Florida Tea Party Worries about Government’s Secret Manatee Conspiracy
— By Kate Sheppard. | Wed Jul. 13, 2011 9:59 AM PDT. Mother Jones After propelling Republican Rick Scott into the governor’s office last fall, Florida tea partiers have found a new target: manatees. My friend Craig Pittman of the St. Petersburg Times, a manatee reporter extraordinaire, writes today about how the endangered species has […]
FWC: Most support increased ban on shark harvest
By KEVIN WADLOW. Florida Keys Keynoter Saturday, July 09, 2011 10:53 AM EDT Hammerhead sharks are beautiful creatures — but you wouldn’t want to be in the water. Save the sharks, Florida residents said at a series of statewide workshops on protecting species of tiger and hammerhead sharks. “The whole ‘Jaws’ mentality about sharks definitely […]
House attempt to gut EPA’s enforcement of clean-water rules is dangerous
House attempt to gut EPA’s enforcement of clean-water rules is dangerous By The Miami Herald Editorial When you go swimming at the beach, do you mind if there’s a little sewage in the water? Going fishing? Would you mind a few industry contaminants in your favorite river or lake, maybe a little mercury, with that […]
Volunteers Needed for Saturday, July 16th Shoreline Clean-up
Reef Relief, T.R.A.S.H.E.D. in the Keys and the Ibis Bay Waterfront Resort is hosting a mangrove and shoreline clean-up this Saturday July16 th, 2011 from 10am-1pm. Volunteers are needed to help remove marine debris that is harmful to marine life and contributes to poor nearshore water quality. Bring your kayak if you have one. A […]
BLEACHWATCH TRAINING WORKSHOP: Thursday July 14th
Coral bleaching, which is the corals’ loss of their symbiotic algae called zooxanthellae, is a natural event that occurs to some extent every year in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary(FKNMS). While records show that coral bleaching events have been occurring for many years in the Florida Keys, indications are that the frequency and severity […]
Research Bolsters Importance of Horseshoe Crab Spawning for Migrating Shorebirds
ScienceDaily (July 5, 2011) — Speculation that the welfare of a small, at-risk shorebird is directly tied to horseshoe crab populations is in part supported by new scientific research, according to a U.S. Geological Survey- led study published in Ecosphere, a journal of the Ecological Society of America. Population health of the red knot, a […]
Scientists Map The Staghorn Coral Genome
by Underwatertimes.com News Service – July 5, 2011 18:28 EST CAIRNS, Australia — Australian scientists today announced they have sequenced the genome of the staghorn coral Acropora millepora, a major component of the Great Barrier Reef and coral reefs worldwide. This is the first animal genome project to be carried out entirely in Australia, and […]
24th Annual Membership Meeting
All Reef Relief Members are cordially invited to the 24th Annual Reef Relief Membership Meeting Monday, July 18, 6pm-9pm Pier House Resort Caribbean Spa Room, 1 Duval Street, Key West Hear the annual State of the Reef Address, presentations by MOTE, FKNMS, and more… Join us this evening as we celebrate our marine environment […]
Divers seek protection for patch reef
Snapper Ledge known for its diversity of fish and corals BY TIMOTHY O’HARA. Key West Citizen July, 6, 2011 Upper Keys divers and conservationists are ramping up their efforts to create a no-fishing area on one of the Florida Keys’ most spectacular patch reefs, Snapper Ledge. They lobbied the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary two […]
Coral Reef Facts: July 5, 2011 – Cubera Snapper
Coral Reef Fact: The Cubera Snapper (Lutjanus cyanopterus) is “oviparous, releasing pelagic eggs into offshore waters at spawning aggregation sites.” At these sites hundreds to thousands of fish meet to spawn. “The eggs hatch within a day of fertilization, producing pelagic larvae that are dispersed by the currents.” “Whale sharks are known to feed […]