Two Sea Fans: Mote Marine Laboratory Podcast

Dr. Kevan Main is a global pioneer in aquaculture, often called seafood farming but encompassing much more. Want to know how much of your seafood is farmed? Curious about whether farmed fish are good for you and the environment? Main shares ideas and stories about aquaculture done right — using improved technology to make this rapidly growing practice more sustainable and economically sound. Beyond simply farming fish, Main is studying how to raise fish together with salt-tolerant "sea vegetables" in a practice called marine aquaponics, and the results are tasty.

Dr. Kevan Main is a global pioneer in aquaculture, often called seafood farming but encompassing much more. Want to know how much of your seafood is farmed? Curious about whether farmed fish are good for you and the environment? Main shares ideas and stories about aquaculture done right — using improved technology to make this rapidly growing practice more sustainable and economically sound. Beyond simply farming fish, Main is studying how to raise fish together with salt-tolerant "sea vegetables" in a practice called marine aquaponics, and the results are tasty.

Can you say “biogeochemistry” three times quickly? Great: Now can you define it?  In this episode, Dr. Heather Page helps Hayley and Joe get their heads around this important subject, which affects all life whether you’re in a forest or on a coral reef!  Heather, a Mote Postdoctoral Research Fellow, wants to understand how one biogeochemical issue, ocean acidification, affects corals, sponges and seaweeds that fight for space on the ocean bottom. It’s not exactly a boxing match, but this silent competition must be understood to help scientists make predictions about our planet’s future, when biogeochemistry shifts could mean a very different ocean.

Can you say “biogeochemistry” three times quickly? Great: Now can you define it?  In this episode, Dr. Heather Page helps Hayley and Joe get their heads around this important subject, which affects all life whether you’re in a forest or on a coral reef!  Heather, a Mote Postdoctoral Research Fellow, wants to understand how one biogeochemical issue, ocean acidification, affects corals, sponges and seaweeds that fight for space on the ocean bottom. It’s not exactly a boxing match, but this silent competition must be understood to help scientists make predictions about our planet’s future, when biogeochemistry shifts could mean a very different ocean.

Sarah Fangman, Superintendent of NOAA's Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary (FKNMS), and her team work to balance conservation with human enjoyment of Florida's natural treasure: 2,900 square nautical miles of FKNMS-protected ecosystems. There, vast coral reefs and thousands of wildlife species amaze visitors and fascinate scientists, including Mote Marine Laboratory researchers who have worked closely with FKNMS for years. In this episode, Sarah tells hosts Joe and Hayley: what it was like to join FKNMS just as Hurricane Irma arrived; how coastal systems like reefs and mangroves can help protect communities during storms; why science is important to a healthy marine sanctuary; and how public-private partnerships can support key efforts such as studying a coral disease outbreak, restoring and monitoring coral reefs, informing FKNMS management goals, and more.

Learn more about FKNMS: floridakeys.noaa.gov

Have fun while benefiting Keys coral reefs during Mote's Ocean Fest on April 14 at NOAA's Eco-Discovery Center & Truman Waterfront in Key West: mote.org/oceanfest

Sarah Fangman, Superintendent of NOAA's Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary (FKNMS), and her team work to balance conservation with human enjoyment of Florida's natural treasure: 2,900 square nautical miles of FKNMS-protected ecosystems. There, vast coral reefs and thousands of wildlife species amaze visitors and fascinate scientists, including Mote Marine Laboratory researchers who have worked closely with FKNMS for years. In this episode, Sarah tells hosts Joe and Hayley: what it was like to join FKNMS just as Hurricane Irma arrived; how coastal systems like reefs and mangroves can help protect communities during storms; why science is important to a healthy marine sanctuary; and how public-private partnerships can support key efforts such as studying a coral disease outbreak, restoring and monitoring coral reefs, informing FKNMS management goals, and more.

Learn more about FKNMS: floridakeys.noaa.gov

Have fun while benefiting Keys coral reefs during Mote's Ocean Fest on April 14 at NOAA's Eco-Discovery Center & Truman Waterfront in Key West: mote.org/oceanfest

Conor Goulding is an underwater photographer who captures images of Mote Marine Laboratory's scientific research, related ocean environments and wildlife, along with the resident animals of Mote Aquarium in Sarasota, Florida. Though he makes photography look easy, it requires careful observation and knowledge of the subject, a good grasp of technology and technique, and a storyteller's mindset to get meaningful shots of science in action. In this episode, Conor tells Joe and Hayley about some of his favorite photo shoots and he offers tips for those getting into nature photography.

Check out Conor's work by visiting motemarinelab.photoshelter.com and clicking the "galleries" link to see Mote's public photo archive.

Conor Goulding is an underwater photographer who captures images of Mote Marine Laboratory's scientific research, related ocean environments and wildlife, along with the resident animals of Mote Aquarium in Sarasota, Florida. Though he makes photography look easy, it requires careful observation and knowledge of the subject, a good grasp of technology and technique, and a storyteller's mindset to get meaningful shots of science in action. In this episode, Conor tells Joe and Hayley about some of his favorite photo shoots and he offers tips for those getting into nature photography.

Check out Conor's work by visiting motemarinelab.photoshelter.com and clicking the "galleries" link to see Mote's public photo archive.

The beaches we visit during the day become turtle turf at night. Thousands of loggerhead sea turtles and smaller numbers of other species lay nests with 100-ish eggs apiece during southwest Florida’s yearly nesting season, May 1-Oct. 31. Melissa Bernhard, Senior Biologist with Mote’s Sea Turtle Conservation & Research Program — a friend to reptiles everywhere — leads local sea turtle conservation efforts with hundreds of trained volunteers who love searching for turtle crawls (tracks) at the crack of dawn. In this episode, Melissa tells Hayley and Joe what she’s learned and done through Mote’s state-permitted efforts, including night-time turtle tagging!

The beaches we visit during the day become turtle turf at night. Thousands of loggerhead sea turtles and smaller numbers of other species lay nests with 100-ish eggs apiece during southwest Florida’s yearly nesting season, May 1-Oct. 31. Melissa Bernhard, Senior Biologist with Mote’s Sea Turtle Conservation & Research Program — a friend to reptiles everywhere — leads local sea turtle conservation efforts with hundreds of trained volunteers who love searching for turtle crawls (tracks) at the crack of dawn. In this episode, Melissa tells Hayley and Joe what she’s learned and done through Mote’s state-permitted efforts, including night-time turtle tagging!