The year 1995 marks the 40th anniversary of the lab's held at the Manatee Civic Cen founding. To commemorate this ter. AT&T hired Mote in 1986 40 to try to solve the mystery of milestone, Mote News has chronicled a decade ofthe lab:S shark bites in their undersea fi history in each issue. This is the One Decade ber optic cable off the Canary Is last offour installments. lands. Experimental cable was At a Titne laid in Mote's shark tank with the The Fourth Decade eventual conclusion by AT&T that their 1985-1995 cable had insufficient insulation to pro tect it in the wild. Dave Fletcher of Tampa lent fmancial support for the cre Mote Marine Laboratory entered ation, in 1987, of the Southwest Florida its fourth decade with the challenge of Coastal Research Center at Mote to pro fulfilling a $5 million endowment vide a much needed regional approach fund-raising campaign to suppo the to solving environmental challenges. ever diverse research activities of the U.S. Senator Lawton Chiles and State lab. The decade marked a new era of Senate President Bob Crawford were collaboration - collaboration among present for the Center's dedication. the scientists at Mote and with other Important strides were made to research and educational institutions. ward large scale snook stock enhance And that vision for the lab's future vi ment with state funding support secured tality and stability came from its Board by Senator Pat Neal and Senator Bob of Trustees and the new leadership John on. Ground was broken in July team. For on March 1, 198 , Dr. 1986 on the hatchery at Port Manatee Kumar Mahadevan took the rems as and the unusual partnership between the Executive Director of the lab with Dr. State of Florida and Mote was estab Richard Pierce as Associate Director. lished to meet the stock enhancement The decade also saw Mr. Mote pass challenge. There were other activities ing the gavel of the Board of Trustees in fi heries research such as Karen Chairmanship to Bob J ohoson in 1987. Burns' work in Mexico where she co Dick Angelotti became Chairman in ordinated a king mackerel tagging pro 1991 and Michael Martin took over in gram under contract with the National 1993. Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS). In Kumar's first official message Dr. Carl Luer continued his inves as Director, he laid down a philoso tigations to answer the mystery of why phy which has guided the lab to this sharks rarely get sick, turning his focus day, "We must continue in the same on sharks' immune systems. The spirit to strengthen our community ser United States Congress designated vice, maintain our independence in Mote as the home of the ational Cen marine research and continue to prove ter for Shark Research. In May 1989, that research excellence can be at Dr. Robert Rueter conducted Mote's tained in a comparatively small labor first Gulf Coast Shark Census Tourna atory such as ours." men . This was the world's only all The late 1980's was a time for catch and release shark fishing tour new partnerships to meet the chal nament and was an instant success. lenge of new research projects. In Shar research focused on the impor 1986, the West Coast Inland Na iga tance of Florida's southwest Gulf coast tion District provided funds for ex as a nursery ground for sharks and the tensive regional manatee aerial sur by-catch mortality of sharks from com veys by Mote scientists, expanding a mercial and recreational fishing. project which had been initiated with s Mote' s Marine Mammal the assistance of Michael Saunders, Stranding team responded to more president of Michael Saunders and and more calls to handle dolphins Co. of Sarasota. The manatee pro and whales in distress, its scientific gram also received a boost from knowledge allowed a greater level of Top - William R. Mote and Bob Johnson survey the auction of front row tickets the new hatchery ill 1986. Middle - Ernie Estevez success in caring for these animals and from a Jimmy Buffet concert hard at work on a river project in 1987. Bonom - retu .ning them to the wild. Matt, a 1988 ceremony to mark the beginning of Sarasota 4 Bay National Estuary Program. bottlenose dolphin who had been en position to offshore oil leasing plans for tangled in crab trap lines in 1992 near Florida. The lab hosted EPA officials Matlacha (Lee County, Florida), was the and laboratories from the southeast for program's fIrst successful rescue, reha a three day conference in 1987 to pro bilitation and release back to the wild. mote a "Gulf Initiative." Mote scien Celebrating Forty Years This was followed in 1993 with the res tists continued to work with EPA and cue and release of another dolphin ational Oceanic and Atmospheric Ad Boards, the Community Foundation of named Freeway. Mote's sea turtle pro ministration (NOAA) officials in this Sarasota, and the Selby Foundation to gram grew during this same period. In effort which grew into the Gulf of become a charter participant in the JA 1991 , staffed with more than one hun Mexico Program (GOMP). This effort SON Project in April 1989. During the dred volunteers, the program added its is striving to develop and implement a next six years, thousands of Florida stu fIrst full time biologist. comprehensive strategy for managing dents travelled and explored the Medi With greater and greater frequency, and protecting Gulf resources. Lab sci terranean Sea, the Great Lakes, the officials turned to Mote Marine Lab entists lent their expertise to scientific Galapagos Islands, rainforests and vol oratory for assistance in meeting envi advisory panels for the Gulf of Mexico canoes without ever leaving Mote. In ronmental challenges. It was not un Program and conducted the national 1992, the lab began its own interactive usual to fInd Dr. Ernie Estevez on the communication effort for the 1992 Year education series, Science VideoLink, to Myakka River in the middle of the of the Gulf of Mexico. With all this bring Mote scientists into the classroom night, towing plankton nets to study fIsh national involvement, it was not unusual via electronic communications. Adults eggs and larvae to provide baseline data to see conferences held at the lab or vis who were interested in expanding their on the river. Lee County Mosquito its by elected officials. In 1989 alone, horizons, enjoyed the lab's Monday Control called on Mote's expertise to the lab hosted tours by Con test the effects of abate mosquito gressmen Andy Ireland and larvacide on marine life in aquatic pre Porter Goss, U.S. Senators serves. In September 1986, the lab Connie Mack and Bob Graham joined forces with Sarasota County and State Senator Bob Johnson. Natural Resources Department in host Mote's fourth decade was ing a gathering of 60 government offi a period of expansion of our cials at Mote to develop a consensus to facility. The shark tank: was establish a management plan for Sara added to a remodeled aquarium sota Bay. With the lab's leadership, and opened to the public in along with that of the City of Sarasota, October 1988. A year later the these efforts resulted in an August 2, aquarium hours were expanded 1988, designation of Sarasota Bay into to seven days a week. Florida the Environmental Protection Agency's Education Commissioner Betty 1988 construction of shark tanle National Estuary Program (NEP). Mote Castor was on hand in 1991 to scientists played a major role in provid dedicate the lab's new Martin-Selby Night at Mote lectures and the week ing technical expertise to both the Sa Education Center. White House offi long Elderhostel Programs. rasota and Tampa Bay NEP's. cials travelled to Mote in April 1994 to To meet the challenge of the future And it wasn't just local and state dedicate the fIrst phase of the Ann and for marine science research, the lab out government officials calling on Mote's Alfred Goldstein Marine Mammal Re lined a vision to meet that need called expertise. Dr. Kumar Mahadevan was search and Rehabilitation Center. Research 2000. Long range planning called upon by Congressman Andy Ire Mote's facilities weren't the only has always played a critical role in the land to provide expert testimony in op- aspect of the lab to undergo expansion lab's success, and Research 2000 is a during this period. Exceeding its continuation of that planning process. original goal, the endowment grew While its important - and fun - to re from zero to $5.2 million. Also, new view Mote's forty year history, we must and challenging ways were found to tum to the future. In the next issue of expand Mote's education efforts. The Mote News, we'll look into the crystal ever-popular summer camps were en ball at what's ahead for Mote Marine larged to accommodate a wider range Laboratory. of students and activities. A critical milestone was reached when Mote teamed with the State of Florida, Sa rasota and Manatee County School
Jim Culter shares knowledge of Sarasota Bay with EPA officials. 5