The EISF production team returns to Florida for more in-depth investigation into the researchers studying the Gulf of Mexico's red tide. EISF goes into the field with scientists and engineers from the University of Southern Florida (USF) - College of Marine Science  (CMS) and Center for Ocean Technology (COT), Mote Marine Laboratory, along with Florida’s Fish and Wildlife Research Institute, documenting their collaborative efforts to develop and employ state-of-the-art oceanographic technology to unlock secrets of the red tide's harmful algal bloom.

Dan Powell, EISF's Director of Marine Operations, reports on the Behind-the-Scenes production of this High Definition Documentary Project; voyaging offshore on research cruises, diving into sea grass habitats, and flying over the Tampa Bay area in a helicopter for aerial footage.

On Thursday July 24th, the marine forecast did not look good for being out on the water. A busy production schedule could not afford delays, so we decided to head to a nearby island shoreline across the inlet from our boat launch at Fort De Soto. Dr. Ernst Peebles, USF/CMS faculty teaching Biological Oceanography, came to demonstrate and discuss plankton collection. USF/CMS student James Locascio came along to assist.

We also filmed a fish survey performed by Kerry Flaherty and her crew from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Research Institute (FWRI). The FWRI team started by setting up a purse seine net around a sea grass area in shallow water, then drawing it close before bringing onboard to record a count of the juvenile fish.