Abstract:
The Smithsonian Marine Station at Fort Pierce, located on South Hutchinson Island in Fort Pierce, Florida, has had an ongoing program in the marine sciences
since the early 1970s. Funded by a private trust from J. Seward Johnson, Sr., to the
Smithsonian, the marine program has supported the research of Smithsonian scientists
and their associates, postdoctoral fellows, resident scientists, and the operations of the
station, including a small support staff. The station is administered by the National Museum of Natural History as a facility for research dedicated to the marine sciences. The
Smithsonian Marine Station at Fort Pierce has developed a strong, broadly based research program focusing on ecology, evolution, systematics, and life histories of marine
organisms. Ongoing studies address important issues in biodiversity, including global
climate change, invasive species, harmful algal blooms, larval ecology, and evolutionary
developmental biology.