On March 21, the Florida Capitol hosted its annual FSU Day at the Capitol, a day dedicated to celebrating the relationship between Florida State University and the Florida government.

In an article published in The Invading Sea, Dr. Chris Koenig and Dr. Felicia Coleman take the Florida Fish and Wildlife agency commissioners to task for ignoring the best available science when making decisions about wildlife.

Call for Papers. -- Dr. Coleman is serving as guest editor for a special issue, “Frontiers in Goliath Grouper Research" to be published in the journal Fishes. Papers by scientists from the Global South are particularly of interest. Deadline for manuscript submission is 30 March 2023.

Two FSUCML students have received the Guy Harvey Scholarship Award, an honor that recognizes students from Florida colleges and universities whose research focuses on the biology, ecology, habitat or management of fish in Florida’s marine environment.

When Florida State University researcher Dean Grubbs wants to gather data, he heads to sea. It’s there, in the Gulf of Mexico, and sometimes at depths of more than a mile underwater, where he’s able to find the information he needs for his research into sharks, rays and other marine wildlife. The work wouldn’t be possible without the R/V Apalachee, a 63-foot research vessel docked at the FSU Coastal and Marine Laboratory in St. Teresa, Florida, and the largest ship in the lab’s fleet. The ship is the largest research vessel between the Tampa Bay area and Mobile, Alabama, making it an important tool for anyone who wants to do research on the northern Gulf.

WWF is elated to announce Jasmin Graham, MSc., as winner of the third-annual Conservation Leadership Award. This award aims to give the next generation of conservation leaders access to a global platform and experts, and provides a financial prize that recipients can use to further their professional or educational goals related to their conservation work. Graham is a marine biologist, environmental educator, and social justice activist. She is the CEO and president of the organization Minorities in Shark Sciences.

The largest grouper in the Atlantic Ocean is so big that it can eat a four-foot-long shark in one gulp and makes noises so loud that nearby scuba divers feel an effect much like a sonic boom. These fish, named goliath groupers after the giant of Biblical legend, can reach more than eight feet long and weigh over 800 pounds. But their gargantuan size offers little protection against the proposed lifting of Florida’s fishing ban for this threatened species.

Dr. Grubbs and Dr. Abel's book, "Shark Biology and Conservation" has rave reviews! Check out the awesome write-up on their book on pages 70 - 74 in "Shark News" - a publication put out by IUCN Shark Specialist Group.

Researchers at FSU say fluctuations in nesting activity is common and it’s more important to look at the trend over multiple years rather than data from just one season. “The nest numbers this year are low, but on average the last ten years, the nest numbers have been increasing, from what FWC has been showing us. So that’s really a reflection of the effective conservation measures that have been put in place over the last several decades.” Dr. Matthew Ware, a Florida State University Marine Turtle Research, Ecology, and Conservation researcher, stated.

Dr. Matt Ware of the FSU Marine Turtle Research, Ecology and Conservation group (MTREC) talks with WFSU media about this year's sea turtle nest numbers & the threats they face in the Florida Panhandle.