How to Survive on a Stranded Island: A Marine Conservation Guide for Students

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“Imagine you are stranded on an island. The only items you have are an empty bottle, a piece of paper, and a squid you recently caught. You think, “AH-HA!” I can write a message in a bottle! Yet, you immediately realize you are missing an integral item, the pen. You glance at the squid and all of sudden you remember your squid anatomy and most importantly, that squids have ink and a pen! You write your message in a bottle and are soon rescued!”

This is the scene that I described to the kids that attended the “Art by the Sea” 2012 event on Virginia Key Beach Park. The Art by the Sea event, hosted by the Big Blue and You Foundation, is an annual event that focuses on inspiring and educating children on marine conservation. Several RSMAS students led two marine science booths including a plankton booth and a squid dissection booth. I volunteered at the squid dissection booth, teaching squid anatomy and sharing fun facts with kids. Many of them were surprised to learn that giant squids have the largest eye in the animal kingdom and that some squids can reach speeds up to 25 mph. Of course, they were most surprised to find out that all squids have ink and a pen. At the end of the dissection, each kid would “write a message in a bottle” by dipping the squid’s pen, which is actually a long and thin shell, into the squid’s ink sac. Once the “squid pen” was ready, they wrote a message on a colorful flashcard.

Volunteering for the squid dissection booth gave me the opportunity to share my knowledge and passion for ocean conservation with aspiring young scientists. It was great to see kids handle a squid for the first time and to see their excitement as they learn the insides and outsides of a squid. I believe that experiences like these are critical for children as it not only instills them with conservation awareness but also inspires them to learn, dream, and best of all, believe that they can be whoever they want to be. As I continue to pursue my career in marine biology, I hope to continue to inspire kids and to make a change, for both the ocean and for people.

This blog post is part of a series of stories written by RSMAS graduate students enrolled in the Spring 2012 Scientific Communications (RSM 545) course.

Hada Herring
MPS – Marine Mammal Management
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In Our Element: A Study Break with the RSMAS Surf Club

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When you’re a graduate student in the middle of finals, sometimes it is important to take a break and remind yourself why you have been in the library for twelve hours. For a graduate student, finals are when it all comes together. Students pull together all the bits and pieces of knowledge that they have accumulated over the semester, they take a stab at answering their own research questions, and they put in the extra hours to get it right. However, feeling resentful about this process is the last thing a student wants to happen when they are on page 29 of 30 in their research proposal. For this reason, decompression time becomes just as important as crunch time.

This importance became especially clear to me on a recent afternoon when I received an email from the RSMAS Surf Club that high winds in the area were creating surf-able conditions on South Beach. The enthusiasm from my fellow club members was all I needed to dig through my car to find my wet suit top and hit “reply all” to the surf invitation. After loading a record breaking five surfboards onto the car, the club members and I piled in and made our way to the break. A catchy song started playing on the radio and my friends instantly started singing and dancing to the music making me already glad that I decided to join this adventure.

The excitement from the car continued as we emerged from behind the large dunes that border the beach and made our way to the water. I did not hesitate as I stretched my arms and started paddling through the shore break. Paper outlines and topic ideas were instantly replaced with more pressing decisions of where to paddle and how to position my body on my board. Sargassum ceased to just be an example of brown algae in a PowerPoint when I touched it with my hands while paddling and picked it out of my hair in the lineup. I flooded my senses with elements of the ocean that a reader could never gather from my term paper: the smell of the water as I wait for the next wave, the feeling of a wave pushing my board to shore, the taste of the salt in my mouth when I fall off after a long ride, the sound of excited friends cheering the arrival of the next set of waves, and the sight of the sun setting behind a sea of ocean lovers in their element.

Our session was cut short when a member of our group unfortunately had a collision with a fellow surfer and injured his hand. Even this moment was refreshing in a way because it was contact with the subject of our hours of labor and hard work. I feel that making time to connect with the ocean on a personal level is crucial to giving our all to our academic products. Someone once told me that the act of giving is an especially special moment because it means that we are full enough of something that we are able to share it with others. This is how I view spending time in the ocean. It fills us up and makes us able to continue giving our all to our academic products. I urge all students to make time to fill up with passion and excitement about the ocean during this especially demanding time. I think they will find the same sense of renewed motivation that I found that afternoon with the RSMAS Surf Club.

This blog post is part of a series of stories written by RSMAS graduate students enrolled in the Spring 2012 Scientific Communications (RSM 545) course.

Anne Rosinski
MPS Student
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Field Trips Are Not Just For Kids: RSMAS Students Participate in NMFS Mark-Recapture Study

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Think back about what it felt like being a kid in elementary school and going on field trips. I remember how exciting it was getting ready for school that morning knowing that my whole day would be spent outside of the classroom, on an adventure. It didn’t really matter to me whether it was a trip to the science museum or to the theater, what mattered was getting the chance to experience the world first-hand. As we get older, field trips become few and far between. But this is not the case at RSMAS where students are offered many opportunities to apply their classroom knowledge in real-world settings.

I had the opportunity to work with the National Marine Fisheries Service on a mark-recapture study of bottlenose dolphins in Biscayne Bay. Although the name “mark-recapture” may suggest otherwise, this study did not actually involve the capture of any dolphins. Rather, it is a survey of dolphin populations using photos to identify and track specific individuals. All dolphins have a dorsal fin on their back, which can actually be used as a ‘fingerprint.’ Throughout its lifetime, a dolphin’s dorsal fin can receive many nicks and cuts resulting in a permanent and unique pattern that can be used in photo-identification studies to identify and catalogue individual dolphins. These catalogues are important in assessing the status and health of individual dolphins, as well as the population in general. And since dolphins are a sentinel species for the environment, their health is representative of the health of our ocean.

The Fisheries Service currently has a catalogue of the Biscayne Bay bottlenose dolphin population, complete with pictures of each dolphin’s dorsal fin. In an effort to update and maintain this catalogue, I was able to partake in one of their surveys to locate and photograph the dolphins. Photographing wild dolphins may seem pretty simple, but I actually found it to be quite challenging. Imagine standing on a boat, trying to maintain balance amidst the waves, while also trying to maintain the bulky camera straight and focused, and then timing the photo just right to capture a clear and centered photo of the dolphin’s dorsal fin. It was challenging but exciting at the same time, being out in the field, and collecting real data. In the end, it was a great experience in which I not only gained more knowledge about photo-identification studies but also a new respect for the skill. I look forward to the many more field trips that lie ahead.

This blog post is part of a series of stories written by RSMAS graduate students enrolled in the Spring 2012 Scientific Communications (RSM 545) course.

Melissa Lopes
MBF – MPS – Marine Mammal Science
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Making Marine Conservation Cool: Young Shark Entrepreneur Raises Money for the RJDunlap Program

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“I want to be sure I’m making a difference. Shark conservation is the way I think I can make an impact,” Derrick Whitcomb told me in an interview for Project Blue Hope.

As a RSMAS graduate student and founder of the marine conservation media site, ProjectBlueHope.com, I’m passionate about discussing with the younger generation their connection with the marine environment.

I’ve often wondered, “Are there a few key ingredients necessary for presenting marine conservation as cool in the eyes of the younger generation? And how could we make a conservation-mindset the next big trend?”

Through Project Blue Hope, my friend and fellow RSMAS graduate student, Jennah Caster and I created a short film aimed at understanding why and when kids care about the ocean and what they are doing to protect it.

One of our interviewees for the film was 13-year old Derrick Whitcomb. Derrick is passionate about the ocean and following in the Jewish tradition, will be having a Bar Mitzvah.

An important part of the tradition is doing mitzvoth, or good deeds, and taking part in Tikkun Olam, or repairing the world. Derrick’s mitzvah service project is to raise awareness for shark conservation by selling “RESPECT” wristbands for the UM – R.J. Dunlap Adopt-a-Shark Marine Conservation Program.

Derrick, an enterprising young entrepreneur, carries around shark conservation business cards and created a website, DerrickWhitcomb.com. So far, Derrick has raised over $1,300 for shark conservation and Project Blue Hope is working hard to help him get to his goal of $2,000 for a shark satellite tag. He is also organizing a local Ocean Conservancy coastal clean up.

Derrick was elated when approached about being in Project Blue Hope’s film. As the founder of this small marine conservation site, it was both fascinating and inspiring for me to experience the influence our small recognition of Derrick’s good deeds had on him.

Derrick is only 13, but he’s an inspiring example of what young adults can achieve when they feel recognized and supported.

This blog post is part of a series of stories written by RSMAS graduate students enrolled in the Spring 2012 Scientific Communications (RSM 545) course.

Christine Beggs
MPS Student – Marine Conservation
Founder, Project Blue Hope
www.ProjectBlueHope.com

Team RSMAS Wins President’s Cup in 2012 Miami Corporate Run

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I used to make trips into Downtown Miami pretty regularly, but now it seems I am only there for the Miami Corporate Run, supporting “Team UM.” There is something about Downtown’s architecture that is enhanced beautifully by the evening light. The Brickell glass towers and the old stone buildings are just reborn under the sun’s setting rays.

When we heard the sound of the canon and thousands of little papers floated in the air, a clamor came from the crowd of 22,599 strong, all there to support one goal – a healthy and fit lifestyle for the corporate world. How many times are we witness of so many people getting together for the greater good?

There were people of all ages; young and older, fit and not so fit, but when the torrent of walkers descended upon the Brickell streets, it felt as if we were part of the same team. The weather was very clement but there was not even a single cloud and despite a soft breeze, it was hot.

Team UM was 900 people strong and RSMAS had 68 people who signed up. The UM tent was right next to the water and there was an unobstructed view of Biscayne Bay that could have made one think that we were far from a race.

Members of Team UM and Team RSMAS posing with Sebastian at the 2012 Miami Corporate Run.

When I was walking, I enjoyed looking at the colors of all the companies’ shirts and their reflections in the buildings. I also loved the contrast of the beginning of the route with modern structures and the end of it, coming back to the older sections of Downtown. It was as if the city itself had participated with all of what made its unique culture.

Team RSMAS won the President’s Cup challenge this year, by having the most registered participants on a single team. I will always remember the moment our team’s name was declared the winner, and the individuals who made it possible. What I will also treasure is the red glow of the Freedom tower in the dark sky and the thought that we were all together as one.

Sandrine Apelbaum
Meteorology and Physical Oceanography
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Bahamian Reef Sharks, Johnny Depp, and Lots of Conch Fritters!

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School can be tedious at times, but this is not often the case at RSMAS. Just this March I traveled to the family island of Little Farmer’s Cay in the Exumas, Bahamas, for a nine-day course called Fieldwork in Coastal Culture. Our professor, Sarah Meltzoff, and Bahamian Young Marine Explorers Founder, Nikita Shiel-Rolle, led nine of us RSMAS students through a remarkable hands-on anthropology adventure.

We stayed in the homes of Bahamian families, which occupy close to half of all the homes on this small island with a population of around 60. Most every local, young and old, had a big and distinct personality, eager to meet and greet us. Fortunately, we had the opportunity to break into groups each day and interview the majority of Farmer’s Cay islanders, to discover their life histories and unique cultural.

Photo of RSMAS graduate students Stephanie Crawford, Grace Seo, and Brittany Bartlett sitting on Little Farmer’s Cay Government Dock. (Photo credit: Jennah B. Caster)

My course group explored all aspects of local food and its impact on daily life and culture of the islanders. It was eye opening to experience the dichotomy between the modest local life of these Bahamians, compared with my past experiences of sailing between islands, spending time in Nassau, and vacationing at the mega-resort Atlantis. Surrounded by miles of ocean, most goods and food products, besides fresh seafood and very limited fruits, veggies and herbs, have to be imported to the island. All of the Farmer’s Cay islanders are dependant on a weekly mail boat to deliver pre-paid items; most stocks are in short supply. Nevertheless, this does not hinder the locals’ ability to cook incredible food! Among many other traditional dishes, we enjoyed the freshest cracked conch, conch fritters, conch ceviche, minced crawfish (lobster), and fried red snapper. Although I am not used to eating lots of fried foods, a week of delicious home cooked meals was definitely a plus for grad students.

In addition to conducting field interviews, we had the opportunity to explore other areas of the Exumas. One day we ventured through the 176-square miles of islands, cays, and spectacular marine life of the Exuma Land and Sea Park. In the park we cruised by islands owned by Johnny Depp, Tyler Perry and Prince Karim, Aga Khan IV, before our first stop at Danger Reef. We hopped into 45 feet of water and were quickly joined by almost a dozen Bahamian Reef Sharks! They were very friendly and swam around with us for a while. Next we headed off to have lunch by the blowholes near the Park’s headquarters. These natural features sent exhilarating howls and gusts of air up through the ground. Wasting no time, we set off to other unique sites where we snorkeled and explored secret streams of mangrove nursery areas, which are naturally protected areas where juvenile marine creatures can grow and thrive in their early life. Finally, our adventure ended at Thunder Island, where we swam in and around the cave where James Bond’s “Thunderball” was filmed. By the end of the day we were ready to return home to our Bahamian families to unwind and share more stories.

Overall, the experience was one of a kind. On and off the island the scenery was spectacular. I have never seen more shades of blue ocean in one visual landscape; likewise, I have never seen more vivid stars in a clear night’s sky. The people we met and island we stayed on were beautiful inside and out, and just a little rough around the edges.

This blog post is part of a series of stories written by RSMAS graduate students enrolled in the Spring 2012 Scientific Communications (RSM 545) course.

Jennah B. Caster
RSMAS Marine Affairs and Policy, Marine Conservation
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