FSUCML in the News

Researchers remind policy makers that fish don't obey political boundaries


Environmental management practices, very important for many fish species, including gag grouper, often don’t extend past political boundaries. Dr. Nathaniel K. Jue, assistant professor in the Department of Science & Environmental Policy at California State University at Monterey Bay and a former FSUCML graduate student, and Dr. Felicia Coleman, FSUCML Director, Dr. Chris Koenig, FSUCML Faculty, and Dr. Thierry Brule, Center for Research and Advanced Studies of the National Polytechnic Institute in Merida, Mexico examined the genetic patterns of gag grouper and determined that populations in the Gulf of Mexico, both off the coast of Florida and near the Campeche Bank off Mexico, rely on each other for further reproduction. Their research, published in the journal PLOS One, has public policy implications, highlighting that biological systems transcend political boundaries and current management practices need to be developed in coordination with other countries in order to protect grouper and other species living in the Gulf.