Family Dip Netting
At the water’s edge, Sarasota Bay has a way of turning science into play.
By Edit Sarasota Staff
At the water’s edge, Sarasota Bay has a way of turning science into play. A flicker beneath the surface, a tiny crab skittering through the seagrass, the sudden silver flash of a juvenile fish—each discovery offers a closer look at the living shoreline that shapes so much of life in Sarasota.
Family Dip Netting invites participants to step into that world, using simple dip nets to explore the nearshore seagrass beds around City Island. Led by Mote Marine Laboratory, the program is designed for all ages, making it an accessible introduction to the Bay’s intricate ecosystem. Children can wade into hands-on discovery, while adults may find themselves reacquainted with the pleasures of looking closely: lifting a net, examining its contents, and returning each small creature to the water.
That kind of direct encounter matters in a coastal community. Sarasota Bay is not merely a scenic backdrop for walks, boat rides, and sunsets; it is a working habitat that supports fish, wildlife, and the broader health of the region. Seagrass beds provide shelter and nursery grounds for marine life, help clarify the water, and form one of the essential links in the Bay’s ecological chain. Learning to recognize what lives there can deepen the sense of stewardship that begins with familiarity.
Mote’s setting adds another layer to the experience. For decades, the marine laboratory has connected research with public education, translating its work on ocean and coastal environments into programs that welcome the community behind the scenes—and, in this case, right into the shallows. Family Dip Netting is a fitting expression of that mission: part outdoor adventure, part field lesson, and part reminder that some of the Bay’s most compelling stories unfold just below the surface.
Family Dip Netting takes place Saturday, November 14, 2026, at Mote Marine Laboratory, 1600 Ken Thompson Parkway on City Island. The fee is $18 per person for Mote members and $20 per person for nonmembers. All participants, adults and children alike, must register.