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Home to tropical and warm temperature seas around the world, including the Gulf of Mexico, shortfin Makos are one of the most sought-after species of shark. Makos are powerful and fast and they are known for leaping, thrashing and attacking boats to resist capture. Seasons: Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter (Source: World Wildlife Fund. Windows on [...]

More than 30 percent of manatee deaths in Sarasota Bay each year are caused by boat collisions. Seasons: Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter (Source: U.S. EPA. Gulf Coast National Estuary Program Coastal Condition Report: Sarasota Bay. http://www.epa.gov/owow/oceans/nepccr/pdf/nepccr_gom_partc.pdf.)

Tampa Bay is home to more than two million people, and the region is expected grow by 10 to 20 percent over the next ten years. More than 100,000 boats are registered to fishers and boaters in the Tampa Bay region! Seasons: Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter (Source: U.S. EPA. Gulf Coast National Estuary Program Coastal [...]

Tampa Bay is home to three major sea ports. Collectively, the ports contribute five billion dollars annually to the economy from trade, tourism, fishing, and development. Seasons: Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter (Source: U.S. EPA. Gulf Coast National Estuary Program Coastal Condition Report: Tampa Bay. http://www.epa.gov/owow/oceans/nepccr/pdf/nepccr_gom_partd.pdf.)

White sand beaches, seafood, and warm weather all make the Gulf of Mexico region a popular vacation spot for people from around the U.S. and the world. There are over 620,000 jobs devoted to this industry, yielding over nine billion dollars in tourism and recreation wages paid each year in the Gulf Coast region. Seasons: [...]

Did you know that vital Galveston Bay marsh habitats and wetlands have been lost or reduced due to human activities? All commercial and recreational fisheries in the Bay area rely on wetlands for their role as habitats and breeding grounds for popular species such as brown shrimp, blue crab, red drum, spotted sea trout, southern [...]

We often think about how land animals survive the winter, but what about marine animals? Manatees despite their hefty appearance have only about an inch of fat to insulate them from cold water temperatures, meaning that they can die of hypothermia when water temperatures dip below 68 degrees Fahrenheit. During the summer, manatees can be [...]

As weather and ocean temperatures begin to warm each spring, West Indian Manatees begin to travel into the bays and rivers of coastal Alabama. In 2007, the Mobile Manatees program was started to engage Alabama residents in helping to monitor this endangered species. Viewer Tips: Report any manatee sightings to Mobile Manatees using the website [...]

Did you know that each year, many shorebirds fly thousands of miles to the Gulf of Mexico coast to lay eggs and raise their chicks?  In addition to the critical role birds play in the ecosystem, bird-watching is a multi-million dollar industry. Despite their importance and the enjoyment they provide to us, humans pose real [...]

Manatees graze on seagrass beds in shallow parts of Tampa Bay, which unfortunately means that these animals are sometimes injured or killed by motorboats that use the same waters. Viewer Tip: When you hit the water, please head signage that indicates “”go slow”” zones and stay out of restricted areas. These zones are designed to [...]

Seagrasses and other submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV) are essential to the commercial and recreational vitality of Galveston Bay. They support a diversity of aquatic life by providing food and protective cover, and also play a role in physical shoreline processes – including the prevention of erosion and the control of sediments and nutrients in the [...]

Did you know that each year many females of endangered and threatened sea turtle species come to Florida’s coasts to lay their eggs? The female turtles crawl up into the dunes, dig a hole and lay up to 150 eggs in the sand. Just over eight weeks later, the hatchlings dig their way out and [...]

Did you know that the tourism industry employs one million Floridians? During last year alone, 82 million people made Florida’s coasts their vacation destination, largely as a result of natural resource-based recreation such as sandy beaches and fresh seafood. A clean, healthy, natural ecosystem is essential to a thriving Florida economy. Viewer Tip: Help keep [...]

In Tampa Bay, there are more than 100,000 boats registered to anglers and recreational sailors! While boating can be great fun, it can also have negative impacts on the Bay’s water quality and wildlife. More than 267 marine animals are known to become entagled in or ingest trash and other items that make their way [...]

Since the 1950′s, when Tampa Bay Watershed’s population really began to boom, about half of the Bay’s marshes and 40 percent of its sea grass beds have disappeared. Marshes and underwater grasses provide vital habitat for aquatic wildlife, help to buffer coasts from storms and help to protect water quality in marine, estuary and freshwater [...]

Did you know that fishing top predator species such as cod, hake, dorado, or house mackerel can actually impact the entire marine food web? When smaller fish populations increase from lack of predators, they eat more zooplankton (tiny drifting organisms in the water), which allows more phytoplankton (tiny drifting organisms which make their food using [...]

Did you know that the Laguna Madre is one of only six hypersaline lagoons in the world? Hypersaline refers to a body of water with extremely high salinity compared to normal ocean levels, due to high evaporation rates and little or no freshwater inflow. At 115 miles long, Laguna Madre is home to roughly 80 [...]

Motor boats can be a lot of fun, but can also cause problems for marine life. Fuel, oil, grease and lubricants used in maintaining and cleaning boats may contain petroleum hydrocarbons, toxic elements and metals that are harmful to small, aquatic bottom-feeding animals when ingested. When fish and other larger animals eat these small animals, [...]

The Gulf of Mexico offers a variety of diverse habitats and species for those looking to fish for fun. Among the favorite catches are spotted sea trout, red drum, king mackerel and red snapper. In 2006, the Gulf of Mexico accounted for 40 percent of all U.S. marine recreational fish catch, as 3.6 million residents [...]

Since 1987, Alabama has participated in the International Coastal Cleanup, a volunteer event organized by the Ocean Conservancy to clear trash from oceans and other waterways worldwide. Over the last 20 years, 48,446 volunteers removed 951,987 pounds of trash on 2,847 miles of Alabama shoreline. The most common trash items found were cigarettes and cigarette [...]