Halmos College Receives $2.7 Million NOAA Grant to Study the Gulf of Mexico

This week, NOAA announced that Halmos College faculty member and researcher Tracey Sutton, Ph.D. will be leading a $2.7 million, five-year grant to undertake a research project that will focus on the marine creatures that call the open ocean their home. Sutton is leading a team of research scientists from NSU, NOAA, Florida Atlantic University, the University of South Florida and Florida International University.

“The deep-pelagic habitat (open waters greater than 700 feet deep) in the Gulf of Mexico is the largest, and least-known, habitat in the gulf,” said Sutton. “The marine life in this area is vital for the overall health of the gulf, so we need to learn as much as we can in order to protect this fauna for decades to come.”

This funding is in response to the Resources and Ecosystems Sustainability, Tourist Opportunities, and Revived Economies (RESTORE) Act, which authorized NOAA to establish and administer a Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Science, Observation, Monitoring, and Technology Program. The mission of the NOAA RESTORE Act Science Program is to increase understanding of the Gulf of Mexico ecosystem, including its fisheries, and to support its restoration and sustainability through research, observation, monitoring, and technology development.

For more information: http://sutton.deependconsortium.org//