See any Spotted Eagle Rays recently?

 

Spotted Eagle Ray

Ocean Divers is excited to announce our participation in Mote Marine Laboratory’s Spotted Eagle Ray Conversation Program by encouraging our divers and staff to report eagle ray sightings as part of a larger research project.

In 2009, Mote Marine Laboratory, along with the National Aquarium in Baltimore, initiated a conservation research program on the life history, reproduction and population status of the elasmobranch Aetobatus narinari, commonly known as the spotted eagle ray. The nonprofit laboratory is now expanding the observation of these beautiful creatures into the Florida Keys waters.

What This Project is About

Fishing pressure, combined with their low reproductive rates, make spotted eagle rays a vulnerable species. But there’s not enough information to determine how much danger they are in. The distribution, migration, feeding habits, growth rates and reproductive biology of spotted eagle rays are poorly defined.

What is known is that it is illegal to fish or kill spotted eagle rays in Florida waters. However, they are not protected under federal laws, and international protections are limited as well. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), an organization that establishes the conservation status of species worldwide, lists them as near-threatened with a decreasing population trend.

Since the program’s beginning, Mote biologists have sampled, tagged and released more than 300 spotted eagle rays off the Southwest Florida coast to gain a better understanding of the population structure and life history of this species in the Gulf of Mexico.

Mote’s goals are two-fold:

• Gain knowledge about species populations in Florida water through the study of key life history traits;
• Raise public awareness and enhance conservation outreach and education on spotted eagle rays.

Mote Marine Laboratory has been a leader in marine research since it was founded in 1955. Today, the organization incorporates public outreach as a key part of its mission. Mote is an independent nonprofit organization and has seven centers for marine research, the public Mote Aquarium and an Education Division specializing in public programs for all ages.

Odie Hammerhead and the Ocean Divers crew look forward to catching a glimpse of these beautiful creatures and to participating in the Mote Marine Laboratory Spotted Eagle Ray Conservation Program!

To report your spotted eagle ray sightings and share any photos, click here. (link: http://www.mote.org/index.php?src=forms&ref=Spotted%20Eagle%20Ray%20Reporting%20Form)

To learn more about the Mote project, click here. (link: www.mote.org/eagleray)

Sign up for a dive with Ocean Divers so you can look for eagle rays by calling (800) 451-1113 today!

Adrienne

Louis’ Food Corner

           Lovely tomatoes.

Shrimp & Tomato Bruschetta

Ingredients – Serves 6-8 normal people (1-2 Louis type people!)

1/2 pound med/large de-shelled (and I prefer de-veined) shrimp,

4 med/large fresh tomatoes (good ones, not those sad, pale and light industrial tomatoes!!!, the heavy deep red preferably organic ones!!, sorry I get carried away),

8-12 chopped (or ripped up!) FRESH Basil leaves (ok dried if you must, by the way Basil is extremely easy to grow, especially in warm climates, but I digress….),

1/2 finely chopped medium onion (I prefer red onions but yellow or white will do fine), Freshly ground black pepper and little sea salt and a little hot red pepper flakes (optional, but I only add a little for “background taste”),

A couple a tablespoons of olive oil to your taste (preferably extra virgin, the first and best tasting press of the olives, extra virgin olive oil is more important when using the oil at room temperature because the flavor is not affected by cooking).

Slightly oiled and toasted Italian or French bread sliced somewhat thin (you can use crackers if you’re in a lazy mood, though I’ll never admit to suggesting this, even though it’s in writing!!!)

Preparation –

Boil the shrimp until they just turn white, immediately remove from water dry them with a paper towel and set aside in a bowl and chill them in the frig, ice helps to cool them fast but keep the ice and shrimp separate so they don’t become soggy. You want them completely chilled before adding them to the rest of the ingredients. Chop them up after they are chilled. I gently wash my de-shelled shrimp before cooking in cool salted water (I’ve been told by fishermen that salted water is good for keeping seafood firm while washing).

De-seed and de-pulp the tomatoes (cut through on the “equator” and squeeze out seeds and pulp, then chop into approx.1 inch cubes).

Add the finely chopped onion, basil, salt/black and red pepper and the olive oil.

Gently mix it all together and chill in frig if you have time, if not don’t worry. Lastly place a generous portion on each slice of toasted bread and ENJOY!! (that’s an order).

This is a Vegan dish!! I’m not getting political here.

PS – You can add a little grated Parmigiano Reggiano (or American Parmesan if you must) and/or Pecorino Romano cheese if you want, though I don’t think that is traditional Italian. Be careful!!!!!

“Everyday is a Festival, Every meal is a Feast”

Caio for now

Louis

Welcome

We live in a world where information is instantly available to us. We can type a question, the Internet immediately responds. No phone books, catalogs, just our laptop. But do we always get the information we need? Is this dependent on the web pages to which we are connected? Well, not always. And is it always ‘easy’ to glide along the web? And: Is it fun to do so?

Ocean Divers has taken a close look at our website and we have decided that it needed a change. Our new site is designed to be user friendly – it is much easier to locate the information you need – using the shortest route possible. You won’t have to access page after page anymore. With just one or two clicks, any information should be readily available.

Our dive schedule will be easy to follow. Which dive sites are planned for a particular day, including photos and descriptions of the locations you will be visiting on a particular trip.

The most exciting section of the new site will be our blog. Part of our home page, updated regularly, now includes information on new equipment, training suggestions, diving tips, and, of course, the most anticipated restaurant and food review by our own “Chef  Louis.”

Enjoy our new site, take some time to poke around and see what Ocean Divers has to offer. And remember to become friends with Ocean Divers or ODie Hammerhead on Facebook for quick updates on reef conditions, pictures of the day’s dives, as well as any specials we may be offering.