14 things our lab accomplished in 2014

1) We published “Evolved for extinction: the cost and conservation implications of specialization in hammerhead sharks,” a review of hammerhead biology and conservation that was featured on the cover of BioScience! Read it here:  2) We led 65 shark research trips, including two trips to our Tiger Beach research site in the Bahamas! 3) We published […]

Fishermen Views on Marine Protected Areas

By Alice Schreiber, RJD Intern As fish stocks continue to decline, Marine Protected Areas are becoming increasingly popular methods of conserving marine habitats and preserving species. The success of these areas depends upon the existing legal framework, acceptance by the community, and an effective management system [1]. Being aware of how fishermen socially perceive MPAs […]

Commercial Shrimp Trawling: the profit does not out weigh the damaging effects on rest of the ecosystem

By Laurel Zaima, RJD Intern ABSTRACT Commercial shrimp fisheries’ main objective is to maximize their target catch in order to make the most profit. Commercial shrimp fisheries satisfy this goal by the utilization of trawl nets. Trawling is a very destructive form of fishing, and unfortunately, does not take into consideration ecological consequences. Trawling, by […]

71 Questions: A Guide for Marine Conservation

By James Keegan, RJD Intern The ocean remains an immense resource for humanity, providing food, economic activity, and cultural roots for many. Although these resources are valuable, it is difficult to effectively protect them because our knowledge of marine ecosystems is lacking. To correct this insufficient understanding of the marine environment, Parsons et al. 2014 […]

Shark Tagging with MAST

By Daniela Ferraro, RJD Intern On Saturday, December 6th, RJD embarked on a shark-tagging trip with a wonderful group of students from MAST Academy. Right before finals, this trip couldn’t have come any sooner. I woke up early to absolutely beautiful weather and knew the day was going to be a great one. I grabbed […]

Shark Tagging with Gulliver Prep

By Alison Enchelmaier, RJD Intern This trip couldn’t have come sooner. I’d been in my office for far too long and a tagging trip was long over due. Before the sun began to rise Sam and I piled into the car and headed to West Palm Beach. We met the rest of the team at […]