UF / IFAS Extension Miami-Dade County Sea Grant

This month, the Florida Sea Grant program in Miami-Dade County participated in Biscayne National Park’s (BNP) inaugural “Trap Line Throwdown”. Together, we removed years’ worth of accumulated trap line from BNP’s beautiful mangroves.

Trap line is rope that connects a surface buoy to the trap below, indicating the location of traps to fishers. If traps become separated from their line, the line washes ashore and can become completely entangled due to wave action, winding mangrove roots, and passing storms.

Five boats went out and collected a whopping total of 3,051 pounds of trapline, equivalent to 18.67 miles! We couldn’t just leave the other debris behind, so our volunteers helped grab another 1338.5 pounds, bringing the grand total to 4389.5 pounds!

We extend our thanks to for helping supply cutting tools! They made a huge difference in being able to remove this debris.

If this project sounds like something you might be interested in, be sure to make your way to BNP next year for some beach clean-ups, where you can take a more active part in keeping our community clean. We’re proud of the work we get to do with BNP and can’t wait to cut out some more trapline next year!

Photos: University of Florida

Who am I?
I inhabit sandy areas, particularly around coral reefs. I grow to about the size of a dinner plate and feed on small invertebrates and crustaceans through my mouth that's on the underside of my body. I swim by flapping my "wings," or pectoral fins, up and down.
Drop your guesses below!

Alt text: a photograph of a rounded sea creature laying on the sand.

Rescheduled!

Saturday, February 21st at 8:00am: Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service marine debris removal event at Biscayne National Park. Come experience and give back to you *your* national park by performing this critical work. Minimum age: 18 years old.

For full information and to register, please visit: https://volunteercleanup.org/event/dr-martin-luther-king-jr-day-of-service-at-biscayne-national-park-1 or contact [email protected].

'Tis the season!

I will be offering the Spring 2026 Florida Horseshoe Crab Watch training event on Sunday, February 8th at the Biscayne Nature Center. Join me to learn about horseshoe crab biology, ecology, and how to perform beach nesting surveys. Full full information and to register, please visit: https://bit.ly/FHCWSpring2026

Photo: Jeanne Rothchild

'Tis the season!

Spring nesting season for horseshoe crabs is almost upon us. Please join me for the Spring 2026 Florida Horseshoe Crab Watch training event, on Sunday, February 8th at the Biscayne Nature Center. This training will teach you about horseshoe crab biology, ecology, and how to conduct nesting surveys as part of the statewide participatory science program. For full information and to register, please visit:

https://bit.ly/FHCWSpring2026

Join my partner and I for our annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service on Saturday, January 31st. This will be a marine debris removal event at Elliott Key in Biscayne National Park. For full information and registration, please visithttps://volunteercleanup.org/event/dr-martin-luther-king-jr-day-of-service-at-biscayne-national-park

Note: each individual participant must be age 18.

Volunteers sought!

As the weather starts to cool off and the last of the baby turtles leave their nests, it means it's time for Biscayne National Park’s beach cleanup season to ramp up! In the past three years, 200+ volunteers have removed 20K, 30K, and 50K lbs. of marine debris from critical sea turtle nesting habitat in Biscayne National Park. Efforts like these would not be possible without the help of volunteers and our local community!

If YOU are interested in getting involved this season, the program has started up again and runs through end of April 2026. Just gather a group of 4-12 volunteers (ages 16+) and email [email protected] to start reserving your own weekday adventure!

For more about the program and what a day entails, DM me or visit https://www.nps.gov/bisc/getinvolved/biscayne-beach-cleanup.htm.

I hope to see you out on the beach this winter. Don't miss this unique opportunity to visit *your* national park!

Fish were caught, fun was had and kids learned! A great way to spend a teacher in service day!

On Monday November 3rd, Florida Sea Grant Agents Ana Zangroniz and Mike Sipos provided an educational offshore fishing trip to thre youth organizations in Miami. Prior to attending the big day, kids took the Florida Friendly Angler free online program to learn more about environmental ethics, fisheries management and best catch and release practices that they put to use while on the water.

When fishing, kids learned more about fish identification, regulations, basic angling skills, best fishing practices and the importance of fish to our state’s ecology and economy. For a number of these students, this was their first time fishing or even on a boat, and a few lifelong anglers may have been made that day. Every child caught fish. Common catches included amberjack, blue runner, yellowtail snapper, lane snapper, white grunt, blue-striped grunt and more.

Special thanks to the Reward Fishing Fleet who helped make this day possible!

Photos: Ana Zangroniz

A huge thanks to the fantastic volunteers who participated in the 40th annual International Coastal Cleanup with myself and Coastal Cleanup Corporation, held at Biscayne National Park. In just 2 hours, we removed 326.5 pounds of marine debris, which included two pallets, glass bottles, plastic bottles and assorted plastic wrapping, 45 shoes, 17 balloons, and a staggering 660 plastic bottle caps!

This important work is a reminder that we can all do better in reducing our dependence on single-use items and work to secure loose items to our vessels when out enjoying park waters.


Photos: Suzy Pappas/Coastal Cleanup Corporation, Ana Zangroniz