HARBOR BRANCH - OFFICIAL PRESS RELEASE

TWO NEW HARBOR BRANCH SPECIALTY LICENSE PLATES NOW AVAILABLE

FT. PIERCE -- Two new Florida specialty license plates approved by Governor Jeb Bush last year and benefiting Harbor Branch research are now available. Famed marine artist Guy Harvey generously donated the artwork for both plates, and the Guy Harvey Research Institute, headquartered at Nova Southeastern University in Ft. Lauderdale, will receive 10% of plate proceeds.

Funds from the new Florida Aquaculture tag (www.floridaaquaculture.org) will support aquaculture research and training programs at Harbor Branch to help expand the industry in Florida. This group is working to develop environmentally friendly and economical techniques for farm raising a variety of marine fish such as pompano and black sea bass, as well as spiny lobsters, conch, seaweed, and biomedically important marine species, with the ultimate goal of reducing pressure on dwindling wild populations. The aquaculture plate is emblazoned with a pair of colorful clownfish, the most popular farmed marine ornamental species. Harbor Branch aquaculture research led to the development of a feed for farm-raised clownfish that for the first time gave the fish the same bright colors found in the wild, and opened the door to successful aquaculture of the species that has reduced the number of fish removed from coral reefs in the clownfish home waters of the South Pacific. A portion of plate proceeds will also go to support the Florida Aquaculture Association, which helped make the plate possible and is working to advance the field.

Money generated from the Save Our Seas (www.protectfloridaoceans.org) plate will enhance and expand work by the Harbor Branch Marine Sciences group, which encompasses a wide range of research programs in such areas as deep-sea biology and coral reef ecology. The plate bears a reef scene with two scuba divers observing a large shark. Projects to be supported will depend on the level of success of plate sales, but could include expanded water quality monitoring in the Indian River Lagoon, expanded survey work on South Florida reefs, new submersible studies of the Oculina Bank and other areas of the continental shelf, and other efforts. Harbor Branch educational programs will also benefit from plate sales.

The two new plates join the Protect Florida Whales and Protect Wild Dolphins as vital sources of support for research at Harbor Branch as well as other institutions.

Specialty plates are available through your local Tax Collectors Office or County Tag Agency. To find the offices nearest you, go to: http://www.hsmv.state.fl.us/offices/

For more information or high-res plate photos, please contact Mark Schrope at 772-216-0390 or schrope@hboi.edu.

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.