Florida State University researchers have spearheaded a major review of fisheries data that examines the domino effect that occurs when too many fish are harvested from one habitat.

Dr. Felicia Coleman and Dr. Christopher Koenig, accompanied by grad student Chris Malinowski, are onboard the RV Walton Smith (the ship after which the R/V Apalachee was modeled) conducting research in Pulley’s Ridge and the Tortugas, 350 miles from Miami, where the cruise set sail. The objectives are to determine the density of red grouper in selected sites, and to determine whether fish living here are related to fish turning up in coastal sites like Florida Bay.

GoMRI's June 2013 newsletter focuses on the research being conducted by the Deep-C Consortium. It recounts what happened that fateful day of the Deepwater Horizon Oil Disaster and then summarizes some of what we have learned since then. In this newsletter you will find several quotes from FSU researchers as well as an interview from our very own director, Dr. Felicia Coleman.

Three years after the 2010 Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill, Travis Pillow of the Tallahassee Democrat writes about the research that some of our scientists here at the lab, along with the other Deep-C members, are conducting on the spill. The primary concern is for the long-term effects on the ecosystem, many of which are still unknown. Director, Dr. Felicia Coleman, says "The oil spill shown a light on the Gulf that said, 'My God' ... This is the supplier, and nobody was paying any attention to how important it is." Well people are seeing now just how important the Gulf of Mexico ecosystem is and are worried about what is to become of it.

Last Thursday Martha Dobes, FSUCML Board of Trustees Member, hosted a shindig in Atlanta to share some of the research the FSUCML is currently working on. Many of the attendees own property nearby the lab, so it was important for them to learn about what we do here. Dr. Felicia Coleman and Dr. Dean Grubbs were in attendance and gave presentations on their own research and why it is important to protect out ocean's resources.