Mote Marine Laboratory, Inc. 2006 ANNUAL REPORT Mote Marine Foundation, Inc. Mote Marine Foundation and Mote Marine Laboratory 2006 Annual Report TABLE OF CONTENTS President’s Letter.......................................................................................3 Mote’s 51st Year a Year of Firsts Laboratory Reports by Division..............................................................10 Administrative Division Aquarium and Special Projects Division Aquarium Division, Animal Care Program Aquarium Division, Nautical Archeology Communications Division Development Division Education Division Facilities Division Arthur Vining Davis Library Division Marine Operations Research Division Reports by Center....................................................43 Executive Vice President’s Letter Center for Aquaculture Research and Development Center for Coastal Ecology Center for Coral Reef Research Center for Ecotoxicology Center for Fisheries Enhancement Center for Marine Mammal and Sea Turtle Research Center for Shark Research Marine Policy Institute Tropical Research Laboratory Supporting Organization Reports ..........................................................75 Advisory Council Friends of the Mote Library Keys Advisory Board Volunteers of Mote Board Appendices...............................................................................................80 Adjunct Scientists College Interns Development Grants Activities Organizational Chart Publications Research Proposals Technical Reports Vital Statistics Financials 2006 MMF / MML Audited Financial Statements................................................ 115 PRESIDENT’S LETTER st Mote’s 51 Year a Year of Firsts 2006 Board of Trustees Annual Report BOARD OF TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT 2006 Dear Trustees, As I write this summary for 2006, I am reminded of the many dedicated people who participate in the successes of Mote Marine Laboratory. Whether volunteer or compensated, staff members are responsible people who are committed to the science of the sea and dedicated to its advancement through the many programs and projects at Mote. This responsibility and commitment are common traits among our great supporting organizations as well. From our very active and expert Board of Trustees, our indispensable volunteer corps, Volunteer Board, and Keys Advisory Board, to the caring professionals on the Advisory Council and the newly formed Friends of the Mote Library, and even our membership, Mote is truly an amazing organization. All in all, in spite of a few challenges, 2006 was a good year for significant advancement in several areas. We welcomed 7 new trustees (Arthur Armitage, Deloris Bradford, Phil Chmieleski, Andy Ireland, Edward Jennings, Bradlee Roffers, Alan Rose, and Jim Schell) this year and we appreciate how quickly they became active in serving on committees, fundraising, and ambassadorship for the Lab. Al Goldstein and Michael Martin, both Chairmen Emeriti, were presented with awards for 15 years of dedicated volunteer service to Mote. Three new board committees were formed to assist with operational needs: the MAP Oversight Committee, which became active midyear 2006; the Mote General Oversight Committee, which will begin with the completion of the 2006 Financial Audit; and the Overhead Items Committee, which will start monthly monitoring with budget managers beginning in January 2007. We are very grateful for our board of experts who are willing to give so much of their time towards our continuing success. In other board related activities, we celebrated the amazing Genie Clark’s 84th birthday at our Annual Retreat held at Sanibel Island. Several of you attended the field trip to Georgia Aquarium and met with Bernie Marcus. The Keys Advisory Board re-organized into three regions, each with a co-chair to represent the region and report of its activities. We were saddened by the passing of Ed Keating and Don Clark, M.D., both loyal friends of the Lab. Finally, Trustee John Pether moved back to Sarasota and became the Volunteer Business Manager for Mote Aquaculture Park. As I mentioned before, this year saw many advancements for the lab. In accordance with our strategic plan, Dr. Glen Shen joined our staff as Executive Vice President for Research on September 8th to head up the Science Research Division and is a very welcome addition. We look forward to many years of progress under his leadership. Collaborations and partnerships continued to provide economic and information sharing avenues for research and I am convinced that we should initiate more such partnerships in the future. This year, agreements were signed and the partnership became official between the Lab and the University of South Florida College of Marine Science who have come together to form the Joint Center of Excellence in Marine Science. The President’s Letter Page 1 BOARD OF TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT 2006 Center will further develop a program called BioSense which will address various coastal issues, including red tide. Also taking shape this year from the combined effort of Mote and New College of Florida was the progress of the Marine Policy Institute. Frank Alcock served on staff with us, on sabbatical from New College, and his team will seek funding for furtherance of the project. The Lab continued also to appreciate the partnership with Mote Scientific Foundation (MSF) as together we strive to fulfill the wishes of Mr. Mote. MSF donated the Mote Aquaculture Park property to the Lab this year in exchange for the Lab’s taking responsibility for fulfilling the remainder of the MSF grant funds pledged to MAP programming. Another collaborative initiative between Florida State University and Mote put together the Sixth William R. and Lenore Mote International Symposium in Fisheries Ecology here at the Lab in November. More than 100 scientists from around the world attended sessions regarding the Life History of Fisheries Ecology and Management. On a statewide initiative on behalf of the laboratory, I became chairman of the Florida Coastal Ocean Observation System Consortium, which is made up of 14 marine research institutes in the state of Florida and is preparing a five-year strategic, fundraising, and business plan. The Aquarium is partnered up with the SRQ airport, Sarasota Memorial Hospital, Waterclub, and Selby Library to provide offsite marine exhibits for the community. And finally, earlier this year I met with CEO’s of major nearby attractions to discuss possible collaborations that would prove beneficial for all of us. These do not represent the whole of our collaborations, but in view of our independent status, it seems that these sorts of partnerships will be critical to the success of many research, education, and aquarium projects of the future. I am pleased to report these highlights from the past year: On July 10th we welcomed Martha Benaroya Wells to the position of Vice President Communications for Mote, and she is doing super work for us. Once again, Mote participated in Capitol Hill Oceans Week, sponsored by the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation. We were well attended at the Mote Annual Legislative Reception in Tallahassee and participated in Ocean’s Day with several programs represented, including the Mobile Exhibit. For the first time in the Lab’s history, the legislature approved all of the items we requested. Unfortunately, many were vetoed. We were pleased that State House Speaker Designate Marco Rubio visited Mote. We hope that his knowledge of Mote will help in our legislative endeavors next year. Mote celebrated World Oceans Day on September 9th with special activities and exhibits in the Aquarium. President’s Letter Page 2 BOARD OF TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT 2006 I am impressed and proud that three of our own Aquarium volunteers received awards this year for 25 years of service to Mote! For the first time, local museums and Mote banded together to celebrate Museum Month by providing various promotions. The NOAA Red Tide Workshop and accompanying public forum (July 17-20) was an exceptional success. The bottlenose dolphin, nicknamed Val since she stranded just prior to Valentine’s Day, was successfully released on May 23 in Tampa Bay waters. Her release and the rehabilitation and release of Clyde, a Risso’s dolphin, were beautifully captured on a film produced by WEDU and Mote entitled “Dolphin Rescue”. The film was featured at a reception at the Immersion Cinema on September 10th. The film brought rave reviews, and we hope to partner with WEDU on other joint ventures. Mote’s Keating Marine Education Center featured live interaction via satellite for this year’s expedition with Dr. Robert Ballard entitled “Ancient Eruptions”. Using the SeaTrek model, our Digital Docents program connected with ten partnering museums to produce the first of three traveling exhibits, “SeaMonsters”, which debuted here in October. As you know, Mote Aquaculture Park (MAP) suffered a devastating fire on July 20th completely destroying the Grow Out 2 building which housed 1/3 of our stock of Siberian sturgeon that was being farmed as part of a commercial demonstration project. This effort is designed to research and develop new methods to farm-raise fish for food and for restocking to help replenish fish in the wild. It was determined that the fire began in the attic in the center of the building and arson was ruled out. Our staff at MAP on the site responded quickly to the fire, placed the call to 911 and worked tirelessly to maintain systems, relocate animals and prevent damage to the other