Pines of Florida
All of Florida’s ecosystems contain pine trees. There are seven native species in the state; Sand, Slash, Spruce, Shortleaf, Loblolly, Longleaf, and Pond. Each species grows best in its particular environment. Pines are highly important to wildlife habitats as food...
Diamondback Terrapin & Mangrove Surveys Kicking Off in Gulf County
Soon, two important ecological surveys will begin in Gulf County, concerning both diamondback terrapins and mangroves. Florida is home to five subspecies of diamondback terrapin, three of which occur exclusively in Florida. Diamondback terrapins live in coastal...
Mystery in the Marsh – The Diamondback Terrapin
We have a lot of really cool and interesting creatures that live in our bay, but one many may not know about is a small turtle known as a diamondback terrapin. Terrapins are usually associated with the Chesapeake Bay area, but actually they are found along the entire...
Eradicating a Local Invasive Invader
Giant Salvinia (Salvinia molesta) is an aggressively spreading free floating plant that can cover the surface of a water body reducing water flow, sunlight penetration, and dissolved oxygen to a point where the over health and biodiversity of the water body is...
Strategies for Avoiding Seasickness
Wow! I was so excited to hear the news. Dad had just called to invite me on a deep sea trip out of Galveston. I had grown up fishing but had never been to sea. My mind raced - surely the fish would be bigger than any bass or catfish we ever caught. I day dreamed for a...
Why Do We Often See and Smell Smoke This Time of Year?
Most plant and wildlife communities in Florida are adapted to periodic fires. For thousands of years, fires were ignited naturally, and frequently, by lightning. In fact, Florida has the greatest number of lightning strikes of any state in the country. About 1,000...
Farmers are doing their part to protect Florida’s Shoal Bass
By Vance Crain and Andrea Albertin Along the Chipola River in Florida’s Panhandle, farmers are doing their part to protect critical Shoal Bass habitat by implementing agricultural Best Management Practices (BMPs) that reduce sediment and nutrient runoff, and help...
Searching for Local Seafood
I recently had the fortunate opportunity to observe a commercial longline vessel being unloaded at a landing near Perdido Key. 10,000 pounds of fish, mostly grouper and tilefish, were being unloaded for markets in Atlanta, Canada, and locally. When I heard 10,000...
The 2019 Emerald Coast Open: The Largest Lionfish Tournament in History
The northwest Florida area has been identified as having the highest concentration of invasive lionfish in the world. Lionfish pose a significant threat to our native wildlife and habitat with spearfishing the primary means of control. Lionfish tournaments are one...
2019 Northwest Florida Regional Artificial Reef Conference
The Northwest Florida Regional Artificial Reef Workshop was held February 20 at the Emerald Coast Convention Center in Fort Walton Beach Florida. It followed the Northwest Florida Regional Lionfish Workshop held the day before as many in the audience have interest in...