Melissa Sante
Melissa Sante is the Staff Chemist at Mote Marine Laboratory & Aquarium’s International Center for Coral Reef Research and Restoration on Summerland Key in the Florida Keys. As a Florida Keys native, Melissa has a passion...
Celia Leto
Celia Leto is a Coral Reproduction Staff Biologist at Mote's Elizabeth Moore International Center for Coral Reef Research & Restoration on Summerland Key, FL. Celia spent her childhood attending summer camps at Mote’s Sarasota...
Joseph Kuehl
Joe is a Staff Biologist and the Diving Safety Officer at Mote's Elizabeth Moore International Center for Coral Reef Research & Restoration on Summerland Key, FL. He started with Mote in early 2019, and his extensive background...
Marina Villoch
Marina Villoch joined Mote as an intern in 2019 with the Coral Health and Disease Program and has since been promoted to Coral technician in 2020 and Laboratory Manager in 2022. Her involvement in coral health, genetics, restoration...
Dr. Jason Spadaro
Dr. Spadaro's research focuses on landscape scale restoration of Caribbean coral reef communities. His work involves manipulating ecological processes, such as grazing, to facilitate and support the restoration and recovery of coral...
Stephanie Sirotzke
Born and raised in Illinois, Stephanie has always had a passion for the ocean and relocated to Florida in 2014 to pursue a career in marine science. She completed her bachelor's degree in Marine Science...
James “Jim” Culter
Mr. Culter joined Mote Marine Laboratory in 1979 to develop a Benthic Ecology Program specializing in marine/estuarine ecology and environmental assessment with emphasis on benthic habitats and invertebrate...
Marine & Freshwater Aquaculture
https://youtu.be/oiPV5PxSgnk The mission of the Marine & Freshwater Aquaculture Research Program is to develop innovative technologies and systems to support sustainable aquaculture...
Fisheries Habitat Ecology & Acoustics
The Fisheries Habitat Ecology and Acoustics program focuses on how fishes interact with their habitats and how disturbances influence these interactions. By...
Ocean Acidification
Worldwide, oceans absorb about one-third of all the excess carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, which can lead to a reduction in pH and dramatic shifts in seawater carbonate chemistry. Studies have shown that ocean water is more acidic...
Abigail “Abby” Smith
Abby is an Education Specialist at Mote's Elizabeth Moore International Center for Coral Reef Research & Restoration on Summerland Key, FL. She has a research background studying the impacts of environmental stressors on the...
Florida Keys Research Campuses
About Florida Keys Mote Research Discover the cutting-edge coral reef science and restoration led by Mote Marine Laboratory scientists at our campuses throughout the Florida Keys. With each nursery hosting over 20,000 healthy...
Mote Trustee honored by Tampa Bay Lightning
The Tampa Bay Lightning honored Elizabeth Moore, Mote Trustee and the namesake of Mote's Keys campus, the Elizabeth Moore International Center for Coral Reef Research & Restoration, as the 24th Lightning Community Hero this season...
Achieving fin-tastic firsts with sharks, rays, fisheries – 2020 Annual Report
This story is a highlight from Mote's 2020 Annual Report. SUSTAINING FISHERIES—GLOBAL SPOTLIGHT ON MOTE In November 2019, Mote...
Senator Marco Rubio visits Mote to discuss urgent threats in Florida’s oceans
On February 21, 2019, Mote Marine Laboratory & Aquarium hosted Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) at its City Island campus to discuss urgent threats facing Florida’s oceans, including harmful algae blooms affecting our coastlines and...
End-of-year update: Mote’s ocean acidification research system expands after Irma
This year, Mote Marine Laboratory staff rebuilt and enhanced their ocean acidification research system in the Florida Keys to double its capacity and incorporate finer-scale controls of experimental conditions, after Hurricane Irma...
End-of-year update: Crustacean Ecology Lab investigates challenges to stone crabs and spiny lobsters
Mote Postdoctoral Research Fellow Dr. Philip Gravinese and the Crustacean Ecology Lab had a productive year, conducting new research and publishing results through five first-author publications. The Crustacean Ecology Lab conducts...
Mote opens new exhibit at Keys History & Discovery Center in Islamorada
Mote Marine Laboratory & Aquarium is excited to announce the opening of a new offsite exhibit, Coral Reef Exploration, at the Keys History & Discovery Center in Islamorada....
Improved test measures virus lethal to young spiny lobsters
A virus that can sicken or kill young Caribbean spiny lobsters can be detected with greater sensitivity — and its abundance can be measured to investigate disease severity and spread — thanks to a new diagnostic test described...
Mote Welcomes Peter Horton to Keys Advisory Council
Mote Marine Laboratory is pleased to welcome Mr. Peter Horton to its Florida Keys Advisory Council supporting Mote’s Elizabeth...
Join us for Inaugural Ocean Fest Islamorada this December!
Mote Marine Laboratory is pleased to host its inaugural Islamorada Ocean Fest on Saturday, Dec. 1 at Founders Park from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Originally slated to take place October 2017, the event...
Mote Welcomes Michael Puto to Keys Advisory Council
Written by Allison Delashmit Mote Marine Laboratory is pleased to welcome Michael Puto to its Florida Keys Advisory Council supporting Mote’s Elizabeth Moore International Center for Coral Reef Research & Restoration...
Mote Board elects new vice chairman
Written by Stephanie Hagan Mote Marine Laboratory’s Board of Trustees is pleased to announce the election of Howard (Sam) Seider Jr., M.D., as its new Vice Chairman of the Board. Seider, elected in late May, is serving...
Mote volunteers praised — including 35-year honorees
Mote Marine Laboratory honored 356 volunteers — including some who have served for 35 years — during its annual volunteer awards ceremony on April 19, 2018. During the ceremony, which filled Mote’s WAVE Center auditorium on...
Mote’s dive wish-list fulfilled: $75,000 of equipment donated
On Tuesday, Feb. 27, 2018, SCUBAPRO and Florida Underwater Sports, the exclusive SCUBAPRO platinum dealer of Sarasota, donated $75,000 worth of dive...
Mote welcomes new communication relations manager for the Florida Keys
Mote Marine Laboratory & Aquarium is pleased to welcome Allison Delashmit as its new Florida Keys Community Relations Manager. In this newly created position, Delashmit will be the local contact for media requests in the Florida...
Mote welcomes two new scientists to Florida Keys campus
Mote Marine Laboratory is delighted to welcome new Postdoctoral Research Fellow Dr. Heather Page and Staff Biologist Dr. Abigail Clark to its Elizabeth Moore International Center for Coral Reef Research & Restoration (IC2R3) on...
Mote Aquarium rebirth planned near I-75, helping City Island campus advance science & ‘blue economy’
On Feb. 8, 2018, surrounded by some of southwest Florida’s most influential residents, Mote Marine Laboratory & Aquarium’s President & CEO, Dr. Michael P. Crosby, made the announcement many in the area had been waiting...
2017 Holiday gift guide for ocean lovers
It’s the Mote wonderful time of the year! Brighten a loved one’s day with holiday gifts that support our oceans. Gift membership: Starting at just $65, membership...
Mote Lab earns first LEED Gold Commercial certification in Monroe County
Media contacts Mote Marine Lab: Hayley Rutger 941-374-0081 hrutger@mote.org Willis A. Smith Construction, Inc. Peggy Kronus 941-366-3116, ext. 316 pkronus@willissmith.com Two...