UF IFAS Monroe County Extension

This is a really cool story about Larry the Whale Shark, tagged near Tampa Bay one year ago

A Year in the Life of Larry the Whale Shark One year ago today, researchers deployed a satellite tag on a whale shark off the coast of Tampa Bay, Florida. They never could have anticipated the epic journey that would ensue.

2026 Sargassum Inundation Event - UF/IFAS Extension Monroe County The Florida Keys are currently experiencing a familiar golden-brown visitor: floating mats of sargassum seaweed. Scientists often refer to the annual influx of sargassum as a "golden tide" because of the macroalgae's distinctive golden-brown color and the way vast floating mats resemble oceanic tide...

Be on the Look Out (BOLO) for a potential new aquatic invader - Pulse Corals. Two non-native species have been found in Puerto Rico and we need eyes underwater, so BOLO for Pulse Corals while enjoying Florida's Coral Reef -

BOLO (Be On the Look Out) for Pulse Corals - UF/IFAS Extension Monroe County There is the potential for a new aquatic invader in South Florida. Pulse Corals are bright-colored soft corals that are very popular in the saltwater aquarium trade. These soft corals are a type of octocoral in the family Xeniidae. Common native octocorals in the U.S. are sea fans, sea whips and sea...

New blog on El Nino and Coral Bleaching. Check it out!

El Niño and Coral Bleaching - UF/IFAS Extension Monroe County As of June 11, 206, NOAA assessments indicate El Niño conditions have officially begun and forecast to strengthen from the current time through winter in the Northern Hemisphere, which could once again elevate the global coral bleaching risks in the Pacific Ocean, Caribbean, and Florida’s Coral R...

New blog about the Sargassum Inundation Event posted here: check this out

2026 Sargassum Inundation Event - UF/IFAS Extension Monroe County The Florida Keys are currently experiencing a familiar golden-brown visitor: floating mats of sargassum seaweed. Scientists often refer to the annual influx of sargassum as a "golden tide" because of the macroalgae's distinctive golden-brown color and the way vast floating mats resemble oceanic tide...