I am a grad student in Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences. My interests are focused on microflora and epidemiology of marine organisms, primarily benthic organisms, coral, algae and dinoflagellates. I am interested in the anthropogenic impact on these organisms and their habitats. I also have an interest in aquaculture and how microflora play a role in healthy farming.

My career is in laboratory science and in education. I am currently a high school science teacher and a microbiologist. I love bringing my passion for the earth to young people. I love to sail, kayak, bike, hike, and explore the great outdoors.

Bethany Gaffey is an experienced researcher with a demonstrated history of working in the scientific diving field. She is currently studying Gulf Sturgeon and Climate Change while developing a communications portfolio in the School of Forest, Fisheries, & Geomatics Sciences at the University of Florida.

Skilled in marine research, outdoor guiding, and digital media, Bethany is actively pursuing a career in Science Communication. Her dream job is to connect people with nature in tangible and creative ways beyond publishing scientific papers. She looks forward to using her research experiences over the next two years to create engaging content about Gulf Sturgeon and more, highlighting the conservation efforts of this charismatic and prehistoric species.

Previously, my graduate research with the Phlips Lab consisted of a life history analysis of the algal species Ulva lactuca on the island of Okinawa in Japan. Environmental, normally distributed variables such as solar flux and pH were compared using parametric tests. Typhoon data was also utilized which identified brief interruptions in size and frequency of algal blooms months after the storm actually occurred.

My current research working towards my PhD involve an in-depth study of the inflow and outflow of eutrophic waters within the Okeechobee waterway, more specifically the St. Lucie Canal. There has been limited scientific research on the algal, bacterial, chemical and physical composition of Lake Okeechobee waters after they leave the lake proper and enter the canal. It is suspected that during flushing regimes, the suspension and re-suspension of nutrient laden sediments within the water column prime the St. Lucie estuary for eutrophic events. This research would fill a gap in an otherwise very large, lengthy, and costly environmental problem within the State of Florida.

I am a PhD student at the UF Tropical Aquaculture Lab working with Dr. Matt DiMaggio. My research interests include larval fish nutrition, gut enzyme ontogeny, and larval survival under varying environmental conditions. I will work with both freshwater and marine ornamentals to develop species-specific feeding protocols and weaning schedules.

I received my B.A. in Biology from St. Mary’s College of Maryland in 2015 where I discovered my passion for ornamental aquaculture during my senior thesis research on the determination of juvenile Banggai cardinalfish habitat preference. I graduated from the University of Miami with a Master of Professional Science degree in 2017 where I studied the factors affecting loggerhead sea turtle hatch success in Everglades National Park. Prior to starting at the Tropical Aquaculture Lab (TAL) in 2019, I worked at Roger Williams University where I helped culture Atlantic lookdowns, glassy sweepers, and smallmouth grunts along with researching alternative protein sources in salmonid feeds.

In my spare time, I enjoy traveling, baking and spending time with my pet duck, Tiny and golden retriever, Obi-Wan.

I am a Florida native from Daytona Beach, and happen to be a triple gator having finished my undergraduate (Marine Science & Microbiology), masters (Marine Ecology) , and now finishing PhD in (Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences) here with the University of Florida.

My dissertation research seeks to further investigate assessing and optimizing various restoration techniques involving scallop, seagrass, and coral restoration. I am passionate about preserving our natural ecosystems and creating a foundation for their appreciation. I have worked with over 10 different restoration projects and continue to conduct research in this field. I am fortunate to have been appointed Director of Research for the Ocean Rescue Alliance, this nonprofit further builds on my love for conserving our marine environments, spreading awareness, and creating a foundation that intimately connects people with the ocean.

Through my research and outreach, I aim to assist in conserving, restoring, and better managing our ecosystems. I would like to make a lasting impact conserving our environments while also improving peoples lives around the world.

I enrolled in the Master’s of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences program in the Spring of 2019. As a biologist for the state I am fortunate to work on research projects pertaining to blue crab and stone crab which seeded the development of my thesis. The ability to successfully manage our natural resources in an ever changing environment and be able to adapt our research to meet the needs of these changes is such an integral part of current research. In terms of accurately representing the current state of our resources, it is amazing the amount of data and knowledge we lack to support annual reports and assessments which drive regulation. Florida blue crab stock assessments lack pertinent data such as discard mortality rates and the inability to successfully age a blue crab.

The focus of my project aims on filling in some of the unknowns regarding discard mortality within the commercial Florida blue crab fishery through the use of the Reflex Action Mortality Predictor (RAMP) method. The RAMP method is designed to assess reflex actions of crabs to predict the likelihood of mortality from a generated relationship between reflex impairment and mortality. This method has been successful in predicting mortality in other crustacean fisheries and we hope its adaptation to the Florida blue crab is just as effective.