The Smithsonian Marine Station at Fort Pierce, located on South Hutchinson Island in Fort Pierce, Florida, has had an ongoing program in the marine sciencessince the early 1970s. Funded by a private trust from J. Seward Johnson, Sr., to theSmithsonian, the marine program has supported the research of Smithsonian scientistsand their associates, postdoctoral fellows, resident scientists, and the operations of thestation, including a small support staff. The station is administered by the National Museum of Natural History as a facility for research dedicated to the marine sciences. TheSmithsonian Marine Station at Fort Pierce has developed a strong, broadly based research program focusing on ecology, evolution, systematics, and life histories of marineorganisms. Ongoing studies address important issues in biodiversity, including globalclimate change, invasive species, harmful algal blooms, larval ecology, and evolutionarydevelopmental biology.