Shark Research with Ocean First Institute

DISCOVERY II
Fort Lauderdale, Florida
December 10, 2024

Project Overview

On December 10th, 2024, SeaKeepers boarded DISCOVERY II with Ocean First Institute's (OFI) shark scientists for a local expedition. This expedition is the first of planned monthly outings with SeaKeepers and OFI, and continued sampling in Fort Lauderdale will expand the range of OFI's Florida Keys Shark Research up to Fort Lauderdale. The shark research at OFI aims to assess the distribution and abundance of sharks, skates and rays in the Northern Florida Keys using two main non-invasive methodologies: Baited Remote Underwater Video Systems (BRUVS) and Environmental DNA (eDNA) sampling. All research is conducted under state and federal permits.

Application

On this expedition, OFI sampled three individual sharks of two species in a new region, bolstering their data set for sharks off the Florida Coast. A wide range of data from different shark species will allow researchers to study their distribution, genetics, and health, even as populations decline due to anthropogenic causes.

Expedition Summary

Captained by SeaKeepers' Program Development Manager, Aubri, and assisted by SeaKeepers' Science Liaison, Katie, the team of 6 cruised east of Port Everglades to learn more about changing health metrics in sharks. The OFI scientists successfully retrieved multiple biological data points, including measurements and fin samples, from a female nurse shark, a female hammerhead shark, and a male hammerhead shark.