• Life on the Edge - 2004
• Life on the Edge - 2003
• Islands in the Stream - 2002
• Merritt Island Coastal Restoration Initiative
• Kennedy Space Center Estuarine Reserve
• Yellow River Sturgeon
• Pinnacles Deep Reefs - 2003
• Northeastern Gulf of Mexico Flyingfish Spawning
• Florida Bay Mangrove Fishes

The primary goal of the Coastal Ecology & Conservation Research Group is to qualitatively analyze community structure, biodiversity, habitat affinities, and trophic relationships of estuarine and marine fish communities throughout the Southeastern U.S.  Fundamental scientific knowledge can be used to effectively advise resource agencies on how to best manage and conserve estuarine and marine resources.  Presently, the program is involved with a diversity of fish studies ranging from habitat characterization and population census of threatened and endangered species to holistic ecosystem studies of saltmarsh and deep-reef fish communities.

Preserving Gulf Sturgeon—A Fish Tale of Gargantuan Proportions

The weather is beautiful, sunny and warm, perfect for a day outdoors and on the water. It´s hard to imagine a better job than doing fieldwork with the USGS Coastal Ecology crew working to keep tabs on the Gulf sturgeon population. Almost every day in Florida is a great day to be out on the river, but it´s especially nice when it´s a workday and you have the water practically to yourself. Learn More

Current Reports

Posters presented at the FlSC Strategic Review in St. Petersburg, Florida, May 9-12, 2006

The Benthic Community of Offshore Sandbanks: A Literature Synopsis of the Benthic Fauna Resources in Potential Outer Continental Shelf Sand Mining Areas (Acrobat PDF - 1044 KB)

Taxonomic Composition and Relative Frequency of the Benthic Fish Community Found on Natural Sand Banks and Shoals in the Northwestern Gulf of Mexico. (A Synthesis of the Southeast Area Monitoring and Assessment Programs Groundfish Survey Database, 1982-2000)
(Acrobat PDF - 601 KB)

Cold Coral Research in U.S. Waters. (People, Lands, & Water, Vol. 11 No. 2, pg. 13) (Acrobat PDF - 1432 KB)

Lophelia Reef Bathymetry Maps

Reports Available:

SYNOPTIC CRUISE REPORT - September, 2004 - Lophelia Reef Fish & Mobile Megafauna Community Structure, Biotope Affinities, and Trophodynamics

SCIENTIFIC INVESTIGATIVE REPORT - May, 2004 - Age & Reproduction in Three Reef Dwelling Serranid Fishes of the Northeastern Gulf of Mexico Outer Continental Shelf: Pronotogrammus martinicensis, Hemanthias vivanus & Serranus phoebe (with Preliminary Observations on the Pomacentrid Fish, Chromis enchrysurus)

SCIENTIFIC INVESTIGATIVE REPORT - April, 2004 - Characterization of Ichthyoplankton within the U.S. Geological Survey's Northeastern Gulf of Mexico Study Area

FINAL REPORT - February, 2004 - Quantitative assessment of benthic food resources for juvenile Gulf sturgeon, Acipenser oxyrinchus desotoi in the Suwannee River estuary, Florida, USA

CRUISE REPORT - March, 2004 - Structure, Function, and Biological/Physical Coupling of Deep Reef Communites in the Northeastern Gulf of Mexico

CRUISE REPORT - February, 2004 - Assessment of Fish Communities Associated with Offshore Sand Banks and Shoals in the Northeastern Gulf of Mexico

TECHNICAL REPORT - June, 2002 - Community Structure and Trophic Ecology of Fishes on the Pinnacles Reef Tract