On Sept. 25, the Florida Keys Aquatic Preserve, in partnership with DEP Parks officially started Disturbance Response Monitoring (DRM) surveys for the season in the Big Pine area, within the Coupon Bight Aquatic Preserve. These surveys are designed to monitor coral reef health during and after a disturbance, and each year trained divers survey corals during peak annual temperatures.
Seventy nine invasive tilapia were removed from Oklawaha River Aquatic Preserve after a day of spearfishing with Nature Coast Aquatic Preserve staff and an evening of electrofishing with Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC). Since January 2025 when intensive tilapia removal efforts began, 1,400 tilapia have been removed from the aquatic preserve and an increase of native fish abundance has been observed.
Indian River Lagoon Aquatic Preserve staff collaborated with Rollins College on a Coastal and Estuarine Science and Spirituality Class. The class was held at Canaveral National Seashore and The Mosquito Lagoon Aquatic Preserve. The class tied in both the aquatic ecosystem connections as well as the human spiritual experience attained by aquatic explorations.
Dr. Andy Gannon from the Dauphin Island Sea Lab presented “The Blue Crabs of Apalachicola Bay” during the Apalachicola Reserve’s September Sci-Café on September 24th, 2026. Dr. Gannon began the presentation by discussing the life cycle of blue crabs, and in particular how salinity influences their distribution in Apalachicola Bay.
On Sept. 19, Biscayne Bay Aquatic Preserve hosted a local cleanup at the Pelican Harbor Marina for International Coastal Cleanup Day. The team welcomed about 30 attendees, with an option to complete the cleanup by kayaking. In total, the crew collected 286 pounds of trash from land, mangroves and the bay.
A group of Rookery Bay staff members recently joined Resource Management Specialist Steve Bertone for a tour of the Shell Island Road area of the Reserve to learn about the fascinating cultural history hidden in the uplands.
Oklawaha River Aquatic Preserve and Nature Coast Aquatic Preserve staff teamed up for a day of invasive fish removal in the headsprings of the Silver River. Thanks to the regional team effort, we were able to remove 36 tilapia and 2 plecos in a few hours. Special shoutout to the alligators for being on their best behavior allowing us total access to the headsprings.
During Indian River Lagoon's third annual participation in the Great Southeast Pollinator Census, aquatic preserve volunteers counted 761 pollinator visitations within 30 minutes at the demonstration native plant garden at the Titusville field office. Five volunteers watched 11 native plants for fifteen minutes each, counting every insect that landed on the native plant during that time.
Conservation Pathways Executive Director Rebecca Means and six of her students visited the Apalachicola Reserve on Saturday, September 19, to explore potential careers in the environmental sciences.
In Northeast Florida, oysters are a foundational species and highly valued for their ecosystem services. Several entities from across Northeast Florida (St. Johns River Water Management District, Florida Fish and Wildlife, Northeast Florida Aquatic Preserves, University of Florida) met at Guana Tolomato Matanzas National Estuarine Research Reserve recently for a workshop to plan standardized oyster monitoring for winter 2026.