Since 1960, named in honor of William R.Mote, his wife, Lenore, and his sister, Betty Mote Rose, major benefactors of the laboratory, Mote Laboratory and Aquarium has been based in Sarasota, Florida, with field stations and public exhibits in Key West, Summerland Key, and Charlotte Harbor. Mote employs over 200 staff members conducting research on sharks, red tide and other environmental toxins, marine mammals, sea turtles, coral reefs, fisheries, coastal ecology, and aquaculture (sustainable fish farming). Mote also has about 1,400 volunteers.
Mote Aquarium, which opened in 1980, is the public outreach arm of the Marine Laboratory, displaying more than 100 marine species with a focus on local marine life. Visitors can see sharks, manatees, dolphins, sea turtles, sea horses, rays, skates, penguins, and invertebrates.
