Changing Seas

How do you count two fish, three fish or even a school of fish? In Dry Tortugas National Park, located 70 miles from Key West, Florida, a group of scientists have joined forces to conduct a massive fish census.

Bottlenose dolphins are a beloved Florida icon, but recent studies show disturbing signs of immune system dysfunction and disease plaguing this charismatic mammal.

They are an ancient species of flowering plants that grow submerged in all of the world’s oceans. Seagrasses link offshore coral reefs with coastal mangrove forests. Today, these prairies of the sea, along with mangroves, are declining globally. Scientists fear the diminishing vegetation could result in an ecosystem collapse from the bottom of the food chain all the way to the top.

Off Key West, in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, lies the world's second largest intentionally sunk shipwreck, the USNS General Hoyt S. Vandenberg. This artificial reef is now attracting fish, fishermen and divers.