HARBOR BRANCH - OFFICIAL PRESS RELEASE

BOOK SIGNING AND TALK -- WATERWAYS & BYWAYS OF THE INDIAN RIVER LAGOON: A FIELD GUIDE FOR BOATERS, ANGLERS, AND NATURALISTS

Ft. Pierce, Fla. -- The Jan. 28 event for the HARBOR BRANCH Ocean Science Lecture Series will highlight the beauty of the Indian River Lagoon from the angling, photographic and scientific perspectives offered in the new book "Waterways & Byways of the Indian River Lagoon: A Field Guide for Boaters, Anglers, and Naturalists." Authors Diane Littler, a marine scientist with HARBOR BRANCH, and her husband, Mark Littler, of the Smithsonian Institution, where Diane is also a research associate, will be the speakers. The husband-and-wife team will draw from the book and their experiences from decades of recreation and research in the Indian River Lagoon to describe and explain its incredible biological diversity and the importance of its varied, sometimes hidden habitats. The talk will include a generous sampling of the spectacular photographs found in the book ranging from aerial shots that reveal lagoon features in detail, to photos of wildlife and scenery. The couple will also touch on some highpoints of their research on such topics as the connection between fish and seagrasses.

Some book highlights:
• 101 pages of aerial photographs that create a unique, seamless south-to-north continuum extending some 156 miles from Jupiter Inlet to Ponce De Leon Inlet and revealing such features as seagrass beds, dredged holes, channels, and hidden byways of the lagoon's intricate backcountry.

• Discussions and photos of major sportfish including redfish, snook, tarpon and spotted seatrout found in the lagoon including tips on the conditions and habitats in which they are most likely to be found.

• Sections with photos that describe the numerous mammals, plants and birds that make their homes in the Indian River Lagoon

• Descriptions of the Indian River Lagoon's main habitats, such as seagrass beds, mangroves, oyster reefs, and spoil islands, and their significance to the ecosystem.

The Authors/Speakers:
Drs. Mark and Diane Littler are experts in the study of coral reefs and marine algae, and together the couple has published more than 150 research papers and books in a wide range of disciplines. Their field work has taken them around the globe to such locations as the Mediterranean, the South Pacific, the Galapagos Islands and the Indian Ocean, but their main focus for the past 20 years has been on understanding the habitats and biology of the beautiful Indian River Lagoon.

The Littlers will give their talk at both 4:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. on Jan. 28 at the main auditorium of the Johnson Education Center at HARBOR BRANCH Oceanographic Institution, 5600 U.S. 1 North, Fort Pierce, FL. The talk is free to the public. For more information please contact the Marine Education Office at 772-465-2400, ext. 506, or email education@hboi.edu.

******EDITORS NOTE: Photos from the book and of its cover are available. Please contact Mark Schrope, 772-216-0390, schrope@hboi.edu to obtain copies. The authors will be available before and after each of two talks, and this will be their first and main book-signing event. ******

Ocean Science Lecture Series 2004 Schedule - CLICK HERE for more information

January 14 - Shirley Pomponi - The Census of Marine Life: How Many Fish Are in the Sea?

January 21 - Ned Smith - The Indian River Lagoon System: Five Lagoons, Five Inlets, Five Sound Bites

January 28 - Mark & Diane Littler - Waterways & Byways of Indian River Lagoon

February 4 - Susan Sennett - Marine Chemical Ecology: Applications in Marine Drug Discovery

February 11 - John Scarpa - Clam Strips and Oyster Po'Boys: Florida Aquaculture and the Environment

February 18 - Greg Bossart - The Indian River Lagoon Bottlenose Dolphin Health Assessment Program: "Flipper" Gets an Overdue Physical Examination

February 25 - Tammy Frank - Do Fish See Color?

March 3 - Sarath Gunasekera - Search for Anti-cancer Drugs and Success Stories

March 10 - Ken Riley - Integrated Aquaculture Education: Food for Thought

March 17 - Brian Lapointe - Invasion of Green Tides

March 24 - Tracey Sutton - Predators of the Deep

HARBOR BRANCH Oceanographic Institution was founded in Ft. Pierce, Fla., in 1971 to support the exploration and conservation of the world's oceans. The institution has held to this mission and grown into one of the world's leading oceanographic institutions with a 500-acre campus, over 200 personnel, and a fleet of sophisticated research ships and submersibles.