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July-August 2024

Coral Restoration and Technical Diving in Gulf of Mexico

Joshua Voss, Ph.D., Ashley Carreiro and Allison Klein recently completed their first NOAA RESTORE expedition aboard the NOAA ship Nancy Foster. Through the Mesophotic and Deep Benthic Communities portfolio, the team is focused on characterizing and restoring critical coral reef habitats impacted by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.

Photo courtesy of Exploration of Deepwater Habitats off Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands for Biotechnology Potential

Award-winning Presentation

At this year’s annual meeting of the American Elasmobranch Society (AES) - dedicated to the scientific study, of sharks, skates and rays - doctoral student Cecelia Hampton presented her biologging work on the behavior and foraging acoustics of spotted eagle rays. Hampton was awarded the prestigious Samuel H. Gruber Presentation Award, recognizing the most outstanding presentation delivered by an AES student. Hampton is a second-year doctoral student in the lab of Matt Ajemian, Ph.D., associate research professor at FAU Harbor Branch, and is funded by Ajemian’s National Science Foundation CAREER grant.

Fin of the Month: Padawan (c1SOKA)

Meet c1SOKA, also known as Padawan, who was first identified by FAU Harbor Branch's Marine Mammal Stranding and Population Assessment (MMSPA) team in January 2021. Padawan is the calf of SOKA (Ahsoka), who you might recognize from the Fin of the Month last November. Padawan has been seen with its mother between Stuart and Vero Beach, often with another mom and calf pair.

Can you spot the similarities between these photos? The image on the right was submitted by one of the Dolphin Spotter citizen scientists. His land-based photo was successfully matched to the MMSPA team's photo-identification catalog (NOAA NMFS LOC No. 23069-01), pictured on the left. The MMSPA team uses the unique markings on dorsal fins to identify individual dolphins, much like how people are identified using fingerprints. These sightings help the MMSPA team better understand social structures and habitat use throughout the Indian River Lagoon.

Registered Dolphin Spotters can view some of the most recent sightings on the mobile app WatchSpotter. Becoming a citizen scientist is a great way to support our ongoing marine mammal research.

Becoming a citizen scientist with FAU Harbor Branch is easy. Capture photos of dolphins while you're standing on the shore, then visit our website to get started.

The photo on the left was taken by the FAU HBOI MMSPA program (NOAA NMFS LOC No. 23069-01). All citizen scientist land-based photos have been submitted through the FAU Harbor Branch Dolphin Spotter project in accordance with the program’s guidelines and the Marine Mammal Protection Act.

If you see dolphins while out on the water, please remember to stay 50 yards away. If you see a marine mammal in distress, please call the FWC hotline (888) 404-3922.

Dolphin Rescues

The FAU Harbor Branch MMSPA team recently assisted two successful dolphin rescues.

In July, an adult male dolphin was sighted several times between Merritt Island and the Melbourne Causeway with fishing line entangled around its fluke. The marine mammal rescue team was led by Hubbs-SeaWorld Research Institute and included SeaWorld, Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission, NOAA Fisheries Service Southeast and FAU Harbor Branch. With the team carefully supporting the dolphin in the water, a SeaWorld veterinarian removed the fishing line, treated the wounds and administered antibiotics. Following a quick examination, the animal was released back into the lagoon.

In August, a dolphin calf estimated to be nine months old was reported in the Indian River Lagoon with fishing line tightly encircling its body and right pectoral flipper, which was severely injured. The rescue team was comprised of nine partner agencies, including FAU Harbor Branch. The mother and calf were carefully encircled in the water while the calf was disentangled and its wounds treated by veterinarians. Following a final health examination, mother and calf were released together.

Around Campus

50th Annual Summer Symposium

FAU Harbor Branch celebrated the 50th anniversary of the summer internship program. Each summer, about 15 students from around the world - many from Florida Atlantic - are given the opportunity to gain transformative, real-world research experience under the guidance of the Institute's distinguished faculty. Over the course of 10 weeks, they immersed themselves in fieldwork, career training and research, culminating in the annual Summer Intern Symposium. The internship program is supported by the Link Foundation, the Gertrude E. Skelly Charitable Foundation and the Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute Foundation, among others.

Learn more.

Faculty Spotlight: Wayne Slade, Ph.D.

Wayne Slade, Ph.D., specializes in ocean optics and ocean color research. He joined the faculty at Florida Atlantic University’s Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute at the end of 2023.

Ocean optics is the science of how light interacts with water and the materials in it. Understanding how light acts in water is critical to understanding the ocean biome and is at the heart of ocean color remote sensing — using the color of the water as seen by satellite instruments in space to extract information about what is in the water, such as algae and sediment. This data is important, especially collected over time, because it helps to understand climate change and ocean and coastal health.

Outreach and Education

Summer with Boys and Girls Clubs

During the summer, more than 200 teens from the Boys and Girls Clubs of St. Lucie County participated in hands-on learning experiences aboard the Discovery pontoon, thanks to a grant awarded to FAU Harbor Branch from the United States Environmental Protection Agency’s South Florida Initiative Program Activities. The field trips included water sampling, species identification and gaining practical insights about marine science through direct interaction with professionals in the field.

"I want to express my deepest gratitude to FAU Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute for their unwavering commitment to educating and inspiring the next generation," Will Armstead, CEO of the Boys and Girls Clubs, shared in a message from the organization. "Their dedication to fostering environmental stewardship and providing these invaluable hands-on learning opportunities has profoundly impacted our teens. Together, we are shaping the future leaders of marine conservation."

Treasure Coast Waterway Cleanup

Christopher Spagnolia, a doctoral student at FAU Harbor Branch, organized a team to participate in the 17th annual Treasure Coast Waterway Cleanup at Riverside Boat Ramp in Vero Beach. Volunteers at the site collected about 200 pounds of debris from the Indian River Lagoon. The annual cleanup consists of volunteer sites like this one in Indian River, St. Lucie and Martin counties. In total, 936 volunteers collected 2.16 tons of debris in and along Treasure Coast waterways during the 2024 event.

Learn more.

Welcome Back

Students returned to the Westwood High School’s Marine and Oceanographic Academy (MOA) in August. MOA, located on the FAU Harbor Branch campus, is an academic partnership between the Institute and St. Lucie Public Schools.

The students dove straight into hands-on marine science, learning about the properties of water, identifying cells under a microscope, practicing lab safety skills, and getting their feet wet during a field study to survey seagrass beds in the Indian River Lagoon.

Learn more about MOA.

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In the Community

Florida Atlantic Harbor Branch's outreach team travels to events throughout Florida with hands-on marine science educational exhibits and activities. In addition, FAU Harbor Branch scientists share their expertise through public lectures and workshops.