Mote Magazine: Fall 2019 by Mote Marine Laboratory and Aquarium

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ROAD TO RECOVERY Coral disease: Mote's bold response

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Mote Fall 2019 Events Calendar All events: mote.org/events

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VOLUME 81 SEPTEMBER

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. EDITOR Hayley Rutger DESIGN DIRECTOR Alexis Crabtree CONTRIBUTING DESIGNERS

Kingsley Bocian, Kelly Campbell, Alexis Crabtree, Hayley Rutger CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

Juliette Camara, Lauren Hughey, Stephannie Kettle, Hayley Rutger CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS

Conor Goulding, FWC, Dr. Phil Gravinese, Stephannie Kettle, Dr. Hanna Koch, Mote's Manatee Research Program, Wayne Martin/ iNaturalist.org, Dr. Erinn Muller, Sarasota Dolphin Research Program/CZS, Christopher Sullivan/Scripps Institute of Oceanography, Beth Swanson/Shutterstock

Mote Magazine is proud to recognize Sarasota Magazine as its publishing partner. For information on sponsorship, please contact Sarasota Magazine at 941-487-1100.

On the cover Mote's Hayley Burleson tags a juvenile snook. Story: Page 3 Photo by: Stephannie Kettle

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ALL MONTH Columbia Restaurant Community Harvest Dine at Columbia Restaurant on St. Armands Circle any day in September 2019 and 5% of your check will be donated to a nonprofit of your choice. Choose Mote to support the sea! SEPT. 7, 14, 21, 28 $7 Saturdays Mote Aquarium admission special for Florida residents. Valid for parties of four or fewer. Proof of Florida residency is required for at least one party member. Must purchase ticket at time

of visit, not online. mote.org/saturdays SEPT. 9, 16, 23, 30 Endless Oceans lifelong learning Education program for age 18 or older. At Mote in Sarasota; check website for exact location. mote.org/endlessoceans SEPT. 27-28 Snook Shindig A catch, sample and release tournament targeting snook released by Mote’s Fisheries Ecology & Enhancement Program. Dependent on weather and ocean conditions. mote.org/shindig OCTOBER

OCT. 7, 14, 21, 28 Endless Oceans lifelong learning Education program for age 18 or older. At Mote in Sarasota; check website for exact location. mote.org/endlessoceans OCT. 18 Fish, Fun & Fright Dress up in costume and enjoy this ocean-themed Halloween celebration for all ages. 5:30-8 p.m. Mote Aquarium, 1600 Ken Thompson Parkway, Sarasota. mote.org/halloween

OCT. 23 Winter Break Camps Registration Registration opens for Mote’s Winter Break Camps for students entering kindergarten through fifth grade. Camps take place in December and January. mote.org/education OCT. 26 Oceanic Evening Mote’s annual black-tie, fundraising gala is themed “Living Coral,” in honor of Mote scientists’ efforts to study and restore essential coral reef ecosystems. 6 p.m. cocktails and 7 p.m. dinner followed by dancing. The Ritz-Carlton, Sarasota: 1111 Ritz Carlton Drive, Sarasota, FL 34236. mote.org/oceanic N OV E M B E R

ALL MONTH Member Appreciation Month Mote Members only NOV. 4, 11 Endless Oceans lifelong learning Education program for age 18 or older. At Mote in Sarasota; check website for exact location. mote.org/endlessoceans NOV. 9 Breakfast with the Biologists. 8:30-10 a.m. Mote Members only. New Pass room on the third floor of Mote’s Keating Marine Education Center, 1599 Ken Thompson Parkway, Sarasota, FL 34236. NOV. 9 Mote’s Ocean Fest, Islamorada. Founders Park. Details will be posted at moteoceanfest.org TBD Santa Jaws Mote Aquarium visitors can meet Santa Jaws, Mote Mascot Gilly the Shark all decked out for the holidays.

FISHERIES RESEARCH

IN RED TIDE'S WAKE, SNOOK SCIENCE TO THE RESCUE BY STEPHANNIE KETTLE

uring fall 2018, Florida red tide—a harmful bloom of Karenia brevis algae—intensified to a level that many marine animals could not survive. Of special concern was the impact on spawning female snook. If snook females full of eggs were dying, what would that mean for future generations? What did that mean for recreational fishing? What could be done to help? Common snook, Centropomus undecimalis, is a highly sought after sportfish, known for its impressive size and exhilarating fight. State regulations do not allow commercial harvest or sale of snook, so to enjoy a tasty snook meal you have to catch it yourself. Snook occupy diverse near-shore habitats and don’t tolerate cold very well. All these factors combine to make snook fishing in southwest Florida an attraction for local and visiting anglers alike, contributing to Florida’s multi-billion-dollar, recreational fishing economy. Snook are also important pieces of the puzzle in a properly balanced ecosystem, serving as both predators and prey. It’s no wonder that communities were seriously concerned by the sight of spawning female snook dying off during the bloom of Florida red tide—dying off with them were eggs that represented future generations. In September 2018, three fish-friendly organizations joined forces to help snook rebound. Mote Marine Laboratory, Coastal Conservation Association of Florida (CCA), and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) banded together to launch the Adopt-A-Snook program, a coordinated fundraising and stock enhancement effort to place more than 5,000 juvenile snook back into upstream habitats that would contribute to areas hit hard by red tide, notably Lemon Bay and Charlotte Harbor. This effort would cost nearly $200,000, with anglers and businesses supporting the effort by “adopting” their very own snook to be released. Releases took place at two sites in May, June and July 2019. At Mote, the Adopt-A-Snook spawning and restoration program was coordinated by Staff Scientist Dr. Ryan Schloesser from the Fisheries Ecology & Enhancement Research Program. Snook were spawned and raised prior to release at Mote Aquaculture Research Park (MAP) in east Sarasota County in 100%

recirculating systems (recycling all their salt water). Mote Senior Scientist Dr. Kevan Main has refined and championed the use of these systems. When recirculating aquaculture is optimized through research, it is an important, sustainable technology for both seafood production and fisheries enhancement. Releasing 5,000-plus juvenile snook doesn’t happen overnight. This coordinated, targeted response to a mass mortality event is actually a culmination of months of preparation and years of aquaculture and stock enhancement research by Mote, along with support from FWC and philanthropic sources.

How to read the timeline on the next page: Stage of current project In this upper section, check out how Mote staff were able to spawn, raise and release snook within just 10 months after the launch of the Adopt-A-Snook program, an effort coordinated by Mote Staff Scientist Dr. Ryan Schloesser of the Fisheries Ecology & Enhancement Research Program.

STAGE OF STOCK ENHANCEMENT

The science behind this stage In this lower section, learn about the decades of research that allowed Mote and partners to efficiently and effectively tackle this response effort.

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FISHERIES RESEARCH

Science upstream for fisheries enhancement downstream

ADOPT-A-SNOOK PROGRAM ANNOUNCED

Getting 5,000-plus snook ready for release in response to a mass mortality event doesn’t happen overnight. Check out the months of preparation and the years of Mote research behind this effort.

SPAWNING INDUCED AT MAP (OCT. 24)

RED TIDE BLOOM CAUSES MASS MORTALITY

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Growing up and out

Broodstock snook—adult males and females—live at Mote Aquaculture Research Park (MAP) in controlled conditions that let staff simulate breeding conditions in the wild. In October 2018 and again in January 2019, staff “set the mood” with the right temperature and light conditions and induced the snook to spawn. Thousands of eggs were collected and moved into a hatchery system.

As little larval fish, the snook relied on a diet of rotifers and artemia—tiny zooplankton cultured onsite at MAP. As the fish developed into juvenile snook, they were moved to larger tanks for continued rearing. This phase allowed the fish to grow and allowed staff to control their environment to simulate mangrove habitat, into which the fish would eventually be released.

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Getting in the mood

During the final growing phases, staff implanted a passive integrated transponder (PIT) tag into each and every fish (5,000 plus) that would be released. These microchips, similar to those used in pets, allow scientists to monitor how well fish do and where they spend time after release.

SPAWNING

12 MM

PIT TAG

PHOTO BY: BETH SWANSON/SHUTTERSTOCK

SPAWNING STAGE 

RAISING STAGE 

The science behind this stage

Getting snook to spawn “on command” is the key first step in being able to respond to any mass mortality event, which can include cold stuns and red tide fish kills. Past stock enhancement efforts relied on collecting eggs from wild snook while they were spawning naturally. However, such a system would not have made the Adopt-A-Snook program possible, as by the time red tide had ended, wild snook had limited spawning potential.

Raising tiny larvae that eat even tinier food is not a simple task. Mote scientists including Dr. Nicole Rhody, Dr. Nathan Brennan and Ron Hans have spent years identifying the conditions that need to be oh-so-perfect to get larval snook to grow up, and developed protocols for feeding regimes, flow rates, temperatures, light cycles and light types (wavelengths) that are now the standard practice.

Instead, Adopt-A-Snook was possible thanks to years of research at MAP. That research identified the environmental conditions needed to spawn snook any time of year, allowing Mote scientists to respond rapidly to mass mortalities in the wild.

Caring for thousands of juvenile fish that exhibit cannibalism is not easy either! Over time, Mote staff realized that adding structure to the tanks is one way to decrease the amount of cannibalism and result in more snook being produced.

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FISHERIES RESEARCH SPAWNING INDUCED AT MAP (JAN. 18)

RELEASE (MAY 16)

RELEASE (JUNE 6)

RELEASE (JULY 2)

RAISING & TAGGING OF JUVENILE SNOOK POST-RELEASE MONITORING

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So long, snook! Two sites in Charlotte County, Ainger Creek and Tippecanoe Environmental Park, were selected for the release of 5,000-plus snook, based on several factors, including the watershed that each creek system fed into. Adopt-A-Snook’s goal was to address mortality in certain locations, so fish were released into Ainger Creek to help the population in Lemon Bay, and at Tippecanoe to augment the hard-hit snook population in Charlotte Harbor.

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Investing in the future To monitor for the released snook, Mote installed antenna arrays along the shore downstream of the fish release sites. Since release, the arrays have been scanning the unique PIT tag number of each snook in range and logging the date and time. This data is used to determine the survival and emigration rates for each snook release to assess the effectiveness of the Adopt-A-Snook program.

MICROCOMPUTER TO STORE DETECTION DATA THAT'S LATER DOWNLOADED BY SCIENTISTS 2 LOCATIONS IN CHARLOTTE HARBOR

SOLAR POWERED

COMMUNICATION CABLES LEAD TO ANTENNAS IN THE WATER

BATTERY BOX FOR POWER 24/7

RELEASING STAGE 

TRACKING STAGE

The science behind this stage

Once Schloesser and partners knew what watersheds to target for snook stock enhancement, years of data from past efforts helped the Adopt-A-Snook team narrow down the best timeframe and location for the releases. Data has shown that survival rates of released juvenile snook are highest between May and September when releasing into high quality habitat. The highest survival rates from past releases also came from habitats with plenty of places for the fish to hide from predators, good water quality and abundant prey options, such as well-vegetated, natural shorelines. The upstream habitat of both Ainger Creek and Tippecanoe fit the bill, and the releases happened in spring-summer 2019.

Without this intense monitoring effort after a release, scientists can’t know what does and doesn’t work. For every snook with an individual PIT tag number, Mote scientists know how that fish was raised, its size, when and where it was released, and if it made it downstream out of protected nursery habitats. Using that data, Mote scientists can continue to make adjustments to every step of the process to reduce post-release mortality, acclimate the snook properly to their new environment, refine release times and locations, and improve the cost-effectiveness of the whole process.

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BY HAYLEY RUTGER

Leatherback (Dermochelys coriacea)

ILLUSTRATIONS BY: HAYLEY RUTGER

Follow the turtle tracks below to see how the ongoing nesting season (May 1-Oct. 31) compares with Mote’s monitoring history.

By early July, green sea turtle nest counts had already broken their record for Mote's monitoring area, Longboat Key through Venice, Florida, and Mote scientists had encountered record numbers of individual, nesting greens at their tagging study site. By early August, Mote was reporting a 38-year record total number of nests from all species in its monitoring area combined.

Mote’s Sea Turtle Conservation & Research Program documented four leatherback nests by mid-June along Sarasota County, Florida. Leatherback nests are rare on Gulf of Mexico beaches; previously, Mote had documented just one in its 38-year monitoring history.

Summer 2019 brought BIG surprises to the sea turtle nesting beaches monitored by Mote Marine Laboratory, including rare visits from Earth’s largest sea turtle species, the leatherback.

HUGE YEAR FOR NESTING TURTLES

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Kemp’s ridley (Lepidochelys kempii)

Green (Chelonia mydas)

Loggerhead (Caretta caretta)

170 local green nests*

One local Kemp’s ridley nest, pending confirmation

+ Includes three loggerhead/hawksbill turtle hybrid nests.

* 2019 nest count has already broken local record by Aug. 4, well before season ends on Oct. 31.

4,888 local loggerhead nests*

NOW

Nine local Kemp’s ridley nests

255 local green nests NOW

THEN

To better understand where these greens migrate after nesting, Mote scientists placed satellite-linked tracking tags onto seven nesting greens in 2019, a new annual record for Mote's work with this species and a source of critical data for conservation and management. Follow tagged turtles at: mote.org/seaturtletracking.

From 1987-2018, Mote documented and protected 49,841 local nests on Longboat Key through Venice. In recent years, locally uncommon species have shown exciting increases, including exponential growth of green sea turtle nesting.

Sea turtles laid a whopping 5,063 nests total between late April and Aug. 4, 2019, in Mote’s monitoring area, breaking their 38-year record for total nest count per year well before the end of nesting season, Oct. 31.

Of the nesting species documented by Mote, leatherbacks are the rarest. They nest more often on Florida's east coast.

Four local leatherback nests*

NOW

49,576 local loggerhead nests+

Just one local leatherback nest

NOW: LATE APRIL – AUG. 4, 2019

THEN

THEN: 1987-2018

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SEA TURTLE RESEARCH

Sea turtle crawls (tracks) can indicate new nests or “false crawls,” when a turtle comes ashore but doesn’t nest. Both provide vital data to Mote and other partners who hold goverment permits for sea turtle research and conservation. Mote’s nighttime tagging team documents new and returning turtles.

STRANDING INVESTIGATIONS

A MASSIVE UNDERTAKING BY STEPHANNIE KETTLE

In late January 2019, members of Mote’s Stranding Investigations Program were called to assist in the necropsy, or animal autopsy, of an extremely rare and enormous Gulf of Mexico Bryde’s whale found deceased in Everglades National Park, near Flamingo, Florida. The Gulf of Mexico Bryde’s whale is the only year-round resident, baleen whale in the Gulf. With a range constricted to the northeastern portion of the Gulf along the continental shelf, these whales are completely dependent on this habitat. Fewer than 100 Gulf of Mexico Bryde’s whales are estimated to remain in the Gulf. They are threatened by energy exploration and development, oil spills, vessel strikes, human-caused noises and fishing gear entanglement. With a limited range and low genetic diversity, a catastrophic event, such as an oil spill, could have extreme consequences.

How did it happen?

Sarasota (Mote's home base)

For a population so small, each whale is important, so Everglades National the death of an individual can Park be significant. However, this deceased whale also presented Location of deceased a vital learning opportunity. Bryde's whale So little is known about these whales that the chance to investigate the potential cause of death, and to collect the skeleton to become the type specimen for this subspecies of Bryde’s whale, made this recovery and necropsy all the more important.

Approximately 3-by-2-inch plastic piece

It can be hard to determine an animal’s cause of death upon examination, but there are often clues. In this case, necropsy notes point out the general thinness of the whale and the presence of a piece of plastic with sharp edges in its third stomach. The whale's second stomach, which the plastic had passed through, had signs of hemorrhaging and lesions. Necropsy findings point to the plastic as the highly probably cause of death; the hemorrhaging, lesions, and presence of the plastic likely caused the whale to decrease feeding, grow weakened, and eventually die by drowning.

Unusual pronounciation This whale, named for Norwegian whaler John Bryde, is pronounced “BROO-dus," like the name "Brutus."

This whale's longest throat pleat was about 20 feet long. Pleats expand when the whale takes in water to feed.

A DNA analysis by NOAA confirmed that the whale was indeed a Gulf of Mexico Bryde’s whale.

Approximately 37 feet — the total length of this male whale, from the tip of its rostrum to its fluke

ILLUSTRATIONS BY: KINGSLEY BOCIAN M O TE M A G A Z I NE | FA L L 2 0 1 9

STRANDING INVESTIGATIONS

PHOTOS BY: FWC

Path to preservation Recovery and necropsy

A total of 32 participants assisted in the recovery and necropsy of the whale in Everglades National Park (ENP). Organizations participating included National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), ENP, Mote, Chicago Zoological Society’s Sarasota Dolphin Research Program (SDRP), and University of Miami (UM). FWC Biologist Denise Boyd led the necropsy team. Mote Stranding Technicians Jess Blackburn and Ashley Lysaught assisted in the necropsy, along with SDRP interns. 2

Burial and exhumation

After necropsy, the whale was transported and buried at Fort DeSoto State Park in St. Petersburg, Florida, to allow decomposition to begin. In May, partners from FWC, NOAA, Smithsonian Institution, Mote and SDRP returned to Ft. DeSoto to exhume the remains. Mote Stranding Investigations Program Manager Gretchen Lovewell, Senior Biologist Rebeccah Hazelkorn, and Technician Jess Blackburn assisted in the exhumation, along with SDRP interns. 3

Preservation

The skeleton was then transported to Beaufort, North Carolina, to a location nicknamed “Bonehenge,” where it will be further prepared to become the type specimen of this subspecies at the Smithsonian — the individual against which any future specimens will be compared.

The whale's skull will be kept for identification studies.

Baleen whales are filter-feeders They expand their massive mouths to take in large quantities of water and food, then push the water out through their mouths, leaving the food caught in the fibrous baleen plates.

This whale had 264 baleen plates. Baleen is made of protein called keratin, the same material in human hair and fingernails! 1 foot

Sources: NOAA Fisheries, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission MOTE MA G AZI N E | FALL 2 019

Catalyzing

a coral reef recovery

BY HAYLEY RUTGER

Above: Dr. Erinn Muller, Science Director of Mote’s Elizabeth Moore International Center for Coral Reef Research & Restoration surveys the reef.

ews stories about Florida’s coral reefs often sound like the reefs look—troubled by serious loss, but dotted with occasional bright spots. Mote Marine Laboratory scientists and partners are amplifying those bright spots through a major initiative to help restore both corals and hope. Stony coral tissue loss disease is affecting nearly half the coral species on the Florida Reef Tract, with mortality rates frequently exceeding 80% and impacts spanning Martin County to Sand Key in the Lower Florida Keys—and possibly beyond. It’s affecting brain, maze, boulder and other coral groups that form the foundations of the Florida Reef Tract, an economic engine worth $8.5 billion and supporting 70,400 jobs. “It is highly unlikely that our devastated coral populations can recover on their own; that means conservation strategies alone cannot solve this dilemma.” said Mote President & CEO Dr. Michael P. Crosby. “Mote is undertaking a bold, science-based, Coral Disease Response and Restoration Initiative to actively assist the ecosystem’s recovery.“ Simultaneously, Mote scientists are serving as leaders within a state-federal-nongovernment Disease Advisory Council of more than three dozen partners, working closely with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and partners. Dr. Erinn Muller, Science Director of Mote’s Elizabeth Moore International Center for Coral Reef Research & Restoration

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(IC2R3), is leading Mote’s new initiative and its research within the Disease Advisory Council. “Now is a critical time. Either we’re going to lose our coral reefs in the next decade, or we are going to make sure they survive and continue the functions that are so critical for our livelihoods and our wellbeing.”

In pursuit of the pathogen(s) Scientists suspect that stony coral tissue loss disease is bacterial and waterborne. This year, collaborative research funded by the Environmental Protection Agency and conducted by Mote, NOAA’s Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory, and FWC, has expanded this understanding. “New research from our lab suggests that there is a unique bacterial signature of these corals after they are sick,” Muller said. Even exposed corals that survived have bacterial differences from non-exposed corals. Project partners found that bacterial groups differed significantly among corals at the healthy, diseased and previously diseased sites, and bacteria in the scientific orders Rhodobacterales and Rhizobiales may play important roles in the disease. Water in diseased sites also had greater numbers of Rhodobacterales. “Whether these represent primary pathogens or a secondary response to something else that is the primary pathogen, we don’t know yet,” Muller said.

CORAL HEALTH & DISEASE

PHOTOS BY: CHRISTOPHER SULLIVAN/SCRIPPS INSTITUTE OF OCEANOGRAPHY

Resilience and restoration Over the years, Mote scientists have raised and restored more than 55,000 corals to Florida Keys reefs. As a world-leader of science-based coral restoration, Mote emphasizes raising genetically diverse corals and promoting their best traits through controlled sexual reproduction. In lab studies, certain Mote-raised coral genotypes (genetic varieties) resist tissue loss disease carried in water, only becoming sick after touching infected corals. At least one Mote-tested genotype of mountainous star coral appears to resist the disease altogether. Now, Mote is investigating whether lab-tested corals will continue thriving once planted on the reef—one of many efforts overseen by a Restoration Trials Team co-led by Mote and DEP, with members from NOAA, FWC, U.S. Geological Survey, Nova Southeastern University, Florida Aquarium, The National Park Service, The Nature Conservancy and Coral Restoration Consortium. So far, Mote has documented that less than 10% of the corals outplanted in the recent group show disease signs, even after six months of potential exposure within the diseased reefs.

Super-charging the response In early 2019, Mote launched its innovative Florida Keys Coral Disease Response & Restoration Initiative in response to multiple threats against Florida’s reefs. Over three years, Mote will work with NOAA, Biscayne National Park, DEP, The Nature Conservancy and others, to: • Propagate and/or plant approximately 70,000 coral fragments, emphasizing disease- and stress-resistant genotypes; • Advance research to identify naturally resilient, endemic coral genotypes; • Establish a remote, inland, hurricane-resistant coral gene bank this year at Mote Aquaculture Research Park in eastern Sarasota County, Florida, to preserve threatened coral species and their genetic diversity. • Establish an isolated, “clean room” lab necessary for coral disease research; and • Implement multi-year monitoring and analyses to scientifically evaluate restoration results. These monumental efforts are possible thanks to philanthropic giving, Mote’s grant of nearly $1.5 million from the National Coastal Resilience Fund (a partnership of the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation*, NOAA, Shell Oil Company and TransRe) and government support. *The views and conclusions in this document are those of the authors and do not represent the opinions, views, policies or endorsement of the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation.

Above: Boulder brain coral suffering from stony coral tissue loss disease in the Florida Keys.

“Senator Marco Rubio was instrumental in shepherding a Congressional $5 million addition to NOAA’s budget to help support our initiative to respond to this environmental disaster,” Crosby said. “Floridians are grateful for the expertise and passion Mote researchers bring to their work, and I know Mote will make a meaningful difference with the unprecedented federal resources for the restoration of our reefs that I secured as a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee. South Florida’s economy depends on it,” Rubio said. This year, the State of Florida appropriated nearly $600,000 for Mote’s initiative. “Mote’s valuable work has never been more important in ensuring that we use sound science-based solutions to ensure that we can restore and protect our reefs,” said State Representative Holly Raschein, District 120.

Envisioning a state-to-national coral gene bank “We envision that the gene bank we are creating this year at Mote Aquaculture Research Park will be the seed for our longer-term development of a Category-4 or -5 hurricane-resistant, expanded coral gene bank at that location, ideally with every coral genotype we have in culture represented in triplicate,” Crosby said. “Mote has the knowledge, passion and vision to develop a gene bank that can host representative genotypes of every coral species found in Florida, and grow that to become a national gene bank for every coral species in the United States.”

State of the reef This summer, Mote scientists joined global exploration initiative OceanX to assess the health of the entire Florida Reef Tract in real time. Turn the page for a map with Mote’s results.

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CORAL HEALTH & DISEASE

Coral disease ‘heat map’ Mote’s coral scientists joined the global ocean-exploration initiative OceanX for a June 4-24 expedition to assess the health of the entire Florida Reef Tract in real time—with a special focus on the unprecedented outbreak of stony coral tissue loss disease. “This expedition covered a wider area in a shorter time than any previous survey of the Florida Reef Tract in context of stony coral tissue loss disease,” said Mote’s IC2R3 Science Director Dr. Erinn Muller, who was tapped by OceanX for the expedition along with Mote's visiting Postdoctoral Research Fellow Dr. Hanna Koch and Postdoctoral Researcher Dr. Abigail Clark, and partners at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and Scripps Institution of Oceanography.

Mote scientists documented the prevalence of stony coral tissue loss disease at 85 sites from the Dry Tortugas to Key Biscayne. Most sites had at least some disease impacts, and Mote’s data provided a higher-resolution picture of its prevalence and southern front around Sand Key. High-prevalence disease “hotspots” clustered offshore of Sugarloaf Key. One site within this area showed approximately 36% disease prevalence of the entire coral community. At that site, 70% of boulder brain coral (Colpophyllia natans) colonies were affected with stony coral tissue loss disease—including several that were hundreds of years old. “One sign of hope was that, even in hard-hit sites, some corals still appeared healthy,” Muller said. “If the surviving corals persist, they could be the foundation for recovery, together with reef restoration.” 

Stony coral tissue loss disease prevalence

KEY Disease definitively recorded in site survey.

South Florida

Disease had low prevalence in survey but may be moving into this site. Disease definitively absent in site survey.

Florida Keys 100 kilometers (about 62 miles)

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MOTE MILESTONES

Mote Milestones

Stone crab larva

Intense red tide threatens ‘baby’ stone crabs

“We found that Florida red tide toxins, known as brevetoxins, can be lethal to larval stone crabs in their earliest developmental stage,” said Mote Postdoctoral Research Fellow Dr. Phil Gravinese. “Stone crab larvae exposure to red tide can also result in ‘sub-lethal’ effects that don’t kill the larvae, but rather, impede their normal swimming behavior. The severity of these effects appears to depend on the concentration of red tide algae and duration of the exposure.” Impacts were statistically significant for the high-toxin red tide strain only.

BY JULIETTE CAMARA Mote Marine Laboratory scientists and Pitzer College partners discovered that high and medium concentrations of toxic Florida red tide algae caused 100% and 30% mortality in stone crab larvae, respectively, and many of the surviving larvae had impaired swimming behavior, during a recent, four-day lab study published in the peer-reviewed journal Harmful Algae.

SEAGRASS PHOTO BY: WAYNE MARTIN / INATURALIST.ORG

This is the latest of several Mote studies investigating the impacts of stressors on stone crabs. Mote scientists aim to better understand what environmental changes may be contributing to Florida’s 30% decrease in annual harvest since 2000 and inform resource managers working to help the fishery rebound. In the wild, newly hatched stone crab larvae must swim to the surface and ride currents offshore, out of the reach of many coastal predators. After several stages of development offshore, the post-larval crabs return to settle and grow in coastal habitats. In the lab study, partners tested how well larvae in their first developmental stage could swim to the surface after six hours’ exposure to Florida red tide algae, Karenia brevis, compared with unexposed larvae. They also tested larval survival amid high-toxin red tide and low-toxin red tide, which mimicked medium and high concentrations observed during Florida’s latest red tide bloom.

While Florida red tide blooms form offshore naturally in the Gulf of Mexico and rely upon many natural nutrient sources, it’s important to reduce nutrient pollution from human activities entering the Gulf, to limit additional potential “fuel” for red tides that reach the coast. 

Wildlife declines in Australian World Heritage Site after seagrass loss BY JULIETTE CAMARA Diverse marine animals from dugongs to sea snakes disappeared from the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Shark Bay, Western Australia, after a heat wave devastated the dominant seagrass species, reported a study published this summer and led by Mote Marine Laboratory Postdoctoral Research Fellow Dr. Rob Nowicki. Shark Bay’s extensive seagrass beds helped the site earn World Heritage status. After summer 2011 brought record high temperatures, the dominant seagrass

species, Amphibolis antarctica, declined dramatically and failed to rebound significantly. The study demonstrated how certain vital ecosystems may change in a warming climate. To understand how that change might affect marine animals, study partners from Mote, Florida International University, Deakin University and University of Washington analyzed wildlife data collected before and after the seagrass die off. That included data from 27,052 hours of shark catch-and-release fishing between 1998 and 2015, and data from 3,375 transect surveys that documented 22,371 animals of multiple species. After the seagrass die off, the abundance of dolphins, cormorants, green sea turtles, dugongs and sea snakes all declined significantly. Sea snakes, which rely heavily on seagrass beds, declined the most: 76.7%. While this type of study cannot prove definitively that seagrass loss drove the declines, it strongly suggests that it did, based on these animals’ known relationships to seagrass beds and to one another. The authors offer important perspectives on extreme climactic events (ECEs), expected more often amid climate change: “We show that ECEs can have strong indirect effects on megafauna populations and habitat use patterns in the marine environment, even when direct effects are minimal.” Direct effects include temperature change and indirect include seagrass loss and altered relationships among wildlife. Since the animals studied are tropical, the warm water did not hurt them directly. The study shows the importance of also measuring indirect effects. In general, Nowicki said: “If the seagrass beds are lost or changed permanently or semi-permanently, and then these animal populations crash, where do they go if they can go anywhere, and what does it mean for Shark Bay as a World Heritage Site?” 

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MOTE MILESTONES

Construction team chosen for Aquarium rebirth

Two months later, SDRP examined the young dolphin during a routine health assessment. Although he still had some weight to gain, the team was happy to report that his entanglement injury was healing well, and that he remained free of fishing gear. At press time, the dolphin had been spotted again as recently as Aug. 6 with other local dolphins.

BY JULIETTE CAMARA This spring, Mote Marine Laboratory’s President & CEO announced that the new Mote Science Education Aquarium (Mote SEA) was one step closer to reality, with the selection of a stellar construction team: local construction management company Willis A. Smith Construction, Inc., and international firm The Whiting-Turner Contracting Company. This major milestone resulted from many months of careful assessment by a committee of Mote Trustees and senior staff. The committee scored three incredibly competitive candidate finalists on numerous criteria, including the qualifications and experience of their respective staff members assigned to the project, the companies’ success with similar projects, detailed proposals and projected costs, metrics related to safety, insurance applicability and financial health, and more. The decision was extremely challenging. Ultimately, Mote’s committee recognized the immense value of Whiting-Turner’s significant experience constructing large, scientific and public-aquarium facilities nationwide, paired with Willis Smith’s demonstrated proficiency with major projects in southwest Florida, including eco-friendly construction. Mote SEA will be an iconic, 110,000-squarefoot facility within Nathan Benderson Park, a nexus site for Sarasota and Manatee counties and the broader southwest Florida region. At Mote SEA, science and ocean literacy will suffuse every moment of visitors’ experience. With Mote Aquarium reborn in a new home, Mote’s

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in its tail. The line, with the added drag from algae and tunicates (small marine invertebrates), had cut almost all the way through the right half of the tail. The rescue team was able to catch the dolphin, successfully remove the line, treat him, and send him on his way!

Dolphin disentanglements BY JULIETTE CAMARA In early 2019, two young dolphins were rescued from fishing line entanglements in the Sarasota, Florida, region, through efforts led by the Sarasota Dolphin Research Program (SDRP, Chicago Zoological Society’s program in collaboration with Mote Marine Laboratory), along with other Mote scientists and partner organizations. In early March, a bottlenose dolphin calf was reported in Lemon Bay with fishing line and gear wrapped around its body and tail. The entanglement was significant, with line cutting through each side of the calf’s tail and going through and cutting into the calf’s mouth. The team was able to catch the dolphin and his mother, remove the line, administer an antibiotic shot, take measurements, and collect a blood sample. After about an hour of treatment, the calf and its mother swam away looking strong. Three weeks later, on April 1, an underweight, two-year-old, Sarasota Bay resident dolphin was seen with braided polyfilament fishing line deeply embedded

Scientists and wildlife officials are concerned the decline in fish populations from the recent red tide may be bringing mother dolphins into closer contact with anglers, creating situations where their young, naive calves can become entangled in fishing gear. Anglers are urged to be cautious if dolphins appear and reel in their lines until the dolphins leave. Never feed or attempt to feed dolphins —this is illegal under the federal Marine Mammal Protection Act and puts the dolphins at risk. Both rescues were conducted under a federal permit from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and led by SDRP, working in collaboration with partners including Mote, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, University of Florida’s College of Veterinary Medicine and Clearwater Marine Aquarium.

Mote coral scientist receives presidential award BY STEPHANNIE KETTLE An international, leading coral scientist at Mote Marine Laboratory received top honors from the U.S. government in July, highlighting her vital efforts related to coral disease and coral reef restoration.

DOLPHIN PHOTOS BY: CHICAGO ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY'S SARASOTA DOLPHIN RESEARCH PROGRAM. NOAA PERMIT 18786-03.

primary research campus on City Island, Sarasota, will have much-needed room to evolve into an International Marine Science, Technology & Innovation Park. 

MOTE MILESTONES

LEGACY SOCIETY SPOTLIGHT

Howard Crowell A legacy of service BY LAUREN HUGHEY

Dr. Erinn Muller, Science Director of Mote’s Elizabeth Moore International Center for Coral Reef Research & Restoration and Manager for Mote’s Coral Health & Disease Research Program, received the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE)— the highest honor bestowed by the U.S. government on outstanding scientists and engineers who are beginning their independent research careers and show exceptional promise for leadership in science and technology. Muller began her career at Mote as a Postdoctoral Research Fellow in 2012. Today she is one of the primary scientific responders to the deadly outbreak of stony coral tissue loss disease affecting the Florida Reef Tract, a threatened ecological and economic treasure. “The state of the Florida Reef Tract is dire, and we are working so hard with our many partners to better understand how we can protect and restore this natural resource that our way of life depends on,” Muller said. “Our team puts in countless hours in the water and on land, so to receive this award that recognizes the importance of our research means so much to me.” Learn more about Muller’s vital work to save Florida’s coral reefs: mote.org/outbreak Muller has also worked since 2015 to study resilience in threatened staghorn coral through the National Science Foundation Faculty Early Career Development Program, and has engaged younger generations in science designed to benefit reefs. 

Retired Lieutenant General Howard Crowell grew up on the Massachusetts coast, fishing, swimming, boating and even working in a boat yard. “Water was my life,” Crowell said of his youth. After a childhood by the sea, he joined the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps in college—a decision that launched a 34-year career with the U.S. Army and took him away from the water until his retirement in 1988. Crowell retired as a lieutenant general and moved to Florida with his wife, Sally. In 1996, Florida State Sen. and Mote Marine Laboratory Trustee Bob Johnson invited the general to return to his maritime roots as vice president for development at Mote. In this essential role for the nonprofit Lab, Crowell experienced the thrill of watching the Mote researchers inspire donors with their enthusiasm. “To inspire someone, you have to be comfortable with what you’re talking about, proud of it.” As an example, Crowell relayed a story about a tour he gave on New Year’s Day. The donor arrived planning to write a check for a few thousand dollars. After meeting the Mote researchers and learning about their inspiring work, the donor opted to give $25,000. Crowell worked for Mote for six years before he left to become CEO of The Glenridge on Palmer Ranch. After his departure, he was named an Honorary Trustee. Subsequently, he was named a Trustee and served in numerous roles on Mote’s Board, including Treasurer. Upon stepping

down from the Board this spring, Crowell was named the first Trustee Emeritus in the history of Mote to honor his immense positive impact on the organization. In addition to their many years of service and philanthropic support, Crowell and his wife are members of Mote’s Legacy Society, a special group of champions who include Mote in their estate plans. When asked why they have remained involved with Mote for so long, Crowell said, “The Lab means a lot to humanity; the more support it receives, the better future we will have.” He comes from a family of sea captains and fishermen — people who made their living at sea — and because of the Crowells’ support, future generations will be able to grow up with healthier oceans and a love of the water — just as Crowell did as a boy.

LEARN MORE ABOUT: } Mote's Legacy Society (941) 388-4441 ext. 352

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1600 Ken Thompson Parkway Sarasota, FL 34236-1004 (941) 388-4441 www.mote.org

S U N D AY, JA N U A R Y 1 9 , 2 0 2 0 | 1 2 : 3 0 P M M O T E A Q U A C U LT U R E R E S E A R C H PA R K

Join us for Moteâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s inaugural Farm to Fillet, featuring a unique culinary experience by Chef Paul Mattison in a beautiful natural setting at Mote Aquaculture Research Park. Enjoy a delicious luncheon and glimpse the work Mote scientists are doing, developing sustainable aquaculture systems designed to help feed the world and restock depleted fish species.

Proceeds benefit Mote Marine Laborator y For individual tickets and sponsorship information, visit M O T E . O R G / FA R M T O F I L L E T

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