Marine Creatures of the Northern Gulf – Jellyfish
Many of the creatures we have written about in this series to this point are ones that very few people have ever heard of. But that is not the case with jellyfish. Everyone knows about jellyfish – and for the most part, we do not like them. These are the gelatinous...
Our Environment: Part 7 – Managing the Human Population
There are numerous websites that show the human population numbers changing “real time” – the last single digit constantly changing – possibly as fast as 4 new humans every second. How do we slow this down? As we mentioned in the last article, other creature...
Aquaculture 101: The History of Aquaculture
Aquaculture, the cultivation of aquatic organisms such as fish, shellfish, and aquatic plants, has a long and rich history that dates back thousands of years. As global demand for seafood has grown and wild fish stocks have declined, aquaculture has emerged as a...
Marine Creatures of the Northern Gulf – Sponges
Everyone has heard of sponges, and many know they grow in the ocean. But fewer are aware that sponges are actually animals. When we think of animals, we think of something that crawls around seeking food and laying eggs periodically. Sponges are not like that. ...
Our Environment: Part 6 – Human Population Growth
Following the textbook I used when I was teaching environmental science there were 6.7 billion humans on the planet in 2011. I remember when we hit 6 billion. There was a lot made of it in the media. Currently (2025) we are at 8 billion. The textbook I used was...
Introducing Okaloosa Waterwatch
Okaloosa Waterwatch is an opportunity to explore water quality data in selected locations spanning the Okaloosa County portion of the Choctawhatchee Bay. A site is selected each month, and available water quality data are summarized and explained. The purpose is to...
The Striped Burrfish
I have a vivid memory of snorkeling the seagrass beds around Port St. Joe when I was an undergraduate marine biology student. Our field research lab involved completing a visual fish survey, using waterproof dive slates and pencils to record the number and species of...
Marine Creatures of the Northern Gulf – Seagrass
As we mentioned when we began writing about seaweed, seaweed and seagrass are very different. Seagrasses are true plants in the sense that they have an internal vascular system that runs water and other material throughout the plant. Like the artery and veins of...
The Value of Biodiversity
According to Conservation International, there are 36 biodiversity hotspots worldwide. These are defined as areas with “at least 1,500 vascular plants as endemics — which is to say, it must have a high percentage of plant life found nowhere else on the planet. A...
Our Environment: Part 5 – Homo sapiens
Evidence suggests that Homo sapiens’ initial population originated in east Africa – though some think we may have originated in southern Africa, and others from northwest Africa. It is believed this occurred about 300,000 years ago. The first humans were hunter...