Mote Marine Laboratory has announced it has raised more than $50 million in a year-long fundraising campaign. The money will be used in part for groundbreaking work in restoring coral reefs in Florida.
This was the Sarasota marine laboratory's first comprehensive fundraising campaign. President and CEO Michael Crosby says the money will be used for long-term sustainable projects to help preserve unique marine life."We are just so excited, but also extremely humbled that we've not only hit that $50 million target, but we've now exceeded it", Crosby said. "It's historic. But it really doesn't signal an end. It is really something of a new beginning for Mote. And we are really entering into a new era."
Crosby says the campaign will allow Mote to lure the brightest minds in marine science. And much of it will be used to rebuild devastated coral reefs, which are being affected by ocean warming and acidification. Mote is building a new facility in the Florida Keys to help replant coral reefs.