Marine Lens: Florida Keys

Meet the Team

Florida Reef watch is run by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission through the Fish and Wildlife Research Institute by the South Florida Regional Lab. Get to know the SFRL team below!

Kayla Merrill

Kayla is a research associate on the Spiny Lobster team and wet lab manager at FWC's Fish and Wildlife Reasearch Institue's South Florida Regional Lab (SFRL) in Marathon, FL. She helps facilitate research and care for animals being held in SFRL's wet lab. Kayla received her Bachelor of Marine Science at The University of West Florida and her Master of Professional Science at the University of Miami Rosenstiel School for Marine and Atmospheric Science. In her free time, Kayla teaches dance at the local community theater and likes to spend time at the beach.

Travis Lowke

Travis is a research biologist on the Fish team at FWC's South Florida Regional Lab (SFRL) in Marathon, FL. He received his Bachelor of Science from the University of Florida. Travis is an avid diver, fisherman and scuba instructor. During his free time, Travis guides, instructs and educates scuba divers on the Florida Keys' natural and artificial reefs.

Graysen Boehning

Graysen Boehning is the FWC's Statewide Participatory Science Coordinator. His role is to empower the public to get involved in conservation science whenever, wherever, and however they can. Whether that's the Zooniverse, iNaturalist, or community driven bioblitzes, he is excited to get people involved in the FWC's conservation mission throughout Florida. Graysen received his Bachelor of Science in zoology at Palm Beach Atlantic University and his Master of Science in marine biology at Nova Southeastern University, with a research focus on bottlenose dolphin behavior. In his free time, he loves diving, reading, and finding new local coffee shops.