CUFER researchers work on the population dynamics, ecology and fishing fleet dynamics in the shelf and reef ecosystems under the management of the Gulf of Mexico and the South Atlantic Fishery Councils, specially along the Florida coast and its islands.

Active research projects are:

• Defining essential fish habitat for selected species such as Black Grouper a project lead by Veronique Koch
• Understanding fleet dynamics of the reef fish fleets in the Florida Shelf a project lead by Steven Saul