Recently, Jose Lopez, Ph.D., a professor and researcher in NSU’s Halmos College of Natural Sciences and Oceanography completed a scientific collection trip to the Bahamas that was a bit out of the ordinary. That’s because he, along with colleagues, rode on the 87-foot sport yacht “Mystique” from Miami to New Providence Island and Andros Island. The boat used is part of Fleet Miami, which is working with researchers to help by providing transportation for various excursions.
The unique maiden voyage marked a partnership between NSU and the International Seakeepers Society® (http://www.seakeepers.org), which aims to “promote oceanographic research, conservation and education by facilitating direct contact between academics and the yachting community.” What made this truly a unique research trip was the fact that the vessel, an 87-foot yacht provided by Fleet Miami, was the base of operations and at-sea laboratory.
Lopez’s research benefitted from the discounted transportation for himself and one HCNSO student assistant, Amanda Costaregni, to several remote dive sites in The Bahamas to sample relatively pristine waters and access sponge species that constitute part of Lopez’s current research program. Although many of the coral reefs appeared stressed due to a sustained bleaching and potential diseased conditions due to atypically warm waters, the opportunity to visit a dive spot was much appreciated.
This trip also partially sponsored by public television’s (PBS) ChangingSeas.TV, allowing them to join and film the work for an upcoming documentary on marine sponges, tentatively scheduled to be aired in June 2016.