Being at the Sharklab while on the Autism spectrum - by Maddie Koeplin

I’m not supposed to like erratic schedules, or having plans change on a dime. That is a common trait seen among people on the autism spectrum - including me. Biology, especially field biology, is full of changing plans, missing equipment, nothing going right, or nothing happening when things do go right. That is life at the Sharklab - and I love it.
I knew I wanted to be a biologist since I learned the meaning of the word in it’s most basic sense (the study of life) at age eight, years before I was ever diagnosed with ASD (autism spectrum disorder). Biology, especially zoology, became my all- encompassing passion in life, which is what ultimately lead me here, to the Sharklab. Being around people as passionate about sharks and conservation as I am, and working with those people to meet common goals is thrilling and far outweighs my discomfort in the fact that the lab is crowded and, often, very loud.

I have the same start of the day as everyone else. I get up at the knock, eat breakfast while barely awake, get dressed, take care of the boat I was assigned to, and wait for a staff member to tell us the plan for the day. It’s routine. Mental preparation is key for me, so knowing what the plan is for the day is almost a necessity. If we are going out on the boats for anything, I get myself prepared for the fact that there will be a lot of vibrations, noise, and being squished together. I love going out on the boats, and that love makes the discomfort worth it. If I’m giving a tour, I go over what I need to say, and remind myself I need to ask the people on the tour what they are interested in learning about. As nerve-wracking as tours can be for me (speaking to people I don’t know is something I have a hard time with), it’s actually a chance for me to talk about something I have a lot of passion for without people zoning out on me.
 

© Karlee Orvis

Life at the Sharklab is hectic, loud, crowded, and disorganized - no matter how often we reorganize the lab and kitchen. Life at the Sharklab is also incredible in all the positive ways. There is always more laughter than complaining (sometimes the only way to get through the fifth thunderstorm you have spent in the mangroves is to laugh about it). Even though I find certain things uncomfortable that most people don’t, I wouldn’t have the Sharklab any other way.

A month at the Sharklab - by Paloma Cartwright

"You is a Bahamian, what you doing swimmin’ with sharks?"

I think this is the most common question I received from the locals during my time in Bimini. Every time I spoke, the locals would immediately look at me and say, “You from Long Island.” So then, why am I, a born and raised Bahamian island girl, here in Bimini studying sharks? This question was even more puzzling when people learnt I’m studying Computer Science at McGill. However, since I was just old enough to learn how to swim, I have been fascinated by all marine life, turtles, sharks, whales, fish, conch; you get the picture. But in the Bahamas, sharks are still taboo creatures; if you see a shark, you get out of the water. So, imagine my anticipation, excitement and honestly, hesitation when we headed out to a reef shark dive on one of our first days here. Everything that I had thought I knew about sharks was changed during this experience and has continued to change over the past month. 

Snorkeling with Caribbean reef (C. perezi) sharks. © Sophie Hart - BBFSF

I remember the feeling of holding a baby shark for the first time. It was surreal. This shark that I knew had so much power, was sitting so calmly in my hold. Not trying to attack, not angry, not aggressive, just swimming along peacefully in my hold. The same excitement was experienced when we went to Aya’s spot and fed the baby lemon sharks. These sharks find sanctuary in the mangroves from larger sharks during high tide. To have feisty baby lemon sharks bump into my legs during feeding was surreal. There were so many days like this that made me fall in love with sharks of all kinds.

My favorite day at the lab definitely had to be stingray catching. Great hammerhead sharks can sense a buried southern stingray using their ampullae of Lorenzini. These are jelly filled pores on the sharks that can detect electrical pulses, in this case heartbeats. The volunteers are definitely not that talented, so we all gathered up into two skiffs to search for stingrays. Once one was located, we would corral, trap, and then net them so that they could be used in one of the studies happening at the lab. This was only successful with active communication and cooperation, and the volunteers all worked together to catch 4 stingrays. We laughed together, yelled together and celebrated the captures together.

Smiles all round after capturing 4 stingrays! - © Paloma Cartwright

The Sharklab experience wasn’t just about learning in the field. It was also about gaining life skills, experiencing new things & making lasting connections with people who have similar interests and goals. It was about finding the strength to keep going even when you’re exhausted after a 5-hour longline set, realizing everything (especially duty day) is easier when you work together as a team, and accepting that salt water showers are not actually that bad. My month at the Sharklab has affected my life in so many positive ways and I am so grateful for the Alf Thompson Memorial Scholarship for funding my time here at the lab. I am determined to someday use my experience at the lab to contribute to marine conservation in the Bahamas.