In the Coleman and Koenig Research Laboratory, our primary research focus is the connection between reef fish life history characteristics and habitat use. Specific lines of inquiry include recruitment patterns of juvenile fish, behavioral patterns of reef fish related to habitat, trophic linkages across horizontal (inshore-offshore) and vertical (benthic-pelagic) trajectories, and evaluation of the use of marine reserves for protected species, vulnerable life stages, and deep-sea corals. This research, plus our long-standing interest in conservation, led us to question how (or whether) such ecologically relevant information for exploited species was incorporated into management and reflected in governmental policy. What we have found over the years is that in many cases, the information is not properly transferred from scientists to policy makers and the general public.

Our interdisciplinary approach--which involves collaboration with scientists from a number of disciplines (e.g., benthic ecologists, geologists, and economists), institutions (federal, state, and academic), and commercial and recreational fishers--enhances significantly our ability to understand and contribute to the conservation and management of marine resources by state and federal agencies. Our focus here is in bridging the gap between science and policy.

International Symposia funded by the Florida State University's Mote Eminent Scholar Chair are developed through our laboratory. These symposia address the most current fisheries research and management issues, including Marine Stock Enhancement, Marine Reserves, Target and Threshold Limits in Fishing, and the Intersection of Fisheries and Human Ecology.

Undergraduate and graduate student research is important to our group. Thus, we strive to include students in our research projects from a number of different departments, including Biological Science, Oceanography, and Geography.