Gulf Specimen Awarded $736,000 Grant to Help Combat Algal Blooms |
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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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Our First Environmental Activism Workshop by Chad Hanson |
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On Saturday, March 19th, Gulf Specimen Marine Lab hosted Chad Hanson for our first workshop on how to become an environmental activist. Chad is a local environmental advocate who has run several locally grown organizations targeting environmentally responsible development, water protection, and Wakulla Springs protection.
On Saturday, he led a discussion on how to turn angst into action for a specific issue and how to start the process of becoming an environmental steward. Workshop participants were able to hear ways to get involved in local issues and take part in a group discussion on getting and staying active.
We were so excited with the turnout and are very excited to continue hosting more guest speakers in our new Anne Rudloe Marine Science Center! |
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New Goodies in our Gift Shop |
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From jewelry to books to stuffed tie dyed dolphins, we have it! We still have several orders on the way including stuffed animals, new t-shirt colors and even a t-shirt design we haven't had in years!
We received a full stock of children's books, adult books, and animal education books as well as new earrings, anklets and necklaces!
We also just stocked our shelves with some very fun toys including hermit crabs, moray eels, sea stars and blue crabs!
Come and check out our gift shop for some great finds! We are open 7 days a week! 9am-5pm from Monday through Friday and 10am -5pm on Saturday and Sunday! |
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This past month, we have been quite busy with tours and visitors from all over the country. Spring break is usually a very busy time for us, and the rainy weather increased that! We spent this past month talking with and educating all of our guests on the wonderful animals we see right here in the Gulf of Mexico. Locally, we saw visitors and children on Leon county and Wakulla county spring breaks, but we also had visitors from Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, Virginia, Iowa, Indiana and tons of other states! |
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Jack Rudloe Interviewed for an Oyster Documentary |
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On Wednesday, March 30th Jack Rudloe was interviewed by Chucha Barber and filmed by Josh McLawhorn for their film Unfiltered: The Truth About Oysters.
This film is designed to bring awareness and hopefully further conservation for the oyster fishing ecosystem and community. Jack spoke on subjects such as our living dock community and how we recycle fallen trees and limbs for oysters to grow on and to help their population. He also spoke on the importance on education in both children and adults who visit our lab and the surrounding coasts.
You can read the excerpt from the website below as well as follow the link provided for a teaser trailer of the film. |
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"Unfiltered: The Truth About Oysters is a documentary film that explores the oyster’s role both in our world and its own. Ashore, oysters are a beloved delicacy, a commodity driving a robust market, and a way of life for generations of people. Below the waves, oysters are a keystone species that filter vast volumes of water and engineer the foundation for entire ecosystems in bays and estuaries across the world.
As climate change increasingly threatens our planet and way of life, we must combat its effects using our most cutting-edge technologies in conjunction with the natural powers inherent within our planet. Oysters may be our best ally to fight against red tide and toxic algal blooms, prevent shoreline erosion, and rebuild the marine ecosystems that support food supplies worldwide."
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Meet the Interns: Elizabeth & Sammy |
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 | Elizabeth is a recent graduate of San Jose State University, completing her degree in Ecology and Evolution and minoring in Bioinformatics. Growing up with animals all her life, she was quite attuned to a profession with an emphasis in wildlife. While she has several years of experience with terrestrial organisms, Elizabeth is eager to try her hand at the unique dedication it takes to care for aquatic life, and can’t wait to delve more into marine ecosystems with Gulf Specimen Marine Lab. She is unsure of what the next step will be for the near future, but is intent on pursuing further into the marine ecology field. |
| | | Sammy is a first year student at Florida State University studying for her B.S. in Biological Sciences with a minor in Biomedical Physics. Growing up on the West Coast of Florida, she always had a natural interest in marine organisms, but Gulf Specimen Marine Lab is giving her the opportunity to actually study and work with these aquatic animals. Her favorite part about interning at the lab is being able to witness the rehabilitation processes of our current patients awaiting release. Her favorite specimens at the lab are the resident and current sea turtle patients. After graduation Sammy is planning to continue her experience in the field of marine biology and become a sea turtle rehabilitation specialist at a marine hospital. |
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We are just announcing our new Summer Camp by the Sea! For two separate weeks this summer, we are planning beach trips, hiking, yoga, crafts and everything ocean. You can check our website here for more information! |
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Wonders of the Gulf: Creature Feature |
| North Florida is gifted with an amazing array of diverse animals where we find fascinating creatures. Our exhibits change every season. |
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Orange Starfish: A handsome reddish-orange starfish with white spots. Exhibits several color phases within the species. Unlike the Atlantic Asterias, Echinaster is a well behaved, compatible member of the aquarium. Extending its eye-catching, vivid orange tubed feet, it propels itself gracefully over the bottom and ascends the aquarium walls. It never burrows into the sand, and outlasts all other starfish. One of our most popular specimens. |
| Amphioxus: Everyone should see a living example of this extremely important organism that comes closer than any other to the transition between invertebrates and vertebrates. Unlike stiff, opaque, embalmed specimens the notochord can be clearly viewed in the living animal. Amphioxus burrows rapidly through sand by vibrating its body. They swim at night with lateral movements. |
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Hogchoker: This flatfish stays buried and looks like a baby flounder but seldom grows larger than six inches. Probably named from the days when hogs roamed the beaches and gobbled up fish as fast as seine fishermen dragged their catches up on the beaches. The scales, which make the fish stick to the deck, also could lodge in a hog’s throat. Very hardy and vigorous. |
| Common Fiddler Crab: No creature is as preoccupied with sex as fiddler crabs. Males sit at the edge of their burrows, continuously beckoning the females with their vastly larger claw enticing them to join them down below. On a warm day when the tide recedes, the “herd” leaves their holes and parades down to the water’s edge by the thousands to eat diatoms. They sound like rustling leaves in a fall wind, when moving through the marsh grass. |
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