Florida artificial reef news, notes and reminders

Hello Florida Artificial Reef colleagues, Please see below for Florida’s latest artificial reef news, notes and reminders: 2020 Statewide Florida Artificial Reef Summit, Melbourne Beach, FL: April 8-10, 2020.  Early registration and Abstracts due next Friday 1/31/2020! Call for Florida Artificial Reef Grant Applications for FY 20-21: Due March 20, 2020 Job Announcement: Indian River County Environmental Specialist, Vero Beach, FL Recent Artificial Reef Publications and Reports 2020 Florida Artificial Reef Summit: “Bringing the Future of Florida’s Artificial Reefs into Focus.” Melbourne Beach, FL: April 8-10, 2020.  Early registration and Abstracts due next Friday 1/31/2020! Excitement is building for the 2020 Florida Artificial Reef Summit scheduled for April 8 – 10 in Melbourne Beach at the Crowne Plaza-Oceanfront Hotel. Just a few reminders and relevant links: Early bird registration ends on Jan. 31. Get yourself registered now! FLARS2020 Registration Reserve your hotel room to make sure that you receive the group rate. Rooms are filling up fast! Crowne Plaza Melbourne Oceanfront (group code ARS, available until March 8 unless full) Skeleton agenda posted online to assist you in making your travel plans: Draft Agenda You still have time to submit an abstract for a poster or oral presentation! Submit your abstracts here! (Deadline: January 31st) We are still looking for fabulous sponsors! Check out the sponsor levels and associated perks: FLARS2020 Sponsors Make your plans to attend now because this event happens only twice per decade! The Summit will bring together about 200 artificial reef managers, scientists and others interested in artificial reefs, highlighting contributions that address historical lessons learned, areas that require focus, and recommendations for the future vision of artificial reefs in Florida. Presentations will address today’s most relevant topics, including marine fisheries management, impacts of natural disturbances (e.g., hurricanes & harmful algal blooms), environmental mitigation, human dimensions, socio-economics, tourism, and regulatory policy.  The Summit encourages the exchange of information that promotes science, planning, and management of artificial reefs – building through the perspective of the past and focusing our vision for the future. To register, reserve lodging or for more information, please visit: https://www.flseagrant.org/fisheries/artificialreefs/florida-artificial-reef-summit-registration/ The agenda is shaping up to be one of the best yet. Looking forward to seeing you all in April as we Bring the Future of Florida’s Artificial Reefs into Focus! FWC Call for Florida Artificial Reef Grant Applications FY 20-21: Due Friday, March 20, 2020 FWC artificial reef construction and monitoring grant applications are currently being accepted for fiscal year 2020-21.  Applications from eligible applicants must be received no later than Friday, March 20, 2020 by 5pm (ET).  Applications for artificial reef construction must be accompanied by documentation of an active permitted site valid through August 31, 2021. As always, we strongly encourage all applicants to share a draft application with us at least two weeks prior to final submittal.  This would give us an opportunity to help identify any questions, missing items in the application, or provide assistance with any anticipated permitting challenges or other questions.  The announcement, application forms and instructions can be downloaded from the FWC Artificial Reef Program website: http://myfwc.com/artificialreefs Job Announcement: Indian River County Environmental Specialist, Vero Beach, FL Indian River County is seeking a qualified candidate to lead the County’s Beach Program. Job duties will also include assisting with the other various projects and programs that fall to the Coastal Engineering Division including artificial reef planning management.  To learn more about the vacancy and to submit an application online, please visit: https://agency.governmentjobs.com/indianriver/job_bulletin.cfm?jobID=2666234&sharedWindow=0 Recent Artificial Reef Publications and Reports Malerba, M., White, C., Marshal, D. 2019. The outsized trophic footprint of marine urbanization. Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment. doi:10.1002/fee.2074. Artificial structures are proliferating along coastlines worldwide, creating new habitat for heterotrophic filter feeders. The energy demand of this heterotrophic biomass is likely to be substantial, but is largely unquantified. Combining in situ surveys, laboratory assays, and information obtained from geographic information systems, we estimated the energy demands of sessile invertebrates found on marine artificial structures worldwide. At least 950,000 metric tons of heterotrophic biomass are associated with commercial ports around the world, emitting over 600 metric tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere and consuming 5 million megajoules of energy per day. We propose the concept of a trophic “footprint” of marine urbanization, in which every square meter of artificial structure can negate the primary production of up to 130 square meters of surrounding coastal waters; collectively, these structures not only act as energy sinks and carbon sources, but also potentially reduce the productivity of coastal food webs. Regards, Keith Mille, Biological Administrator II Division of Marine Fisheries Management - Artificial Reef Program Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission     web: http://myfwc.com/conservation/saltwater/artificial-reefs/

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