By Patrick Goebel, RJD Intern The amount of derelict fishing gear lost by commercial and recreational fishing is astonishing. Derelict fishing gear includes nets, lines, crab/lobster and shrimp traps/pots, and other recreational or commercial harvest equipment that has been accidentally lost or intentionally discarded in the marine environment. In the report, A Rising Tide of Ocean […]
By Lindsay Jennings, RJD Intern Marine Protected Areas, or MPAs, are areas of the ocean which have a degree of restricted human use for the purpose of protecting its natural resources as well as its ecosystem. Over the past years, the number of MPAs has grown rapidly as conservation efforts push the need for these […]
By Amanda Wood, RJD Intern The Great Barrier Reef is undoubtedly one of the most famous coral reef systems in the world. The Marine Protected Area is an important source of revenue for Australia, especially in the Queensland region. In the year 2012 alone, the reef attracted over 1.5 million visitors from across the globe […]
By Jessica Wingar, RJD Intern Minke whales, Balaenoptera acutorostrata, may not be the largest baleen whale, but they are the most abundant. These whales are about thirty five feet long, 6500kg, and are black with a white stomach (Knox, G.A., 2007). This species of whale is said to be a cosmopolitan species, since they are […]
By Jacob Jerome, RJD Graduate Student and Intern There have been numerous studies that focus on the alterations that climate change can have on the marine environment and how those alterations affect corals. In the marine science field coral bleaching and the disappearance of coral reefs is widely discussed. One of the primary debates centers […]
Hannah Armstrong, RJD Intern The world’s diverse oceans are essentially interconnected, and, in turn, what effects one ecosystem can ripple around the globe. With countless threats impacting the oceans and its inhabitants, conservation has been a critical topic of debate among both scientists and citizens. Research efforts are growing to find the best and most […]
By: Hannah Calich, RJD Graduate Student and Intern Friday’s trip with AMI Kids was an intimate one with only six individuals from AMI, five RJD interns, and our awesome captain, Ramon. Once everyone got to the boat we did a round of introductions, went over gear deployment, and we were on our way! We decided […]
By Kyra Hartog, RJD Intern On Sunday, March 30th, RJD embarked on a shark-tagging trip with a group of Citizen Scientists from around Miami. Despite the less than desirable weather, the group was eager and excited to participate in a day of shark conservation research. We headed out from Crandon Park Marina to the waters […]
by Heather Alberro, RJD intern On the calm, grey, and breezy morning of Saturday, March 29th, the RJD team and I headed out for a day of shark tagging with the University of Miami’s Marine and Atmospheric Science Honor Society, Rho Rho Rho. We loaded the Diver’s Paradise with the necessary gear for the day […]
By Laurel Zaima, RJD Intern It was a dreary and blustery morning in Key Biscayne for our Saturday shark-tagging trip. The heavy clouds were rolling in and the wind started to pick up. We all hoped that this weather would soon pass because wind and rain is not ideal weather for shark tagging. Sharks attend […]