A Familiar Surprise!

May 15th, 2012

Thursday, May 10th

by Laurel Zaima, RJD intern

It’s time to celebrate! Exams are finally over, and summer has officially started! What better way to kickoff summer 2012 than going on an exhilarating and action-packed shark tagging trip. After an early morning, 2 hour drive down to Islamorada, all of the RJD interns took a second to stretch and got right to work. Captain Curt notified us that we will be adding 100 foot extensions onto the already existing 100 foot long drumlines (the fishing gear that we use to catch the sharks), which means we will be going to the deep water reef (125-145 foot depth). I was extremely excited because last time we went to this fishing spot we were extremely successful!

After we brought all of the gear on the boat, all we had to do was wait for the rest of our group. We were taking out some gentlemen that were members of the bonefish and tarpon trust fishermen and conservationist group, and Joe Romeiro, a filmmaker. Susan Gerrish, the RSMAS Assistant Director of Advancement, and Rose Mann, the RSMAS Assistant Dean of Advancement, also joined us on this excursion. The water was calm and the skies were clear; the only thing that could have made this trip any better was if my mom and brother would have been able to join us. They both drove down to Miami from Michigan to help me move all my stuff back home for the summer, and they had hoped that they would be able to shark tag with me before we made our long trek back. Unfortunately, family members are not allowed on most trips because other groups are scheduled for that trip already scheduled to take out another group.

Little did I know, everyone was playing a trick on me. As we organized the gear, I turned around only to see my mom and brother start boarding the boat. I was completely shocked! Susan Gerrish and Dr. Neil Hammerschlag had secretly talked to my family and planned for them to come on the boat without telling me. I was overjoyed and extremely pumped because I could finally show my family the work and research that I do for the RJD program. It was going to be a perfect day!

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Some say nothing is perfect. I beg to differ

May 8th, 2012

Saturday, May 5th by Virginia Ansaladi, RJD lab manager

It’s that time in the semester again when you can’t even remember what the ocean looks like – or the sun for that matter. 5-Hour Energys are your best friend and all nighters are like that guy from high school who just realized you’re the only one he knows in the chemical oceanography class he’s having trouble with – you can’t avoid them no matter what you do. Needless to say, I was PUMPED about spending a day on the water to get away from it all. Little did I know what a truly amazing day it was going to be.

We RJD folk like to carpool to relieve that monotonous 2 hour drive down to Islamorada where we go fishing, so I was up by 5am collecting my things before heading out to pick up my fellow RJD buddies. Turns out it had been a long week for everyone so I had a couple bobbing heads on the way down that highlighted my own tiredness. Luckily, fellow intern, James Komisarjevsky, is a grade A copilot and supplied me with energizing fruity V8 deliciousness, because as soon as w got there it was go go go. We loaded the boat, collected forms from our participants, and we were off – with quite an eclectic group might I add.

We had members from Shark Whisperers charity, Shark Savers advocacy group, and shark lovers from the community at large out with us today. A really great group to have aboard – lots of questions, lots of interesting conversation, but most of all, lots of enthusiasm.

The conditions were perfect out for sampling one of our deeper sites (a chance we don’t get often), so we attached some extension lines to our drumlines and dropped our first ten 150 feet down into the blue. And what do you know? Not only was the weather cooperating, but so were the fish.

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Coral reef restoration through coral gardening

May 1st, 2012

by Christina Vilmar, Marine Conservation Biology student

Many environmental and anthropogenic stressors have caused a worldwide decline in coral coverage. In the Caribbean, Acropora has experienced declines of 80-90% since the late 1980s, which decreases diversity, complexity, ecosystem function and economic services of the reefs.

A. palmata and A. cervicornis are listed as critically endangered by the IUCN Red List since 2008. Recently, coral gardening has been gaining attention as an effective tool for reef restoration to enhance natural coral recovery and rehabilitate degraded reefs. Coral gardening is the process of collecting coral biomass (generally by breaking off fragments), growing fragments in a nursery, and outplanting the reared corals on reefs. The goal is to create sexually reproductive colonies to promote recovery.

Photo from Johnson et al. 2011. Caribbean Acropora Restoration Guide.

Collection of fragments does not significantly damage the donor and pruning can actually increase coral productivity. Transplantation projects worldwide are seeing survival and growth of outplants as well as natural recruits in areas with active restoration and sediment stabilization.

Despite the positive outcomes of current coral nursery projects and studies, it is important to remember that successful restoration cannot take place without effective management and removal of threats that caused the destruction. Coral restoration can help mitigate damage, but policy and enforcement are needed to reduce our negative impacts. Preservation of the natural habitat is the best choice, but coral gardening is a viable way to help repair the damage we have caused and aid in the recovery of coral reefs.

ResearchBlogging.org

Lirman, D., Thyberg, T., Herlan, J., Hill, C., Young-Lahiff, C., Schopmeyer, S., Huntington, B., Santos, R., & Drury, C. (2010). Propagation of the threatened staghorn coral Acropora cervicornis: methods to minimize the impacts of fragment collection and maximize production Coral Reefs, 29 (3), 729-735 DOI: 10.1007/s00338-010-0621-6

Rinkevich, B. (2008). Management of coral reefs: We have gone wrong when neglecting active reef restoration Marine Pollution Bulletin, 56 (11), 1821-1824 DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2008.08.014

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Conservation research: Recovery of salt marshes after the BP oil spill

April 26th, 2012

by Evan Byrnes, RJD intern

Oil spill damage has been a hot area of interest, especially since the BP Deepwater Horizon Spill in 2010. This is because oil spills can affect flora and fauna for generations, especially in coastal wetlands where decomposition is slow due to the low energy and anoxic environment. Coastal wetlands are very important habitats. They are commonly used for reproduction by various organisms, provide protection from shoreline erosion, regulate gasses and nutrients, support fishery and ecotourism industries, and much more.

Figure 1 from McCall and Pennings 2012, showing "typical conditions at oiled sites"

Coastal wetlands are a predominant habitat in the Gulf of Mexico, yet over 3000 production platforms are active in the Gulf. This brings about major concern for potential damage to these crucial habitats. Therefore many laboratory studies have been completed studying the damage done by oil spills. However, laboratory studies have not proved pertinent because they cannot duplicate the effect of natural wave and tidal action and normally have short durations. For these reasons, McCall and Pennings took it upon themselves to conduct a field study following the BP Deepwater Horizon Spill studying the effect with natural conditions and over a longer period of time.

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Photo(s) of the week: Two RJD students win prizes in RSMAS Underwater Photo Contest!

April 24th, 2012

Congratulations to RJD intern Kyra Hartog and Ph.D. student Austin Gallagher! At the recent Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences underwater photo contest, Kyra won the “Best student entry” category, and Austin placed third!

Kyra submitted a photo of a whale shark that she took in Mexico.

RJD intern Kyra Hartog poses with her winning photo

Austin submitted a  photo of a lemon shark and a tiger shark he took in the Bahamas.

RJD Ph.D. student Austin Gallagher poses with his third place winning photo

You can see all of the fantastic photos that won or placed here. Over 700 pictures from all over the world were submitted to this year’s RSMAS underwater photo contest, the most in the history of the event! RJD students and staff, including our director Dr. Hammersclag, have won and placed in several past RSMAS underwater photo contests.  Congratulations again to Kyra and Austin for your great photos!

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Apply for the RJ Dunlap Wildlife Field Photography Internship!

April 13th, 2012

Reposted from the RJ Dunlap Marine Conservation Program Facebook Fan Page

Ideal Candidate:

 Seeking upper-level undergraduate students, graduate students, or recent graduates with a passion for photography, the ocean, and conservation. Photographers of all backgrounds will be considered, but all applicants must be comfortable on boats. Applicants must have a high degree of self-motivation and creativity, as well as enjoy interacting in an educational outreach setting.

Overview:

 Each semester, the RJD Program offers two internship positions exclusively for photographers of all backgrounds. A Field Photography Intern accompanies the RJD Shark Research Team on shark tagging trips in the Florida Keys to cover journalistic, artistic, scientific, and PR perspectives. Photography will likely be used in a variety of outlets, such as social media, RJD website, PR for RJD, RSMAS, and the main campus of UMiami, scientific publications, fundraising campaigns, educational videos and learning resources, and potentially mass media.

The shark trips serve not only as a platform for cutting edge research, but also for educational outreach. Last year alone, RJD brought nearly 1000 high school students onto the water for hands-on research field experience in marine science. Providing these students with access to professional-grade photography will enable them to more effectively share their experience with peers, family and friends, expanding the potential outreach effect.

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Sea Invaders: Lionfish

April 6th, 2012

by Catherine MacDonald, RJD student

Sea Invaders

Anyone living in South Florida is familiar with the issue of invasive species—particularly the invasion of the Everglades by the African Rock Python (P. sebae) and the Indian Python (P. molurus) and the presence in the Florida Keys of large numbers of non-native Green or Common Iguanas (Iguana Iguana).

What you may not know, however, is that invasive marine species are also a big problem. Recent estimates by NOAA suggest that the total cost of invasive species to the U.S. economy is as much as $137 billion per year. Baltz (1991) provides a review of non-native marine fish introductions, reporting that well over 100 species have staged “invasions” worldwide, many as a result of ballast water releases in shipping, canal construction, or intentional transplantation for “fishery enhancement”. According to the U.S. Geological Survey’s Nonindigenous Aquatic Species Database, in the last 100 years more than 68 non-native species have been introduced just in Florida, the Caribbean, and the Gulf of Mexico. Once established, even intensive campaigns have failed to successfully eradicate invaders like the European Green Crab (Carcinus maenas) on the U.S. Pacific coast or a variety of ornamental fish including Siamese Fighting Fish (Betta Splendens) and the Yellow Tang (Zebrasoma flavescens) in the rivers and oceans of South Florida.

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RJD Facebook timeline cover photos

March 26th, 2012

The RJD team is pleased to share a series of shark research photos formatted for Facebook timeline cover photos. Feel free to use them and share them with friends! Let us know what you think of these photos in the comments section.

The RJD team restrains a tiger shark

 

Sharks and remoras

 

The RJD team brings a large shark alongside the boat

 

A shark investigates the camera

 

A tagged shark swims away

 

A tagged hammerhead shark swims by the boat

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A Title Can’t Possibly Do This Day Justice

March 26th, 2012

3/3/2012

So, when I started working with the RJ Dunlap Program, back when we were still the South Florida Student Shark Program, are team was essentially all girls, except for Dr. H and Capt. Curt… sorry guys! Now, we’ve brought in quite a couple of our male counterparts, and yes, it has proved a great advantage and they have added IMMENSELY to our program BUT can I just say how awesome it was for us to dominate not only a usual 46ft scuba boat but a brand-spankin’ new 61ft beaut our wonderful Capt. Curt has provided us with? The lovely ladies of Our Lady of Lourdes High School, an all girls private school, and Miss Sara Brenes, local Shark Saver (doing some incredible things in the world of shark advocacy) were here to join us today, allowing us to truly strut our girl power.

Everyone was incredible. Everyone helped pull up lines, everyone worked fast, efficiently and correctly on every endeavor of the day. It was truly AWESOME. I’ve had the pleasure of working with these girls last year when we did an overnight trip to Broad Key, but I was honestly surprised at how much they remembered, not only of their duties to be performed that day, but the array of knowledge of our current research they had collected since last time. So today, yes, everyone was on top of they’re game. Some girls even got on top of their shark… Needless to say, we did get some bites.

 

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A sea of unanswered questions about humboldt squid

March 13th, 2012

by Virginia Ansaldi, RJ Dunlap Marine Conservation Program lab manager

Magen Schifiliti holds up one of the Humboldt squid from Buttonshell beach for a picture. Photo courtesy Magen Schifiliti.

A year ago, I moved out to California to take a job on Catalina Island as an outdoor educator. I worked through the spring and summer, but then my love affair with the island was brought to an end, as I was to attend graduate school back in Miami at the start of fall.

Shortly after leaving the island, my friends there told me that a bizarre amount of Humboldt squid had washed up on the shores of the camp’s cove. Enthralled with pictures of these sci-fi looking creatures, I decided to find out just why so many of them had come to rest on Buttonshell beach.

Dosidicus gigas, also known as the jumbo flying squid or the Humboldt squid (from its prevalence in the Humboldt current), has a historical range from Chile to Baja California. It is occasionally found as north as San Francisco, but never in large numbers or over an extended amount of time, according to a publication  titled “Humboldt Squid Migrating to California Waters,”. Video and data collected from 1989 to 2007 by Bruce Robison, and others from the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute were reviewed to study changes in abundance of the Humboldt squid.

PhD Louis Zeidberg of Stanford declared no observation of Humboldt squid in the remote operated vehicle (ROV) cameras from 1989 to 1997. However, in 1997 a number of the squid were counted. The scientists realized that the sighting coincided with an intrusion of warm water into the bay from a strong El Nino event that year.

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