Podcast: A year’s worth of updates on science, education

We ring in 2018 by sharing the latest updates on many Mote projects from 2017. Listeners will learn: how far our tagged sea turtles and sharks traveled in the wild; how we improved systems to detect red tide; why our scientists patented new technology to distinguish male from female fish; how Mote's Florida Keys facility and coral restoration sites fared during Hurricane Irma; how our cold-stunned sea turtle patients are doing after their trip from the New England Aquarium to Mote's Sea Turtle Rehabilitation Hospital; and much more. Hayley shares the updates while Joe is away. Come back, Joe! We miss you!

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Podcast: Seahorse tales

Wild horses couldn't drag us away from this awesome interview! Aquarium Biologist Amanda Hodo shares what it's like to raise and breed seahorses, based on her experience supervising the Seahorse Conservation Lab in Mote Aquarium. Hosts Joe and Hayley love learning how seahorses change color, grab things (and each other) with their prehensile tails, and make babies in a very unusual way. Tune in for serious seahorse smarts... and a bit of horsing around!

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Stormwater system can support snook, bass and more, says Sarasota study

Dozens of fish species — including common snook and largemouth bass — use certain parts of the upper Phillippi Creek system, according to the first fish survey of this urbanized network of canals, retention ponds and wetlands in Sarasota County, Florida. The survey — led by Mote Marine Laboratory and funded by Sarasota Bay Estuary Program (SBEP) — found the highest numbers and diversity of fishes around upper creek areas mimicking natural habitat: curving canals or ponds with wetland vegetation and sections of slower-moving water. Less naturalistic canals, with shorelines straightened for optimum drainage, generally hosted fewer fish of fewer species.

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Longboat Key Turtle Watch donates nearly $10,000 to Mote’s Sea Turtle & Education Programs

On Monday, Dec. 11, 2017, members of the Longboat Key Turtle Watch (LBKTW) donated more than $9,770 to help advance Mote Marine Laboratory’s education and sea turtle programs.  This year the funds for Mote will be distributed among the Lab’s Hatchling Hospital, Sea Turtle Rehabilitation Hospital, Sea Turtle Conservation and Research Program and Education Department. This is the eighth year that LBKTW has donated to Mote and largest sum of annual donations that LBKTW has donated to Mote programs.

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Mote hospital admits 10 rescued sea turtles from New England

Mote's Sea Turtle Rehabilitation Hospital admitted nine endangered Kemp's ridley sea turtles and one threatened green sea turtle Friday — helping with a team effort to rehabilitate 46 cold-stunned turtles initially brought to the New England Aquarium (NEAQ) in Quincy, Massachusetts.

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