Currents Fall 2012 Newsletter - Volume XXVII, Number 2

14 In the Field OC NCRI Researchers and Students Observe Coral Spawning Once a year, coral spawning—the release of millions of eggs and sperm into the ocean—occurs after the full moon in the hottest month of the year. For several years, OC National Coral Reef Institute (NCRI) researchers Alison Moulding , Ph.D., David Gilliam , Ph.D., Ph.D. candidates Abigail Renegar and Liz Larson , and other students have been observing this phenomenon off the coast of Broward County. In addition to the work done in Broward County, Assistant Professor Nicole Fogarty , Ph.D., observed coral spawning off the coast of Belize. Ph.D. candidate Liz Larson collecting fertilized eggs Corals spawning in the lab Nets set up to collect fertilized eggs Newly hatched Loggerhead Sea Turtles OC alumna Lisa Morse measuring a sea turtle nest While researchers in Broward County collected fertilized eggs to be grown in the on-shore nursery, laboratory researchers at the OC watched as the laboratory corals also spawned. Once the nursery corals grow to a minimum size, they will be returned to the ocean to help restore reefs that have been physically damaged by events such as anchors and ship groundings. Sea Turtle Project Releases 2012 Nesting Data As of July 31, 2012, the Broward County Sea Turtle Conservation program has recorded a record 3,040 nests. They have already exceeded the record number of nests for the 2000 season and the turtle nesting season will run for two more months. The Loggerhead turtles have deposited more than 2,800 clutches, which continues a general upward trend that began in 2008. So far, the Green sea turtles have made 144 nests this year and will continue to nest for the rest of the season. The endangered Leatherbacks have made a nearly record number of 40 nests in the county this year. Leatherback nesting has fluctuated over the years, but they have not failed to nest in the county since 1982. The record of 42 nests was set in 1997. NSU Oceanographic Center operates the Broward County, Florida Sea Turtle Conservation Program in partnership with Broward County government. The program provides for the conservation of endangered and threatened sea turtle species within Broward County. Associate Professor Curtis Burney , Ph.D., is the principle investigator of the program. Sea turtle nesting season in Broward County begins in early March each year with Leatherback sea turtles, then Loggerheads in April and Greens in May and June. Leatherbacks are less predictable and can nest as early as February or March. Nesting continues through September, with the peak season typically being the end of June and the beginning of July.