Gulf Specimen Marine Lab is pleased to announce that we has been awarded an Innovative Technology Grant from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection. This $736,000 grant will be used to make major upgrades to the Aquarium's water filtration system that flows through the many tanks found at the facility housing sharks, sea turtles, octopuses, and all of our other critters.
"We are incredibly appreciative of the support provided by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection through this grant award. With these funds we will install a one-of-a-kind filtration system that uses locally grown red algae to clean the water that flows through our tanks and reducing the amount of water that is drawn from and returned to Dickerson Bay. This project will result in a new way of growing red algae as a byproduct and further our commitment to the protection of nearshore water quality," Cypress Rudloe, Executive Director of Gulf Specimen Marine Lab said.
The system will be designed in partnership with the FSU and FAMU College of Engineering with advisory support from experts at Florida Atlantic University's Harbor Branch Institute. It will consistent of a series of tanks that will be situated in a greenhouse to grow the algae, relying on the natural benefit of red algae to remove nitrogen and phosphorus from the water. The algae grown in the tanks will then be used to feed the animals housed within the aquarium and and allow Gulf Specimen to explore other uses for the aquaculture byproduct. The tanks will be on display as an exhibit to showcase the role that good algae plays in water quality and the need to appreciate its benefits.
This project is expected to take approximately three years to complete. For more information on Gulf Specimen Marine Lab, visit: gulfspecimen.org. | 
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