Photo of the Week: Atlantic Sharpnose Shark
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How will climate change affect the life cycles of fish?
by Asta Mail, RJD Intern In a coffee shop the other day, I overheard two teens discussing technology and how it affected their lives. “How did anyone ever grow up without cell phones?” they wondered aloud. “How did they know when and where to meet up?” Hearing this, I began to consider the ways people navigate the world, and how differently we do so now than we did in the past. Today’s youth has quickly learned and adapted to a very different social climate than that the previous generation. Growing up in an age of rapid development, they are accustomed … Continue reading
Fatal Attraction: Debris and Sea Turtles
by Nick Perni, RJD Intern For decades there has been a steady increase in the production of plastic materials. Due to negligent disposal techniques and the resiliency of the material, plastic accounts for 80% of all Marine debris in some areas. The large abundance of plastic in the world’s oceans and coastal areas has detrimental effects on marine organisms. Sea turtles in particular have been heavily affected; all six species have been recorded to ingest debris nearly 90% of which is made up of plastic. The two main ways that plastic debris affects turtles is by entanglement and ingestion. … Continue reading
Shark tagging with the Sarasota Military Academy
by Emily Rose Nelson, RJD Intern 5/3/13 In the midst of finals, the best study break you can ask for is a day sharktagging in Islamorada. I was eager to put down my books and get on the water. After it had been raining for a few days straight I was nervous the trip may be cancelled, but the weather looked like it was going to hold out and I would get my much needed study break. The RJD team prepared the boat, Sarasota Military Academy arrived, and we were off. Upon arrival at the site drumlines were deployed with … Continue reading
University of Miami scientists catch great white shark in Florida Keys
5/14/13 David Shiffman, Abess Center for Ecosystem Science and Policy student Yesterday, during the course of sampling for our ongoing shark population survey, the RJ Dunlap Marine Conservation Program (RJD) team caught a great white shark estimated at 10-11 feet in length. The shark was caught east of Islamorada in the Florida Keys, in approximately 100 feet of water. The RJ Dunlap Marine Conservation Program has caught, sampled, tagged, and released thousands of sharks in the Florida Keys, the Everglades, and the Bahamas, but this was the first great white shark we’ve ever caught in Florida. Our lab has a long-term … Continue reading
Fish Aggregating Devices: Ecological Problems with a Common Fishing Technique
by Tom Tascone, RJD Intern If you’ve seen the television show “Wicked Tuna” on National Geographic, then you are certainly familiar with some of the techniques associated with long line fishing of these species. While this is the method of choice for recreational fishermen, commercial fishermen seeking various species of tropical tuna have abandoned the traditional “rod-and-reel” technique for a far more effective tool. Known as the Fish Aggregating Device (FAD), this tool relies on the natural behavior of tuna to congregate under floating objects on the surface of the ocean. Most FADs are made from bamboo rafts in order … Continue reading