The exciting discoveries of modern biotechnology are an extension of practices that are thousands of years old, such as using yeast in bread making and fermentation in wine production. Within the general field of biotechnology as an applied science that seeks to enhance human health and environmental quality, the newer field of marine biotechnology was recently established.

Florida Sea Grant will actively support marine biotechnology research and education where it falls within the scope of our 2009-2013 Strategic Plan. We will support cutting-edge biotechnology that can identify pollutants in the environment, develop molecular forensics to identify illegally harvested marine species, and rapid molecular tests for seafood safety.