Mote Magazine: Fall 2018 by Mote Marine Laboratory and Aquarium

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Tagging gentle giants Red tide: What Mote is doing

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INFO: 941-388-4441

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MOTE.ORG

Mote Magazine (ISSN 1553-1104) is published by Mote Marine Laboratory, a world-class nonprofit organization devoted to the ocean and its future. Through marine science stories, Mote hopes to enhance ocean literacy among the public and encourage conservation and sustainable use of marine resources.

PRESIDENT & CEO Michael P. Crosby, Ph.D. ASSISTANT VP, COMMUNITY RELATIONS & COMMUNICATIONS

Stacy Alexander EDITOR Hayley Rutger GRAPHIC DESIGNER Alexis Balinski ILLUSTRATORS

Haley Robinson, Hayley Rutger CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

Stacy Alexander, Amanda Chandler, Florida Institute of Technology, Kaitlyn Fusco, Stephanie Hagan, Shelby Isaacson, Hayley Rutger CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS

BVS Bahamas, Conor Goulding, leekris/Adobe Stock, MarAlliance

Mote Magazine is proud to recognize Sarasota Magazine as its publishing partner. For information on sponsorship, please contact Sarasota Magazine at 941-478-1109.

On the cover Mote scientists tag a whale shark off the coast of southwest Florida.

Mote Fall 2018 Events Calendar Details at mote.org/events and RSVP required unless otherwise stated. SEPTEMBER All Month Columbia Restaurant Community Harvest. Dine at Columbia restaurant on St. Armands Circle, Sarasota and a portion of proceeds will support Mote or another nonprofit of your choice. Sept. 1, 8, 15, 22 & 29 Saturdays in September. Florida resident visitors get admission to Mote Aquarium for just $7 each Saturday in September. Some restrictions apply. mote.org/saturdays OCTOBER Oct. 16 SeaTrek.TV Fall Festival. A global collaborative distance learning day. www.seatrek.tv Oct. 19 Fish, Fun & Fright. Buoys and ghouls can dress up in costume and enjoy a spooktacular night at Mote Aquarium. NEW HOURS: 4 – 7 p.m. mote.org/halloween

Oct. 27 Oceanic Evening. 6:30 p.m. The Ritz-Carlton, Sarasota. Annual black-tie fundraiser for Mote. For sponsorship information and ticket sales, contact: Stacy Alexander stacyalexander@mote.org 941-388-4441, ext. 509. NOVEMBER All Month Member Appreciation Month. mote.org/membership Nov. 18 Circus By The Sea. Special partnership event by Circus Arts Conservatory and Mote Aquarium, located in Aquarium courtyard. Two performance times: 2:30 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. Free with paid Aquarium admission. mote.org/circus Nov. 25 Santa Jaws. Visit Santa's helper shark — Mote mascot Gilly the Shark dressed up for the holidays — from noon to 2 p.m. at Mote Aquarium.

Special thanks to our Giving Challenge supporters Mote is sending heartfelt gratitude to the southwest Florida community for making more than 430 gifts totaling $49,268 to the Lab online, and several generous offline gifts, during the May 1-2 Giving Challenge. Mote ranked 12th for dollars raised among 635 other participating nonprofits. With that community support amplified by matching funds, $104,239 total was raised for Mote! This includes generous matches from The Patterson Foundation and from Mote’s Board Chairman Emeritus Gene Beckstein and his wife, Anne, from their Beckstein Charitable Foundation. To thank the community during the Giving Challenge, Mote hosted the free yoga event “Om for the Oceans,” which drew more than 60 people.

Story: Page 4 Photo by: Conor Goulding

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The 2018 Giving Challenge was presented by the Community Foundation of Sarasota County with giving strengthened by The Patterson Foundation.

OCEAN ACIDIFICATION

CORAL CARETAKERS: THINK GLOBALLY AND LOCALLY BY SHELBY ISAACSON

cean acidification (OA) and water pollution are two very different challenges facing coral reefs, on two very different scales. But don’t bother asking which is worse — they don’t work alone. Where local pollution combines with global OA — an aspect of human-driven climate change — even a tough coral species might struggle, report Mote Marine Laboratory scientists and colleagues in Israel. Their recent study published in Marine Pollution Bulletin, titled “Eutrophication may compromise the resilience of the Red Sea coral Stylophora pistillata to global change,” investigated how a local stressor, nutrient pollution, might affect the growth and physiology of one coral species in the Middle East’s Gulf of Aqaba, when combined with OA and temperature increases expected with worldwide climate change. Mote scientists Dr. Emily Hall and Dr. Erinn Muller and collaborators from Bar-Ilan University, the Interuniversity Institute for Marine Science, University of South Carolina Beaufort, and University of Mississippi, worked together to better understand the effects of OA, warming and nutrient pollution individually and in combination on the coral Stylophora pistillata from the Gulf of Aqaba. Today, the Gulf of Aqaba’s coral reefs include refuge areas that have remained relatively healthy in our changing world. The researchers wanted to know whether a common, branching coral species in the Gulf, S. pistillata, will lose its advantage when OA and warming combine with nutrient pollution from sewage, fish farms and flash floods. “The timeliness of this study is significant, as coastal development continues along the Gulf, with the potential for growing nutrient pollution, much like we’ve seen in other parts of the world,” said Hall, the study’s lead author. “This research gives everyone the chance to think strategically about how our actions impact even the most resilient corals.”

Top: Dr. Emily Hall, Staff Scientist and Manager of the Ocean Acidification Program at Mote works in her lab. Above: Scientists stand in front of the Red Sea simulator at the International Workshop on Impacts of Ocean Acidification and Climate Change on Corals.

Using the Red Sea simulator, a system developed in Israel, the researchers incubated corals under conditions mimicking projected temperature increases and OA, individually and together with increased nitrogen and phosphorous nutrients in a high-tech facility at the Interuniversity Institute for Marine Science in Eilat, Israel. “This species was pretty resilient to some of the temperature and even the OA effects, but when we added these ecologically relevant nutrients, we saw a compounding negative effect on the corals’ physiological performance,” Hall said. “Their resistance to thermal (heat) stress and their ability to withstand global factors were lower, and we found that the microbial community on the coral surface changed,” she continued, referring to the microscopic living things on corals that may impact their health. “We’ve shown that local disturbances sometimes compromise the ability of even the most resilient corals to withstand global change,” said Prof. Maoz Fine, of Bar-Ilan University’s Mina and Everard Goodman Faculty of Life Sciences, who supervised the study. “Therefore, it is crucial to remove these local disturbances, which can include oil pollution, sewage, coastal development and other pollutants, in order to secure the coral refuge. Given the fact that Israel and her neighboring countries — Jordan, Egypt and Saudi Arabia — plan to further develop the Gulf and Red Sea coastlines, these activities must be coordinated, even though we are in a geopolitical situation that makes it difficult to do so. Coral reefs also contribute greatly to the world economy, so it’s important to coordinate to preserve them.” Mote scientists and colleagues plan similar studies at Mote’s Elizabeth Moore International Center for Coral Reef Research & Restoration on Summerland Key, Florida. They hope to better understand whether these combined stressors will pose similar concerns for coral reefs in the Florida Keys. 

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WHALE SHARK TAGGING

WHALE SHARKS LINGER, SCIENTISTS MOBILIZE BY STEPHANIE HAGAN

Above: A female whale shark named "Minnie" was discovered and tagged by Mote scientists off southwest Florida.

Polka-dotted giants have been spotted roaming our waters, but have no fear — they are gentle filter-feeders called whale sharks, Earth’s largest fish species. Whale sharks occasionally visit Florida’s Gulf waters to feed on localized plankton blooms or fish eggs. Five whale sharks made an appearance this June off southwest Florida, giving Mote Marine Laboratory scientists the opportunity to tag two with tracking devices designed to yield detailed data about their migrations. All five sharks were found offshore of Longboat Key and New Pass, feeding at the surface. “The duration of their stay is longer than in previous years,” said Dr. Robert Hueter, Senior Scientist and Director of the Center for Shark Research at Mote. “Reported sightings are usually scattered, but the sharks’ locations stayed pretty stable for a stretch of time this summer, with most sightings reported about 30-40 miles off Anna Maria Island and Longboat Key.”

FUN FACT:

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After their sixth hour of scouring the water for whale sharks on June 14, Mote scientists and Captain Wylie Nagler, owner of Yellowfin Yachts, who transported the research team on his large vessel, were starting to get a little discouraged. But then, a 16-foot-long male whale shark appeared. The shark, nicknamed “Colt” after Nagler’s son, was tagged about 40 miles offshore of Sarasota County. Mote scientists then discovered and tagged “Minnie,” a 22- to 25-foot female named after Minnie Mouse to acknowledge Disney’s support in providing the tags. Her tag “pinged” on June 30 and revealed her location about 50 miles north of the Florida Keys. The tracking tags will store data about the whale sharks’ location, and the depths and temperatures they encounter.

WHALE SHARKS ARE FILTER FEEDERS THAT EAT PLANKTON AND SMALL FISH.

WHALE SHARK TAGGING

“The tags incorporate archival data collection and storage as well as GPS location detection,” said Jack Morris, Senior Biologist at Mote. “This configuration provides GPS location data that can be received via satellite, and long-term depth and temperature data that can be retrieved once the tags release and float to the surface in six months.” Morris attached the tags from the side of the boat, using a titanium-head dart on the end of a wooden pole. “Right now, we don’t know if there has been a greater than normal abundance of whale sharks in the area this summer,” Hueter said. “There could be other reasons for these longer-duration sightings such as better ocean conditions for spotting the sharks, the opening of red snapper season drawing more boats offshore or the increased prevalence of smartphones to capture photos and videos of marine life.” The public continued reporting whale sharks sightings off southwest Florida, including a resighting of Colt, to Mote through press time in mid-August.

FUN FACT:

Above: Senior Biologist Jack Morris of Mote's Sharks & Rays Conservation Research Program tags a male whale shark named "Colt." The tracking tags store data that will help scientists understand whale shark behavior and migration patterns.

Photos of the Mote-documented sharks’ unique spot patterns will be sent to Wildbook for Whale Sharks, an online database of whale shark encounter reports and pictures used to identify individual animals for research. 

WHALE SHARKS CAN GROW TO BE 46 FEET (18M) IN LENGTH.

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Buffett the manatee is trained to participate in his own health care, along with research.

ote's resident manatees, Buffett and Hugh, are swimming in an Endless Pool water flume — the same kind of swimmer’s “treadmill” used by human athletes — for the first study of energetic costs in continuously swimming manatees. Scientists at Mote and University of California, Santa Cruz, calculate the manatees' oxygen consumption and convert that to calories burned. Controlled studies with Buffett and Hugh can inform wild manatee rescue, rehabilitation and research.

FOR SCIENCE

Swimming

MANATEE RESEARCH

Senior Aquarium Biologist Kat Boerner trains Buffett.

Buffett breathes under this dome connected to an oxygen analyzer. The faster he swims, the more calories he burns.

The Endless Pools Fastlane® system produces a water current.

Senior Aquarium Biologist Laura Denum records data.

MOTE SCIENCE EDUCATION AQUARIUM

MOTE SEA: DREAM TO REALITY BY HAYLEY RUTGER In February 2018, Mote Marine Laboratory shared its vision for an awesome new public learning campus — Mote Science Education Aquarium (Mote SEA) — on mainland Sarasota County. This rebirth of Mote Aquarium will free space for marine science and its economic impacts to flourish more than ever at Mote’s current home base, City Island, Sarasota. Now, intensive efforts are underway to advance the vision for Mote SEA — an iconic building with 1 million gallons of gorgeous marine life exhibits translating Mote science for public benefit — to reality, through the fundraising effort Oceans for All: Improving Access to Marine Science and Technology, focused on private, public and corporate giving. Donors pledged 20 percent of the $130-million Oceans for All goal by spring 2018, setting the stage for two key steps this summer. First, Mote held multiple productive meetings with Sarasota County staff and commissioners, who voted on June 12 that the county would thoroughly consider Mote’s requests — to lease 9 acres of county land in Nathan Benderson Park and secure a $20-million county investment from Sarasota County, likely from the bonding of Tourist Development Tax funds. The county review continued as of August. “We’re asking for an investment in what brings people to southwest Florida,” said Mote President & CEO Dr. Michael P. Crosby. “Our community must draw visitors and get heads in beds, but people don’t come here to sleep in beds. People come for the internationally renowned cultural attractions and for the coastal

oceans and beaches — and Mote Science Education Aquarium will connect these important treasures as a gateway to the coast. An independent feasibility study estimates that the new facility will draw 700,000 visitors in year one, double our current Aquarium’s attendance, and produce nearly $28 million annual economic impact for the community. Furthermore, the facility will offer no-cost opportunities for all regional schools to utilize specialized marine science and technology teaching labs. Residents and visitors will benefit.” This summer, Mote announced a new opportunity for philanthropic investment. Mote’s SEA Explorers designation will honor an exclusive group of no more than 100 visionary philanthropic leaders who together will contribute the next $25,000,000 in pace-setting contributions to Oceans for All, each pledging $250,000 or more for Mote SEA design and site development.

Top: Rendering of an exterior view of Mote's planned Science Education Aquarium. Above: Rendering of a large shark exhibit at Mote's planned Science Education Aquarium. All renderings subject to change.

“Transformative early gifts from Mote’s SEA Explorers will create the next wave of campaign momentum, vital to inspiring others to become involved in this exciting new era for Mote,” said Mote's Campaign Director, Michael E. Moore.

To become a Mote SEA Explorer, contact: Mote’s Development office: 941-388-4441, ext. 309 Discover Oceans for All:

MOTEOCEANSFORALL.ORG

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CORAL DISEASE

Coral disease 'detectives' investigate record outbreak BY KAITLYN FUSCO

ead, white coral skeletons litter once-beautiful areas of Florida’s reef tract, the world's third largest shallow-water, barrier reef system. Most of the reef is bare, with no living coral in sight — reminiscent of a postapocalyptic film scene. Now, Mote Marine Laboratory scientists and partners are pursuing the deadly culprit, coral tissue-loss disease, which is causing what is now known as one of the longest and largest infectious coral disease outbreaks in recent history.

The disease is believed to have originated off Virginia Key in Miami-Dade County in fall 2014 and began spreading quickly north, south and west, with the mortality rate as high as 100 percent in some coral species. The disease now reaches as far north as the northern most sections of the Florida reef tract in Martin County and at least as far south as Looe Key in the Lower Keys. In April 2018, Mote scientists first learned of the disease in Looe Key and, with collaborators from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), visited the iconic reef site to remove the few diseased corals to minimize the outbreak, but found that the outbreak was more significant than expected.

Above: A coral specimen collected from the Seven Mile Bridge in the Florida Keys. Mote scientists hope to learn more about the disease that is affecting the population of wild coral there, and whether the coral specimens grown in their lab are resistant and/or resilient to it.

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“We knew there was a disease occurring, but it’s difficult to comprehend how fast this disease progresses until you see it first-hand,” said Erinn Muller, Manager of Mote’s Coral Health & Disease Program and Science Director of Mote’s Elizabeth Moore International Center for Coral Reef Research and Restoration (IC2R3). “What is also surprising is the number of species affected. To date, 22 species have been affected, all with varying degrees of susceptibility, rates of progression and mortality.” As of early July 2018, more than half of Florida’s reef tract has been affected – exceeding 96,000 acres. While coral disease outbreaks are not unprecedented, this event is unique due to its large geographic range, extended duration, high rates of mortality and the number of species affected. Scientists believe the cause of the disease is likely a bacterial infection carried by water currents and touch, but this has not been confirmed.

CORAL DISEASE

Above: Raymond Banister, a technician with Mote's Coral Health & Disease Research Program, observes various species of coral infected with an unknown, spreading disease.

“Many factors often contribute to coral disease, so the exact cause of any outbreak is difficult to determine," said Muller. "In this case, it is possible that local threats such as sedimentation and landbased sources of pollution, perhaps in combination with unusually warm water temperatures in recent years, weakened the corals’ resilience, allowing naturally-occurring viruses, bacteria and other microorganisms to become more lethal. However, this could also be a completely novel pathogen.” Scientists brought a few samples from their April assessment trip back to Keys Marine Laboratory to be divided among partner institutions for research. A Mote scientist brought samples back to Mote’s Sarasota campus for study, to avoid any potential contamination of corals being grown at IC2R3 on Summerland Key. These corals were used to test for genetic resilience to the mysterious tissue-loss disease within corals used for restoration. Initial experiments showed that direct contact was needed for transmission to occur and that some genotypes may be more susceptible than others.

How to crack the case While the exact cause of the disease may never be known, Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and numerous partners from federal, state and local governments, universities, non-governmental organizations including Mote, and the South Florida community have been communicating regularly and

working together on a multi-faceted response effort. The effort includes: disease surveys and monitoring; strategic sampling and laboratory analysis to find potential causes; data analyses to determine what may influence the disease progression; and identification of potential management options to mitigate disease impacts, assess the effectiveness of treatment techniques and prevent the further spread of disease. “While the tissue loss disease outbreak is unprecedented, so is the collaborative response to it,” Muller said. “It is truly amazing and impactful to see all these organizations coming together for one cause – to better our coral reefs.” Mote scientists are leading multiple aspects of the research on the disease. In the ocean, Mote scientists are studying where, when and how the disease is spreading. They are collecting samples from the leading edge of the outbreak to test for disease resistance in massive coral species that are used for reef restoration. In recent years, Mote alone has planted 45,000 corals with plans to plant 25,000 more this year. Muller and her team are also studying non-diseased coral fragments grown at IC2R3 to determine their resistance and/or resilience to the tissue-loss disease for future outplanting. “The tissue-loss disease outbreak is a grand challenge to Florida Keys coral reefs, and its seriousness cannot be overstated, but

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CORAL DISEASE

Above: Mote Coral Health & Disease Research Program Manager Dr. Erinn Muller points to coral samples in her lab at Mote.

Mote is working tirelessly to advance resilience-based restoration efforts to bring depleted reef areas back to life,” said Michael P. Crosby, Mote President and CEO. “Mote was intensively advancing coral reef science and restoration years before this outbreak. As a result, we are ideally prepared and dedicated to applying what we have learned, strategically, while continuing to advance our knowledge and efficacy.” However, it will take time before this case is closed.

Mote Marine Laboratory’s Coral Disease Response and Restoration Plan: Mote is currently raising multiple genetic varieties of multiple reef-building coral species from Florida Keys environments — totaling some 38,000 individual micro-fragments of coral — in its nursery and gene bank at IC2R3 on Summerland Key. In the lab, Mote has tested the disease resistance and resilience of multiple genetic varieties, exposing them to infected material from the tissue-loss disease outbreak. So far, Mote scientists have only been able to transmit the tissueloss disease through directly touching a diseased coral to a restoration coral, and some genotypes appear more resistant to the disease than others — with disease resistance potentially “hard-wired” in their genetics, which Mote is examining to learn more. Mote scientists are working hard to expand on this finding

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in the lab and out in the ocean. Some of the genetic varieties Mote tested in the lab have already been outplanted in the ocean and lived for three years without succumbing to other kinds of diseases or other stressors such as heat-driven bleaching. With this hopeful sign in mind, Mote has outlined and seeks to fully implement a 10-year, multi-institution, coral disease response & restoration initiative, which includes propagating and restoring as many as 50,000 coral “seedlings” to Florida Keys reefs each year, with a goal of increasing the living coral cover in the Florida Keys by 25 percent over the next 10 years, developing critical scientific infrastructure including inland coral gene banks and a disease research “clean room” for effective research to understand the disease without contaminating healthy corals, and establishing increasingly rigorous scientific assessments to ensure restoration practices succeed. Pending the attainment of full funding support, scientists at Mote’s IC2R3, along with state and federal agency partners, local community-based non-profits and university colleagues, will be able to implement this 10-year initiative building on Mote’s novel and successful, genetic resilience-based coral restoration technology. Many years of research will finally be transformed into real action to bring the “rainforests of the sea” back from the brink of extinction. 

Please support Mote’s 10-year plan and help it serve as a beacon of hope for Florida Keys coral reefs. Call 941-3884441, ext. 309, or visit mote.org/donate and choose the category “Coral reef research and restoration” from the drop-down menu.

RED TIDE UPDATE

Red tide: What Mote is doing BY HAYLEY RUTGER

or months, several southwest Florida communities have been experiencing effects from elevated concentrations of the Florida red tide algae, Karenia brevis, which have persisted in the Gulf of Mexico since November 2017. Toxins from the bloom have caused large-scale fish kills, sickened or killed some large marine species and caused beachgoers to cough, sneeze and experience other respiratory or eye irritation, sometimes causing them to avoid the affected shoreline areas. Communities affected by the current Florida red tide are asking great questions — in particular, what more can be done to address this challenging harmful algal bloom (HAB) and better protect public health and quality of life? Mote — which has studied Florida red tide for decades in cooperation with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) and numerous other partners — is working hard to answer that question with multiple scientific studies and mitigation technology development advancing this summer. Here is how Mote is addressing Florida red tide, from essential and extensive monitoring efforts to new mitigation and control studies launched within the past few years.

Eyes on the water From October 2017 through July 2018, Mote and its partners have monitored extensively for Florida red tide to augment public information on the status of the bloom. Mote and FWC have jointly collected 608 water samples through 14 days of routine coastal surveys between Tampa Bay and San Carlos Bay, Florida. The researchers derived counts of Florida red tide algae cells and data on salinity, temperature and depth from all samples, and analyzed 228 for nutrients, toxins and the community of various other microscopic algae called phytoplankton, which have the potential to influence Florida red tide algae. Mote completed 640 red tide cell counts using beach water samples from Sarasota County, Florida. Samples were collected by the Florida Department of Health in Sarasota County, through their Healthy Beaches program, and analyzed by Mote to support statewide red tide monitoring coordinated by FWC. Mote has completed 400 cell counts to monitor Florida red tide in Sarasota Bay and 200 additional cell counts from waters off its New Pass dock and Bay dock on City Island, Sarasota. Since late November 2017, Mote’s Beach Conditions Reporting System (visitbeaches.org) has reported respiratory irritation, dead fish, or both (potential impacts of Florida red tide) 108 times in Collier County, 261 times in Lee County and 309 times in Sarasota County, and provided even greater numbers of reports with NO red tide impacts on multiple Gulf Coast beaches, helping beachgoers choose where to visit on a given day.

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RED TIDE UPDATE

Above: Mote staff scientist and Environmental Health Research Program Manager Dr. Tracy Fanara holds up a water sample.

Collaboration is critical Mote’s state-funded, Cooperative Red Tide Research and Mitigation Program with FWC’s Fish and Wildlife Research Institute is dedicated to protecting public and environmental health. This is accomplished through extensive partnership efforts in monitoring, public information and education. The Cooperative Program also provides base support for Mote and FWC to apply the resources of federal agencies and universities to identify, track and model red tide bloom movements for developing predictive models. These collaborations also provide resources for Mote to respond to red tide-affected marine life that are treated at Mote’s hospitals for sea turtles, dolphins and small whales.

Testing control and mitigation strategies Beyond vital monitoring services that provide public information and help us understand the environmental factors associated with red tide, Mote scientists are studying control and mitigation methods that may benefit limited-tidal-exchange waterways, such as dead-end canals and small embayments in red tide-affected coastal communities. Past studies have helped to rule out control and mitigation methods that may be ineffective or more harmful for our waters, including clay flocculation and aerial application of herbicides. Here are the technologies Mote is developing and assessing today: • Ozonation (a patented process Mote already uses to remove red tide in the water entering Mote Aquarium and the marine mammal and sea turtle hospitals) to be used to destroy red tide algae and their toxins in limited areas of water such as canals and small embayments. This research is advancing thanks to the Boca Grande Initiative, a matching challenge begun in 2017 when anonymous supporters donated $100,000 to help Mote scientists expand their red tide-related research and outreach efforts in Boca Grande and asked the community to match their contribution. Since then,

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Above: Dr. Vince Lovko, Manager of Mote's Phytoplankton Ecology Program, points out one potential tool Mote scientists are testing: A structure with attached filter feeding organisms, whose ability to remove red tide from limited areas is being investigated.

the community has rallied to provide a full match for the support, and funds from the initiative are already being put to work. For a start, the funds enabled field tests of our ozone system in Boca Grande this summer and results are being analyzed. • “Living dock” structures covered with filter-feeding animals that remove red tide from limited areas of water such as canals and small embayments. • Concentrating naturally produced compounds from certain macro-algae (seaweeds) to be used to fight red tide blooms in the wild, considering that we know that these compounds can kill red tide in the lab. • Use of algae in the Amoebophrya genus (the same broader group as Karenia, the dinoflagellates) to serve as a natural control parasite for K. brevis red tide blooms. In addition to our research efforts, Mote’s Stranding Investigations Program is actively involved in the rescue and recovery of marine life vulnerable to red tide. The Program has rescued or recovered 183 sea turtles since the start of 2018. A sizable proportion of them had observable signs of human interaction, such as boatstrike injuries or fishing gear entanglements/ingestion. However, another notable portion are believed to have been affected by Florida red tide. From Aug. 7–21, Mote recovered 13 deceased dolphins in Sarasota County, and at press time necropsies (animal autopsies) were ongoing. To assess whether animals were exposed to red tide, Mote staff collect biological samples when possible and submit them for analysis, which takes time.

Better tech, better information Mote is developing a new, improved version of its red tide detection instrument originally created more than a decade ago. The new Programmable Hyperspectral Seawater Scanner (PHYSS) detects red tide in seawater with higher resolution than ever before.

RED TIDE UPDATE

Above: Mote's Programmable Hyperspectral Seawater Scanner (PHYSS) inside a display case designed by Booker Engineering students.

Above: Evidence of a large-scale fish kill on Lido Beach following a bloom of Florida red tide off Sarasota, Florida.

Mote research is currently developing hand-held sensors for local shellfish growers to use to inform state and federal health agencies whether their cultivation waters and/or shellfish products contain red tide toxins. This would help to lessen the negative economic impact to these growers if there is red tide in the general vicinity but no toxin in their shellfish.

Learning from fish kills: During the 2017-2018 red tide in particular, many community members have reported fish kills, including large spawning individuals of a treasured sport fish species, the common snook. At this time we don’t fully understand the impact to snook populations; with additional funding support for fisheries research, Mote scientists and partners would have the opportunity to adapt population modeling to improve our understanding of how snook populations are faring. While the latest significant red tide fish kills have been reported south of Mote’s current areas of permitted fisheries enhancement research, the reports of large-scale fish kills evince the need to support the use of responsible fish stock enhancement to help sustain valuable fisheries, such as the common snook fishery, as they move into an uncertain future. Mote is a multi-decade leader in fisheries-enhancement technology and method development, focusing strongly on common snook, and we are ready to initiate such a stock enhancement effort if the State desires to move in this direction.

Mote’s smartphone app, CSIC (Citizen Science Information Collaboration) allows people along the Gulf of Mexico coast to report dead fish, respiratory irritation and discolored water: all potential impacts of red tide. With reports from beachgoers, the app helps to fill gaps in the existing beach monitoring programs and give the public a better idea of which beach to choose on a given day. www.motecsic.org Mote scientists are exploring how to advance aerial monitoring of red tides using drones carrying hyperspectral cameras, for finerscale data collection than satellite images can provide. Unlike satellites, drones will be less impeded by cloud cover. Mote scientists are also advancing knowledge of red tide impacts on protected marine wildlife: manatees and sea turtles.

Can more be done? Absolutely! It is critical that Gulf Coast communities, organizations and government agencies at the local to national level continue and enhance their support to enable much-needed advances in red tide research, monitoring, control and mitigation. Our vision for the future: To further benefit Gulf Coast communities and ecosystems, Mote and its partners envision the future creation of an independent Florida-based Marine and Freshwater HAB Center that will utilize innovative approaches and technologies to address Florida red tide and other HABs through: rapid assessment and modeling for HAB forecasting; HAB prevention, control and mitigation of impacts; public health protection; and expansion of local community outreach and engagement.

New funding for federal-level efforts: This spring, through the leadership of Congressman Vern Buchanan, and with bipartisan support, an appropriation of $8 million was designated for the federal agency NOAA’s National Ocean Service to fight red tide impacts. The congressman turned to Mote recently for independent, objective expertise and science-based information as he championed the bipartisan effort for this critical appropriation that should help the U.S. government take its rightful place in support of much-needed, improved red tide research and mitigation efforts at state and local levels. Mote scientists look forward to the opportunity of working with partners to leverage and make the most efficient use of any federal funding that may become available for greatest impact in the fight against Florida red tide. 

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PHOTO BY: BVS BAHAMAS FOR ATLANTIS, PARADISE ISLAND.

MOTE MILESTONES

Summer was clammy

Their filter feeding improves water quality, which matters for numerous species.”

BY HAYLEY RUTGER

Safe travels, manta ray ‘Leyley’!

This summer, conservationists ramped up clam-restoration efforts in Sarasota Bay, Florida — locally the first of their kind — in partnership with Mote Marine Laboratory scientists who study how to fine-tune shellfish restoration methods to benefit the Bay.

BY HAYLEY RUTGER “Leyley” the manta ray weighs more than 700 pounds and her wings stretch 11.4feet wide — she seems impossible to miss. However, despite their size and beauty, mantas are largely hidden from humans as they migrate through the ocean. Leyley is helping scientists change that. On June 14 at Atlantis, Paradise Island resort in The Bahamas, a Mote Marine Laboratory scientist and a team of 20 marine aquarists successfully released Leyley with a satellite tag designed to track her journey. Leyley is the seventh manta ray tagged with the aid of Mote Senior Scientist Dr. Robert Hueter and his staff with Mote’s Center for Shark Research. Six of those were released from Atlantis, Paradise Island, and another was tagged by Mote in the Gulf of Mexico. After a comprehensive medical exam at Atlantis, Leyley was transferred to the ocean using a hand-woven net stretched across a custom-engineered frame designed to withstand the weight of a manta, the largest known species of ray. Once she was comfortably settled, a helicopter raised the net on a hydraulically welded frame to ensure her maximum safety and comfort. The transfer took 105 seconds, from lift-off to the ocean.

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During several release events, Mote scientists placed or buried a subset of the clams in specific configurations and habitats, with the goal of monitoring their survival and growth in the coming months and determining whether the released juvenile clams can burrow to evade predators. “We think these clams are depleted in Sarasota Bay — there are no consistent baseline data here, but my personal observation is that they were once locally abundant and are much harder to find today,” said Mote Senior Scientist and Benthic Ecology Program Manager Jim Culter. Without such baseline data, it’s hard to confirm why the clams seem to have declined. However, they are strong candidates for restoration because they might be able to survive one of the greatest hurdles in the Gulf of Mexico: red tide. “We have partnered with Sarasota Bay Watch to study the restoration of another important but depleted shellfish species, the bay scallop, and observed that their survival chances are significantly affected by the presence or absence of red tide,” Culter said. “Southern hard clams appear more resistant to red tide, and they benefit the ecosystem in ways similar to scallops:

New species named for Mote’s ‘Shark Lady’ BY FLORIDA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY AND MOTE MARINE LABORATORY STAFF Meet Squalus clarkae, the newly classified shark species named after Mote Marine Laboratory’s founding “Shark Lady,” Dr. Eugenie Clark! “Genie” Clark (1922-2015) was a pioneering female researcher in the male-dominated field of marine biology, and her fascination with fishes continued until she passed away at age 92. It’s fitting that the new species S. clarkae, also known as Genie’s Dogfish, was identified in the Gulf of Mexico, where Clark’s scientific curiosity blossomed. She founded Mote’s original facility in 1955 in Placida on Florida’s Gulf Coast. S. clarkae was described in the scientific journal Zootaxa by Florida Institute of Technology assistant professor and shark biologist Dr. Toby Daly-Engel, marine scientists Mariah Pfleger of Oceana, the lead author and Daly-Engel’s former graduate student, and Florida State University’s Drs. Dean Grubbs and Chip Cotton. “She is the mother of us all,” Daly-Engel said. “She was not just the first female

PHOTO BY: MARALLIANCE

Leyley was outfitted with two tags to gather finer-scale data on immediate post-release behavior and acquire some longer-term migration data. Other Motetagged manta rays have traveled from Atlantis to waters off North Carolina, Florida, Louisiana and Cuba. 

From May 2018 to late July, the nonprofit Sarasota Bay Watch and its volunteers purchased and released 125,000 native southern hard clams (Mercenaria campechiensis) produced by Bay Shellfish Company and raised by local commercial clam farmers, under the nonprofit’s permit from the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC).

“Sarasota Bay Watch’s teamwork with Mote Marine Laboratory in this native clam restoration is pioneering, both in the collaboration of a community-led, volunteer-driven restoration program with a world class marine science organization, and in the fact that there is so much to learn about native southern hard clam restoration,” said Dr. Larry W. Stults, President of Sarasota Bay Watch. 

MOTE MILESTONES

shark biologist, she was one of the first people to study sharks.” “Genie was aptly nicknamed the ‘Shark Lady’ because her shark research was so innovative and she was dedicated to teaching the truth about sharks,” said Dr. Robert Hueter, director of the Center for Shark Research at Mote. “Not only was she responsible for establishing Mote’s legacy of more than 60 years in shark research, but also, her discoveries inspired people around the world to develop a sense of eagerness and passion for understanding and ultimately protecting these fascinating animals.” 

Tagging turtles BY STACY ALEXANDER After more than a month in Mote’s hospital, loggerhead sea turtle “Intrepid” was released to the ocean July 27 and tracked with a satellite tag. Citizens found the adult, male turtle floating and lethargic, west of Longboat Pass. They called Mote’s Stranding Investigations Program staff, who transported Intrepid to Mote’s Sea Turtle Rehabilitation Hospital on City Island, Sarasota with help from a Manatee County Sheriff's officer. “Intrepid” was named after the officer’s boat.

Important membership update The entire Mote family sincerely thanks our members for their continued investment, dedication and support of our mission. Our members are extremely important to us and we wanted to notify you of some changes to our Membership program starting Jan. 8, 2019. In an effort to streamline our membership levels and pricing structure, we will be implementing the changes below: PA R T Y O F T WO $95

S E A S T E WA R D $500

Free admission to the Aquarium for a total of two guests for one year.

Free admission to the Aquarium for a total of eight guests for one year.

PA R T Y O F F O U R

O C E A N A M BA S SA D O R

$ 12 5

$ 1, 0 0 0

Free admission to the Aquarium for a total of four guests for one year.

Free admission to the Aquarium for a total of ten guests for one year.

PA R T Y O F S I X

C A R E TA K E R A D D O N

$ 17 5

Free admission to the Aquarium for a total of six guests for one year.

( PA RT Y O F 4 O R H I G H E R )

$30

Free admission to the Aquarium for a caretaker and kids for one year.

We will make every effort to support a smooth and easy transition. Please note: Mote caregivers treated Intrepid for possible red tide toxicity and he was medically cleared for release. Intrepid was fitted with a Wildlife Computers SPOT satellite tag by Mote’s Sea Turtle Conservation & Research Program staff for their study of male loggerhead turtles’ migratory behavior. “Intrepid’s tag will give us even more insight into the life history of male sea turtles, which is a priority for conservation-focused research,” said Kristen Mazzarella, Senior Biologist for Mote's Sea Turtle Conservation & Research Program. “Unlike female sea turtles, males do not come back to land after hatching. Rehabilitation patients like Intrepid give us excellent opportunities to learn more about these less-studied adult males.” 

• If you are a current member, your membership benefits will not change until your expiration date. • To show our appreciation for your ongoing support, our existing members have the ability to lock in their current membership rates, no matter what their expiration date is, until Jan. 7, 2019. Any payments received after the 7th will be credited towards the new pricing structure. • Any existing member who renews before Jan. 7 will also receive the promotion of three free extra months. The 15 months will be added to your current expiration date. Again, thank you for your investment in the Lab’s mission of essential scientific research and educational outreach. If you have any questions about these changes, please contact our membership department: (941) 388-4441, ext. 373, or membership@mote.org

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LEGACY SOCIETY SPOTLIGHT

Bill and Becky Wilferth Representing Mote around the world BY AMANDA CHANDLER

Bill and Becky Wilferth relocated to Venice, Florida, from Rochester, New York, in 2002 after semi-retiring from their careers in pharmaceuticals and hospital administration. The Wilferths had been visiting the Mote Aquarium since the 1980s but acknowledged that they had not learned much about the research and education conducted at the organization to that point. Once settled in Florida, the Wilferths started learning far more about the impressive work going on behind the scenes at Mote. Impressed by the extensive and diverse research enterprise, the Wilferths became Mote members and later decided to join Mote’s Legacy Society, leaving a portion of their estate to Mote. These days, the Wilferths are fully retired and active members of their community as well as avid travelers. In addition to the generous philanthropic support the Wilferths have provided to Mote, they help spread the word to others. They travel regularly and can be seen sporting their Mote gear around the world. They have been spotted in their Mote attire on recent trips to Australia and New Zealand and even in the Bernese Alps.

The Wilferths wearing their Mote shirts in Australia (left) and New Zealand (right).

“We were inspired to support Mote’s Legacy Society since we don’t have children; we decided to earmark our estate to a worthwhile cause,” Bill said. The Wilferths believe it’s important to set an example as Mote Legacy Society members to continue Mote’s growth and expand its scientific research efforts, ensuring its future and the vitality of Earth’s life-giving oceans.

To learn more about becoming a Mote Legacy Society member, contact the Development Office: (941) 388-4441 ext. 309 or plannedgiving@mote.org