Tortugas Trip

KML's newest vessel the R/V Diodon (aka "Blowfish") recently returned from a 10 day research trip with Marathon's FWRI Finfish group to Fort Jefferson in the Dry Tortugas National Park (DRTO).

The group conducted sampling related to the project "Efficacy of a newly-established Research Natural Area (RNA) ... within the DRTO", by retrieving, downloading, and replacing acoustic receivers (Vemco VR2) at various locations throughout the park that are tracking the movements of tagged fish.


In all they visited over 50 sites and conducted over 60 dives, which included swapping out receiver stands at several locations. Below you can see a couple of the old stands and the group loading a new "Big Bertha" stand onto the Diodon before leaving the dock one morning.



In addition to the trip's main objective, the group also successfully collected, tagged and released a few Caribbean Spiny Lobster (Panulirus argus) near Fort Jefferson to track their movements as well.

The team had a very successful time and looks forward to analyzing all of the data they collected.

KML's staff was glad to be a part of the trip and looks forward to future outings with the FWRI staff. Below Captain Andrew Crowder begins the Diodon's voyage back to KML from Fort Jefferson (over 120 nautical miles).

Lionfish Hunters

Indo-Pacific Red Lionfish (Pterois volitans) on the Adolphus Busch wreck (85' depth) east of American Shoals

It's been a cold, blustery winter here in the Keys but April has finally brought more favorable conditions to be out on the water. KML staff scientist, Cindy Lewis, captured a 4.5" Lionfish while diving the wreck of the Adolphus Busch last weekend. Meanwhile, students from the Marine Invertebrate Zoology class from University of West Florida, staying at KML over the weekend, also captured a small Lionfish while snorkeling near-shore between Missouri and Ohio Keys (mm 39). Additional reports of 4 Lionfish spotted in the wheelhouse of the USS Vandenburg and 3 more sightings on the Cayman Salvage Master over the weekend off Key West are indeed sobering.

Diver carefully holding the bagged Lionfish, mindful of the venomous spines poking through the mesh bag

First spotted in the waters of the Florida Keys in January 2009, the invasive exotic Lionfish has no natural predators in the Atlantic and Caribbean Oceans, allowing this voracious predator to rapidly reproduce unchecked. Their dorsal, anal, and pectoral fins hide needle-sharp spines, capable of penetrating leather gloves, that deliver a dose of a powerful neuro-toxin, producing an extremely painful sting, often accompanied by swelling, numbness, and partial-paralysis. Every effort is being made to capture these fish and remove them from the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. Sightings and captures are being reported to Reef Environmental Education Foundation (REEF).

Seasonal dynamics of Symbiodinium spp. in Porites divaricata

Porites divaricata (Thin Finger Coral) colonies after the January 2010 cold-water bleaching event

'Ann' Hui Lui, Master's candidate at SUNY at Buffalo, NY, recently returned to KML to collect samples for her 'Seasonal Dynamics of Symbiodinium spp. in Porites divaricata' project.
Symbiodinium spp., commonly referred to as 'zoozanthellae', are single-celled dinoflagellate algae which form an obligate symbiotic relationship with schleractinian corals in oligotrophic environments. These symbionts are diverse both genetically and in their physiologies. The symbiont type can vary both with specific coral host species, as well as with different environmental conditions..

P. divaricata samples in a seawater table before processing

Variation in symbiont communities within P. divaricata colonies at Craig Key (Middle Florida Keys) was investigated with colonies sampled seasonally since 2003 (with the exception of 2008) and found to typically have both Clade A and Clade B symbionts. Genetic analysis of the symbiont assemblages suggests that a major shuffling of the symbiont communities within the P. divaricata population at Craig Key occurred after the 2005 bleaching event, resulting in a loss of Clade A symbionts and a shift to primarily Clade B symbionts.

Ann working on samples in Lab II at KML

Ann returned to Buffalo after her 2 weeks at KML, where she will analyze her most recent samples to see how the January 2010 Keys cold-spell affected her P. divaricata colonies at Craig Key.

Ann snorkeling at her study site at Craig Key

In Memory of Jeff Simonds

The scientific community is mourning the loss of colleague and dear friend, Jeff Simonds, who died in a tragic car accident last week. Jeff worked in the Finfish program for FWC's Fish & Wildlife Research Institute in the Marathon office, Florida Keys and will be greatly missed.

Jeff Simonds (1978-2010)

Warming Up

Weather is finally returning to more normal winter temperatures in the Keys, as marine biologists from Fish & Wildlife Research Institute (FWRI) and KML assisted the Marathon Turtle Hospital in weighing, measuring, and tagging many of the rescued cold-stunned turtles in preparation for their return to the wild.

Once the large Loggerheads and adult Hawksbills had warmed up and recovered for a few days, FWRI staff used their boats to transport them out to the warmer waters near Sombrero Reef. When Florida Bay water temps finally nudged above 60F, KML offered their boats and staff to assist with releasing nearly 100 smaller Hawksbills and Greens.

KML's Cindy Lewis releasing small Green turtle from the R/V Mola Mola

Sue Schaf (FWRI), Whitney Crowder (FWRI), and Cindy Lewis (KML) releasing Hawksbills at KML along the seawall

Hawksbills waiting their turn to be released

FWC and FIO staff along with local media and a crew from The Turtle Hospital aboard the R/V Diodon leaving the marina at KML to release the last load of patients

KML's Andrew Crowder and The Turtle Hospital's Ryan Butts releasing a Green sea turtle back into Florida Bay near the Everglades National Park

This release was picked up by the AP and seen nationally, to see video of the action follow the link below:

http://www.boomboxradio.net/boombox/PlayerSetup/Players/WVNSTVPlayer.aspx?FileId=241051_wvnstv

Deep Freeze in the Keys

It has been a bitter cold weekend down here for Keys residents, including the marine life. With air temperatures hovering at 39F this morning and icy north winds howling in over Florida Bay (wind chill of 28F - yes, we can have a windchill factor here too!) water temps in the Bay have been only 45F. It's just not supposed to get this cold at 24 degrees north latitude! We've seen hundreds of grunts and snappers, dozens of burrfish, boxfish, bonefish, and groupers (including reds, blacks, & Nassaus) dead and dying in the rack along our seawall. Our display animals have not fared well either. With no way to warm the large 122,000 gallon flow-through Shallows (waters temperatures down to 44F) we lost our bonnethead shark, both tarpon, the bonefish, numerous snapper and jacks. We have heaters in our above-ground tanks for our spiny lobsters, slipper lobsters, assorted crabs and mollusks, and the mantis shrimp. But with the wind whipping around the tanks, water temps are only hovering at 57F. Needless to say, the invertebrates are still very sluggish but hanging on! KML staff have been patrolling the seawall searching for any potential survivors. We have numerous burrfish, boxfish and a queen angel slowly reviving in the warming tanks.

Cold-stunned sea turtles have floated in to KML shores on the north winds. Wagons have been handy for moving the large turtles, like this big Loggerhead....
...and some, like this little Hawksbill, are small enough to just carry........in to the office to warm up....
.... until FWC Sea Turtle Stranding Co-ordinator, Sue Schaf could transport them to the Marathon Turtle Hospital. So far, KML has rescued 4 Loggerheads, 3 Hawksbills, and a Green turtle but we expect more will float by in the next few days before the waters warm up. Air temperatures are expected to be in the 70's by week's end and Bay temps should slowly improve too, allowing for the release of the rescued animals.
Adult female Loggerhead 230 lbs - largest rescued turtle received at the Turtle Hospital so far this week

Turtles, turtles, and more turtles!

With a successful sea turtle nesting season closing at the end of October, things in the Turtle-World of Long Key are anything but slow!

Since the middle of November there have been 2 dead juvenile Green sea turtles (Chelonia mydas) that have floated up into and around the KML marina. Another Green with fibropapilloma (fp) practically swam right up our boat ramp and was rescued along with a sub-adult Loggerhead sea turtle (Caretta caretta) that had monofilament fishing line coming out of its mouth and wrapped around the left front flipper.


Green sea turtle with several fp tumors.


Loggerhead sea turtle with fishing line entanglement and ingestion.

Both turtles were picked up by staff from The Turtle Hospital in Marathon and are receiving care for their aliments.

Winter plowing duties at KML

Well it's winter again in the Florida Keys, heralded by those cold fronts and north winds. Dealing with all of the rack accumulation in the marina, at the boat ramp, and the lagoon around our seawater intake is a constant headache.

But Dave and Bill were not to be thwarted! Engineering a Keys version of a marine plow and harnessing the muscle of our little 13' Boston Whaler, they guys pushed loads of rack and weed back out into the Bay. Frustrated snowplow operators?!?

We are happy to report that in spite of the frequent rack accumulation in the Lagoon by the Wet Lab this time of year, the water quality continues to be excellent for our seawater system.

USF Fish Biology Class

Dr. David Mann, from the University of South Florida, brought his Marine Fish Biology class to KML. They spent the week gaining experience identifying fish in various habitats of the Florida Keys.

Captain Bill Ferrell gives a boat safety briefing to students before leaving the dock for a day of snorkeling.

R/V Mola Mola leaving KML marina

Several of the Mann students were AAUS dive certified. They prepared their dive gear aboard the R/V Diodon and listened to KML dive safety protocols with Captain Andrew Crowder before a day of diving. To the Reef!

The group snorkeled over a grass flat to explore fish communities among the roots of a mangrove island. Water temperature 70F! Brrr!

The USF students snorkeled Coral Gardens at dusk to observe the change in fish activity on the reef. Weather was perfect all week and the sunset was spectacular.

Spotted Eagle Rays visit KML

Two juvenile spotted eagle rays (Aetobatus narinari) spent the afternoon cruising around the KML Lagoon last week. The little guys seemed intent on corralling a small school of mullet and took turns darting through the middle of them. One poor mullet had a hole in his side to document the strike!