FSUCML in the News

New Sixgill Shark Research Video with Dr. Grubbs


Since 2005 FSUCML’ S Dr. Dean Grubbs has been doing research on sixgill sharks. These sharks live in the deep sea some 700 to 3,200 feet below the surface. On a recent research trip to Eleuthera, Bahamas, Dr. Dean Grubbs was able for the first time to view these sharks in the area where they live - about 630 meters or approximately 2,000 feet below the surface. Using a sub aboard the R/V Alucia provided by the deep sea exploration organization OceanX, Dr. Grubbs tried a new idea of attempting to tag them with a GPS dart from the sub. Click the title above to learn more about this effort and see amazing video of the sharks. Also follow this link for an article about one of Dr. Grubbs' former graduate students Brendan Talwar who was on the same cruise. https://news.mongabay.com/wildtech/2018/08/underwater-tech-unlocks-the-secrets-of-the-bahamas-exuma-sound/

Discovered: Giant Deep-Sea Coral Reef Off Atlantic Coast


FSUCML’s Dr Sandra Brooke is part of a research team that discovered a giant coral reef about 160 miles off of Charleston, South Carolina. The reef is a half mile below the ocean surface and is estimated to run for at least 85 linear miles. These corals could be hundreds of thousands of years old. “It’s kind of thrown my mental image of what the reef out here looks like for a loop” says Dr. Brooke. Dr. Brooke was among team members on Friday-8/24- who dove in the sub Alvin to see this new reef. She stated it was an “incredible” surprise to find so much live coral in the area. A reporter for the Huffington Post is aboard the R/V Atlantis. To read his article, click the title above to learn more about this amazing discovery. Also, to learn more about the ongoing research trip and live blogs from the scientists click here: https://marinelab.fsu.edu/news-around-the-lab/deep-search-2018-deep-sea-exploration

FSU Alumna Publishes Paper on New Shark Species


Former FSU undergraduate and marine certificate student Mariah Pfleger recently published a paper on a newly discovered shark species. The discovery and research on the new species, named Squalus clarkae, also known as Genie's Dogfish, was identified from the Gulf of Mexico and western FSUCML’s Atlantic Ocean. This research work was the basis for Mariah's Master’s thesis at the University of West Florida. FSUCML co-authors include Dr. Dean Grubbs and Dr. Chip Cotton.

Lifeboats For Sawfish?


Research into the smalltooth sawfish in Florida and The Bahamas is gradually revealing important information about this mysterious species. Perhaps the biggest question of all is whether marine national parks can provide sanctuaries in which its population can recover.