Tuesday August 13, 2024
University of South Florida —
Researchers have long known that fish reproduce in the Gulf of Mexico, but which species spawn where remains a mystery.
Researchers at the USF College of Marine Science (CMS) may soon solve that mystery thanks to Garrett Miller, a graduate student in biological oceanography at CMS, and an unassuming device called a CUFES (pronounced, coofs).
The CUFES — short for Continuous Underway Fish Egg Sampler — is a device that’s smaller than a mini fridge with long, flexible tubes to suck up seawater.
The original CUFES was invented in 1993 by biologist David Checkley to study fish spawning patterns in California. After a successful trial run on a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) vessel, a long-term collaboration was created with NOAA’s Fisheries Service, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, and Scripps Institution of Oceanography (SIO).