"Oh Me! Oh Vita!" scritto da Manuela Bacchilega

Sono passati 22 anni da quando acquistai il libro "Squali. Una storia fotografica" di Jeremy Stafford-Deitsch. Avevo 10 anni e il mio amore per gli squali ed il mare era già più che mai vivo, da quando all'età di 6 anni guardai il classico di Steven Spielberg e mi ritrovai inconsciamente, involontariamente, immediatamente ed irrimediabilmente dalla parte di questo bestione "spietato". 

Troppo facile incolpare l'orrida creatura per aver fatto uno spuntino a base di umani! Pensai. In fondo sono loro ad essere entrati a casa sua!! Senza neanche chiedere il permesso tra l'altro! Solo perché ha migliaia di denti acuminati ed è lungo fino a 6/7 metri. Fu subito amore, per queste creature evoluzionisticamente perfette. Così è questo che ti dà la possibilità di stare a contatto con gli squali, pensai.

Sono passati tanti anni da allora e quel libro campeggia ancora sulla libreria del mio salotto. Con una differenza pero'... All'interno, alla pagina riservata all'introduzione, ora c'è un piccolo bigliettino stropicciato con la dedica "to a real sharklady, from the sharkdoc" e a fianco il disegno di uno squalo dall'espressione amichevole.

Nulla di trascendentale insomma... Se non fosse che l'autore dell'autografo è anche l'autore dell'introduzione al libro, il leggendario Samuel H. Gruber, uno degli esperti di squali più famosi al mondo,  autore di centinaia di scritti in oltre 50 anni di carriera, pioniere della ricerca sugli squali e fondatore della Bimini Biological Field Station,  dove la ricerca volta alla salvaguardia di questi magnifici abitanti dei mari va avanti ancora oggi.

22 anni fa, leggevo le parole di Doc e sognavo di essere parte di quel mondo, di "contribuire con un verso" come Walt Whitman scriveva... 

22 anni dopo, la mia esperienza di volontaria si apre con l'adrenalinica attività di controllo del palangaro regolarmente calato in maniera standardizzata una volta al mese per monitorare le specie presenti.

E’ sicuramente una delle mie attività preferite qui allo sharklab, soprattutto in notturna, quando muniti di torce si effettua la conta delle boe visibili per verificare se uno squalo ha abboccato all'amo.

Nella concitazione di quei momenti non ho avuto il tempo di pensare a cosa aspettarmi, ne’ di formare un ricordo completo...

Il chiaro di luna riflesso sulla superficie del mare.

Il vento e la salsedine che sferzano il mio viso.

L’atona ma speranzosa conta ad alta voce delle boe.

Il silenzio alla boa mancante.

L’ombra che nuota sotto la superficie.

La familiare livrea a strisce dello squalo tigre.

I suoi occhi misteriosi ed enigmatici.

Il tocco ruvido della sua pelle.

La sensazione di completa, traboccante felicita’.

Improvvisamente (o se vogliamo non proprio così improvvisamente dopo decenni passati a sognare di fare questo!!) mi ritrovavo a fare ciò che avevo sempre immaginato per il mio futuro... e non ho intenzione di fermarmi.

Ho quasi la sensazione che questo non sia il mio ultimo verso dallo Sharklab...

Manuela Bacchilega
Sharklab Voluntaria, 14 Aprile - 11 Maggio, 15 Agosto - 19 Ottobre, 2014

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“Oh Me! Oh Life!” by Manuela Bacchilega

It's been 22 years since I bought the book "Shark: A Photographer's Story" by Jeremy Stafford-Deitsch. I was ten years old and somehow already deeply passionate about sharks and the sea. Ever since I watched Steven Spielberg's classic at the age of 6, I unconsciously, involuntarily, immediately and irremediably sided for the ruthless beast. So easy to blame the horrid creature for snacking on humans!- I thought. They entered the beast's home at their own risk in the end, and without knocking! To be hunted and hated only because it has hundreds of pointy teeth and gets up to 6-7 meters long.

It was love at first sight for these evolutionarily perfect, yet vulnerable creatures. I remember thinking, ‘Well, then that's what you will have to do if you want to work with sharks!’ Many years have gone by since those hopeful dreams, and this book still sits on the main shelf in my living room. With a minor difference though...the introduction page now contains a creased piece of paper bearing a dedication that reads: "to a real sharklady, from the sharkdoc," accompanied by a signature and drawing of a friendly shark. 

Nothing special at the end of the day...if the note weren’t written by Dr. Samuel H. Gruber himself, the most famous shark expert, author of hundreds of papers spanning 50 years of scientific research, a true pioneer in advancing our elasmobranch knowledge, and founder of my homestay for three months this year, Bimini Biological Field Station, where research aimed at cognition and ultimately conservation still goes on.

Twenty-two years ago, while reading Doc’s words, I dreamt of being a part of that.  Of "contributing my own verse" as Walt Whitman wrote... 

Twenty-two years later, my experience as a volunteer begins with one of the most adrenaline-filled activities the Sharklab offers: checking the standardized longlines, a fishing technique we practice monthly to assess the species around Bimini. 

It is for sure one of my favourite activities, particularly at night time, when each crew ventures out with the aid of flashlights and headlamps to count the floats on each line and check if a shark has been hooked. In those hectic moments I had no time to make expectations, nor to form adjoining memories...

The bright moonlight reflecting on the sea surface.

The salty wind on my face.

The monotonous -yet hopeful- loud counting of the floats.

The silence at the missing float.

The shadow swimming in circles below the surface.

The familiar striped pattern of a tiger shark.

Her eerie, enigmatic eyes.

The rough touch of her skin.

The feeling of complete, overwhelming happiness.

Suddenly (or maybe not that suddenly after 2 decades spent dreaming about this!) I found myself doing what I had envisioned for my future...and I am not going to stop. So I have a feeling this will not be my last verse from the Sharklab...

Manuela Bacchilega

Sharklab Volunteer, April 14th - May 11th, August 15th - October 19th, 2014

"Skype Education: Shark Science in Action" by Jillian Morris

Skype is changing the way the world learns, and educators can now tap into formerly unreachable subjects to open up their classrooms and students’ minds. My name is Jillian Morris, and I am the founder of Sharks4Kids, a US-based nonprofit that uses this technology to expand our youth’s investment in shark science and conservation. We offer a variety of shark lessons via Skype as part of our education outreach program, but after chatting with Sharklab director (Dr. Tristan Guttridge) and media manger (Chris Lang), we decided to take our lessons to a whole new level.

What about bringing the classroom to the field? About one month ago, we began discussing the idea of doing a LIVE shark ‘work-up’ in the lab for students to watch from their hometown. With an all-star education team at hand, we divvied up responsibilities and rehearsed a few “dry” runs (literally) to set aside needed equipment, work out any stage fright kinks, determine ideal camera angles, and test the technical connection of this endeavor. Yes, a shampoo bottle did fill in for a live shark at these times. Without any mountable webcams, a bulky laptop would have to suffice. We also knew fingers would need be crossed to will Bimini’s often dodgy internet to run smoothly for our first live test sessions. Now we just needed a couple of classes to be our guinea pigs. 

I immediately contacted my mom, who teaches 6th grade science in Maine, to see if her students would want to see a live shark work up. The answer was of course, yes. I then asked one of my favorite teachers, one whose classroom I have visited via Skype and in person, Mr. Joe Grabowski. Joe teaches 8^th grade students in landlocked Guelph, Ontario and his response was, “I’d like to think by now you know me well enough to know my answer!” There. We had our first two gigs booked.

Our team of four gathered at the lab on game day. Chris and assistant manager, Lorna Scribner, putted out to the semi captive pens just outside to transport a nurse shark, while volunteer Molly Austin and I prepped and spruced up the lab. We brought and filled a large blue tub inside with saltwater, then set a bilge pump within to keep the water moving and well-oxygenated. Nurse sharks are very hardy, so their transport and placement into a temporary aquarium is perfectly safe. 

At birth, nurses are approximately 28 cm and are covered head to tail with dark spots, making them adorable ambassadors for sharks in general. Our Skype star measured 42 cm in length, so we estimated it to be about a month old. We all spend A LOT of time with sharks, but it always makes me happy to see people’s excitement over nurses given how common they are around Bimini. Everyone at the Shark Lab was taking pictures and commenting on the cuteness of the “chocolate chip cookie,” and we were genuinely eager to show the shark to the students.  With our baby nurse settled in the holding pen, we made the final adjustments in preparation for the talks. 

The first call came in from my mom’s class of 6^th graders, and although they could see us clearly, all we could make out on our screen end were glowing shapes of green. We decided to go with it, anyway. I made the introduction, explaining where we were, when and why the lab was created, adding a bit about the Bahamas’ shark sanctuary. Molly then discussed the semi captive routine at the lab, describing how we find the sharks locally, our feeding methods, and their typical monthlong duration in the holding pens for research and education. Chris then jumped in to explain the shark’s anatomy, from locating sensory organs to determining the sex. We had a baby boy! Because nurses don’t have that typical, jaws-inspired look most people envision when they picture a shark, they are ideal for demonstrating how diverse the size, shape, and color of sharks can be. The kids were now ready to see the ‘work-up’..!

Lorna talked the students through this process, which is our simple way of saying ‘collecting and measuring data on a shark.’ Lorna took the pre-caudal and total length measurements, explaining that we do not take a fork length for nurse sharks because they do not have the bottom lobe of the caudal fin (tail). She scanned the shark for a PIT tag, asking the students if they had a cat or dog implanted with a similar microchip at home. Making connections to familiar concepts helps create a stronger understanding for the students. DNA and isotope samples were not taken, but the process and reason for collection was explained. To complete the work-up, Lorna inserted an orange color tag into the first dorsal fin of the shark. These tags are used for visual identification of specific sharks without having to actually recapture them. 

We concluded the session with a Q&A, and many kids were interested in learning about other shark species found in Bimini, especially those that the lab researched. Although doing the entire talk with a laptop was not the easiest (my arms were shaking a bit from holding it stable close to the shark!), we made it work!

Joe’s class joined us for round two, and we made a few adjustments like altering the camera angle and adding a plastic bag over the keyboard. Chris bravely held his laptop over the holding bin to zoom in on body parts like ampullae and nasal barbels. We lost connection briefly, but were quickly up and running. The students wanted to know the smallest and largest sharks ever tagged by the lab (our star was in the running for the former). They even asked if we had ever seen or tagged a great white or basking shark off Bimini; DREAM COME TRUE FOR ALL OF US if this were to happen. 

Watching this idea take form in reality further solidified the notion that a bit of will power, flexibility, and experimentation can go a long way. We are all really excited to connect with more classrooms, as it was a blast through and through from brainstorming discussions to rehearsing, and most of all, giving the final delivery. Providing kids with facts and a glimpse into the real world of shark science via Skype is not only powerful, but also really fun. Big thanks to Mrs. Morris and Mr. Grabowski for welcoming us into your classroom! Hopefully there are now some eager future marine biologists in the making! Please email Sharks4Kids (Sharks4Kids@gmail.com) or the Bimini Sharklab (opportunities@biminisharklab.com) to book a Skype date of your own.

Jillian Morris

Founder of Sharks4Kids

Website: www.sharks4kids.com

Facebook: Sharks4Kids 

Twitter: @BiminiSharkGirl & @Sharks4Kids 

"My Secret Babies" by Annie Anderson

In this blog, I'd like to share a not-so-well-kept secret, an ongoing rendezvous, which started with myself and five newborn lemon sharks back in Bimini, Bahamas June 2013.

One blistering hot day in Bimini I had time to kill, so I decided to grab my cap, shades, and GoPro and head towards the shallows just off the beach in search of some critters.

It's a beautiful walk with submerged mangrove roots reaching for the surface at low tide, crabs darting about their holes and an abundance of fish illuminated by the bright, white sandy bottom. Heaven! These 'flats' as they're known are also home to big schools of bonefish, stingrays, sharks, and even the odd barracuda on the look-out for an easy meal.

During my walk that day, I was fortunate enough to spot a huge school of bonefish only 3 or 4 meters from the shore. So, I tiptoed out and placed my GoPro under the water to see what I could capture. Enjoying the view, I stood captivated by the camouflaged, almost transparent school of fish that swayed in and out of visibility. Well, that was until my peripheral vision noticed a darker, more distinctive shadow tailing the school. It was a juvenile lemon shark, which was approximately 60 cm, so most likely a newborn, probably born within the last few weeks! We all shared a beautiful moment in this ankle-deep, 50 cm tide of water.

Now bonefish are a fair size (roughly 30-50 cm) so I was confused by the shark’s behaviour, as it was highly unlikely the shark could capture one of these guys even if it wanted to!  But then, I spotted another lemon. And another. There were five in total, all within 10-15 meters of each other, and after no time at all, they were swimming around my ankles like I didn't exist. Maybe these sharks were so young that they were simply seeking protection within the bonefish school? Were they playing the safety in numbers card? Or were they simply being social? (Link to Dr Tristan Guttridge's lemon shark social behaviour paper: http://www.int-res.com/abstracts/meps/v423/p235-245/).

My GoPro was fixed in the shallows as the lemons appeared unfazed by its presence; if anything they were interested in it and nosed it on a number of occasions! I spent hours with them, and as the tide fell further they all slowly disappeared...

The next day, I strolled out to the same spot to find 'my babies' (now affectionately named) promptly patrolling the shallows, waiting for me, or so I liked to believe! With each day, I continued to visit them, observing their wild social behaviour and keeping my little secrets close to heart. Within the week they reduced to 4. I searched everywhere for the missing pup but as these babies have a small, rather limited home range (they don't venture too far), I came to the conclusion the barracuda’s patience paid off.

So one afternoon I uploaded my GoPro pictures to my laptop and decided to share ‘my babies’ with the Sharklab. The lab has conducted research on Bimini’s juvenile lemon sharks for over 20 years, venturing into distant channels and nursery grounds as far as the tip of the north island. Upon learning my secret (baby sharks refuging less than 100 meters from their backyard beach), they decided to catch these pups to measure, weigh, and tag them all before releasing them back into their familiar waters. It was hard seeing 'my babies' captured as I felt a special connection with them, but ultimately I know the data that these guys contribute towards shark research could go on to protect them, their buddies, their extended family and even their home, the all-important mangrove rich nursery grounds. This year, it was proven female lemon sharks here in Bimini return to the exact same place THEY were born to give birth themselves. I don't mean country, I mean the EXACT same mangrove nursery! How cool is that (Paper link: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/mec.12583/abstract)! It had been a long waiting game to prove this fact, as lemons mature late (approximately 13 years for females) and give birth to only 10-20 pups every other year. Keep in mind, science requires much more than one example of this birthing behaviour (multiple females) to have a basis for credibility.

This research also contributes and strengthens arguments to protect worldwide nursery grounds as it demonstrates how important these 'playgrounds' really are for pupping sharks and much more. Some mangroves, including those here in Bimini face being destroyed by us humans for the likes of building developments or hotels. I shared my babies for the bigger picture.

Maybe, one day ‘my female babies’ will survive and come back to these shallows to pup for themselves. I like to think so.

After weeks had passed, one day in late June I visited my usual spot to disappointedly find out that my lemon count had reduced to three. Nature’s 'survival of the fittest' motto had taken its toll. Since that visit, I walked out to my spot a number of times, relieved to see my three babies still remaining.

After a holiday to the UK, I returned to Bimini in May 2014 with my 8 week old baby and immediately took her out to the flats in search of my lemons. A year on from my first sighting and all 3 were still there, swimming around each other, in the same location just as they were when I left! Such a wonderful sight to return home to...

Just a few days after our return, I decided to walk back out and what did I find?? Another batch of babies!! I counted 5 newbies, plus my original 3! So my little lemons have some new friends (maybe cousins!)! Although research suggests that Bimini lemons hang out with sharks of a similar size (even through to adulthood), I like to think my babies are open-minded and would accept the slightly smaller newbies. :-)

I wonder if the mum of the original babies will come back next year to pup again, giving the existing lemons some brothers and sisters? Their DNA will reveal all. :-)

Well, that's it for now...I hope you enjoyed my (not so much of a) secret. I'll be sure to keep you all updated with how my 8 babies are doing! 

Annie Anderson

Founder of SharksNeedLove, Resident of South Bimini, Fiancé of Lab Director (Dr. Tristan Guttridge), Mother of Isla Guttridge
Facebook: Sharks Need Love
Twitter: @SharksNeedLove
Instagram: @SharksNeedLove

Follow the Food: Reading the Diary of Lemon Shark Movements and Behavior (9/1/2014)

 Accelerometry, Active Tracking, and Prey Abundance Surveys 

Photo of Rob and volunteers deploying a 109 cm lemon shark with 'tag package'

Lab PI Rob Bullock studies lemon shark behavior and habitat use here in Bimini. We attach tag packages (acoustic transmitter-bound accelerometers) on the dorsal fins of sharks to learn more about where they go and how they spend their days. The acoustic transmitters allow us to actively and passively track the sharks to determine locations, and the accelerometers record fine-scale movements in three dimensions (x, y, z), which we translate into behavior. A small sensor in this device deviates from the center with increasing amplitude as the shark accelerates, logging even the subtlest of movements. Presuming we recapture the tagged individuals after releasing them into the wild, we download this data so we can learn more about what these sharks do on a day and night basis.

 

Photo of two mojarra skulls in lemon shark stomach contents (left), and lemon shark trailed by mojarra (right), both taken by Chris Lang

Lemon sharks have eviscerable stomachs, which, as unusual as this may sound, we have used for our advantage to determine their preferred and predominant diet. Yes, we have inserted forceps into the mouths of anesthetized sharks to evert their stomachs and proceed with the analysis. A study back in 2010 by former Sharklabber, Stephen Newman, found out that despite the wide abundance of juvenile and adult grunts, mangrove snappers, barracuda, needlefish, and parrotfish that live within the local lemon shark refuge, more than 50% of a juvenile lemon’s diet is made up of the Yellowfin mojarra (Gerres cinereus) by weight and percentage index of relative importance. Given this undeniable preference, we felt it obligatory to assess the prey distributions for our little ones.

Still-shot of BRUVS recording near mangroves, note the abundance of snappers and lurking lemons in the background

To supplement his project, Rob has supervised two Master’s students to deploy BRUVS, apparatuses used to monitor the abundance of marine biodiversity, in the lagoon. Baited Remote Underwater Video Stations (BRUVS) are GoPro-mounted frames made of rebar that survey the proximate and passing species. Overall, more than 125 BRUVS were deployed. Rob and his students, Henrietta and George, placed these frames in a variety of sub habitats (sandy flats, sea grass beds, mangrove fringes) within, around, and beyond the known lemon shark nurseries. It took a lab-wide effort to watch every video and record the number of passing individuals for each species, which we used to extrapolate their population abundances in the lagoon. 

Slide photograph of North Bimini Marine Reserve's assessed faunal distribution taken from Rob Bullock's AES presentation

Here (above) is the summary of their findings. We divvied up the fish into their respective families, read top-down from left to right: mojarra, snapper, jack, needlefish, grunt, and parrotfish. The location of each circle represents a BRUVS deployment, and each diameter corresponds to the abundance determined from the video assessments (bigger circle-->more fish of this species found). It’s worth mentioning the apparent increase in diversity AND abundance near the mangrove-fringed land, marked by green. We hope developers on the islands look at this BRUVS study to understand exactly what is at stake when they decide to cut down these trees to build a house, or even a golf course...

Photo of 'tag package' comprised of acoustic transmitter (top) and accelerometer, taken by Chris Lang 

The focal point of Rob’s research, however, comes from tracking and accelerometry. Rob has to locate and net lemon sharks of a particular size range, and then tag them with the fused instruments (above). These function separately, but ultimately provide us with invaluable data, allowing us to record both the generic locations and fine scale movements of the sharks.

Photo of Matt Larsen (a Sharklab volunteer) actively tracking lemons outside the nursery entrance with hydrophone in hand

With receivers set up inside and around the lagoon, along with hydrophone-wielding trackers (above), we can both passively and actively track these sharks. Sonotronic Receivers are strategically deployed in these areas, and they pick up low frequency pulses emitted by the acoustic transmitter within a small range (~300 m). This is called passive tracking. These two methods complement one another to inform us on where they are going throughout the desired duration. 

Photo of Brianna Hall (Sharklab Volunteer) performing ethogram and observing accelerometer-tagged shark behavior from watchtower, taken by Chris Lang'

But what role do the accelerometers play in this? The aforementioned results are only based off data taken from acoustic transmitters. Accelerometers measure something very different. Interpreting the data from one of these is like translating a language written in seismic wave magnitudes into a shark’s behavior. Saying this is difficult is an understatement. 

Rob and our volunteers perform an ‘ethogram’ to observe a tagged shark in captivity, scribing its actions under various simulated circumstances (chasing prey, avoiding predation, resting, shaking head to ease consumption) with their respective times, and then interpreting these results using the behavior key he just created. 

Results of tagged lemon shark movements in relation to fish abundance in North Bimini Marine Reserve, taken from Rob Bullock's AES presentation

From Rob’s 12 tagged sharks so far, results suggest that juvenile lemons are indeed following the food, so to speak. As the water depth drops with every low tide, juvenile lemons are pushed outside the nursery and into lagoon areas that were once inhabited by larger sharks. This picture shows the logged locations from three of Rob's tagged sharks during low tide, whose paths are color-coded for viewer convenience. These findings overlap seamlessly with our BRUVS-determined abundances for juvenile lemon preferred prey species, the Yellowfin mojarra and grunts.

Example of z-axis data recording lemon shark tailbeats, the red box is a prey capture

This 12 second clip is 1/36000th of the data Rob analyzes using software for the deployment of just one shark's accelerometer. The z-axis measures the amplitude of each tailbeat from the shark. 

Every time a shark successfully captures prey, it proceeds to pump its caudal fin in speedy rhythm while shaking its head back and forth. This creates a unique output that can be seen through the high frequency, high amplitude waves as shown on the z-axis recordings within the red box above. The final set of tailbeats, shown here, are only applicable to sharks that have successfully seized prey. Across the first 12 tagged sharks, Rob has observed 84 total prey handling events, which averages out to be roughly ~1.4 successful prey captures per shark per day.

When the sharks aren’t foraging, they are resting, and he estimates this to make up about 10-20% of the lemon's daily time. To put in Rob’s words, “lemon sharks live on an energetic knife-edge,” requiring a sensitive caloric intake to sustain their metabolic requirements. 

Photo of lemon shark lining snapper and mojarra-filled mangrove roots, taken by CJ Crooks

Mangroves are essential nursery grounds for so many of the local species in Bimini, as evident from our BRUVS deployment results.  Many migratory fish we find in adulthood develop in this protected area, such as the barracuda, which can move to nearby coral reefs later on. Mangrove roots quell water turbulence and provide a settlement ground for free-swimming larvae of countless lifeforms to populate. Humans in Bimini sustain themselves primarily on sealife, and all of it is dependent on the health of the mangrove ecosystem. This interrelatedness must be addressed and thought through. 

The best tool for conservation is understanding. Observing juvenile lemon shark behavior and understanding that their foraging patterns mirror their prey distribution, we can make more informed decisions when determining areas to protect. Our lemons follow the food. But what happens when the habitat for their food source is removed? Because the status of the North Bimini Marine Reserve is still under dispute for development, we believe these results speak for themselves as to why the mangroves must stay rooted in.

Help us preserve the North Bimini Marine Reserve by signing this petition!  

"Because Once Wasn't Enough" by Molly Austin

I fell in love with the Shark Lab on my first longline check. I stayed at the lab in May 2013 as a course student with CCU, and that night I remember only wanting go to bed after a twelve-hour day of snorkeling and tending sunburns through lectures. Thankfully, I prodded myself awake.  There isn't a sedative in the world that could take me off the high that shortly followed. We were able to work up and tag a variety of different sharks, including blacktips, nurses, and my personal favorite, a 12 foot pregnant tiger shark. Pulling up to the line and finding this enormous creature swimming on one of our hooks gave me a feeling of excitement and respect I never could have anticipated. I remember thinking, "this shark is over two of my body lengths!' as I secured it while a staff member measured the length.

Driving back to the lab that night, I let the wind and stars take me into a euphoric state. Behind us, bioluminescent dinoflagellates glowed in our wake. It was in that moment, as I gazed in fascination at both sky and water--still elevated from what I just experienced--that I decided I had to come back to volunteer. 

Photo of me helping tag a tiger shark this past month, taken by Joshua Williams

It's been over a year since my course, and I am finally here now after graduating from Florida State University. Every day holds new challenges, whether they are intellectual, physical, or emotional. I have never been in a community where the work life and personal life are so intertwined. At the lab, you work with, live with, and spend a majority of your free time with the people around you. Even though we are in tight quarters and work long days, we still manage to have fun and the people here become a second family. They make the difficult work we do worth it.

Last week the power went out after dinner (this happens quite regularly on the islands), and the group embraced the situation to play hide and seek in the dark.  I can’t remember the last time I had so much fun...even after the power switched on, we continued to play until way past most people’s bedtimes. Everyone comes from a different walk of life here at the lab, and we are united by a passion for sharks and a desire to learn about the seas.

While I do a lot more grunt work now than I did as a former course student, I’m realizing that working in marine science and sharing space in a field station requires all of it. Some times you will feel helpless tracking nonexistent sharks in what feels like 1000 degree heat, or spending the majority of the day cleaning a house that will never truly be clean given the sandy surrounding, but you live for the days where everything seems to fall into place.

The exhilaration of 'dip-netting' your first shark in the pens and then reaching in to grab this thrashing mouth full of teeth never really fades. Coming to the Shark Lab has probably become one of the best decisions I have made in my life. There is not another place quite like this where every day you get the opportunity to contribute to shark research and conservation. Not only has this experience helped me grow professionally, but it has also helped me grow personally too. I am excited to see what the next two months hold in store for me. Plus, it's cool to tell everyone at home you work with sharks. :)  

Molly Austin
Sharklab Volunteer, July 15th to October 15th, 2014

"Who Would've Known?" by Luke Johnson

From the drive-way, the Bimini Biological Field Station looks just like a regular house with two SUVs parked in front and a view of the mangroves...but then you notice the plastic hammerhead mounted beside the front door.  If you were even to just take a peak on the inside, it’d be hard to miss that the lab has been preserving over 20 years of data on sharks here in the Bahama Islands.

It is required to go miles offshore and observe these animals in their natural habitat. And while on the lookout for sharks, you begin to observe the other beautiful fauna that are inhabiting our Bahamian waters. Last week, I went nurse shark wrangling. Being able to free-dive to find juvenile and neonate nurse sharks is an interesting experience, but that’s not the only thing to be observed near ledges.

Mantis shrimp, scorpion fish, and even flounders (which are pretty abnormal yet fascinating for having both eyes on one side of its body) can be seen from just one ledge. Angelfish, grunts, and snappers all can be seen just a mile or two off the south shore of South Bimini. I’ve been able to observe Southern stingrays, spiny lobsters, coral, moray eels, hawksbill turtles, barracuda, and luminescent fish during night tracking!

I’m pretty sure most Bahamians would agree with me if I said that picking up a shark is a foolish thing! However, only on my second day at the lab, I held a juvenile lemon shark and a neonate (newborn) nurse shark in my hands! With substantiating evidence I can say that these creatures, when untampered with, are among the most calm in the Caribbean Sea. I felt increasingly comfortable in their presence, from sitting in the middle of six juveniles circling me in the back pens, to snorkeling besides bigger adults that paid me no thought nor mind.

I see sharks all the time here at the lab, but if there’s one shark I’ll never get tired of looking at, it is the Caribbean Reef Shark (Carcharhinus perezi). These frightening, yet curious creatures are always present during shark dives not too far away from larger rocks off the coast of Bimini. Who would’ve known that these massive creatures with piercing eyes can be scared away by just a kick from a rubber snorkeling-set fin? 

The Spotted Eagle Ray is another beautiful fish that I consider a must-see for anyone planning to visit Bimini. These shallow-water elasmobranchs have soaring wings that are uniquely marked by white spots, and they are a rarity to find during the hot summers here in Bimini. While I was fishing off the coast of South Bimini at the Shark Lab, I spotted one up-close and just gazed at its graceful swim. Then, there’s the Southern Stingray. I know that a lot of people are afraid of rays because of their barbed tail, but honestly, they’re really friendly creatures! I don’t think I’ll ever forget feeding one straight out of my hand as a one of my tasks during this month long stay.

There are so many jellyfish in the waters here in Bimini. I did some research on them and found out that they’re called upside down jellies. Apparently, they lay on the sand floor on their bells in order to photosynthesize. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve thought about researching their stored energy production rate when daydreaming out on the field!

My name is Luke Johnson, and I am from Freeport, Bahamas. As a citizen from the islands, I feel blessed to have been able to participate as a volunteer here in South Bimini. I could only stay at the field station for a month before my college courses begin, but what I would definitely point out is that this is a great experience if you are looking for practical experience in marine maintenance. Here I learned how to drive a boat, navigate through using a GPS, and I gained exposure to all kinds of field research while becoming more ecologically minded. 

If you’re a Bahamian (or a minority, for that matter) and have considered coming here to gain experience, it’s a great way to see our waters and fish from a different point of view. You’d be contributing to building the diversity here at the Shark Lab as proof of international acceptance of staff and volunteers alike at the field station, helping create a cross-cultural exchange with those from the US, UK, Australia, France, Canada, and many other countries. The Bahamas has a lot more to offer than what most people think. I have been able to see this firsthand in this experience. We have to preserve and protect the wonderful oceans that we have in order to create a sustainable and beautiful future for future generations to come. That can start by coming to the Shark Lab, and getting an understanding of what makes everyone here so shark-obsessed and what sharks have to offer in harmonizing the food chain. Now I know!

Luke Johnson
Sharklab Volunteer, July 15th to August 15th, 2014

"My Journey to the Lab: From Landshark to Sharkland" by Kate Meyer

My name is Kate Meyer, and I’m absolutely and irreversibly in love with sharks. I’m convinced I was supposed to be a fish instead of a human, and I’m never happier than when I’m covered in salt water with sand in my hair. 

Even though I come from the landlocked state of Vermont in the US, I fell in love with the ocean as soon as I got my SCUBA certification on a family vacation when I was 12.  The creatures of the sea fascinated me, and I found myself obsessed with the top predators that keep our ocean ecosystems in balance. I was saddened by news of their declining numbers and set my mind to pursue a career in shark research and conservation to benefit our fragile oceans.

It was during my junior year at the University of California, Berkeley when I first heard about the Sharklab in a documentary on killer whale/shark interactions that my parents saved for me on our DVR (look up “The Whale that Ate Jaws,” you won't regret it!). I had just returned from three months of marine biology courses abroad in Australia and was convinced that an ocean-related future was something I wanted to pursue. Directly after seeing this, I started and submitted my Sharklab application to intern the following summer, and then waited a few long months only to receive a rejection letter at the end of March. This was deflating, but I told them if something opened up to keep me in mind. I’m very glad I did that. After resigning myself to plan a summer of non-sharky volunteer opportunities, soon after I received a follow-up email from the lab saying that a spot had in fact opened up! I was invited to come work for the July - August slot. 

I’ve never dealt well with abrupt changes, and having to decide on coming to the Sharklab with ten days’ notice was one of the hardest, but easiest decisions I've ever had to make. It only took a few hours to smack the sense into me. I cancelled my family vacations. I left my horse to get fat and lazy over the summer. I made calls to back out of several local volunteer commitments.  I bought my tickets to Bimini that same night, promising myself I would not to take a single minute at the lab for granted. 

…

Because of the nature of my acceptance, I feel a strong drive to prove myself as a volunteer who deserves the privilege to work here. Myself and two other volunteers arrived at a funky time because the lab was undertaking a “deep clean.” To be honest, our first day and a half consisted of cleaning out closets and kitchen cabinets, and bleaching pots and pans.  When we aren’t cleaning or helping with chores around the house, we’re out in the field for long days of research. We quickly realized that all this hard work was just part of living and working at a research station. Everyone does it. This sometimes means tracking for sharks all day without finding a single one, or setting nets and walk-checking them for hours with the same lacking result.  Patience and persistence is the name of the game here--your attitude about the work you’re doing can change everything.

And then the staff and volunteers went out on a surprise reef shark dive, where we snorkeled with caribbean reef sharks circling around us...  

I definitely didn't enjoy myself. Not one bit. Psyyyyyche! Being at the Sharklab for these two short weeks has totally reaffirmed my passion for this kind of work. Through long days on the field, saltwater showers, and the tropical storms this summer, I am more enthusiastic than ever to be a part of shark research in the future.  I feel motivated to keep learning, and the people I met here inspired me to love and care for the oceans like I’ve always wanted. Less than a week after coming to the lab, I had to remind myself I’m actually just a country girl from a land of forests and green pastures instead of a beachfaring islander, because I'd felt so at home. I couldn’t ask for more in life than to be surrounded by people as excited about sharks as I am, and people so willing to spend nine hours a day working in the hot sun while suffocating on mosquitos, all in the name of shark research. Plus now I’m really, really tan.

Thanks for reading!

Kate Meyer
Sharklab Volunteer, July 15th to August 15th, 2014

Justin’s Make-A-Wish Come True (7/31/2014)

On March 21st, we received an email from Sara Schorse, a trip coordinator for the Make-A-Wish foundation branch in Wisconsin. In the # 1 slot for his Wish trip request form, 14-year old Justin Gorton had written down ‘visit the Bimini Sharklab.’ 

“We have to do this!!!” was the unanimous consent on our end.  

Fast forward a few months to earlier this week, July 26th. Justin, his older sister, Ali, and their two parents arrived in Bimini from the non-tropical town of Lodi, WI, which maybe shares only two things in common with the islands: mosquitoes and ‘no-see-ums.' We squeezed a lot into this short trip, which they are currently continuing at the Bimini Sands.  Feel free to scroll through these photos to vicariously live their memorable experience and the inspiration of this young man, Justin. 

Immediately after arriving, we dropped off bags in the local ‘hotel’, Coconut Cove, leaving no time to waste.  Justin (left) and his family sat in the cooler equipment room to hear a spiel on the lab’s history and research before going to the back pens to see the juvenile sharks for the first time. 

After day one, Justin had held his own baby nurse shark. 

And by day two, he had conquered any fears to enter the fin-full waters and snorkel beside adult caribbean reef sharks.

On a paddleboard with a staff members, we entered one of South Bimini’s mangrove nurseries at Duck Pond, rowing in the paths of green sea turtles, some oversized conch, and a handful spiny lobsters.

He engaged in a download of the submersible underwater receiver (SUR) data, where we found out one of our tagged hammerheads from earlier this year had pinged off Round Rock only the day before! We thought hammerhead season had long closed after April with the departure of cooler, winter water.  

Justin has a fearlessness that sets a high standard for kids his age, an affirmative attitude that takes nothing for granted, and a full-faced smile that leaks out pure authentic joy.  

On his last night, it was no surprise to us that Justin would sign up to check our longlines right away at 11 PM, where he saw four different species of sharks found in Bimini--nurse, blacktip, lemon, and tiger--and watched us ‘work them up’ (take measurements) with the expression of a kid in a candy shop.  

These courageous acts are awe-worthy in and of themselves. But Justin lives every minute of his life with a degenerative condition known as Dechenne Muscular Dystrophy, which limits his physical mobility. A genetic lack of dystrophin prevents his muscle cells from binding to cytoskeletal support structures, making exertion of muscle incredibly difficult for him. 

We don’t feel this struggle, though, given Justin’s enviable optimism. One of the reasons he loves the ocean so much (aside from it containing sharks!) is because his buoyancy reduces the brunt load of gravitational stress on his body. In the water, Justin can move in peace. 

So when we asked him if he was OK during a snorkel, there was nothing that could detract from his grinning face and big ‘thumbs ups’ that became all too familiar.

We would like to thank Justin Gorton and his family, Ali, John, and Julia, for taking a chance with us and testing the Bimini waters for their Wish trip. Justin, you are a true inspiration, and we hope this trip helps push you closer towards your passions in the water, where you naturally thrive. You radiate joy into those around you, please cling to that. 

We'd also like to thank the Make-A-Wish Foundation for funding this expedition, providing the means for this eye-opening experience, impacting everyone involved.  Much to be grateful for!

Stay in touch, buddy!

The Sharklab Team