2006 Milestones

A letter from Mote's President and Board of Trustees Chairman

Dear Friends,

Beginning with its founding in 1955, Mote Marine Laboratory has had a long history of remarkable milestones. Mote has demonstrated sharks’ ability to learn, analyzed sharks’ resistance to cancer, created and overseen what is today the world’s longest-running study of wild dolphins, performed comprehensive studies of manatees and sea turtles, worked to understand red tide, its toxins and how they affect marine animals and humans, studied and helped protect coastal watersheds, taken a leading role in marine restocking studies, made enormous breakthroughs in recirculating water systems for aquaculture and begun unlocking the mysteries of coral disease in new ways.

These efforts have had impacts that go beyond our local community. Mote studies have helped protect humans affected by red tide, supported increased protections for endangered marine mammals and sea turtles and led to new breakthroughs for restocking dwindling fish populations and supplying fish for food in ways that do not harm the environment. We have also helped educate thousands of children and adults about our marine ecosystems.

2006 continued to mark many milestones, including the expansion of the Ann & Alfred Goldstein Marine Mammal Research & Rehabilitation Center , a 19-month construction project that provided more room for researchers who study and protect dolphins, manatees and sea turtles in the wild. The expansion included increasing the size of the public viewing area near the dolphins and a conference room that increases Mote’s ability to support professional conferences and private functions.

In July, Mote also helped organize and host the first international conference of experts whose work focuses on Karenia brevis, the organism that causes Florida ’s red tide. The conference marked a new era of interdisciplinary studies that we hope will lead to new efforts to help us better understand and deal with the impacts of Florida red tide.

Other milestones include the creation of a new Marine Policy Institute and a new joint effort with the University of South Florida designed to build a comprehensive real-time monitoring system to understand our coasts and oceans.

Such milestones are even more remarkable in light of a major setback: The July fire at Mote Aquaculture Park that led to the loss of a 25,000-square-foot building containing 16 sturgeon tanks and 23,000 tons of fish. The fire slowed production efforts and pushed back our goal to use income generated from this project to help support aquaculture research.

We are at a critical period in Mote Marine Laboratory’s evolution. State and federal funding of scientific studies is shrinking as operating costs increase. While technology is now allowing us to understand our marine ecosystems in more depth than ever before — and to provide that information to managers whose job it is to protect irreplaceable resources — the development and implementation of these new tools comes at a substantial cost. For instance, maintaining just one red tide detector — called a BreveBuster — on a channel marker or coastal buoy costs an estimated $1,200 a month. Mote currently has a network of six detectors along the coast from Sarasota south to Naples .

Yet we at Mote feel that to pull back now — as public discussion of global climate change and the threatened loss of numerous animal species planet wide is occurring — would be a disservice to our 51-Milestones year history of scientific pursuit, and to the members, friends and donors who have long-believed in Mote’s work.

Bill Mote stood squarely behind our mission because he understood what we would one day become: An integrated organization of people — of biologists and chemists, of educators and animal keepers, of volunteers and board members — working together to ensure that the things we care deeply about will remain in place for generations to come. Bill also knew that keeping the lights on and boats running is every bit as important as supporting individual research programs. To that end, we are working to build a larger endowment that will help support our mission of research and public outreach.

Mote continues to be honored by the strength and support we have received over the last half century from those who have stood with us during some of our most challenging moments. In 2006 alone, we welcomed more guests than ever at Oceanic Evening, our annual black-tie fundraiser. The event raised more than $150,000. We also received an outpouring of community support for efforts to replace the building and systems lost in the Mote Aquaculture Park fire, and we hope that support will continue.

We were also overwhelmed by the level of expertise among the applicants for a new position created in 2006: Executive Vice President for Research. Dr. Glen Shen, who was chosen to fill the role, is a marine geochemist who brings with him a history of proven successes as a manager, researcher and university professor.

Dr. Shen will support and coordinate Mote’s current research missions. He will also help us discover and implement new ways to fund our many efforts and serve as an advocate and liaison to governmental and nongovernmental agencies, foundations and organizations.

The task is not his alone, however. Mote is fortunate to be able to draw upon the expertise of its Board of Trustees, Keys Advisory Board, the Advisory Council, 1,400 volunteers and 250 staff members as we move forward. We thank you for your continued support.

With gratitude,

Kumar Mahadevan, Ph.D.
President

Mike B. McKee
Chairman, Board of Trustees