blacktip shark – Page 2 – Shark Research & Conservation Program (SRC)

Shark Tagging with Trinity Prep

April 17, 2015/0 Comments/in Shark Research /by aanstett

by Pat “Banana” Goebel, RJD student

When I woke up on Saturday morning, I was really excited to be going shark tagging. I couldn’t wait to go on a trip with Trinity Prep as their students are always engaged and willing to help. I snagged everything I needed for the day and headed down to Miami. Little did I know I would be returning from this trip with the nickname “banana.”

The team arrived at Diver’s Paradise at 8 am to load the fishing gear onto the boat. After a few sips of coffee, everyone was ready for an excellent day on the water. The students from Trinity Prep and a couple citizen scientists arrived around 9 am and couldn’t wait to get on the boat and go shark tagging with us. Captain Eric gave a safety briefing followed by David, who gave a detailed explanation of our fishing methods, which is designed to reduce fishing stress.

On the way out to our fishing spot, the team prepped the rest of our gear and cut fresh bait. Once we arrived at our fishing spot, the group came to the back of the boat to see how we deploy the lines. Then they helped us deploy the rest of the first set of ten lines.

A student from Trinity Prep helps us deploy our drumline

After an hour soak time, we headed back to our first drumline. The first set of ten lines had no sharks. On the second set we got a small nurse shark. The third set resulted in one blacktip and one nurse shark that got away.

Now, this is where the story gets interesting! Many fisherman and captains believe bananas are bad mojo on a fishing on boat. Why? Because fisherman and captains are very superstitious, however, I am not. There are many theories on why people believe bananas are bad luck but I won’t go into that. After 35 lines, someone noticed I had banana. Captain Eric and basically everyone else on the boat demanded that I get rid of it. But, it was a good banana and I didn’t want to toss it away. So, I was forced to eat the banana even though I wasn’t hungry!

A student from Trinity Prep takes fin clip

Before the consumption of the banana, we were having a normal day (3-4 sharks). After the banana was disposed of (but was it really if it was in my stomach), we went from an average to well beyond average day. We doubled our catch for the day in five lines. Yep! We went 3 for 5 once the banana was gone. The second line had a blacktip, the fourth line had a large nurse, and the final line of the day had a large bull shark.

I remember thinking to myself, “wow! Did that really just happen? I am never going to hear the end of this one.” So, as you can imagine all the blame was put on me. My name quickly changed from Pat to Banana. But, it didn’t stop there. After the trip, Captain Eric graciously bought me banana suit to wear on the next trip.

The trip on April 11^th will likely be a trip none of us will forget. The students from Trinity Prep were a great help and showed a passion for our research. We left them with a plethora of new knowledge about the importance of the ocean, which hopefully they will share with others. Sharing our knowledge about ocean conservation is truly a remarkable experience. Thanks to all who participated.

P.s. I bring a banana on every trip…

Shark Tagging with Cadillac Fairview

April 16, 2015/0 Comments/in Shark Research /by aanstett

By Samantha Owen, RJD intern

RJD had another successful day on the water last Friday. Our enthusiastic guests from Cadillac Fairview met us at the Diver’s Paradise dock early in the morning. After a quick safety briefing from Captain Nick and an overview of our research methods and expectations for the day by Dr. Neil Hammerschlag, we set out from Crandon Marina for an exciting day of shark tagging.

Due to recent successes in the area, we decided to fish just off Key Biscayne near Bill Baggs State Park. With the help of Cadillac Fairview, we deployed our first 10 drum lines and took environmental measurements including temperature, salinity, and dissolved oxygen.

After an hour soak time, we pulled in our first line with great anticipation. Shark on! We had an adult Atlantic sharpnose shark approximately 2.5ft in length. Our team did a quick work up and set the little guy free. It’s always a good day when we get a shark on our very first line! After 3 more lines we caught our first blacktip of the day. One of our newer projects involves tracking local blacktips and bull sharks using acoustic tags. Neil was able to successfully insert an acoustic tag into our blacktip shark and release it back into the water quickly and in great condition. With such success after only 4 lines, everyone was excited to see what the rest of the day would bring.

Our first blacktip shark of the day!

Our guests from Cadillac Fairview were able to help us tag, measure, and sample 3 more blacktips, 3 nurse sharks, and a Great hammerhead! Hammerhead populations are declining dramatically due to overfishing, and it is very rare to have the opportunity to see one. We were able to successfully deploy a satellite tag on the hammerhead, which should transmit its location every time the tag breaks the surface of the water.

Emily taking a blood sample from one of our nurse sharks

By the end of the day we tagged a total of 9 sharks of 4 different species! No matter how many tagging trips I go on or how many sharks I see, I never fail to get excited when there’s tension on the line. I would like to thank Cadillac Fairview again for all of their help and support. Their excitement and eagerness to pitch in made the day that much more special.

Up close and personal with the eye of a blacktip shark

Shark tagging with the Virginia Aquarium

March 11, 2015/1 Comment/in Shark Research /by aanstett

by Hannah Armstrong, RJD intern

On Friday, February 27^th the RJ Dunlap team set out for what we all anticipated to be a great day of shark research. I was eager to head out into Biscayne Bay, as this was my first trip of the New Year. I had the pleasure of being on a boat with our fearless leader, Christian, as well as Nick, Laurel, Cat and visiting RJD alum, Megan, and an energetic group from the Virginia Aquarium.

During the short, 20-minute boat ride into the bay, we did our usual prep work, including preparing bait, setting up the drum lines, and briefing the citizen scientists on board. Upon arriving at the Safety Valve, a shallow site just off Key Biscayne, we began deploying the drum lines with the help of the guests from the Virginia Aquarium. Everyone was eager to lend a hand and get the day started.

During the hour soak time, Christian gave a detailed explanation of the work up procedure in the event that we had a shark on the line, and spoke about the importance of our research. Little did we know how exciting our day was about to get…

Despite the first six lines coming up empty, we were all startled when our captain Nick shouted, “Look! There’s a shark on seven!” Low and behold, there was a blacktip shark thrashing about, breaching out of the water by our drum line! We quickly motored over, but the hook came loose and the shark darted off into the abyss.

From then on, there was little time for rest or even lunch. The next two hooks also had blacktip sharks on them that we were able to successfully tag and release. Each time a shark was on board, the guests quickly completed their jobs, taking measurements and other samples to be used in ongoing lab research projects.

On the second set of drum lines, we managed to tag and release another three blacktip sharks, measuring in at 162, 167, and 152 centimeters. On the third and final set of drum lines that we set, our team was able to successfully tag and release four more blacktip sharks. Overall, it was a thrilling day of shark research for our team as well as the cooperative citizen scientists from the Virginia Aquarium!

Shark tagging with citizen scientists

March 3, 2015/0 Comments/in Shark Research /by aanstett

by Hanover Matz, RJD Intern

On Saturday, February 21^st, the RJD team set out with a group of citizen scientists for a fantastic day of research. The morning was cool and windy, with some rough waves offshore. For everyone’s comfort, Captain Eric decided to stay closer to shore that day, taking us to the Safety Valve in Biscayne Bay for our day of tagging. The Safety Valve is a series of sand flats that many different species of sharks frequent. We set up our gear onboard the Diver’s Paradise boat. Each drum weight used to fish for sharks is attached to a buoy and approximately 70 feet of monofilament line. This fishing line is attached to a swivel on the top of the drum weight, allowing any hooked sharks to continuously swim and breathe. Most sharks are ram ventilators, and must continuously swim to pass water over their gills. In addition, circle hooks on the end of the line ensure that the shark is safely hooked in the jaw. Once the gear was onboard, we set out on the water.

The RJD interns explained the work up process to the citizen scientists on the way out to the site. Each guest had the chance to participate in actual scientific research, helping the interns collect date on each shark in the form of nictitating membrane tests, size measurements, and fin clip samples. We reached the site and began deploying our ten drum lines. Each drum line is allowed to soak in the water for 1 hour before it is collected. During this wait interval, the RJD interns and guests collected environmental data. Data on seawater temperature, salinity, and dissolved oxygen content provides information about the abiotic factors different shark species experience.

Figure 1: RJD interns help the citizen scientists deploy the lines.

After 1 hour we returned to collect our lines. On the first set, we pulled in a beautiful female lemon shark. Lemon sharks can be identified from other species by their second dorsal fin, which is almost as large as their first dorsal fin. They also have a brown-yellow color. While the shark was secured on the platform, a pump was placed in its mouth to pump water over its gills. This keeps the shark calm and allows it to breathe during the work up. The citizen scientists assisted the RJD interns with the work up process, helping to put a small tag at the base of the dorsal fin. The work up was quickly completed, and the shark was released back into the water. If the shark is ever caught again, the tag will help identify it to provide data about its movement patterns and life history.

Figure 2: A citizen scientist prepares to administer a nictitating membrane test on a lemon shark. The quick jet of water to the eye helps test the shark’s stress levels and reflex.

The weather remained clear as we continued setting out drum lines. Our next shark of the day was another lemon, but this time it was a male. Male sharks can be differentiated from females by the pair of clasper organs found at the base of their pelvic fins. Length measurements, a fin clip sample, and a blood sample were taken from the shark. These samples provide information about the shark’s health and diet. Blood samples can also be used to determine if the shark has recently been exposed to any diseases. Once the data was collected, the lemon shark was released off the platform.

Figure 3: Length measurements are taken from a blacktip shark.

Our last set of drumlines came up without any sharks, so we set five more lines for one last shot. After waiting an hour, we went back to pull up the lines. Our luck held out: on the last few lines, we caught a third lemon shark and a blacktip shark. Blacktip sharks get their name from the black tips on the edges of their pectoral, dorsal, and caudal fins. These sharks are very fast predators, able to dash off through the water with blinding speed. The sharks were safely secured on the platform at the stern of the boat. With the invaluable assistance of the citizen scientists, the RJD interns collected the necessary data and carefully placed the animals back into the ocean. As the last shark swam off, we were reminded of just how incredible of an opportunity it is to be able to work with such amazing animals. The boat headed back to shore, a successful day of shark tagging behind us.

Shark Tagging with MAST

December 15, 2014/0 Comments/in Shark Research /by aanstett

By Daniela Ferraro, RJD Intern

On Saturday, December 6^th, 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 my gear and headed off on Dani’s taxi service, picking up several other interns on our way to Diver’s Paradise. We arrived around 8am and quickly went to work loading up all of our equipment and gear so we could get out on the water!

A participant conducts a reflex test of a shark’s nictitating membrane, or ‘eyelid,’ which is a measure of stress levels.

We headed out from Crandon Marina and headed towards Stiltsville Channel. With higher wind activity than normal, we decided not to add extensions onto our lines. After a safety talk with trip leader Austin and Captain Eric, we were on our way. As the rest of the interns got busy setting up our drumlines, Gabi and Beau gave a quick overview of all of the workup we give each shark: nictitating membrane test, measurement, fin clip, and tagging. With the help of the students from MAST, and our additional guests, we set out the first ten drumlines to soak for an hour.

Hannah and Gabi assist a participant in taking measurement data of a shark.

Our day began with a bang and we pulled up a 158 cm female blacktip on our very first line! The group did a great job helping us take measurements and tissue samples and placing a tag in the shark’s dorsal fins for future identification. For some of the group, this was their first time seeing a shark and the RJD team was just as excited to share this with them. With spirits high, we had a lot of help pulling in the lines on our first set. Most of our bait came back with a few bites out of them, if they came back at all! In the middle of our second set of lines, we managed to pull in a beautiful male lemon shark, measuring in at a total of 224 cm. Towards the end of the day, our group kept up their enthusiasm and it paid off: on our second to last line, we pulled in another female blacktip! Hannah and I held down the shark while our team did a quick workup and she was released in excellent condition.

Our whole group after a successful shark day!

The group was essential in helping us do our work ups on the sharks, and each shark team was prepped and enthusiastically ready to go just in case we caught a shark. With the help of Beau and new intern Emma, we also managed to take morphology measurements on all three sharks. Gabi and Austin also got blood from both blacktips and the lemon shark. This data will be used in several projects going on in the lab. Overall, we had a fantastic day on the water and the RJD team looks forward to going shark tagging with MAST Academy again!

Shark tagging with Our Lady of Lourdes Academy

November 10, 2014/0 Comments/in Shark Research /by aanstett

By Jessica Wingar, RJD Intern

Waking up on Sunday morning, I was extremely excited to be going shark tagging, since it was my first trip in a few months. I got up, checked the weather, it said less than 60 degrees. I was very surprised, doned my sweatpants and sweatshirt, and set off to Diver’s Paradise at Crandon Marina.

We arrived at Diver’s Paradise around 8am and loaded the gear onto the boat. Despite the fact that we were freezing, we were all anticipating a great day of shark tagging. The group from Our Lady of Lourdes Academy arrived around 9am. Captain Nick gave a quick safety briefing followed by an explanation of our drumline system by trip leaders Dani and Jake. We had added extension lines because we were going to go to a deeper site.

Dani cuts up bait on the way out to the site.

The girls and teachers were all very excited while we headed out to the site. Once we got the site, the captain made the decision that it was too choppy to shark tag there. Instead of the deep site, we went to Stiltsville instead. The team quickly took the extension lines off, and prepared the first several lines to go out.

After about another half an hour, we suddenly felt the boat start to slow and we saw the famous houses at Stiltsville. The team gathered the students near the back of the boat to demonstrate how we were going to deploy the lines. After the first line, the students were given the opportunity to deploy some lines. The students were organized into groups, which made the whole process run very smoothly.

Our first shark was a gorgeous blacktip. We swiftly brought the animal up onto the boat and did the work up. With the help of the students, the shark was back in the water within five minutes. Our next shark was a small nurse shark, which wriggled its way off of the line. We then worked up a blacknose followed by a beautiful 230cm lemon shark. This was only the second lemon shark I have ever seen. They have such distinctive teeth and I was in awe at the splendor of this animal.

A beautiful blacktip shark.

After the lemon shark we were able to work up another blacktip, blacknose, and a sizeable nurse. All of the sharks were worked up quickly with the help of the students and teachers. We had a great, busy day seeing a lot of variety of shark species. Every trip that I go on is different and every trip gives me the reminder that I am so lucky to have these opportunities. I hope that the students and teachers had as great of a day as I did and are now encouraged to go out and do more conservation work.

Group picture back on the dock.

Shark Tagging with Advancement

April 3, 2014/0 Comments/in Shark Research /by aanstett

By Michelle Martinek, RJD Intern

On Thursday, March 27 we welcomed a group of beloved friends and benefactors, Advancement, aboard the ship Diver’s Paradise for a day of fun, good food, and of course shark tagging. The weather was chilly yet invigorating. As the last remnants of sleep left my eyes, we reached our nearby location for the day. Captain Eric took us to the waters of Stiltsville since the weather was causing unpleasant waves farther offshore. For anyone unfamiliar, Stiltsville is a small group of wooden houses on stilts built in the mid 1900’s on the sand banks of the Safety Valve on the edge of Biscayne Bay. Our delightful intern Sam shared the history of the area with me and some guests. I highly recommend looking into it if interested. The saying is always true: you learn something new every day! Though the semester is in full swing and RJD has already conducted countless successful boating trips, this was only my second of 2014. It felt so good to get back into the swing of things: cutting bait, attaching floats, talking about sharks with everyone. I could have never anticipated was just how helpful and eager our participants would be! It’s always amazing for us to see our passion spread to everyone we get to bring on the boat. Even though the research tasks never get old for us, it’s always a joy to see other people learn and preform them, interacting with the sharks and becoming a part of the scientific process.

Luck was on our side that day as our very first line had a handsome, male, lemon shark. It did mean I lost a bet on which line would have the first shark, but that’s the sort of thing you’re happy to be wrong about. When life hands you lemon sharks, you get to work! He measured close to seven feet in total length, all of our data samples were successfully collected, and the shark was released in good condition.

The lemon shark is safely returned to the water

With the help of a new and improved centrifuge we ran blood work to test hematocrit levels. Hematocrit is the ratio of oxygen-transporting red blood cells to plasma in the blood. Same as it is used by doctors and vets for humans, cats, dogs, and other animals, it helps us monitor the health of the sharks. We’re very happy to have new technology on board to make this important test easier.

The team uses the on board laboratory to analyze blood samples

Unfortunately our success on the first line was not indicative of a busy day. Our next catch came a while later and was a calm, 5 foot, female Blacktip. It was quickly obvious what an amazing group we had on board. All our guests both young and old were gathered nearby for a look at any shark and were always eager for any chance to assist in our research.

A participant helps take measurements of a shark while others wait attentively, ready to do their jobs.

Every job was done quickly and efficiently and their respect for the sharks was apparent. The younger members weren’t squeamish at all about getting their hands on juicy pieces of tuna bait and they pulled in the 35 pound drumlines with no hesitation. I was delighted by the quick wit and enthusiasm of our citizen scientists. Having no younger siblings of my own, my favorite moment was when the kids began a friendly competition over hooking the floating buoys and had me help them. I may have joined RJD for the chance to do amazing shark research, but interacting with kids is one of many unexpected joys it provides.

Our last catch of the day was a 4 foot, female Blacknose. This was particularly exciting for me because it was the first time I was assigned to the head of a shark to bring it on board and hold. Even a small shark can provide an adrenaline rush the first time you get to be so close to the head. All of our samples were quickly taken and like the previous two sharks she was given a plastic spaghetti tag then released in good condition. Even though this was one of the calmest trips I’ve had, it was extremely enjoyable thanks to a great group of interns and participants. I want to thank both my more experienced interns for giving me advice as I got back into the groove of things, and of course the Advancement group for being so helpful on the boat and supporting all the research we do.

The whole group after a successful day!

Shark Tagging with St. Thomas Aquinas High School

September 23, 2013/2 Comments/in Shark Research /by aanstett

by Michelle Martinek, RJD Intern

This most recent trip on Captain Curt’s trusty vessel is likely one that the RJ Dunlap team and guests will not soon forget. What started as a bleary eyed, early morning trip to the keys turned into quite the adventure courtesy of our unpredictable friend Mother Nature. In the span of only an hour, we saw beautiful blue skies give way to a lightning storm that relentlessly pelted our faces with warm rain and rocked the boat with large waves. To a native Floridian, this changeability is no surprise. Our steadfast team and all the students from St. Thomas Aquinas braved the elements and had an extremely successful day, catching and collecting data on 6 sharks! Even wet and chilled, we returned a very happy crew.

The day began with a carpool of the RJD team with two new interns, myself included, setting off at 5am from RSMAS. After our trip leader David introduced us to the wonders of a deep fried breakfast burrito called the “tornado” and the following discussion of the recent “Sharknado” film, we arrived a little more alert to Captain Curt’s house at 7am. Our relief was great upon seeing that most of the supplies were still onboard from the previous expedition that weekend. Curt made sure we didn’t have it too easy however by informing us we would be going to the shallow waters of the everglades, meaning we had to completely re-rig all of the drumlines since they were set for far deeper water. After preparations were complete, we welcomed a wonderful group of students from St. Thomas Aquinas High School, most of whom are part of their school’s marine science club, and set off.

Shark Tagging with the University of Miami Citizens’ Board

May 1, 2013/1 Comment/in Shark Research /by aanstett

by Becca Shelton, RJD Intern
4/27/2013

The excitement on board the R/V Endsley was pretty apparent before we pushed away from the dock. During the prior two days, RJD had successfully tagged and released 12 nurse sharks and 2 bull sharks around Key Biscayne! You never know what you’re going to catch from day to day, but since it was nurse shark mating season, we predicted that we would catch a decent amount of feisty nurses. With high hopes, we headed off to the channel at Bear Cut.

An hour after we deployed the first set of drumlines, it was time to pull them in and see if there were any sharks on the lines! We highly encourage all of our guests to be as involved as possible and help us with collecting samples from the sharks as well as help with reeling in and deploying lines.

Shark Tagging With UM Alumni and Friends

December 11, 2012/0 Comments/in Shark Research /by aanstett

by Kyra Hartog, RJD Intern

Saturday was a bittersweet day for me. While I was very excited to have one more shark tagging trip before finals, I started to realize that it was my last trip until August 2013, as I will be studying abroad in the spring. I was determined to enjoy the day to the fullest and had my fingers crossed for sharks. This trip was a change for the team as the R/V Endsley would leave from Virginia Key to set out lines around the end of Key Biscayne, near Bill Baggs State Park. Our group for the day was a mixture of UM alums and friends of the Rosenstiel School. We set off toward out sampling site and set the first 10 drumlines in minor sun showers. Luckily, the rain cleared out and the weather was beautiful for the rest of the day. Our first shark of the day was a beautiful nurse shark. The team quickly secured the shark and brought in the guests to assist in sampling of the nurse shark. Measurements were taken, as well as a fin sample and a blood sample. The nurse shark was tagged with a spaghetti tag and sent on its way. As lines were reset, we enjoyed a delicious catered lunch courtesy of Sidewalk Salads, thanks to the RSMAS Advancement Office! Read more

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