Expedition 15: Tri-City Trailblazers

Youth and mentors from Palm Beach County Environmental Resources Management’s Tri-City Trailblazers came aboard R/V ANGARI to explore the Lake Worth Lagoon estuary and Atlantic Ocean firsthand. The morning was spent offshore, where 9 students worked with marine scientists from the Whitney Laboratory for Marine Bioscience to conduct plankton tows and then sort and identify the plankton they’d collected under the microscope. After lunch, R/V ANGARI rendezvoused with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission near Munyon Island to study Lake Worth Lagoon fish populations. The FWC Research Institute team seined and brought their catch to the vessel where participants helped identify, count, and measure each fish before release. On the return trip, the Trailblazers discussed the methods marine and environmental scientists use, the similarities/differences between the environments they had visited, and how everything they had learned may influence their future decisions.

A special thanks to The Whitney Laboratory of Marine Bioscience and FWC’s Fish and Wildlife Research Institute for their support and contributions to this expedition.

The Whitney Laboratory of Marine Bioscience is a full-time University of Florida research center for biomedical research and biotechnology. Founded in 1974, the Whitney Lab is dedicated to using marine model animals for studying fundamental problems in biology and applying that knowledge to issues of human health, natural resources, and the environment.

FWC’s Fish and Wildlife Research Institute‘s work includes assessment and restoration of ecosystems and studies of freshwater and marine fisheries, aquatic and terrestrial wildlife, imperiled species, and red tides. The institute develops the information science required to analyze and disseminate research products and engages in outreach activities to complement all programs.