order to receive an offer or promotion from Mote, a user must have chosen to receive it during a registration process.  To completely ensure that we have your consent, we make sure that each e-mail we send you presents the additional opportunity to opt-out of receiving future e-mails. 

To unsubscribe to any e-mail subscriptions you may click on the unsubscribe link contained in the email or contact us directly at:

Communications Division
Mote Marine Laboratory, Inc.
1600 Ken Thompson Parkway
Sarasota, FL 34236

Terms of Use

Please carefully read the terms and conditions of this license agreement before you use any text, images, data or other material on this website. By using any of materials from this website you are consenting to be bound by this agreement. If you do not accept all of the terms of this agreement, you are not authorized to use any materials on this site.

  1. Ownership of the Site – All pages within this website and all materials on it are the property of the Mote Marine Laboratory and Aquarium. The only exceptions are copyrighted images and other materials owned by other entities which are clearly indicate.  This agreement gives you no ownership rights to any materials on this site.
  2. Copyright Laws - This site and all materials on it are protected under United States copyright laws, which give creators of original works of authorship the exclusive right to use their works for a limited period of time. With certain exceptions, copyrighted materials may not be used or copied without the permission of the copyright holder. This agreement describes the uses which you are permitted to make of the materials on this site.
  3. License to Use - You are licensed by Mote to use materials on this site for non-commercial educational and personal purposes only. You may copy these materials for classroom and personal use, so long as the copies contain all applicable copyright and trademark notices. This license is not exclusive to you, and you may not transfer it.
  4. Prohibited Uses - Any commercial use of the materials on this site is strictly prohibited. You may not sell, assign, sublicense or otherwise transfer these materials, copy them for any uses other than classroom or personal use, publish them for personal gain, or remove any copyright or trademark notice, without the express written permission of Mote.
  5. No Warranty - All materials on this site are made available to you as-is. Mote makes no warranty, express or implied, as to these materials, their title, accuracy, non-infringement of third party rights, merchantability, or fitness for any particular purpose, or the performance or results you may obtain from their use.
  6. Limitation of Liability -Under no circumstances shall the Aquarium be liable for any direct, incidental, special, consequential, indirect, or punitive damages that result from the use of, or the inability to use, the materials in this site. If you are dissatisfied with any materials in this site or these terms and conditions, your sole and exclusive remedy is to discontinue using or visiting this site.
  7. Registration -  If you register with the Mote web site (“Mote”), we will ask you to provide personal information.  We use cookies and other technologies to keep track of your interactions with our Site to offer a personalized experience.  We use the information we collect to provide the services you request and they may include the display of personalized content.
  8. Third Party Content -  Mote is not a publisher of content supplied by third parties and users of the site.  Accordingly, Mote has no more editorial control over such content than does a public library, bookstore, or newsstand.  Any opinions, advice, statements, services, offers, or other information or content expressed or made available by third parties, including information providers and users, are those of the respective author(s) or distributor(s) and not of Mote.  In many instances, the content available through the site represents the opinions and judgments of the respective information provider or user.  Mote neither endorses nor is responsible for the accuracy or reliability of any opinion, advice or statement made on the site by anyone other than authorized Mote spokespersons while acting in their official capacities.
  9. Links to Other Sites - This site contains links to other sites. These links do not mean that Mote endorses these sites, nor is Mote responsible for their contents or use.
  10. Viruses -  Mote also assumes no responsibility, and shall not be liable for, any damages to, or viruses that may infect, your computer equipment or other property on account of your access to, use of, or browsing in the Site or your downloading of any materials, data, text, images, video or audio from the Site.
  11. Trademarks - Mote Marine Laboratory, Mote Aquarium, the Key West Conch Baby Farm, the circular Mote shark logo, the circular Dolphin and Whale Hospital logo, the Sea Turtle Conservation & Research logo, the Center for Shark Research logo, the Dive Center logo, Gilley the shark, the education book logo, the Mote Aquaculture Park logo, the Mote intern logo, the Mote volunteer logo, the Mote Scientific Foundation logo are trademarks of Mote and may not be used for any purpose without the express written permission of the Mote Marine Laboratory.
  12. Questions and Requests for Permission to Use - Any questions regarding the terms of this agreement or requests for permission to use materials on this site for any commercial or personal purpose should be directed to:  

The Communications Division 
Mote Marine Laboratory
1600 Ken Thompson Parkway
Sarasota Florida, 34326