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LETTER FROM THE DIRECTOR Dear SRC Friends, Colleagues and Supporters,
This past year was incredible, and we are pleased to share a snapshot of the action in this annual report. Our team spent more than 100 days on the water in research sites that spanned the globe. We conducted work in the Galapagos, South Africa, the Bahamas, in the waters near our home base of Miami, FL, and, for the first time in years, Florida Bay and the Dry Tortugas. We sampled, tagged and released over 400 sharks of 11 different species. Data generated during these trips helped advance our understanding of the biological drivers, processes, and lives of these important marine predators. Once again, our research made it onto local, national, and international media outlets. Highlights include three original programs on Discovery Channel’s Shark Week, which reached tens of millions of viewers globally. Our students busied themselves, too, by presenting original work at numerous scientific conferences and by volunteering thousands of hours for outreach and education. Last year we brought more than 1,200 Citizen Scientists out shark tagging, the majority of which were students. We hosted trips for the Make A Wish Foundation and for our F.I.N.S. (Females In The Natural Sciences) program. For me personally, highlights of the past year included: serving as keynote speaker for the Sharks International Conference in Brazil, introducing Barbara Corcoran (of ABC’s Shark Tank) and Rob “Gronk” Gronkowski (of the New England Patriots) to our research during filming for Shark Week. Thank you to all that supported us this past year.
Neil Hammerschlag, Ph.D. Director, Shark Research & Conservation Program (SRC) Rosenstiel School of Marine & Atmospheric Science Leonard & Jayne Abess Center for Ecosystem Science & Policy University of Miami
TABLE OF CONTENTS
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SRC’s Mission
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Graduate Projects
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By the Numbers
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Scientific Publications
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In the Media
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What has SRC Been up to?
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Research at SRC
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Making an Impact
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Sponsors
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Growth
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People
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Group Photos
SRC’S MISSION Based at the University of Miami Rosenstiel School, the Shark Research & Conservation Program (SRC) conducts cutting-edge shark research, advancing marine conservation through peer-reviewed publications and public outreach.
Every year, SRC brings out thousands of children, especially from underserved populations, inspiring scientific literacy and environmental ethic in youth through unique hands-on field research experiences
SRC could not achieve this without its hard-working team, dedicated to the research and conservation of sharks and the ecosystems that depend on them.
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GRADUATE PROJECTS Morphology and Movement of Tiger Sharks By Emily Nelson Variation observed in movement performance of tiger sharks (A) Individual displaying low movement performance and (B) individual displaying high movement performance.
Emily, who graduated in 2018, investigated if differences in speed and space use by tiger sharks was influenced by individual differences in their body lengths, girth and fin sizes.
Movement Patterns of Sharks in Urban Areas By Robert Roemer This figure shows the
Robbie’s thesis had two main com-
residency duration of
ponents: 1. establishing a repeat-
tagged great hammer-
able methodology to define waters
head sharks in
affected by urbanization; and 2. the
Biscayne Bay during
acoustic tracking of great hammer-
the dry (A) and wet
heads, bull, and nurse sharks in
(B) seasons. Larger
Biscayne Bay. Results from acoustic
circles denote longer
tracking show all three species are
times spent by great
using highly impacted areas. Future
hammerheads in a
studies will assess the physiological
particular area.
health of sharks using these areas.
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BY THE NUMBERS Great Hammerhead Number Tagged: 35 Average Size: 9 ft 8 acoustic tags and 1 satellite tag deployed
Scalloped Hammerhead Number Tagged: 1 Average Size: 8 ft 3 in
Tiger Number Tagged: 24 Average Size: 8 ft 1 acoustic tag and 8 satellite tags deployed Largest shark caught in 2018 was a 12 ft 11 in tiger!
Bull Number Tagged: 29 Average Size: 7 ft 5 in
Lemon Number Tagged: 47 Average Size: 7 ft 4 in
Nurse Number Tagged: 158 Average Size: 6 ft 9 in 2 acoustic tags deployed
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Sandbar Number Tagged: 29 Average Size: 6 ft 4 in 11 satellite tags deployed
Blacktip Number Tagged: 61 Average Size: 4 ft 10 in 11 satellite tags deployed
Caribbean Reef Number Tagged: 31 Average Size: 4 ft 10 in 4 acoustic tags deployed
Blacknose Number Tagged: 28 Average Size: 3 ft 9 in
Atlantic Sharpnose Number Tagged: 10 Average Size: 2 ft 11 in
Bonnethead Number Tagged: 4 Average Size: 2 ft 6 in
Smallest shark caught in 2018 was a 1 ft 11 in bonnethead!
Our team of divers logged 157 dives to deploy and maintain our acoustic receivers in the Bahamas and Miami. In some cases our receivers picked up the signature of tagged sharks in the minutes before the divers entered the water. The receivers also showed that other tagged species, including fishes and mammals tagged by other researchers, are using the study areas.
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SCIENTIFIC PUBLICATIONS Calich H, Estevanez M, Hammerschlag N. (2018). Overlap between highly suitable habitats and longline gear management areas reveals vulnerable and protected regions for highly migratory sharks. Marine Ecology Progress Series 602: 183-195
Wosnick N, Navas CA, Niella YV, Monteiro-Filho ELA, Freire CA, Hammerschlag N. (2018). Thermal Imaging Reveals Changes in Body Surface Temperatures of Blacktip Sharks (Carcharhinus limbatus) during Air Exposure. Physiological and Biochemical Zoology; 91(5): 1005-1012
Glynn, P.W., Coffman, B., Primov, K.D., Moorhead, S.G., Vanderwoude, J., Barrales, R.N., Williams, M.K. and Roemer, R.P., (2018). Benthic ctenophores (Platyctenida: Coeloplanidae) in South Florida: predator–prey interactions. Invertebrate Biology.
Hammerschlag N, Skubel RA, Sulikowski J, Irschick DJ, Gallagher AJ. (2018). A Comparison of Reproductive and Energetic States in a Marine Apex Predator (the Tiger Shark, Galeocerdo cuvier). Physiological and Biochemical Zoology 2018 91:4, 933-942
Hammerschlag N, Barley SC, Irschick DJ, Meeuwig JJ, Nelson ER, Meekan MG (2018). Predator declines and morphological changes in prey: evidence from coral reefs depleted of sharks. Marine Ecology Progress Series 586:127-139.
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Skubel RA, Kirtman BP, Fallows C, Hammerschlag N
Einoder LD, Friedlaender A, Goebel ME, Goldsworthy
(2018). Patterns of long-term climate variability and
SD, Guinet C, Gunn J, Hamer D, Hammerschlag N,
predation rates by a marine apex predator, the white
Hammill M, Hückstädt LA, Humphries NE, Lea MA,
shark Carcharodon carcharias. Marine Ecology Progress
Lowther A, Mackay A, McHuron E, McKenzie J, McLeay
Series 587:129-139.
L, McMahon CR, Mengersen K, Muelbert MMC, Pagano AM, Page B, Queiroz N, Robinson PW, Shaffer SA,
Sequeira AMM, Rodríguez JPP, Eguíluz VM, Harcourt R,
Shivji M, Skomal GB, Thorrold SR, Villegas-Amtmann S,
Hindell M, Sims DW, Duarte CW, Costa DP, Fernández-
Weise M, Wells R, Wetherbee B, Wiebkin A, Wienecke
Gracia J, Ferreira LC, Hays GC, Heupel MR, Meekan MG,
B, Thums M. (2018). Convergent movement patterns
Aven A, Bailleul F, Baylis AMM, Berumen ML, Braun CD,
of marine megafauna. Proceedings of the National
Burns J, Caley MJ, Campbell R, Carmichael RH, Clua E,
Academy of Sciences. DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1716137115
Hannah Calich Hannah defended her Masters thesis in 2016, but the results of her research was published in 2018. She determined the mostly highly suitable habitats for great hammerhead, tiger, and bull sharks in Southeastern waters of the United States and then determined how much of these areas overlapped with areas where sharks were protected from or vulnerable to commercial longline fishing. The analysis showed that highly suitable habitats overlapping with the longline fishing restricted areas varied by species and season. Highly suitable habitats of great hammerheads and tiger sharks were relatively well protected from pelagic longlines yet vulnerable to bottom longline fishing. In addition, both species were vulnerable to pelagic and bottom longline fishing off southwestern Florida.
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IN THE MEDIA SHARK WEEK
Monster Tag - The SRC team meets up with NFL tight end Rob Gronkowski to satellite tag tiger sharks in the Bahamas to learn more about their movement and behavior. Shark Tank Meets Shark Week - SRC was joined by TV celebrity Barbara Corcoran and our F.I.N.S. program for a day of tagging and learning about what it means to empower young females in science. Tiger Shark Invasion - Dr. Neil Hammerschlag embarked on a tagging trip in the Galapagos to understand why tiger sharks were recently increasing in numbers at this shark hot spot.
Oceans 180 Over 25,000 middle school students chose SRC’s video “Where do sharks spend most of their time?” as a finalist in the Oceans180 video contest.
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WHAT HAS SRC BEEN UP TO? DRY TORGUGAS We launched a new, participant-based expedition in the Dry Tortugas. Citizen Scientist from across North America joined us for three weeks of sampling in a biodiverse marine protected area near Key West. In total, 78 sharks were caught, tagged, and released, including the most Caribbean Reef sharks the lab has caught!
Summer Programs SRC once again hosted a successful Summer Programs. Over the course of a month, 17 citizen scientists from around North America deployed over 320 lines with 55 sharks caught, in addition to hours spent in the lab learning new lab-based research techniques.
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R/V CUVIER When Neil Hammerschlag met Wylie Nagler at the 2018 Miami International Boat Show, the talk--unsurprisingly--centered on boats. Neil expressed the need for a boat to support vital marine research Projects. Nagler, founder and CEO of Yellowfin Yachts, was listening. As a result of that conversation, Yellowfin generously donated a 36’ center console with twin Yahama 300HP engines to the Rosenstiel School’s fleet of research vessels.
RESEARCH AT SRC Sharon Marie SRC deployed 22 satellite tags in 2018. One of our sharks, Sharon Marie, was tagged in the Bahamas, and traveled over 7,000 miles in the Atlantic Ocean in the eight months since she was tagged. Tracks like these help us understand shark movement and critical habitats.
Mitch Rider SRC Master’s Student Mitch Rider is collaborating with NOAA for an exciting project around Biscayne Bay! “My project is looking into the association between boat activity and shark habitat use... Acoustic telemetry is used to quantify shark habitat use. This research is part of an increasing effort to understand the relationship between urbanization and the marine ecosystem.”
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Shark International Keynote This past June, SRC Director Dr. Neil Hammerschlag traveled to the city of João Pessoa, Brazil, to give a keynote presentation at the third Sharks International Conference. The Sharks International Conference is the first truly international event devoted to elasmobranchs, with its first two editions being held respectively in Cairns, Australia in 2010 and Durban, South Africa in 2014. In his address, Dr. Hammerschlag discussed his research on the ecosystem importance of sharks. SRC student, Rachel Skubel also presented some of her dissertation research at this important conference.
Elana Rusnak SRC Master’s Student Elana Rusnak is hard at work studying shark physiology. “The end goal of my project is to be able to assess health in wild shark populations. I am isolating a protein from the nurse shark that is a direct indicator of stress and inflammation, and will be developing a tool that can measure this protein in blood samples from the sharks we catch while out tagging. This assay will be used as part of a larger “toolbox” to understand what the current shark health baseline is, and how it may be impacted by climate change and human influences.”
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MAKING AN IMPACT FINS SRC values the impact science can have on under-served populations. That’s why we’ve teamed up with several organizations and communities to provide hands on field research experiences to children who may not otherwise have the opportunity.
Make a Wish
Miccouskee
I M PA C T
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Mohagany Youth
Corporate Sponsors We would like to thank our corporate sponsors for all their support in 2018:
Contributors - Disney Conservation Fund
- Cape Clasp
- Batchelor Foundation, Inc.
- Give Back Brands Foundation
- Heffner Fund
- E.I. Medical
- Interphase Materials
- NOAA
- Hook & Tackle
- H.W. Wilson Foundation
- 360 Destinations
- L2 Platforms
- Elite Flyers
- All generous individuals and groups who have Adopted a Shark
- Alma Jennings Foundation - Rock the Ocean Foundation - Herbert W. Hoover Foundation - William J. Gallwey, III - Waterlust
Find out how you can donate here: sharktagging.com
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GROWTH
Since the beginning of SRC in 2010,
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we have seen incredible growth in the
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amount of data collected and research
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conducted, especially in 2018. Here are a few of those numbers below:
Trips Per Year
120
60
61
2012
2015
60 40 20 0
2018
Waterlust SRC was incredibly excited to debut
a real photograph taken by SRC
the Tiger Shark Trailblazer line
director Dr. Neil Hammerschlag.
with Waterlust, which includes
Looking great on and off the field,
leggings, shorts, tops, and buffs.
any purchase supports our shark
The tiger shark pattern is from
research!
Get these and other SRC Swag at: sharktagging.com/shop
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Drumlines Deployed Per Year 500
Sharks Tagged Per Year 452
3500
3282
3000
400
2500
323 300
2000
239
1961 1665
1500
200
1000 100
0
500
2012
2015
2018
0
2012
2015
2018
Photos courtesy of: Alex Anstett Gammon Koval Rachel Skubel Josh Liberman Julia Satlzman Nicole Lin Stephen Cain Matthew Bernanke Chris Schenker Chelsea Black Olivia Williamson Sharks International
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PEOPLE SRC
Citizen Scientists We’d also like to thank all the citizen scientists that have joined us on our tagging trips. Participants originated from:
• 42 states within the United States
• 43 countries
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SRC is incredibly thankful for the 36 hard-working students and interns that make the lab run!
THANK YOU FOR ALL THE GROUPS THAT CAME TAGGING AND MADE THE RESEARCH POSSIBLE!
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