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Mote Marine Laboratory staff thank Fury Water Adventures for supporting coral reef restoration through a new funding initiative during the Fourth Annual Florida Keys Ocean Festival on Saturday, March 30.
From left: Dr. Michael Crosby, Senior Vice President for Research at Mote Marine Laboratory, Dr. David Vaughan, Manager of Mote's Coral Reef Restoration Program, Scott Saunders, President of Fury Water Adventures and Jason Wolf, Protect Our Reefs Program Manager for Mote. (Photo credit: Sharon Crosby/Mote Marine Laboratory)
Mote Marine Laboratory offers a big thank you to Fury Water Adventures for supporting coral reef restoration through their new funding initiative announced recently.
Fury will donate a portion of proceeds from each ticket for their snorkeling trips in the Keys to Mote’s Coral Reef Restoration Program, which develops systems and techniques to grow coral and other reef species that play a vital role in coral health, for replanting depleted reef systems for ecosystem restoration and for scientific study. Funds from Fury will help Mote distribute thousands of tiny coral fragments to help restore damaged and degraded reef habitats.
“We are proud to support Mote’s Coral Reef Restoration Program,” said Scott Saunders, President of Fury Water Adventures. “It’s amazing to see the direct positive impact this program has made and is continuing to make on regenerating our precious reef system.”
Fury is making this contribution as part of their ongoing commitment to support organizations that protect, preserve and restore the Florida Keys’ marine ecosystem, Saunders said. In addition to the funding initiative announced this week, Fury has donated repeatedly to reef conservation and restoration efforts by Mote and other organizations that work to help reefs recover and thrive.
Due to multiple threats, live corals in the Caribbean cover an average area of just 8 percent of the reef, down from more than 50 percent in the 1970s, according to a report from the International Union for the Conservation of Nature in September 2012. Populations of staghorn coral — a threatened species found throughout the Florida Keys, the Bahamas, the Caribbean islands and Venezuela — have declined by up to 98 percent throughout their range, and elkhorn coral — also threatened and found in southern Florida, the Bahamas and throughout the Caribbean — has declined by an estimated 90-95 percent in areas where losses have been quantified, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
To help reefs recover, Mote scientists have raised more than 5,000 coral fragments, including threatened species, in underwater nurseries and planted many of them in the wild during multi-partner efforts to restore degraded reefs. These efforts depend a great deal on support from sales of the Protect Our Reefs specialty license plate administered by Mote (www.reefplate.com) and from generous donors such as Fury.
“Scott Saunders and the entire Fury organization have made an incredible gesture of generosity with this new donation program, following on their amazing support over the years,” said Jason Wolf, Protect Our Reefs program manager for Mote.
Dr. David Vaughan, manager of Mote’s Coral Reef Restoration Program, added: “Coral reefs are the foundation of health for our oceans and are vital not only for ocean ecosystems, but also for eco-tourism and other activities that support Florida’s economy — there are many great reasons for each of us to protect our reefs.”
About Mote Marine Laboratory
Founded in 1955, Mote Marine Laboratory is an independent, nonprofit 501(c)3 research organization based in Sarasota, Fla., with field stations in eastern Sarasota County, Charlotte Harbor and the Florida Keys. Mote is dedicated to today’s research for tomorrow’s oceans with an emphasis on world-class research relevant to conservation and sustainable use of marine biodiversity, healthy habitats and natural resources. Learn more about Mote at www.mote.org and about the Protect Our Reefs program at www.mote.org/4reef. To contact Mote’s Sarasota Lab, call 941-388-4441 or e-mail info@mote.org. For Mote’s Tropical Research Lab on Summerland Key, call 305-393-6022.
About Fury Water Adventures
Fury Water Adventures has been providing an array of water sports and excursions to guests for more than 20 years. As the largest water sports company in South Florida, they are known for their state-of-the-art fleet of boats, experienced captains and crew and the superior quality of their trips including their day-long Ultimate Adventure, morning and afternoon snorkel trips, sunset cruises, parasailing, glass bottom boat trips and more. They also offer a variety of packages and special events throughout the year. For more information about Fury Water Adventures visit www.furycat.com or call 305-294-8899.
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