Patterns of serial exploitation of sea cucumbers in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park

By Jake Jerome, RJD Graduate Student and Intern There is no doubt that overfishing is a major threat to ocean ecosystems. When most people think of overfishing, they think of the over harvesting of fish species that many in the world rely on. However, there are species besides fish that face the threat of exploitation. […]

The Evolution of a Discard Policy in Europe

Hannah Armstrong, RJD Intern When discussing matters of conserving the ocean and the resources therein, overfishing has continued to be a significant problem.  To compensate, those in charge of fisheries management often implement catch quotas, or ban fishing overall, most often in protected areas.  In Europe, however, where public awareness of ocean conservation has increased, […]

The Zoo Debate: Educators or Entertainers?

Evidence for the Positive Contributions of Zoos and Aquariums to Aichi Biodiversity Target 1  By Emily Rose Nelson, RJD Intern  The UN Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020, adopted by the Convention on Biological Diversity in 2010, is a ten-year model aiming to protect biodiversity and the benefits it provides. The plan is essential in global […]

Shark Tagging with Gang Alternative

By Jake Jerome, RJD Graduate Student and Intern On Wednesday, July 16, the RJD crew set out to waters around Miami’s historic stiltsville just off Key Biscayne in hopes to tag and release sharks for our ongoing research. We were joined by kids from the Gang Alternative program and a few citizen scientists. Many had […]

Shark Tagging with Rutgers

By Laura Vander Meiden, RJD Intern Our chartered boat, the Diver’s Paradise, headed out under sunny skies early Friday, July 11th with a volunteer crew of Rutgers graduate students. There was a slight swell to the ocean, but given the stormy weather earlier in the week we were happy to be out on the water […]

Shark Tagging with UM Summer Scholars

By Jake Jerome, RJD Graduate Student and Intern Last Saturday, the RJD crew headed offshore in hopes to collect more data for the ongoing research projects that are taking place. Leaving from Key Biscayne, we were joined by students from the UM Summer Scholars Program, a mix of high school students from across the country […]