News & Press

At Mote Marine Laboratory in Sarasota, Florida, researchers use specialized suction cup mounted “helmet” tags to collect acoustic and movement data on whitespotted eagle rays. These tags will help examine the relationship between eagle rays and their prey and can be leveraged to evaluate their interactions with shellfish aquaculture and restoration. This new technology is part of a five-year project, which started in March 2022, funded by the National Science Foundation Faculty Early Career Development Program (NSF CAREER), and led by Dr. Matthew Ajemian at Florida Atlantic University's Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute (FAU-HBOI)* in partnership with Mote and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI)**. 

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Thursday morning, June 1, Mote Marine Laboratory released a male loggerhead sea turtle, nicknamed "Steve," that has been outfitted with a satellite tag by Anna Maria Island Turtle Watch, which provides data critical for sea turtle conservation efforts.

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Mote Marine Laboratory and The Florida Aquarium are thrilled to announce the release of two rescued loggerhead sea turtles nicknamed, "Valerie" and "Mahomes," at Anna Maria Bayfront Park Tuesday morning, May 30. This momentous event marks the finish line of months of dedicated care and rehabilitation provided by Mote's Sea Turtle Rehabilitation Hospital and The Florida Aquarium Turtle Rehabilitation Center.

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Sarasota County received a $14.5M grant from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Transformational Habitat Restoration and Coastal Resilience Program, for the Alligator Creek Stream Restoration Project, which is in partnership with Mote Marine Laboratory. 

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On June 8, in honor of it being World Ocean Day, Opal has bought and is gifting 3,000 Coral Legend Bracelets to guests across all of our Florida properties. But this is more than just a bracelet. A portion of the proceeds from the purchase goes to supporting ocean conservation efforts conducted by Mote Marine Laboratory.

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As the weather warms up and you enjoy Southwest Florida's coastal waters this boating season, Mote Marine Laboratory recommends that boaters follow Coast Guard-approved safe boating guidelines and use vigilance to avoid striking sea turtles, manatees and dolphins.   Please see below for tips for beachgoers and boaters.

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Two loggerhead sea turtles, nicknamed “Lilly” and “Farmer,” were released from Lido Beach on Tuesday, May 16, after recovering from red tide toxins at Mote Marine Laboratory & Aquarium’s Sea Turtle Rehabilitation Hospital.

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Mote Marine Laboratory & Aquarium is pleased to announce a three-year strategic partnership with the Community Foundation of Sarasota County. With a grant of $150,000, Mote will launch Ocean Guardians, a new program designed to increase access to STEM education for underrepresented and underserved students in Sarasota County. The grant will also support several donor and member engagement events during the grant period.

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Mote Marine Laboratory celebrated the opening of Mote's Marine Science Education & Outreach Center on May 5 at the Anna Maria City Pier, making this Mote's 8th operational campus.  

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