Post-Conference Resources
We are pleased to have presented an impressive program for the Florida Keys and Marine Science Conference and Workshop (FKMSCW 2025)
The Opening Plenary set an engaging and inspiring tone, blending personal reflection with scientific insight and a shared commitment to ocean stewardship. Three distinguished speakers with more than four decades of combined experience shared a powerful narrative tracing the ecological history of the Florida Keys and challenging us to renew our dedication to protecting our oceans for future generations. Sessions that followed featured nearly 130 talks and posters from researchers and practitioners working throughout the Florida Keys, Florida Bay, and Biscayne Bay. Presenters shared innovative research and on-the-ground initiatives, deepening our collective understanding of the region’s marine resources and fostering cross-disciplinary collaboration.
The Closing Workshop on Thursday facilitated by Joy Hazell of FNRLI brought together scientists, managers, resource users, and community stakeholders to co-develop a shared vision for the future of the Florida Keys marine ecosystem. Through structured discussions and collaborative exercises, participants explored what ecological and socioeconomic “success” could look like for this unique and rapidly changing region—and what it will take to achieve it. Outcomes from the workshop will help identify key research priorities, guide future partnerships, and shape a unified path toward long-term resilience and sustainability for the Florida Keys ecosystem in the face of accelerating change.
Speaker and poster presentations are linked throughout the table as PDFs. If a presentation is not included for a particular presenter, we did not receive permission to post their file(s).
Links to Post-Symposium Material
Speaker Slides & Poster Presentations
The University of Florida does not assume responsibility for content, views or opinions expressed in these independent presentations, and authors are solely responsible for ensuring their presentation materials do not infringe on third party copyrights. Any questions or comments should be directed to the presenting author. If you suspect a presentation of copyright infringement, please contact us immediately. Speaker presentations are linked throughout the table as PDFs. If a presentation is not included for a particular presenter, we did not receive permission to post their file(s).
| First | Last | Affiliation | Abstract Title | Slides | Poster |
| Nick | Alcaraz | Florida Fish & Wildlife Research Institute | Development of a Comprehensive Decision Support System for Florida’s Coral Reef | Slides |
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| Phil | Allman | Goshen College JN Roth Marine Biology Station | Tracking Sea Turtles with Photos: A Citizen Science Photo-ID Initiative in the Florida Keys | Poster |
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| Paul | Anderson | Aquarium Fisheries | Florida’s Marine Aquarium Fishery: Integrating Regulatory Strengths with Fisher Engagement for Coral Reef Conservation | Slides |
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| Jerald | Ault | University of Miami | Length-based risk analysis of management options for the southern Florida USA multispecies coral reef fish fishery | Slides |
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| Micah | Bakenhaster | Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission | The Dance of Death Returns: Keys Spinning Fish Event, Historical Context, and Overview from FWC | Slides |
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| Maya | Becker | Nova Southeastern University | Spatiotemporal Analyses of the Biological Condition Gradient Model on Florida’s Coral Reef | Slides |
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| Benjamin | Binder | Florida International University | The Aquarius Coral Reef Observatory: A Flexible Remote Sensing Solution in the Florida Keys | Slides |
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| Timothy | Birthisel | Terra Sub Aqua | Helping the Reef Biome Emigrate Away from Florida’s Dying Reefs | Poster |
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| Liberty | Boyd | Florida Atlantic University | The Elusive Hawksbill Turtles (Eretmochelys imbricata) of The Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary | Poster |
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| Casey | Butler | FWC/FWRI, FIU | From Nurseries to Reefs: Spiny Lobsters as Lenses of Habitat Degradation in the Florida Keys | Slides |
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| Grace | Casselberry | University of Massachusetts Amherst | Migratory Patterns and Seasonal Habitat Use of Great Hammerhead Sharks (Sphyrna Mokarran) in the Southeastern Unites States | Slides |
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| Michael | Childress | Clemson University | From Top to Bottom: Rethinking Coral Reef Community Structure After Decades of Disturbance | Slides |
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| Leah | Cifers | Florida International University | Optimizing Invertebrate Herbivore Restocking Strategies to Enhance Coral Recruitment | Poster |
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| Gina | Clementi | Florida International University | Length Distributions of Aggregating Permit (Trachinotus falcatus) in Response to the Western Dry Rocks Seasonal Closure | Poster |
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| Marianna | Coppola | Florida International University | Mapping Seagrass-Coral Reef Mosaics Using Satellite Imagery to Quantify Seascape Structure in the Florida Keys | Slides |
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| Katherine | Cummings | Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission | Marine Debris Characterization of the Marquesas, Florida | Poster |
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| Allison | Delashmit | Key West and Lower Keys Fishing Guides Association | Pioneering a First-in-Kind, Fishing Guide-Led Model for Rapid Scientific and Ecological Response | Slides |
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| Alexandra | Draime | Bimini Biological Field Station Foundation | Investigating the Potential Sublethal Physiological Impacts of the 'Spinning Fish Condition' for Coastal Sharks in the Lower Florida Keys | Poster |
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| Courtney | Eshelman | FWRI | Population Demographics of Xestospongia muta on Ten Florida Keys Reefs from 2014 to 2024 | Poster |
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| James | Fourqurean | Florida International University, Institute of Environment | Nutrient Sources and Climate Oscillations Drive Nutrient Availability and Seagrass Abundance in the Florida Keys | Slides |
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| David | Ganz | University of Miami | Presence, Abundance, and Distribution of Common Invasive and Non-Native Species in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary | Poster |
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| Lauren | Gentry | Florida Fish and Wildlife Research Institute | Prototyping a Modular Autonomous Data Buoy for Video and Data Monitoring in the Florida Keys | Slides |
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| Steve | Gittings | NOAA/Office of National Marine Sancuaries | Dear Sloane: A Letter to My Granddaughter | Slides |
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| Lucas | Griffin | University of South Florida | Integrated Science for Atlantic Tarpon Conservation in the Florida Keys | Slides |
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| Dean | Grubbs | Bimini Biological Field Station Foundation | Smalltooth Sawfish: 15 Years of Research to Promote Recovery of a Critically Endangered Species | Slides |
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| Carsten | Grupstra | Florida Atlantic University | Diversity in Disguise: Leveraging Cryptic Coral Diversity for Conservation in South Florida | Slides |
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| Abigail | Haddock | Dolphin Research Center | Determining Ranging Patterns and Association Preferences of Bottlenose Dolphin Communities in Southeast Florida | Poster |
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| Alastair | Harborne | Florida International University | The Influence of Structural Complexity on the Fine-scale Diurnal Space Use of Reef Fishes | Slides |
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| Rob | Harper | Cooperative Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Studies, University of Miami | National Coral Reef Monitoring Program’s Reef Fish Surveys Support Diverse, Multi-Agency Fisheries Management Efforts | Slides |
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| Cailin | Harrell | Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission | Disturbance Response Monitoring: Two Decades Spent Documenting Stressors Impacting Coral Populations Across Florida’s Coral Reef | Poster |
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| Paul | Hindsley | The Everglades Foundation | Getting the Water Right: Economic Links Between Everglades Restoration and The Florida Keys | Slides |
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| Heidi | Hirsh | University of Miami | Water Mass Histories Modulate Reef Carbonate Chemistry: A High-Resolution Model for the Florida Keys | Slides |
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| Kelin | Hu | Tulane University | Hydrodynamic and Salinity Modeling in Florida Bay | Slides |
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| Lindsay | Huebner | Florida Fish & Wildlife Research Institute | Octocoral population response and recovery to reef disturbances | Slides |
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| W. Ryan | James | Florida International University | Seascape and Food Web Impacts of the Fish Spinning Phenomenon in the Florida Keys | Slides |
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| Nicholas | Jones | Nova Southeastern University | Site Selection for Florida’s Coral Reef Restoration & Recovery (FCR3) Initiative | Poster |
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| Paul | Julian | Everglades Foundation | Restoring Balance: Tracing Nutrient Patterns from Ridge to the Reef | Slides |
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| Heather | Kalaf | New York University, National Geographic, The Nature Conservancy | Queen Conch and Marine Conservation Through Signage | Poster |
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| Carolyn | Kalinowski | Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission | Artificial Reefs in the Florida Keys: Opportunities to Support Fisheries Management Objectives | Poster |
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| Marguerite | Koch | Florida Atlantic University | What Happens in Florida Bay Does Not Stay in Florida Bay: Seagrass Die-Off Under Climate-Change | Slides |
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| Hanna | Koch | Monroe County BOCC | Using Habitat Support Structures to Address Habitat Deficits within the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary | Slides |
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| Hanna | Koch | Monroe County BOCC | Using Habitat Support Structures to Address Habitat Deficits within Bayside Nearshore Hardbottom of the FKNMS | Poster |
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| David | Kochan | Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission | Developing a Machine Learning-Powered Boat Detector for Underwater Acoustic Data | Slides |
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| Michal | Kowalewski | University of Florida | A regional survey of clypeasteroid and spatangoid echinoids of the central Florida Keys | Slides |
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| Nicole | Krampitz | CSS, Inc. under contract to NOAA National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science | A Decade of Rapid Coral Community Change on the Florida Reef Tract: Insights from NCRMP | Slides |
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| Johannes | Krause | Florida International University | The Potential of South Florida Seagrass Meadows as Natural Climate Solutions | Slides |
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| Cory | Krediet | Eckerd College | Microbiome Manipulation: Using Beneficial Microorganisms of Coral (BMCs) to Increase Disease Resilience | Slides |
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| Cory | Krediet | Eckerd College | Microbiome Manipulation: Using Beneficial Microorganisms of Coral (BMCs) to Increase Disease Resilience | Poster |
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| Shelly | Krueger | University of Florida | Sponge Restoration Aquaculture: Reproductive Viability Following Propagation for Nearshore Spongiidae Species in the Florida Keys | Poster |
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| Jade | Lee | FWC-FWRI | Florida’s Coral Reef Water Quality Data Compilation, Analysis, and Decision Support | Slides |
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| May | Lehmensiek | FWRI/FWC | The Human Side of Spiny Lobsters: Situation Assessment of the Commercial Fishery | Slides |
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| Jennifer | Loch | REEF | Reef Environmental Education Foundation | Collaborative Fisheries Science with a Smile (Size Matters: Innovative Length Estimates) | Slides |
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| Christina | Mallica | Florida Fish and Wildlife Research Institute | Photogrammetric Analysis Reveals Distinct Topographic Footprints for Stony Coral Genera in Dry Tortugas National Park | Slides |
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| Matthew | Marrero | Florida International University | Quantifying and modeling the spatial patterns of the Florida Keys Recreational Reef Fishery | Slides |
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| Thomas | Matthews | Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission | Drivers of Spiny Lobster (Panulirus argus) Population Trends and Emerging Risks to Sustainability in Florida | Slides |
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| Kayla | Merrill | Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission | Marine Lens Florida Keys: Empowering Participatory Scientists to Explore Marine Habitats via Zooniverse | Poster |
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| Danielle | Morley | Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Fish and Wildlife Research Institute | Decades of Dedication: Fish Spawning Aggregation Research in the Florida Keys | Slides |
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| Erinn | Muller | Mote Marine Laboratory | The Boom and Bust of Coral Reef Accretion Potential Associated with Restoration and Coral Bleaching | Slides |
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| Erinn | Muller | Mote Marine Laboratory | Restoration Strategies are Preventing the Local Extirpation of Florida's Acropora species | Slides |
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| Paula | Pabon Quintero | Florida International University | Seagrass Non-cryptic Fish Assemblage Across the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary-USA Seascape | Slides |
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| Nicholas | Parr | Florida Department of Environmental Protection | Florida Keys Aquatic Preserves Seagrass Monitoring Program | Poster |
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| Michael | Parsons | Florida Gulf Coast University | Benthic Dinoflagellates, Spinning Fish, and Sawfish Mortalities: Is There a Connection? | Slides |
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| Kristene | Parsons | FWC Fish and Wildlife Research Institute | Refining Nursery-to-Reef Restoration Practices for Resilient Stony Coral Enhancement of Florida’s Coral Reef | Poster |
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| Joshua | Patterson | University of Florida | Diadema antillarum Production and Distribution to Florida Partners – Creating a Growout and Stocking Network | Slides |
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| Veronica | Paul | University of Miami Rosenstiel School of Marine, Atmospheric, & Earth Science | Utilizing Alkalinity Enhancement to Increase Growth Rates of Corals in Ex-Situ Nurseries | Poster |
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| William | Precht | Bio-Tech Consulting | Developing Realistic Science-Based Performance Standards for Acropora Relocation Efforts | Slides |
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| Taylor | Queen | Eckerd College | Effect of Elevated Temperature on Oxygen Consumption and Survival in Caribbean King Crab (Maguimithrax spinosissimus) Larvae | Poster |
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| Noah | Reiser | Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission | Quantifying Tagged Fish Mortality Using an Incentivized Reward Program and Acoustic Telemetry within Marinas | Poster |
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| Sarah | Rider | Clemson University | From Cryptofauna to Cleaners: Effects of Mission: Iconic Reef Restoration on Invertebrates and Fish | Poster |
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| Madeline | Rothwell | Coral Restoration Foundation | Moving Beyond Ecology: Valuing Restoration Success with Socioeconomics | Slides |
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| Chase | Schaffhauser | Florida International University | Evening Movement Patters in Permit Pre-Spawn Aggregations as Observed by Active Acoustic Tracking | Poster |
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| Genevieve | Schave | FL Sea Grant/FDEP | Overview of the State’s Water Quality Monitoring Program in The Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary and Aquatic Preserves | Poster |
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| Stephanie | Schopmeyer | Florida Fish and Wildlife Institute | Building Capacity for Resilience on Florida’s Coral Reef through Coral Rescue and Propagation | Slides |
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| Jesse | Secord | Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission | Incorporating Mutton Snapper Spawning Aggregation Data Reveals Differential Estimates of Biological and Behavioral Reproductive Size-at-Maturity | Slides |
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| William | Sharp | FWC | Development of a Sponge Restoration Strategy for Florida Bay | Slides |
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| Matthew | Smukall | Bimini Biological Field Station Foundation | Movement, Habitat Use, and Seasonality of Coastal Sharks in the Lower Florida Keys | Slides |
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| Brandon | Sosa | Florida International University | Quarry-Based Mariculture of the Caribbean King Crab to Support Reef Restoration | Poster |
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| Robert | Spekis | Nova Southeastern University | Baseline Mapping of Florida’s Largest Yellow Finger Coral, Madracis auretenra, Patches Amidst Environmental Stress | Poster |
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| Lindsay | Spiers | Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission | Assessing the long-term growth and survival of boulder corals outplanted in the Florida Keys | Slides |
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| Luke | Stoeber | Clemson University | Crumbling Coral: Investigating How Changes in Structural Complexity Impact Cryptofauna Communities | Slides |
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| Sharla | Sugierski | Florida Fish and Wildlife Research Institute | Bleaching and Recovery of Boulder Corals on a Patch Reef in the Middle Florida Keys | Poster |
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| Anna | Travis | Anderson University | Closed-System Saltwater Aquarium as a Model of the Florida Keys Ecosystem: Real-Time Monitoring Applications | Poster |
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| Justin | Voss | Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission | Warming Sea Surface Temperature Trends in the Florida Keys: Implications for Queen Conch Population Persistence | Slides |
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| Joshua | Voss | Florida Atlantic University Harbor Branch | Coral Genetic Dirversity, Connectivity, and Restoration in the Face of Bleaching and Disease | Slides |
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| Sandra | Walters | Eco Legacy Solutions, LLC & Member of EPA Water Quality Steering Committee for FKNMS | Treating All Roadway Stormwater Runoff to Remove Contaminants. | Slides |
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| Camille | White | Clemson University | Losing Levels: Shifts in Reef Fish Trophic Dynamics Across a Coral Habitat Gradient | Poster |
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| Holly | White | Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Fish and Wildlife Research Institute | Paving the Way to Sponge Restoration in Florida Bay: Evaluating Sponge Restoration Techniques | Poster |
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| Lauren | Zitzman | Fish and Wildlife Research Institute | Honoring the Past, Exploring the Future: Human Dimensions of the Caribbean Spiny Lobster Fishery | Poster |
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| Treiana | Zuill | Florida International University | Sexual Reproduction and Seedbanks of the Seagrass Syringodium filiforme as a Tool for Seagrass Restoration | Poster |
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