October 3, 2019 — Mote Marine Laboratory will bring its shark expertise to bear in a new consortium studying highly migratory species thanks to $400,000 in new funding from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Sea Grant program.
The Pelagic Ecosystem Research Consortium, or PERC, will have a goal of improving stock assessment, management and sustainability of highly migratory species, such as tuna, swordfish and sharks, in the Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico. PERC is being led by the University of Maine, with partners from Mote, Nova Southeastern University and Auburn University.
The PERC award was one of three competitive grants totaling $2 million, awarded through the 2019 Sea Grant Highly Migratory Species Research Initiative. The initiative was championed by U.S. Sens. Marco Rubio, R-Fla.; Susan Collins, R-Maine; and Richard Shelby R-Ala.