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Florida Atlantic Achieves R1
Florida Atlantic University has officially established itself among the most prestigious colleges and universities in the United States for its notable accomplishments in research. It now holds the esteemed designation of “R1: Very High Research Spending and Doctorate Production” by the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education, and shares this status with less than 5% of the nearly 4,000 universities in the U.S.
Read more.
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Shark Depredation
FAU Harbor Branch researchers and collaborators have addressed the challenges of shark depredation by involving the public in citizen-science research. Using multiple methodologies that included social media, online angler surveys, cooperative fishery-dependent charters, and genetic analysis, a recent study uncovers the scope and impact of shark depredation in Florida’s recreational fisheries. Results of the study are published in the "International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) Journal of Marine Science."
Read more.
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Narwhal Tusks
Using drones, researchers from FAU Harbor Branch and Canada’s Department of Fisheries and Oceans, in partnership with Inuit communities in Nunavut in Canada’s High Arctic, provide the first evidence of narwhals using their tusks in the wild. Researchers captured 17 distinct behaviors, which shed light on the dynamics between the narwhal, its prey and avian competitors. Results of the study were published in the journal "Frontiers in Marine Science."
Read more.
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Queen Conch on Gravy Podcast
FAU Harbor Branch's Queen Conch Lab was recently featured on Gravy, a podcast produced by the Southern Foodways Alliance. The episode, "Conch: Queen of the Florida Keys," investigates why conch shells are a visual icon of Key West, despite not having been fished on the island in 50 years.
Listen.
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Fin of the Month: Freya (FRYA)
Meet “FRYA”, also known as Freya, who was first identified by FAU Harbor Branch's Marine Mammal Stranding and Population Assessment team (MMSPA) in January 2022 near the Sebastian Inlet.
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The image on the right was submitted by one of our citizen scientists, a registered Dolphin Spotter, and the land-based photo was successfully matched to the MMSPA team photo-identification catalog (NOAA NMFS LOC No. 23069-01). The MMSPA team has spotted Freya twice, once in 2022 and again in November 2023, and always near or north of the Sebastian Inlet area. Can you spot the similarities in these photos?
The team uses the unique markings on their dorsal fins to identify individual dolphins, much as we use our fingerprints. These sightings help the MMSPA team better understand movement patterns of bottlenose dolphins in the Indian River Lagoon. Registered Spotters can view all 488 sightings ranging from New Smyrna to Stuart on the mobile app WatchSpotter.
Becoming a citizen scientist is a great way to support FAU Harbor Branch's ongoing marine mammal research. 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.
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Stranding response conducted under a Stranding Agreement between NOAA Fisheries and FAU Harbor Branch under the authority of the Marine Mammal Protection Act. | |
Protect Dolphins, Properly Dispose of Fishing Gear
In January 2025, the FAU Harbor Branch Marine Mammal Stranding and Population Assessment team received a report of a dolphin calf in the Indian River Lagoon entangled in what appeared to be fishing gear.
After documenting and monitoring the calf, the team was approved by NOAA Fisheries to perform a remote disentanglement. Despite successfully removing some of the dragging gear, the calf died a few days later and was recovered to perform an animal autopsy (necropsy) to determine the cause of death. While final results are pending, the necropsy confirmed gear was wrapped around the calf’s mouth and head, and line completely severed one flipper and partially severed the other.
It is important to properly discard fishing line to reduce wildlife entanglement risk. Public reports are crucial to rescue and recovery efforts, such as in this case.
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Listen to Steve Burton on the Bob Soos Show
Steve Burton, M.S. is director of the Marine Mammal Stranding and Population Assessment Team. He appears regularly on Bob Soos' radio show on Ocean 97.1 Vero Beach with updates on the team's work and recent dolphin observations.
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Applications Open for Summer Intern Program
The application period is now open for FAU Harbor Branch's Summer Intern Program for undergraduate and graduate students interested in marine-related fields. Train on-site at FAU Harbor Branch with eminent research faculty in specialties including aquaculture, biomedical marine research, marine biology, marine mammal research, marine natural product chemistry, marine microbiology, ocean engineering, ocean technology and oceanography.
Applications are due March 1.
Learn more and apply.
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Sneak Peek: Indian River Lagoon Symposium
FAU Harbor Branch hosted the 2025 Indian River Lagoon Symposium on Feb. 20 and 21. Hundreds of scientists, students and community members converged to discuss the latest research in and around the Indian River Lagoon. Stay tuned for more details in the March newsletter!
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Program Update: Junior Scientist Program
Since last fall, Junior Scientist Fellows have been conducting research alongside Indian River Land Trust land managers and FAU Harbor Branch scientists, in preparation for their poster presentations at the Indian River Lagoon Symposium.
One group studied benthic ecology by collecting sediment cores from the lagoon off the Coastal Oaks Preserve in Vero Beach. The team conducted sieve sorting of the samples for grain size analysis and applied high temperature "loss on ignition" treatment to determine the organic matter and carbonate content of the sediments collected. They then compared samples from two sites at varying distances from a stormwater runoff canal, whose inputs may influence the physical and biological characteristics of the lagoon's sedimentary environment.
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A second group conducted a study deploying acrylic tiles in the Indian River Lagoon subtidal shallows off the Coastal Oaks Preserve. The plates were deployed at two different depths and two different orientations. After a soak time of two weeks, the plates were collected to determine the community composition and population densities of the marine invertebrate larvae that settled onto them. The field component of this study began in September and concluded in December, allowing the team to observe temporal differences in recruitment patterns. It appears the recruitment community has been dominated by barnacles, often settling onto experimental plates by the thousands! This information provides insights into population dynamics, including how benthic invertebrates colonize habitats, supply recruits, and interact with other organisms.
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Don't Miss the Final Month of the 2025 Ocean Science Lecture Series!
Every Wednesday at 4 p.m., Jan. 8 - March 26
Johnson Education Center at FAU Harbor Branch in Fort Pierce
March Topics:
- March 5 - Coral Reef Connectivity and Conservation in a Changing Climate, Speakers: Ryan Eckert, M.S. and Allison Klein, M.S. (Graduate Student Lecture)
- March 12 - Exploring the Rich Natural Products Chemistry of Florida's Coastal Waters, Speaker: Amy Wright, Ph.D.
- March 19 - (Guest Lecture) Ink-redible Investigations: What Sea Slugs, Cuttlefish, Whales, and Sharks All Have in Common, Speaker: Lauren Simonitis, Ph.D.
- March 26 - Blue Energy in a Blue Economy, Speaker: Gabriel Alsenas, M.S.
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Recordings of earlier Ocean Science Lectures from this year's series are available to view online. Visit the registration link above for details. | |
FAU 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. | |
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Florida Atlantic Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute | Website
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