Renovation and Expansion of Seawater Facilities for Experimental Marine Research at Mote Marine Laboratory

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A grant has been awarded to the Mote Marine Laboratory, under the direction of Dr. Robert Hueter to provide partial support to renovate and expand seawater facilities for experimental marine research and education at Mote Marine Laboratory (MML) in Sarasota, Florida. Improvements to be made include: significant increases in water storage and ozone sterilization capabilities; improved facilities for mechanical filtration of seawater; large animal holding tanks to hold more and larger experimental animals in good health under controlled conditions; a versatile water routing system to allow for flexibility in modular use of the facility; and a facilities enclosure to permit manipulation and control of environmental conditions. Among major additions will be two new oval tanks, 16.5 m x 8.5 m x 2 m and 12.2 m x 6.1 m x 2 m, for holding large animals such as sharks, rays, large teleosts and sea turtles for captive study. Research applications of this renovated seawater facility will include physiological and behavioral studies of large elasmobranchs, instrumentation testing prior to field deployment, and studies of biotoxins and invertebrates in culture. Education and training of undergraduate and graduate students will also utilize the new facilities for student projects. These alterations will significantly enhance the overall reliability, quality, and versatility of the system, necessary improvements to provide the proper seawater facilities to visiting scientists, students and staff conducting experimental research on marine organisms at MML.