On another front, the Sarasota Dolphin Research Program is currently studying the genetic susceptibility of bottlenose dolphins to red tides.  Several large scale mortality events of dolphins in the Florida Panhandle have been associated with a red tide bloom.  Yet, dolphin populations in central-west Florida, including Sarasota Bay, have suffered little red tide-related mortality although [...]

Joining with Sarasota County Commissioner John Thaxton, the Sierra Club and other concerned environmental organizations, Sandy Gilbert, START’s Chairman, spoke at a press conference in Sarasota on January 23 to appeal to state representatives on the Community and Military Affairs Committee to vote “No” on House Bill 421. The bill would exempt commercial fertilizer applicators [...]

Nearly two years after the BP Deepwater Horizon disaster, a report has been published by the National Academy of Sciences.  The study  led by Thomas Ryerson, a research chemist with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, found that surface slick from the spill accounted for only about fifteen percent of the total release.  Thirty six [...]

The United States, in 2012, will become the first country to impose catch limits for every species it manages. This policy was forged under President George W. Bush and finalized by President Barack Obama. The Magnuson-Stevens Act, which dates to the mid-1970s and governs all fishing in U.S. waters, was reauthorized five years ago by [...]