News and Events

Biscayne Bay has been named an Important Shark and Ray Area by the IUCN Shark Specialist Group. The designation draws on a decade of research by the Center's Shark Research and Conservation Program, led by Dr. Catherine Macdonald, which has documented nine shark species and two ray species using the bay.

WLRN's Études in Science series features Center faculty member Bethan Linscott, whose radiocarbon research shows that sea turtle shells hold a record of the animals' lives. The shells also preserve evidence of lasting harm from red tides and sargassum events.

Local artist Juana Meneses is the first Ocean Art x Science artist-in-residence with the Robert K. Johnson Center for Marine Conservation and the Department of Art and Art History. She is using her residency to capture coral and shark research at the Rosenstiel School.

A new study in Marine Biology led by Center faculty member Dr. Bethan Linscott uses radiocarbon methods from archaeology to show that sea turtle shell plates act as biological time capsules. The shells record major environmental disturbances such as red tides and large sargassum events.

With funding from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, Center Director Rebecca Gruby will lead social science research assessing the governance of Florida's Coral Reef Resilience Program and recommending ways to strengthen it.

A global analysis by researchers in the Center's Shark Research and Conservation Program, including Dr. Catherine Macdonald, reviews more than 40 years of studies. It finds that boat traffic alters the behavior, communication, and stress physiology of whales, dolphins, sea turtles, sharks, and other large marine animals.

Dr. Maria Cartolano and Dr. Catherine MacDonald spoke with CBS about rare sightings of a great white shark, humpback whale, and gray whale near Miami.

Center faculty affiliate Juan Carlos Villaseñor-Derbez has co-authored a new study in Science on the benefits of large-scale marine protected areas for highly migratory species AND economically valuable fisheries.

Biology, Ecology and Conservation of Sharks and Rays in South Florida.

Scientist forges a new path in marine conservation

Rebecca Gruby, an expert in ocean conservation policy, was appointed an endowed chair at the Rosenstiel School of Marine, Atmospheric, and Earth Science and is set to lead its newest endeavor, the Robert K. Johnson Center for Marine Conservation.

A shark nursery may be a stone's throw from Miami's bright lights

Great hammerheads are odd-looking and mysterious creatures, but scientists may have found the first ever nursery for these enormous sharks – in one of the busiest fishing spots in the world.