NSU Marine Research Scientists Participating in Annual Tortuga Music Festival

Research on Sharks, Sea Turtles and More Featured in Conservation Village

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

 

FORT LAUDERDALE/DAVIE, Fla. – It has become one of the premier music events in the United States – the annual Tortuga Music Festival on world-famous Fort Lauderdale Beach.

Part of the three-day event is the Rock the Ocean Conservation Village where research scientists and organizations come together to share their knowledge and information about the world’s oceans with festival-goers. And this year, as it has at all previous Tortuga Music Festivals, Nova Southeastern University (NSU) will have a major presence.

“Every year we look forward to spending time with music fans and fans of the ocean to share what we’ve learned and how we can all work together to help protect the marine environment,” said Derek Burkholder, a research scientist at NSU. “We get a chance to interact with people from all over the world – the health of our oceans is important to everyone around the globe, so this is a perfect opportunity to share information.”

Dr. Burkholder is also the director of the Broward County Sea Turtle Conservation Program and the Marine Environmental Education Center  (MEEC) at Broward County’s historic Carpenter House. In addition, he is an active member of NSU’s Guy Harvey Research Institute (GHRI.)

NSU’s presence at the Conservation Village  (April 6-8) will include:

 

NSU’s Guy Harvey Research Institute (GHRI) – for many years, Guy Harvey, Ph.D. has been working with researchers at NSU’s Halmos College of Natural Sciences and Oceanographyto study and better understand sharks, skates and rays. Their efforts in tagging and tracking various sharks – from makos to tiger to oceanic white-tips – have gathered a great deal of data that is used for improved management and conservation efforts. Those interested can check out NSU’s GHRI shark tagging program online and follow various sharks and billfish via dynamic tracking software.

 

NSU Coral Nursery Initiative is a hallmark research project of NSU’s Halmos College. Located about a mile off the coast of Fort Lauderdale, the coral nursery is fostering recovery and increased abundance of the threatened staghorn coral species (Acropora cervicornis), which is listed as threatened under the U.S. Endangered Species Act.

The nursery project offers hope for species recovery and for coral reef restoration. Coral reefs aren’t just beautiful, they serve a vital function as protection from coastal erosion and are a tourist destination, providing an economic impact on local economies.

 

NSU’s Fisheries Lab – researchers will also provide information on the issue of bycatch and the impact it has on various fish populations. The display will feature data from NSU’s labs and includes electronic tagging, diets and efforts to minimize bycatch in fisheries for swordfish and tuna. Video displays will show footage of NSU’s field research and there will be billfish and swordfish bills and electronic tags used in the tagging projects will be available for visitors to handle.

The Broward County Sea Turtle Conservation Program. For more than 25 years, NSU has been working closely with Broward County, which funds and administers the program. Given that nearly 70% of the nation’s sea turtle nesting occurs in Florida, it’s vital that South Florida residents and visitors know what they can do to help these magnificent creatures survive and thrive for many generations to come.

 

DEEPEND (Deep Pelagic Nekton Dynamics of the Gulf of Mexico) Consortium is an NSU-led collaboration of more than 70 scientists whose mission is to explore the deep-sea life of the northern Gulf, with a particular focus on investigating the effects of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill on pelagic (offshore, surface to one-mile deep) communities. Given the continued and deepening expansion of oil exploration, more oil spills and recovery efforts are likely, emphasizing the critical need to monitor the system and document the impacts such events on marine ecosystems.

The Marine Environmental Education Center at the Carpenter House – this is the newest addition to NSU’s educational outreach programs. In conjunction with Broward County Parks and Recreation, the historic Carpenter House serves as the headquarters of the center, which was opened with the goal of educating and delighting locals and visitors. It’s also home to Captain, our resident green sea turtle, who serves as the outreach ambassador for the program.

 

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About Nova Southeastern University (NSU): Located in beautiful Fort Lauderdale, Florida, NSU is ranked among U.S. News & World Report’s Top 200 National Research Universities and is a dynamic, private research university providing high-quality educational and research programs at the undergraduate, graduate, and first-professional degree levels. Established in 1964, NSU now includes 16 colleges, the 215,000-square-foot Center for Collaborative Research, a private JK-12 grade school, the Mailman Segal Center for Human Development with specialists in Autism, the world-class NSU Art Museum Fort Lauderdale, and the Alvin Sherman Library, Research and Information Technology Center, which is Florida’s largest public library. NSU has campuses in Fort Lauderdale, Fort Myers, Jacksonville, Miami, Miramar, Orlando, Palm Beach, and Tampa, Florida, as well as San Juan, Puerto Rico, while maintaining a presence online globally. Classified as a research university with “high research activity” by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, NSU is one of only 50 universities nationwide to also be awarded Carnegie’s Community Engagement Classification, and is also the largest private institution in the United States that meets the U.S. Department of Education’s criteria as a Hispanic-serving Institution. For more information, please visit www.nova.edu.

 

MEDIA CONTACT

Joe Donzelli | Public Relations & Marketing Communications
954-262-2159 (office) | 954-661-4571 (cell)
jdonzelli@nova.edu | www.nova.edu

 

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