Chasing the lionfish: FIU researchers find predator in troubling waters

Photo courtesy of Matthew L. Wittenrich

The invasion has reached the Loxahatchee River. Lionfish, native to oceans halfway around the world, have reached the estuary near Jupiter, threatening the local ecosystems. Researchers at Florida International University have discovered the foreign predator, an invasive species originally from the Indo-Pacific region, nearly three miles inside the Loxahatchee River. [...]

FIU researcher recuperating from shark bite

Kirk Gastrich

FIU researcher Kirk Gastrich is recuperating after a close encounter with a 6-foot lemon shark Wednesday, April 28. Gastrich was bitten around his elbow by a shark he was measuring during a routine research trip. Gastrich, along with a team of researchers, were working near the mouth of Shark River [...]

Marine Bio 101: Lessons from Biscayne Bay

Picture 1

When Ph.D. candidate and teaching assistant Betsy Stoner needed live sponges and sea urchins for an Oceanography and Marine Biology course taught by biological sciences assistant professor Deron Burkepile, she didn’t have to go far. Biscayne Bay is literally steps away from the marine biology building at FIU’s Biscayne Bay [...]

Standing tall

marine-biology-building

The marine biology building at Biscayne Bay Campus beckons visitors on a recent morning. FIU’s Marine Sciences Program includes faculty from diverse departments on two campuses.