Beating Out The Weather

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Friday, November 18th 2011

A shoal of fish hanging around the boat during our swim break. Click to enlarge.

Based on the weather report from the night before, a sunny, calm day out on the water did seem to be in the cards. Members of Prana Yoga studio, along with some students from Dr. Hammerschlag’s marine conservation and ecology class, joined us on the boat today. Captain Curt decided to take us out to deeper water where we would hopefully find some hungry sharks. The first set of baits went in the water with plenty of time to spare. This means we had enough time for a swim break! The water was full of zooplankton and fish, which is a good sign for us because if there are fish, the sharks shouldn’t be far behind!

Soon after our little swim break, we started pulling lines in (with a lot of help from our guests) but, unfortunately, the first 10 hooks came up empty. With spirits still high, and the weather still sunny, we persevered and, finally, we had a bite! Our delicious mackerel bait managed to attract a beautiful 7ft male bull shark. The guests assisted our interns with quickly taking all of the necessary samples: a muscle biopsy, fin clip, length measurements, and blood. We also attached a satellite tag to the shark’s dorsal fin, which tells us the location of the shark whenever its dorsal fin breaks the surface of the water. The shark, which was named Prana, was released in great condition, ready to show off his shiny satellite tag to all of his sharky friends.

Masters student, Fiona Graham, and PhD student, Austin Gallagher, securing Prana. Click to enlarge.

Unfortunately, Prana was the only shark we caught today. Although we were only able to tag one shark, the weather held up nicely and we did get to go swimming (always a plus). Thus, overall it was a bit of the slow day, but at least we were able to add Prana to the RJD family. It’s interesting how even though there is high productivity in this area (with visible zooplankton and fish around), the sharks still appear to be missing… Food for thought. Speaking of food, hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving. Keep the shark vibes strong!

Be sure to follow Prana and our other finned friends, over 70 satellite tagged sharks now! Woot woot!!

Until next time,
Josh Levy, RJD Intern

 

Prana sporting his new satellite tag. Click to enlarge.

No Sharks, No Service

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Saturday, November 12th 2011

Ladies ruled the water today, as a female dominated group from St. Thomas Aquinas High School accompanied the RJ Dunlap team for some good old fashioned sharking. In addition to the lovely ladies (and Blake), we had the pleasure of adding Dr. Norse to our all star cast. The morning went surprisingly smooth with everyone showing up on time and having the boat prepped and loaded as if it were second nature. As we set off, through surprisingly “calm” seas (or at least calmer than anticipated), we knew today was going to be a good day.

Virginia and David pressure St. Thomas Aquinas High School student, Blake, into kissing the bait in hopes of catching a big shark. Click to enlarge.

When we arrived at our site, the first four drum lines were unraveled and ready to hook some sharks. Again, everyone worked like a well-oiled machine, and ten drum lines later the wait began. As lunchtime came to a close, PhD student David Shiffman and MS student Julia Lampe gave a brief rundown of what to expect if/when we caught a shark. Unfortunately, their spiel was given in vein as we caught a total of ZERO sharks. Nonetheless we took the opportunity to discuss declining shark populations and how apparent this is in Florida’s waters.

A few ladies go for a quick dip after an unsuccessful day of sharking. Click to enlarge.

Although we didn’t catch any sharks, our day on the water ended in high spirits with a little snorkeling. Overall it was a fun filled day comprised of both education and water activities.

Keep your fins crossed for more fruitful trips in the future!
Chow,
Stacy Assael, RJD Intern

11/11/11: Best day in a thousand years!

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Friday, November 11th 2011

Today marked a special day in this millennium, 11/11/11! Conditions were questionable before going out, with high winds and possible rain. Although the outlook was bleak at the start of the day we managed to land two gorgeous sharks, a blacknose and a blacktip. By about 10:00 am, ten drums lines were in the water and everyone rejoiced.

As 11:11 neared the anticipation drew the air thick. An executive decision was made to pull the first line in at 11:11 so everyone could make his or her wishes (hopefully for many sharks). Unfortunately, the first line came up without a shark. As the day drew on lines started coming up baitless, always a good sign; at least we knew something was out there. Eventually a student from St. Thomas Aquinas pulled up the first shark. The adrenaline and mood on the boat heightened immediately. The first shark was our beautiful female blacknose.

RJD intern, Evan Byrnes, holds up a blacknose for St. Thomas Aquinas students to pose with before the release. Click to enlarge.

Once the shark was worked up and released in great condition spirits were renewed and everyone was kissing baits to keep our luck going. Within the next ten lines our second shark, a blacktip, was pulled up. As the black tipped beauty came closer to the boat her racing stripes could be seen, iridescent stripping along her sides. She was measured, tagged, and sampled, and swam away in wonderful condition immediately back towards the bottom.

The rest of the day provided no more sharks, but two sharks is always a nice treat. We were glad to share our experience and shark love with the St. Thomas Aquinas students and hope they learned a lot from the trip.

Shark on!
Evan Byrnes, RJD Intern

Students Share Their Experience With RJD

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Thursday, November 10th 2011

“Stand back!” Fiona said. After many let downs, one of our lines finally shared a shark. Our hearts were racing for, what we didn’t know at the time was to be, our only catch of the day. We watched the water, waiting for a glimpse of a fin or tail. Finally, the shark came to the surface. She was a sight to take in.

A majestic great hammerhead. Click to enlarge.

A 7ft long great hammerhead shark is rare to be able to catch and an even rarer sight for our virgin eyes.  These animals are not as hearty as other species so we were to be extra quick with our designated tasks and keep it in the water for the sampling process.

Students help sample a 7ft hammerhead shark. Click to enlarge.

Everyone had a job. Erin took a sample of from her fin. Matt tagged the shark. Megan measured the shark. Katie took a muscle tissue sample. Azia took pictures and Mandy took a video of the whole thing. We had to be efficient and smart about our movements. One wrong step and we could be in someone’s way, or the shark could get hurt, or hurt someone. Everyone knew what he or she had to do and they moved like they’d done it a thousand times before.

It was very comforting to know that the samples we were taking from the shark wouldn’t hurt her. The RJD team uses surgical grade instruments and cleans them between sharks. They’ve also caught the same shark within weeks of the first time and seen little if any scars from the first samples. It was an extremely exciting experience and the time until we watched the hammerhead swim away went by in the blink of an eye. Everyone stopped what he or she were doing and watched in happiness and content the shark swim away. We got a first-hand experience with one of the most powerful fish in the ocean. Beautiful.

After that, time slowed back down. We continued baiting with chunks of fish and chatted. Even during the down time, we had fun baiting hooks and wrapping rope. The crew was fun and the day was beautiful. We kissed the smelly bait for good luck and laughed at the taste.  Stories were exchanged and laughs were heard all around the boat.

Student from Island Christian School ready to deploy the next drumline. Click to enlarge.

Bait kisses! To ensure good luck, of course… Click to enlarge.

When we pulled in our last line, there was a serene air. We may not have gotten a lot of sharks, but we did get one big, rare shark. On our way back to the dock, we went snorkeling at a nearby reef. We petted jellyfish and watched as a nurse shark swim by alongside us. Some students soaked in the sun and others talked to the crew about other sharks they’ve seen. Once the boat reached the dock, everyone got off with a smile on their face, each person thinking about their own highlight of the trip. All in all, a very exciting, fun, relaxing, and interesting day.

Students from Island Christian School. Click to enlarge.

Island Christian School

Honors Marine Science, 2011-2012

Heavy Hearts and Empty Lines

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Friday, November 4th 2011

Today marks another uneventful day out on the water for the program. However, the important thing to remember here is that no data is still data, as we reminded each other after a long day of pulling in empty (very heavy) lines. We set out to UM’s field research station on Broad Key from Biscayne National Park’s Visitor Center in Homestead. Once we prepared all our gear and checked the charts for a good spot, we gathered our crew and our guests from the island and set out beyond the channels of the keys. We decided on an area of deep water along the edge of a reef where a wreck was marked, and deployed our drumlines with high hopes of a great day ahead.

Dr. Neil Hammerschlag shows entrepreneur Harry Yeh how to set a drumline. Click to enlarge.

Unfortunately, 30 drumlines later not a single shark had been added to our data sheets. While these are not the most exciting days, they are painful reminders of the brutal reality of the status of shark populations these days, and that data is still significant. It is one thing to read about how, worldwide, shark populations are declining at a dramatic rate, but to experience this reality first hand through year after year of increasingly smaller catch rates is alarming to say the least. We must all count ourselves lucky to be part of this program and keep striving to do all that we can to protect these animals, whether through research, education, public outreach or any way we can think of, always remembering that everyone can make a difference.

Let’s keep our fins up!
Fiona Grahman, RJD Intern

Chief Executives, Extra Chum, and Newfound Shark Wranglers: Who Could Ask For More?

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Thursday, November 3rd 2011

Today was a special day for the RJ Dunlap Program as we ventured out on the waters off of Key Largo with a group from the Young Presidents’ Organization (YPO), rather than our more traditional group of high school students.  YPO is a worldwide group of young chief executives that aims to create “better leaders through education and idea exchange,” and they like to have some adventurous fun while doing it.

Among the group was the conservation-minded (and newly deemed shark wrangler extraordinaire) Leonard Abess, co-founder of the Abess Center for Ecosystem Science and Policy at the University of Miami.  Dr. Kenny Broad, director of the Abess Center, was also aboard.  With all the muscle and brainpower aboard we were extra hopeful for a successful day of sharking to put it to use!

Dr. Neil Hammerschlag shows Leonard Abess and Dr. Kenny Broad of the Abess Center for Ecosystem Science and Policy a SPOT satellite tag. Click to enlarge.

Although the sharking team on board was strong and ready for a good day of sampling, some of the stomachs were a bit weak.  The seas were a little rougher than we prefer and because of it there was some extra “chum” added to the water (if ya know what I mean…).  Regardless, our YPO visitors were troopers about it and didn’t let it stop them from helping us deploy the drumlines and even partake in our superstitious rituals like kissing the bait.

Sometimes the seas get the best of us. Click to enlarge.

Tossing the buoys. Click to enlarge.

It’s your fault if we don’t catch anything and you didn’t kiss the bait. Even Mr. Abess knows that… Click to enlarge.

Even with all the sharky energy and extra chum in the water, the day started out slow, pulling in line after line without a shark on the other end.  The boat continued to rock on the rough seas.  So much so that we decided to put those who were not feeling well out of their misery.  No, we didn’t throw them overboard.  We called in another boat to take them back to the stability of land.  Unfortunately that seemed to do the trick!  Shortly thereafter we pulled in a gorgeous, and quite feisty, two-meter Caribbean reef shark (my very first one). With the help of Leonard Abess stepping in as shark wrangler to secure her, we quickly collected all necessary samples and she was released in excellent condition.

Beautiful 6 ft. Caribbean reef shark being brought to the boat. Click to enlarge.

Newfound shark wrangler Leonard Abess and a Caribbean reef shark. Click to enlarge.

However, Leonard did not prove to be so lucky as the shark left him with his very first “shark burn” – the best souvenir anyone can take home from a day on the water, in my opinion. Rubbing your skin against the skin of a shark, covered by modified teeth called dermal denticles, has a similar effect to rubbing your skin against sandpaper. However, the former type of burn is way better to show off with.

After several more empty lines, we pulled in another two-meter shark, this time a nurse that we worked up while keeping it in the water.  Dr. Kenny Broad and Mr. Abess were quick to get in the water with the animal in order to collect the necessary data.  Again, after data collection, the shark swam off in excellent condition this time with an audience watching right from the surface.

Even though we only sampled two sharks, with the global decline of shark populations, any shark we sample makes for a very successful day.  So sorry part of the YPO group had to miss out on an experience with these amazing animals.  But don’t you worry, you can all virtually check out the experience in this video.

Until next time,
Rachael Kraemer, RJD Intern

High School Student Shares Her Experience With RJD

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About a month ago we heard from Evan Byrnes, RJD shark research intern, in his blog “Sharks, S’mores and Sleepovers.” In his blog he detailed the events of a two-day stay at the University of Miami’s Broad Key field station with students from Our Lady of Lourdes High School. Now, with the help of OLLA’s teacher, Ms. Christine Taylor, I have received an account of the trip’s events from the lovely Amanda Fernandez, a student who partook in that same trip (thanks Amanda!). Check out first hand the experience our program provides for young adults and realize that we are far more than just a research group (if you haven’t already!).My very best,
Virginia Ansaldi, RJD InternAmanda writes,The first question posed to Ms. Taylor, our brilliant science teacher, bright and early that October morning was “What is the meaning of life?” Ms. Taylor responded, “Love, happiness, and sustainability,” and I believe we accomplished all three of those components during our stay at Broad Key with the RJ Dunlap team.

Day 1: Sharking.
After arriving to Broad Key and setting our bags down inside the house we would be staying in, my group set out on the boat determined to catch some sharks! The first 10 drumlines were discouraging, as we did not catch any. Nevertheless, we lifted our spirits through shark cheers and singing. Soon enough, the sixth line of the second round of drumlines provided us with a large female nurse shark!

Interns secure a nurse shark for data collection. Photo courtsey Amanda Fernandez. Click to enlarge.

Once she was secured aboard, an air equivalent to that of an operating room engulfed the boat. Everyone had a duty, which was to be done as quickly and safely as possible. I was given the opportunity to tag my first shark and it was an irreplaceable experience. After the adrenaline rush from the first shark, we were luckily given two more opportunities with a baby nurse shark, and a fierce lemon!

Bringing the lemon to the boat. Photo courtsey Amanda Fernandez. Click to enlarge.

We returned to the island excited to exchange stories with the rest of our OLLA family! Dinner was a success thanks to Ms. Taylor’s amazing buffalo burgers and some s’mores for dessert. During our downtime, we played pool, caught the sunset, and even watched the Little Mermaid, with educational commentary of course, and then we hit the hay.

Day 2: Mangroves.
After a healthy breakfast, it was my group’s turn to explore the mangroves lining Broad Key’s front yard.  Ms. Taylor pointed out visible differences between an undisturbed and a disturbed environment. She explained how disturbances are occurring in areas that are drastically affecting biodiversity, such is the case of  mangroves, which serve not only as a habitat, but as a nursery for many species. After learning about salt excretion methods of mangroves, which allow these trees to survive in coastal conditions, we even got to taste the trees’ salty snack by licking the back of black mangrove leaves!
After our terrestrial fieldwork, it was time to hit the water. It was a cold and windy day, but we persisted through with fins, life vests, and our snorkel buddies. The water was murky, and at first showed few signs of sea life. We were able to see some partially dead coral, which again exemplifies the effects of harmful human actitivies.

As we squeezed through mangroves to take fish counts, we started to see a wide array of sea life: gray snappers, barracudas, and even jellyfish! Although there were times when my teeth were chattering from the cold winds, it was one of the most adventurous excursions I have ever experienced, and if I had to do it over I would do it just the same.

After getting dry and changing into warm clothes it was time for us to load up the boat for our trip home. Leaving the island was upsetting, because we would have to face the reality of our busy lives. At Broad Key, we were given the opportunity to truly appreciate nature and value its tranquility. I know I speak for the entire OLLA family when I say this: Broad Key was not only a place to enhance our learning, but we were given the opportunity to be “one with nature,” and I believe it has made all of us more determined to live more sustainably and spread our knowledge.

I would like to thank the RJ Dunlap team for all their help and patience with all of us. We learned a lot, and are truly grateful to have been given the opportunity to work with such professional and intelligent people.

Hope to see you all soon!

Amanda Fernandez, Senior at OLLA (AP Environmental Science)

Back in the Game

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Sunday, October 23rd 2011

Today RJ Dunlap teamed up with Palmer Trinity for a day of shark tagging.  Everyone aboard the Coral Princess IV already knew it was going to be a good day- and today we were headed out to a new site.  This was particularly exciting considering the past few weeks of nasty, uncooperative weather and the fact that since the end of summer, there had been a paucity of sharks.

We steamed towards the new site, a massive artificial reef and very popular diving spot in Florida.  It is home to large amounts of fish- a great spot to find a hungry shark.  The team dropped 10 drumlines into the waters surrounding the spot- not on top of it, mind you we didn’t want to damage the reef or disturb the several dive boats close by.

Intern Leann Winn discusses the day’s activities with her students. Leann is a veteran RJD intern, but also a teacher at Palmer Trinity. Click to enlarge.

It was a quick lunch break and then we made our first round.  We managed to pull up a large female nurse shark! She was a beautiful bronze color.  The team worked quickly to secure her and tag her with the help of our Palmer Trinitians.  The 3 aboard were particularly experienced, having been on shark trips for several years, and thus worked quickly.  She swam off sporting new tags and to hide somewhere in the reef.

Palmer Trinity students pose for a quick shot after helping the RJD team measure and tag the nurse shark. Click to enlarge.

We caught one more nurse shark and then a surprise came!  A goliath grouper decided to take our bait! It was really neat to see such a beautiful fish, also a large marine predator undoubtedly hunting on the reef.  The goliath was quickly dehooked and vented, and with the help of intern Evan Byrnes, he swam off towards the depths in great shape.

Two awesome marine predators decided to play ball, would anyone else step up to the plate? A swing and a HAMMERHEAD! Score!   A beautiful 9-foot female appeared, her characteristic tall dorsal pierced the surface and everyone was excited.  Finally, we were back in the game.  The team worked quickly to secure her and tag her.  She was outfitted with a satellite tag and released.  She swam off perfectly, with her tag in tow.

The hammerhead was quickly secured and tagged. Here is a perfect shot of the safe placement of the circle hook. Click to enlarge.

The next drumline brought about another exciting shark, a bull shark! It was a young male who was full of energy!  We brought him aboard and secured him.  He was also satellite tagged and returned to the water successfully.

Intern Evan Byrnes secures the bull shark while Capt. Curt and Austin work to secure the satellite tag on his dorsal. Click to enlarge.

Wow! Two satellite tags in one day, we were definitely back in the game. I myself can’t wait to see where these two sharks go.  Do they call this artificial reef site their home? I guess only time will tell! Follow them at: https://sharkresearch.rsmas.miami.edu/learning-tools/.

RJD’s satellite tagged bull shark swims away perfectly, leaving only a trail of bubbles. Click to enlarge.

Stay Sharky Florida,

Laura E. Rock, RJD Intern

 

 

Strikeout #3

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Saturday, October 22nd

It was my first day back on the water this semester and I could not wait to get back out for some serious shark action. We had a group of Pew fellows out with us for a day at Broad Key.

Beautiful aerial shot of the University of Miami’s field research station at Broad Key. Click to enlarge.

Before the fellows arrived, the team set out drumlines and some extra chum crates in the Broad Key channel, hoping to increase our sample size for the day. An hour later we picked the group up from the dock at the field station and went to pick up the drumlines. Unfortunately three rounds of ten drumlines went by without a single shark, although there must have been something out there because some of the lines were missing baits.

Although it was not the best day for shark action, the Pew fellows were able to learn about our outreach and research and everyone enjoyed a beautiful day in the Keys. It might have been the cold weather that kept the sharks away, or maybe not. We don’t know, but a day like today is just another reminder that every time we catch and tag a shark, it’s a very lucky moment. Every day I am thankful that we still see these beautiful animals, even if it doesn’t happen every trip. If it weren’t for groups like RJ Dunlap and Pew, these animals would be disappearing much faster than they already are.

Sharky love,

Kyra Hartog, RJD Intern

Ben and His Entourage

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Thursday, October 20th 2011

Greetings friends, family, fans, and extended network of the RJD shark team!  Today was a day of cameras, more cameras, bloody bait, patience, and oh yeah, a totally awesome bull shark.

Along with a very skilled and decorated group of journalists, the shark team took to the beautiful blue waters of South Florida yet again in search of our beloved fish.  The morning preparation went off without a hitch as both the shark team and guests arrived on time and preparations were made to get out on the water.  After the last ‘i’ was dotted and final ‘t’ was crossed, the boat got under way in search of the our finned friends.

Everything was being done in typical textbook form with enthusiasm, hopes, and excitement buzzing in the salty air.  Despite our best efforts and expectations to bring the prized fish on board, the sharks had other plans.  While the team was teaching the whole time about sharks and conservation, the sharks were giving us a lesson of their own – called patience.  Fading excitement was continuously relit by stories of past trips and of course shark dances to call them to the boat.

We had all but lost hope as Rachael was pulling in the 30th line when she called out that the hook timer read 5 minutes and the line was taut.  Suddenly the boat was hit by a shock wave of renewed exhilaration and everyone on board began preparing to carry out his or her designated responsibility.

As if everyone on board had done this for years, the shark was worked on by a very deliberate and precise group of journalists that could have easily passed for researchers.  Overall, the catch of the adolescent 6.5ft male bull shark was a huge success and the data gathered is invaluable – including that which we’ll get from the satellite tag he now sports. The 5 remaining drumlines proved to be anticlimactic with only bait remaining on the hooks, but the experience of one shark for the group was well worth a day on the water.

Group shot at the end of a long, but very worthwhile day on the water. Click to enlarge.

Also, visit our Vimeo page (http://vimeo.com/31096818) to see the beautiful video our lovely Multimedia Specialist, Christine Shepard, put together for the Society of Environmental Journalists’ members that joined us out on the water today.

As a veteran member of the shark team, it is hard to overlook the catching percentage.  Worldwide data shows that shark populations are plummeting and days like today are a real eye-opener to that finding.  Shark fishing and shark finning are serious threats to these animals, and because even today they still have minimal restrictions, monitoring and enforcement, we are literally watching the numbers decline before our eyes.  We caught one shark today and attached a satellite tag to it, but I speak for the entire shark team when I say that we are working tirelessly to increase that number. You can track Ben, and all 70+ sharks we’ve satellite tagged, at https://sharkresearch.rsmas.miami.edu/learning-tools/.

Best,

Robbie Christian, RJD Shark Intern