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The mission of the Florida Marine Research Institute (FMRI) is
to provide timely information and guidance to protect, conserve
and manage Florida's marine and coastal resources.
FMRI Science Programs:
Fisheries-Independent Monitoring - Staff in this program monitor
the status and relative abundance of recreational and commercial
fishes from six estuaries around the state.
Fisheries-Dependent Monitoring - Program staff collect and
analyze catch-and-effort data used to monitor trends in
commercial and recreational fisheries throughout Florida. These
data provide assessments of how management regulations affect
harvest and fishers.
Fisheries Biology - The Fisheries Biology program staff collect
and provide data concerning the life history, biology, age
structure, stock abundance, and fishery characteristics of
important commercial and recreational fishes in Florida.
Fisheries Stock Assessment - Program staff integrate the
biological and fisheries data gathered in the three above
programs and use these data to analyze Florida's inshore and
nearshore fisheries stocks. This information is provided to the
FWC for management purposes.
Coral Reefs & Hard Grounds - Staff in this program provide
information on the health and status of Florida's coral reefs
and hard grounds, and assess long-term degradation as well as
the effects of events such as hurricanes and vessel groundings.
Habitat Assessment & Restoration - Program staff work around
the state to collect data that resource managers must have to
make effective decisions about the preservation, management, and
restoration of seagrass, salt marsh, and mangrove communities.
Aquatic Health - In this program, staff monitor and study marine
organism diseases, die-offs, and fish kills and the causes that
may be associated with these events, for example, infectious
agents, parasites, contaminants, red tides, biological toxins,
and poor water quality.
Harmful Algal Blooms - Staff in this program study red tides and
related impacts such as fish kills. They monitor coastal and
estuarine algal blooms that adversely affect natural resources
or cause a human health risk, and they assess linkages of
plankton to animals higher up the food chain.
Environmental Monitoring & Assessment - In this program, the
ecological condition of Florida's marine aquatic ecosystems is
assessed through the synoptic sampling of key indicators of
environmental and biological quality.
Endangered & Threatened Species (Marine Mammals & Marine
Turtles) - Program staff study the life histories, population
biology, ecology, behavior, and migrations of manatees, right
whales, and marine turtles in order to address high-priority
recovery actions in the federal recovery plans.
Fisheries Stock Enhancement - This program is focused on
breeding and rearing game fish and mollusks for release and on
evaluating the use of hatchery-reared animals as a management
tool to enhance coastal fisheries.
Coastal & Marine Resource Assessment - Program staff use
mapping techniques to create information products that are used
by policy makers, scientists, and managers. They develop and
manage geographic databases and analysis systems for internal
and external use.
Information Access - Staff maintain the Marine Resources
Information Center (Library), the Publications Production
Office, and implement relational database management strategies
to ensure access to FMRI data.
Computer Management - Program staff address the computing needs
(hardware, software, network, communications, training, and web
support) of all programs at FMRI.
Website: "http://www.floridamarine.org/"
[Summary provided by FMRI]
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