Gulf Specimen Marine Laboratory
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Gulf Specimen Marine Laboratory (GSML) is an independent
not-for-profit A not-for-profit or non-for-profit organization (NFPO) is a Legal Entity, legal entity that does not distribute surplus funds to its members and is formed to fulfill specific objectives. While not-for-profit organizations and Nonprofit organ ...
marine research and education organization and public aquarium in Panacea, Florida, United States.


History

The laboratory has its origins in Gulf Specimen Marine Company, which was founded by writer and naturalist Jack Rudloe in 1963 as a marine specimen company primarily supplying scientists.
John Steinbeck John Ernst Steinbeck ( ; February 27, 1902 – December 20, 1968) was an American writer. He won the 1962 Nobel Prize in Literature "for his realistic and imaginative writings, combining as they do sympathetic humor and keen social percep ...
was an important mentor to the company. The present location in Panacea, Florida, was purchased in 1964. In 1971 Rudloe married marine biologist Anne Eidemiller; Anne Rudloe founded the Panacea Institute of Marine Science in 1980. In 1980 this became a registered non-profit as Gulf Specimen Marine Laboratories, Inc., with Jack and Anne Rudloe as cofounders. In 2010 Jack and Anne's son Cypress Rudloe took over as general manager. In 2012, Richard Gordon joined as
emeritus ''Emeritus/Emerita'' () is an honorary title granted to someone who retires from a position of distinction, most commonly an academic faculty position, but is allowed to continue using the previous title, as in "professor emeritus". In some c ...
scientist. In December 2014 the aquarium suffered a major setback when the aging ozonator donated to GSML two decades before by
Valdosta State University Valdosta State University (VSU or Valdosta State) is a public university in Valdosta, Georgia, United States. Founded in 1906, it launched in 1913 as an all-girls college. VSU is one of the four comprehensive universities in the University System ...
stopped working. The aquarium launched a
social media Social media are interactive technologies that facilitate the Content creation, creation, information exchange, sharing and news aggregator, aggregation of Content (media), content (such as ideas, interests, and other forms of expression) amongs ...
campaign and by March 2015 had raised over $70,000 to purchase the new equipment and to rebuild and upgrade the associated water purification system. The new water purification system, donated at cost by Xylem Inc. came on line June 2015. Hurricane Hermine made landfall near the laboratory September 2, 2016 causing damage to the lab itself as well as severe damage to the famous dock that was subject of the book ''The Living Dock'', by Jack Rudloe. The dock was rebuilt after a third social media campaign. On October 10, 2018, storm surge from
Hurricane Michael Hurricane Michael was a powerful and destructive tropical cyclone that became the first Category 5 hurricane to make landfall in the contiguous United States since Andrew in 1992. It was the third-most intense Atlantic hurricane to make ...
severely damaged the Living Dock. Storm surge entered the main floor and grounds of the facility, especially one of two sump systems, but damage was otherwise minimal, especially compared to other areas hit by the hurricane and the laboratory reopened the following week. Total damage has been estimated at $200,000 and repairs are ongoing. GSML was hard hit by the
COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...
pandemic with revenues dropping to 10% of normal. The lab continued with virtual visits and Facebook tours but suffered a severe financial blow before reopening to the public when restrictions eased. In July 2020 Volunteer Florida, awarded GSML a $485,000 grant to build a 2,000-square-foot classroom complex along with a new parking lot. GSML also acquired six lots adjacent to the original site with a land donation from Gene and Nancy Phipps of the Tallahassee Phipps Foundation to house the building and parking lot. The new Anne Rudloe Memorial Education Center will be dedicated to the memory of Anne Rudloe and will be offering new aquaculture classes to local seafood cooking tutorials, and further its mission of educating the community on marine life. In 2021 the Governing Board for the Northwest Florida Water Management District posthumously named Anne Rudloe the 2020 winner of the River and Bay Champion award. “Anne Rudloe’s passion for conservation and education throughout her career earned her national recognition,” said George Roberts, the Chairman of the District’s Governing Board. “But her biggest impact may be found in the thousands and thousands of children who learned about marine biology from touring the Marine Lab she founded in Panacea. No doubt, there will be scientists of tomorrow who discovered their own passion for learning thanks to Anne Rudloe’s work.”District names Anne Rudloe 2020 'River and Bay Champion'
Northwest Florida Water Management District, January 14, 2021, 3:11 PM, accessed Jan 15, 2021


Activities

In addition to providing specimens for other scientists, GSML publishes both peer-reviewed scientific works and popular articles, and is involved in
environmental activism The environmental movement (sometimes referred to as the ecology movement) is a social movement that aims to protect the natural world from harmful environmental practices in order to create sustainable living. In its recognition of humanity a ...
, particularly in regards to coastal
wetlands A wetland is a distinct semi-aquatic ecosystem whose groundcovers are flooded or saturated in water, either permanently, for years or decades, or only seasonally. Flooding results in oxygen-poor ( anoxic) processes taking place, especially ...
preservation. GSML also rescues and rehabilitates marine organisms, especially
sea turtle Sea turtles (superfamily Chelonioidea), sometimes called marine turtles, are reptiles of the order Testudines and of the suborder Cryptodira. The seven existing species of sea turtles are the flatback, green, hawksbill, leatherback, loggerh ...
s. In 1990 the Gulf Specimen Marine Aquarium opened to the public; it has over 20,000 visitors annually.Haloub, Bonnie
"Panacea marine lab celebrates 50 years"
''Tallahassee Democrat'', May 12, 2014, retrieved January 30, 2015.
Bettendorf, Elizabeth
"A place, a purpose, a Panacea"
, ''Florida State University Research Review'', Summer 2009, pp. 28–39.
Norman Griggs DVM of Shepherd Spring Animal Hospital is the GSML veterinarian. He provides sea turtle care ''pro bono'' and in 2015 allowed GSML to expand the hospital facilities to include a sea turtle tank.Gannet Newsservice
"Sea turtle said to suffer from disease caused by humans"
10News this morning, November 28, 2013, retrieved February 4, 2015


Wetland preservation

Gulf Specimen Marine Lab has worked to preserve coastal wetlands and in particular was directly involved in the preservation of 35,000 acres of wetlands in the
Florida Panhandle The Florida panhandle (also known as West Florida and Northwest Florida) is the northwestern part of the U.S. state of Florida. It is a Salient (geography), salient roughly long, bordered by Alabama on the west and north, Georgia (U.S. state ...
and the
Florida Big Bend The Big Bend of Florida, United States, is an informally named geographic region of North Florida where the Florida Panhandle transitions to the Florida Peninsula south and east of Tallahassee (the area's principal city). The region is known f ...
region through government lobbying, appearances at public meetings, television and radio appearances, and popular articles and books about marine wetlands.


Jellyfish industry

Gulf Specimen Marine Laboratory was involved in early efforts to establish the now successful
jellyfish Jellyfish, also known as sea jellies or simply jellies, are the #Life cycle, medusa-phase of certain gelatinous members of the subphylum Medusozoa, which is a major part of the phylum Cnidaria. Jellyfish are mainly free-swimming marine animal ...
export industry on the East Coast of the US.


Sea turtle rescue

Gulf Specimen Marine Laboratory staff began tagging
sea turtle Sea turtles (superfamily Chelonioidea), sometimes called marine turtles, are reptiles of the order Testudines and of the suborder Cryptodira. The seven existing species of sea turtles are the flatback, green, hawksbill, leatherback, loggerh ...
s under the guidance of
Archie Carr Archibald Fairly Carr Jr. (June 16, 1909 – May 21, 1987) was an American herpetologist, ecologist, and conservationist. He was a Professor of Zoology at the University of Florida and a writer on science and nature. He brought attention to the ...
and were the third sea turtle rescue organization in Florida. GSML is one of 23 state-permitted captive sea turtle facilities and the northernmost in Florida. In addition to short-term rescue such as cold-stunning and fish hook removal the lab provides long-term rehabilitation.Nickerson, E
"Allie The Sea Turtle Released Into The Wild"
WCTV2, Tallahassee, Florida, June 22, 2013, retrieved January 30, 2015.
The lab lacks specialized laser treatment surgical equipment for sea turtles and must transfer them from the Panhandle region to facilities such as
Clearwater Marine Aquarium Clearwater Marine Aquarium is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, and aquarium in Clearwater, Florida. It is dedicated to the rescue, rehabilitation and release of sick and injured marine animals, public education, conservation, and research. ...
if they require laser treatment for fibropapillomatosis. However Dr. Griggs have been successful in complex surgical procedures such as reconstructive surgery on partial amputations. Their best known sea turtle was Allie, a 250 lb (113 kg), 50-year-old female
loggerhead sea turtle The loggerhead sea turtle (''Caretta caretta'') is a species of sea turtle, oceanic turtle distributed throughout the world. It is a marine reptile, belonging to the Family (biology), family Cheloniidae. The average loggerhead measures around ...
rescued by a local commercial fisherman at Alligator Point, Florida, on May 15, 2012. Allie required 14 months of care before she was returned to the wild on June 22, 2013. Thousands of people followed her recovery online and 1500 people came to see her released at Bald Point State Park. In 2015 GSML joined the Responsible Pier Initiativ

as a partner with The Loggerhead Marinelife Centre. This resulted in a 600% increase in the number of Kemp's ridley sea turtle, Kemp's ridleys they rescued (from an average of 1-3/year to 17 in 2015) and they started a second social media campaign to expand their turtle rehabilitation facilities. In March 2016 GSML opened a "turtle hospital" in a renovated kitchen to give Dr. Griggs and GSML staff a suitable place to treat the turtles at the lab and decrease transport stress on animals. GSML has twice been involved in rescuing many cold-stunned sea turtles first in 2010 and then again in 2018. In May 2020, fishermen brought in a large female critically endangered
Kemp's ridley sea turtle Kemp's ridley sea turtle (''Lepidochelys kempii)'', also called commonly the Atlantic ridley sea turtle, Kemp's ridley turtle, and Kemp's ridley, is a species of turtle in the family Cheloniidae. ''L. kempii'' is the rarest species of sea tur ...
caught in their net. Facebook followers were polled and she was named Myrtle. The turtle was treated for a neck injury before release back to the wild.


Education

Gulf Specimen Marine Lab staff and volunteers use
experiential learning Experiential learning (ExL) is the process of learning through experience, and is more narrowly defined as "learning through reflection on doing". Hands-on learning can be a form of experiential learning, but does not necessarily involve students ...
approaches to teach marine science and environmental awareness. GSML has several " touch tanks" of various sizes where visitors are encouraged to handle marine organisms "to overcome fear and increase curiosity and thereby learning" as well as guided marsh walks and visits to the GSML dock. The laboratory is visited by an average of 12,000 children in 400 school groups each year. In 2011 GSML added the Sea Mobile, a mobile version of the touch tank display, to provide the experience to groups unable to travel to the aquarium. GSML also provides internship opportunities to community college and university students.


Contributions to research

Gulf Specimen Marine Laboratory provides marine specimens to scientists worldwide, including some that were the first specimen known to science, such as ''Chiropsella rudloei''. GSML provided organisms sent to space by NASA.Environmental Heroes Honored at 50th Annual ChevronTexaco Conservation Awards
Investors, Press Release, Chevron Texaco, Sep 9, 2004, Retrieved January 30, 2015
In addition GSML has supported direct research; for example, the laboratory assisted with an update to the 1957 Winston Menzel Annotated Check-list of the Marine Fauna and Flora of the region and provides the
National Geographic Society The National Geographic Society, headquartered in Washington, D.C., United States, is one of the largest nonprofit scientific and educational organizations in the world. Founded in 1888, its interests include geography, archaeology, natural sc ...
-supported '' The Photo Ark'' project with an ongoing source of specimens. In 1968 GSML provided the first specimens of the bryozoan '' Bugula neritina'' used by the
National Cancer Institute The National Cancer Institute (NCI) coordinates the United States National Cancer Program and is part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), which is one of eleven agencies that are part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. ...
(NCI) to develop the
bryostatin Bryostatins are a group of macrolide lactones from (bacterial symbionts of) the marine organism ''Bugula neritina'' that were first collected and provided to JL Hartwell’s anticancer drug discovery group at the National Cancer Institute (NCI) by ...
family of drugs used for treatment of cancer, HIV, Alzheimer's disease and strokes. Authors associated with GSML and its predecessor the Panacea Institute of Marine Science have published more than 40 peer-reviewed scientific articles on
horseshoe crabs Horseshoe crabs are arthropods of the family Limulidae and the only surviving xiphosurans. Despite their name, they are not true crabs or even crustaceans; they are chelicerates, more closely related to arachnids like spiders, ticks, and scorpi ...
, electric rays,
mysid shrimp Mysida is an order (biology), order of small, shrimp-like crustaceans in the malacostracan superorder Peracarida. Their common name opossum shrimps stems from the presence of a Brood pouch (Peracarida), brood pouch or "marsupium" in females. The ...
,
sea turtles Sea turtles (superfamily Chelonioidea), sometimes called marine turtles, are reptiles of the order Testudines and of the suborder Cryptodira. The seven existing species of sea turtles are the flatback, green, hawksbill, leatherback, loggerh ...
,
algae fuel Algae fuel, algal biofuel, or algal oil is an alternative to liquid fossil fuels that use algae as the source of energy-rich oils. Also, algae fuels are an alternative to commonly known biofuel sources, such as corn and sugarcane. When made fro ...
and
astrobiology Astrobiology (also xenology or exobiology) is a scientific field within the List of life sciences, life and environmental sciences that studies the abiogenesis, origins, Protocell, early evolution, distribution, and future of life in the univ ...
.


Awards

* 2014 Education and Outreach Environmental Law Institute National Wetlands Award * 2004 ChevronTexaco Conservation Award * 2003 Gulf Guardian Award Winners (3rd) * 2003 Governor's Community Investment Award, Partners in Prevention.Chandler, D
"Domino's owner wins community award"
''The Gainesville Sun'', October 21, 2003, retrieved February 4, 2015
* 2021 The Governing Board for the Northwest Florida Water Management District named Anne Rudloe the 2020 winner of the River and Bay Champion award.


References


External links

* {{Authority control Marine biological stations Environmental organizations based in Florida Laboratories in the United States Non-profit organizations based in Florida Biota of the Gulf of Mexico Gulf Coast of the United States Natural history of Florida Wakulla County, Florida 1980 establishments in Florida Environmental organizations established in 1980 Scientific organizations established in 1980