Mote Marine Laboratory is an independent not-for-profit marine research organization based on City Island in Sarasota, FL

Sarasota, Florida

Sarasota is a city located in Sarasota County on the southwestern coast of the U.S. state of Florida. It is south of the Tampa Bay Area and north of Fort Myers...

. The laboratory aims to advance the science of the sea, both through its marine and estuarine research labs and through the public Mote Aquarium and its affiliated educational programs.
Founded by Dr. Eugenie Clark

Eugenie Clark

Eugenie Clark , popularly known as The Shark Lady, is an American ichthyologist known for her research on poisonous fish of the tropical seas and on the behaviour of sharks.-Academic life:...

 in 1955 in Placida, Florida

Placida, Florida

Placida is an unincorporated community in Charlotte County, Florida, United States. It is located near where County Road 771 becomes County Road 775, and the Coral Creek meets Gasparilla Sound....

 (and originally known as Cape Haze Marine Laboratory until its 1967 renaming in honor of William R.