Institute for Marine Mammal Studies receives large grant

The Institute for Marine Mammal Studies received a large grant from GOMESA.

They will be receiving a $2.5 million grant from the Gulf of Mexico Energy Security Act, which delegated more than $100 million to the coast.

IMMS plans to use this money for dolphin and sea turtle conservation by studying the northern Gulf of Mexico’s ecosystem.

“To make good decisions, management agencies, like state and federal agencies, need data and we provide that data, ” said Moby Solangi, the director of IMMS. “And this is… ecologic work is long term. It isn’t just one year or two years, it takes decades to give you a trend.”

IMMS will study the correlation between marine life’s behavior and disasters in the gulf, water quality, food supply, and more.

If marine life is leaving or dying, it could mean something is seriously wrong with the environment.

Theresa Madrigal is leading the sea turtle research program at IMMS.

“So, sea turtles can be a great indicator species for how healthy the environment is. They do utilize a lot of the same food resources that we do, whether it’s shrimp, crab, fish in the area,” said Madrigal. “If we have sea turtles in this area that are happy and healthy and using the environment, it’s a good indicator for how our environment is and how we can utilize those resources as well.”

The research will help understand how to keep this special marine life around for a life time.

These funds will help pay for roughly three years of research.

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