Saturday, February 26th 2011

It was Saturday morning, the sun was shining and the weather was warm. No school was assigned to go out with RJD today so it was a good time for us interns to collect data, discuss the track of the research up to date, and do a little bonding.

 

The destination for the day’s trip was Hawk’s Channel. We deployed the first set of drumlines in record timing, for the interns putting out the lines is second nature. Being that we thus all had a little time to spare, we decided to go for a relaxing swim in the clear turquoise Florida water. It was a fun and relaxing time in the water despite the Portuguese Man o’ Wars, but even they could not stop us from enjoying a nice swim.

After we all had a chance to get in the water and have a little fun, we were off to pick up the first set of drumlines. The first shark to be caught was a nurse shark and subsequently thereafter we caught a great hammerhead shark. It was an amazing catch for the interns and the program. We secured the 8 foot shark along the back of the boat where we attached a satellite tag, gathered measurements, and collected a fin clip.

After retrieving the remainder of drumlines, we rebaited and reset a second set.  During the wait and regardless of the Man o’ Wars, we could not resist the beautiful weather conditions, so we went for another swim, something we don’t usually get to do given our time constraints and the liability involved when we have students onboard. It was nice to be able to get in the water and especially lucky to be able to do it twice.

When we picked up the second set of drumlines we found that we had caught three more nurse sharks. We released the nurses without bringing them aboard, as we regularly try to due some because they have proven somewhat troublesome to deal with. After we collected the second set of drumlines we put out a third round, but came out empty handed. In total for the day we had caught 4 nurse sharks and 1 great hammerhead. In the interns’ opinions, including my own, the day was a great success. Relaxing, exciting, and also a great bonding experience.

Best,

James Komisarjevsky, RJD Intern

 

 

 

 

 

Our Bahamas expedition was a great success—truly an experience that reaffirms why we do what we do as researchers.  The 5-day trip was a productive research trip, but also a really powerful and moving experience, thus I have named this entry after the Foo Fighters’ “My Hero.”

Off the west end of Freeport, Grand Bahama Island, we teamed up with Jim Abernethy’s Scuba Adventures for a tagging and ecotourism expedition to the famed Tiger Beach and its surrounding reefs.

The main goal of the expedition was to place as many satellite tags as possible on tiger, bull and hammerhead sharks. For the first two days, we set our drumlines and began catching various species. After the first day, we had put out 11 satellite tags, on sharks that ranged from 9-12 feet. We also satellite tagged a 13.5 ft female tiger shark, which was the largest of the species we have ever tagged! After seeing an animal that size up close, it brings a new meaning to the phrase “super predator.”

All of the tiger sharks tagged were female, and all were released quickly, swimming off in great condition. We also put out a satellite tag on each a bull and a great hammerhead. The next day, more tags were deployed, bringing our total to 16 satellite tags deployed in just two days! We are so anxious to see where these animals go—but more importantly, to figure out how it relates to their biological life history (ie. Do they follow patterns? Do they have specific breeding grounds? If so, do they congregate?, etc.). In the end, we hope the data will reveal important findings needed to effectively manage important shark areas such as the Bahamas.

I am also incredibly excited to report that both Dr. Hammerschlag and myself got the worst shark burn of our lives. It was more like 3^rd degree shark burn. (For those of you that don’t know, shark burn occurs when you rub against a shark’s dermal denticles, essentially affecting the skin like rubbing it against sandpaper would.) It’s all worth it, though! Skin grows back eventually, and in RJD we wear shark burn with pride as a showing of our gratefulness for getting to work with these amazing animals.

The group of photographers and shark enthusiasts on board were extremely helpful and excited to participate in our research. After exhausting our supply of satellite tags, the next logistical thing to do was to go diving with the sharks.

It’s one thing to tag and release large sharks, but it is also important to spend time with the animals in their natural habitat. We were lucky to do just that—Jim Abernethy’s local knowledge and experience diving with large sharks was a key asset to the expedition. Our first day of diving had us at about 30 feet on a reef with 50-60 Caribbean reef sharks—we also spent time with 2 tigers and 1 bull on this dive. The rest of our dives were at Tiger Beach—a large sandy flat of 15 feet, which provides unbelievable viewing and photo opportunities for lemon and tiger sharks.

After a few more relaxed dives at Tiger Beach, we dropped in for our final dive on the sandy flat. Our group was greeted by 12 tiger sharks, all of which were around 10-12 feet long. On these dives, communication is key among dive buddies. It was truly surreal to spend time with the animals you study up close. Besides being stunning to observe, the tigers are amazing because they seem to “know” they are tigers…they swim with a sense of authority and grace you would expect from an apex predator. When you make eye contact with them (which is really important), its like you can actually see them thinking, calculating, and planning their next move. Shark ecotourism is an incredibly important driver of shark conservation, and I cannot stress how important spending time in the water with sharks really is. It was the perfect ending to the trip.

Coming up the dive ladder for the last time, I knew we had connected to the sharks of the Bahamas in many ways. We will be watching and monitoring them as they live their lives—lives filled with many risks and threats. While we are indeed hoping to bring forward new data for their protection, it is the sharks that are the heroes to us.

“There goes my hero, watch her as she goes…”

CLICK HERE TO WATCH A SHORT VIDEO ABOUT OUR BAHAMAS SHARK RESEARCH EXPEDITION

-Austin Gallagher, RJD Shark Research Assistant

Saturday, January 29^th 2011

Like most days we stepped into the chill of an early South Florida morning. Little did we know our trip with South Broward High School was going to be very eventful… The day started out like any other RJD trip. Everybody went to work extending lines, baiting hooks, and going about the routine. But, the day was soon to be far from usual.

The RJD program welcomed Jillian Morris, Executive Director and Camerawoman for OceanicAllstars. OceanicAllstars produces conservation themed media in an effort to educate the public about the plight of sharks and our oceans. Jillian spent the day photographing the sharks and interns at work, capturing countless exciting moments from the trip.

The first shark was a Great Hammerhead, a true indication of the future success of the day. The shark was fit for satellite tagging and the procedure was carried out efficiently and safely from the stern of the boat. Three other Great Hammerheads were caught throughout the day. They all swam away with satellite tags, opening our eyes to their habits and paths through the ocean and giving us greater insight into their lives. Such data will help us to better understand how to manifest the conservation effort sharks need so desperately.

Five large nurse sharks were also caught during the trip. Although they are not the most desired of species by the interns and students because they are so difficult to work with, the data we collect from them provides a strong alternate end of the shark spectrum in contrast to species like the Great Hammerhead, which are far less resilient than nurses. There is much to appreciate about nurse sharks, even if they do not evoke the excitement felt when a silver shadow of a hammer rises from the depths.

Earlier in the morning I had expressed my desire to see a Tiger shark. It seemed as if I was the last of the interns to have never seen the characteristic spotted or striped pattern. After tagging the Hammerheads the day would have been exceptional without the surprise to follow. And then there she was. She was not yet fully striped, still showing the spotted pattern of her youth. The Tiger shark was brought on deck, using Captain Curt’s helpful sling, and quickly satellite tagged. She swam away safely, dipping below the slippery surface and out of sight.

The sharks became less frequent towards the end of the day, but we were once again elated when a Scalloped Hammerhead was cruising at the other end of one of the lines. Like its close relative the Great Hammerhead, the Scalloped Hammerhead is a delicate species, requiring an immediate and quick work up. The crew collected necessary data and quickly released the shark.

This trip was definitely memorable.  All of the satellite tags on board were deployed, making for a historical day. We are looking forward to the future transmissions of the sharks tagged today. They will greatly contribute to our understanding of the shark species in South Florida. With further research and the curiosity of young people, we will learn how to best protect the sharks that never cease to inspire our imaginations.

Cameron Rhodes, RJD intern

Sunday December 5^th 2010

On Sunday we had a film crew onboard shooting for a show for the History Channel that will air in February, so we were all hoping we would get something that we could satellite tag for the cameras, which we did, read on!! We also had some new things going on this trip, one of which was the new shark sling made by Captain Curt to make things run easier, smoother, and safer for both the sharks and the shark team. This weekend was the first time we used it, and while I heard it worked great on Saturday, it was wonderful on Sunday too. The first two sharks of the day were two massive nurse sharks, the first was probably the biggest nurse shark I have ever seen, and many other interns agreed. Normally we wouldn’t bring nurse sharks onto the boat, and we’d work them off the back instead because they have a tendency to roll and are very strong and difficult to work with. We brought these two onto the boat using the sling though, and everything worked so smoothly! The angle of the sling prevented them from rolling, rendering them very cooperative for our team, and we were able to measure, tag, and get sex quickly and efficiently.

Another new set up we had going on Sunday was the use of small Go Pro cameras rigged onto each line, recording video facing the bait. These cameras will allow us to see how any bait goes missing from the hook, for example, if a shark is able to take it and avoid being hooked, what type of shark it is and how it’s done. With these cameras on the line we are also able to watch how the sharks that we do pull in take the bait and get hooked. These videos can tell us a lot about the predatory feeding behavior of these sharks, whether they are timid about taking the bait, taking a few passes before finally slowly coming in to take it, or they come straight out of no where for the bait, with no hesitation. Nurse sharks, for example, are thought to utilize a sort of sucking motion when feeding, almost inhaling their food. These cameras will allow us to analyze these rarely seen feeding behaviors.

With the cameras on each rig, we put out fewer drum lines, and the day started slowly. We pulled in quite a few empty hooks, and began to speculate that maybe the sharks were taking the bait, but upon feeling the weight of the camera on the line, spitting it out. The use of these Go Pros on our lines is new, and with anything new there is always trial and error to work out the kinks. As the day went on, however, we pulled in those two massive nurse sharks, and spirits soared. The school kids we had on the boat were all very excited, and each was able to feel how strong the skin of a nurse shark is, and see the amazing animal first hand. It was explained to both them and the camera team that nurse sharks have the strongest skin of all sharks, which is why we aren’t able to take biopsies, which we usually do with other sharks. Dr. Hammerschlag also explained to them how to tell the sex of a shark, pointing out the mature claspers of the male nurse shark.

Our luck got even better, and the highlight of the day came when we pulled in a gorgeous 240 cm female great hammerhead! Neil quickly suited up and slipped into the water to take underwater pictures as we pulled her closer to the boat. Again, the sling worked beautifully and we were able to quickly get our data and fit her with a brand new fancy satellite tag of her very own. This allows us to track these sharks’ movements in real time, when the shark surfaces, the tag on its dorsal fin sends a signal to us with its location! If you have not done so already, you can check out our shark’s movements and track them yourself using this link: http://www.sharkresearch.rsmas.miami.edu/learning-tools/follow-sharks/

As we carefully released her, Dr. Neil was able to get an awesome shot just as she was spitting the ventilation pump out of her mouth. This pump is inserted into the shark’s mouth and forces water over the shark’s gills so that they are able to breathe. Most sharks are obligate ram ventilators, which means that they must keep moving in order to pass water over their gills to breathe, the pump does this for them while we work with them on the boat. Nurse sharks are an exception to this rule; they have spiracles, small visible openings behind their eyes that allow them to pull water over their gills.

The last catch of the day was a very small Atlantic sharp nose shark. Due to its small size, Dr. Neil was able to easily hold it up and show off its ampullae of lorenzini for the kids and the cameras. He explained that these tiny dots along a shark’s nose, head, and lateral line are its electro sensory organs, and showed them how it reacts when they are stimulated.

Overall it was a great day out on the water, as it always is! The idea is that every person we bring out with us is able to leave that day with a new appreciation of these amazing fish, and how important their conservation and the work we do with them really is. Sharks are faced with huge declines in their populations all over the world. We can only hope that every satellite tag we can put out, every person we can share this experience with and educate, and every day we can devote to research and the fight for their conservation, is another step toward public awareness, knowledge, and change.

Fiona Graham, RJD Intern

November 14, 2010

Like yesterday, we too had a first for RJD. Unfortunately, it was for all the wrong reasons. Let’s start at the beginning. We started off the day heading to the outer reef; the weather was beautiful; sunny, warm, and not much wind. Sounds nice right? However, there was a bit of a swell, which caused some of our interns and guests from Hebrew Academy to…add a little more chum to the water. Sadly, despite the extra ‘chum’ and later relocation from our outer reef spot to the inner reef, we caught ZERO sharks.

Not a single one (the first time in RJD history this has happened). The only thing we did catch was a large mutton snapper, which wasn’t exactly tag-worthy. The highlight of the day was our swim break after we re-baited our hooks for a final attempt at catching anything.

Although today was depressing for the crew and our guests, today’s results were a somber reminder that shark populations are steadily declining all over the world and that what we are doing with the RJD program is vital research that can really make a difference to these apex predators.

Wishing I had more to say,

Josh, RJD Intern