A Deep Dive Into Eco Tours!

Have you joined us on our eco-vessel yet? We started offering eco tours in 2021 and every trip aboard the Discovery includes wildlife watching and an opportunity to participate in real scientific research. If you’d like to know more, you’ve come to the right place. We interviewed Savannah Gandee, our Eco-Vessel Coordinator, to find out what it’s like to create, lead, and experience programs on the water.

Savannah Gandee, our Lead Environmental Educator pictured above.

What does an eco tour consist of and who leads it?

All of our programs emphasize the importance of conservation to the bay. The most frequent trip offered is our classic Eco Tour of Tampa Bay, which focuses on the estuary and the wildlife that call it home. I think the most exciting part of this tour is the interactive net pull we use to sample for fishes and invertebrates. The use of this net pull is authorized under a permit through Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, and can be used scientifically to understand the bay's populations, animals’ habitat use, and changes over time. Each eco tour also includes a boat-based visit to a bird sanctuary island, where guests can see the variety of feathered friends that live nearby.

We also offer more specialized eco tours, such as Discover Dolphins. Dolphin tours are extremely common in the area, so we designed this tour to set us apart. We teach guests about dolphin biology, provide interactive activities, and conduct opportunistic dorsal identification studies during the tour. Dorsal identification is the process of using the unique markings on a dolphin's dorsal fin to tell individuals apart in a wild population. This and associated behavioral data can be used to better manage populations around the world.

Other specialized tours we offer focus on topics such as birds, fishes, adaptations, habitats, and invertebrates. All tours are led by Eco-Vessel Educators, who have degrees in marine science and extensive experience in the field.

What's your favorite eco tour?

My favorite tour is the classic Eco Tour of Tampa Bay. The variety and number of animals we sample in each net pull is always different. I get excited to find out what species we will find each day. I also value the research aspect of the net pull. Although simple in nature, the data collected through time can be used for various projects. For example, I am personally interested in evaluating the impact of last year's red tide event by looking at recovery periods for certain species. For guests, getting to see these animals up-close is also extremely valuable. Hands-on learning is one of the best ways to inspire better environmental stewardship and emphasize the importance of conservation in systems such as Tampa Bay.

Who comes up with the boat-based program ideas?

All of our programming is created by the Eco-Vessel Educators, in partnership with the Discovery Center Education Team. Individual Educators may develop programming on their own, but most often we work as a team. I personally prefer working with the team as we all can provide input especially since it’s programming we will all be teaching.

What’s the most interesting animal you’ve seen during a net pull?

We get this question a lot! We sampled a cornetfish three times. The first time we collected one, I spent over an hour trying to identify it. They look like a large pipefish and are more commonly found in coral reef environments. All of the cornetfish we've collected have been juveniles, so likely they were using the estuary as a nursery ground, similar to how it is used by most fishes.

Cornetfishes are long elongated fishes that live mostly in tropical and temperate nearshore marine waters in the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian oceans. They are often found near soft ocean bottoms such as coral reefs, seagrasses, and flat sand beds.

What else happens on the eco vessel?

We use the Discovery for many other activities! Bi-monthly, we conduct NOAA permitted dorsal identification studies throughout middle and upper Tampa Bay. These surveys run through designated routes, and the data is reported to NOAA to better manage the bottlenose dolphin population in Tampa Bay. We also use the Discovery for field trips, charters, and Discovery Center summer camps.

Are there any new programs to look forward to?

In October, we will be offering a Halloween-themed tour; Haunted Tales of Tampa Bay. These trips will take place during our sunset tours for the last two weekends in October. They're a family-friendly way to learn about spooky sea creatures found in the bay and hear haunted tales of St. Petersburg. Stay tuned for ticket registration!

Have a good time for a good cause: All eco tour proceeds support Tampa Bay Watch's mission to foster a healthy Tampa Bay watershed through community-driven restoration projects, education programs, and outreach initiatives. Visit our eco tour page to learn more and purchase tickets!