‘Spot a Basking Shark’ Project. How can you help save this endangered shark?

You can help the PSRC collect information to save the Basking Shark! Photo by Greg Skomal

By Kristin Walovich, Pacific Shark Research Center

Contrary to Hollywood’s portrayal of gigantic man-eating sharks, the three largest species of shark spend their time peacefully roaming the ocean’s surface munching on the ocean’s smallest creatures.  Basking Sharks, the second largest species of shark, cruise the seas in search of plankton, filtering up to 2,000 tons of water across its gills per hour. Reaching lengths of thirty five feet, this shark exists worldwide, yet very little is known about how they live or where they go.

To discover more information about this vulnerable species, scientists from the Pacific Shark Research Center (PSRC) and the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) have begun a new type of shark hunt. Unlike the crazed and frantic scenes from the JAWS movie, this shark hunt only requires a boat, camera and telephone! The Spot a Basking Shark Project enlists the help of local sea-farers to uncover the demographics and distribution of the California Basking Shark.

Once common along the California coast, these gentle giants are now a rare sight. In the past, these social creatures were seen in schools of hundreds or thousands; however since 1993 no more than three basking sharks have been spotted together. Fishing and eradication efforts by fishermen who believed them to be ‘man-eaters’ contributed heavily to their population decline. Despite the fishery closure in the late 1950s, Basking Shark numbers have remained low, mostly due to human impacts like vessel strikes, fisheries bycatch and illegal shark fining. Based on the decline of Basking Shark numbers and lack of species information, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has listed this species as endangered.

If you see a Basking Shark, the PSRC and NMFS want to know! These sharks can be identified by their large size, pointed snouts, and large gill slits that encircle the head. Basking sharks have dorsal fins up to three feet tall that are visible as they slowly swim along the surface with mouths wide open catching plankton.  If you see a Basking Shark, call or email the PSRC with your location, date and time of the sighting and any photos or videos. Your information helps the PSRC document and understand these majestic and peaceful creatures.

Visit the PSRC Website to report a sighting and to learn more about Basking Sharks!

The basking shark can filter 2,000 gallons of water per hour while searching for plankton. Photo by Andrew Parsons

Whalefest 2013 this weekend at the Monterey Old Fisherman’s Wharf

Celebrate the return of the Grey Whales to the Monterey Bay at the Whalefest Monterey 2013 event this weekend Saturday, January 26^th and Sunday, January 27^th !

This event aims to bring public awareness to the marine non-profits that influence the Monterey Bay Marine Sanctuary by offering a variety of fun activities, events, and exhibits from over thirty organizations.

Our very own Pacific Shark Research Center will have a booth set up this weekend!  Find us at the Causeway at Old Fisherman’s Wharf from 9am to 5pm.

The grey whale makes one of the longest annual migrations of any mammal, traveling nearly 5,000 miles from its northern feeding grounds to warmer winter calving grounds. Photo: Julian Pye

 

 

Ask a Shark Researcher

By Diane Wyse, Physical Oceanography Lab

In the spirit of sharing exciting new student research during Shark Week, we caught up with MLML and Pacific Shark Research Center graduate student Paul Clerkin.  During the spring semester of his first year at MLML he took a two-month cruise aboard a commercial fishing vessel in the Indian Ocean for his thesis research.   During that time, Paul collected sharks that came in as bycatch of the planned fishing activities – sharks that would otherwise have been thrown back overboard because they are not among the targeted species of commercial value.  Clerkin explains that the sharks that he collected were all DOA, that very few survive under the weight of fifty tons of fish.   As part of his bycatch-only collection practices, any sharks that were still alive when the fish and sharks were sorted were promptly sent back overboard to increase their chances of survival.  Below are highlights from our interview with Paul on his latest fieldwork expedition.

Paul identifying sharks from a haul in the factory of the ship.

How long was the cruise?

I spent two months at sea, and then five weeks at Mauritius.  During that time I processed and prepared samples to ship back to MLML. Overall I spent about 100 days out of the US. I remember because I had to get my visa renewed while I was there.

How many specimens did you bring back?

We brought in around 400 to the island, and around 350 made the trip back to MLML. It was just about a ton. On top of that I have hundreds of vertebrae and spines and around 800 tissue samples.

When you collected, was it usually a consistent number per day or catch, or did the numbers vary with time and location?

The catch amounts varied greatly, some mornings I’d wake up and have no sharks to work with, during which time I’d work on data processing, and other days I’d wake up and have 16+ hours of work sitting for me on the deck.  Using bottom roller gear brought in many more sharks.

What will you do with the specimens?  Are they all to be used on your thesis project, or are some saved for other projects?

The specimens will be used both for my thesis research and will be available for future research projects. We’re looking to get a lot of use out of the data. The list of possible projects and papers is pretty long.

Paul working on deck with a false catshark. Paul comments on the critter: “This species isn’t new but it is considered to be rare. I was extremely excited the first time we found one. As we caught more false catsharks over the trip I started to suspect these sharks are not as rare as previously thought. I think they just live in remote locations relatively unexplored by science. Although it is not a new species I gathered data and information on this shark that was previously unknown and will increase our understanding of this strange animal.”

Was this your longest cruise to date?

Yes, my longest cruise before this was out of AK for 90 days, but halfway through we came back to land for one day, then went back out again. After the first two weeks all the days blend together anyway.

New Semester, New Wave!

The new Wave from Friends of Moss Landing Marine Labs is here!  Inside are stories on the Drop-In Blog, PSRC’s Spot a Basking Shark Project, and the new Ichthyology faculty Dr. Scott Hamilton.  To download a copy, click the front-page image above, or click here.

If you found out about the Drop-In from your copy of the Wave and are visiting our blog for the first time, welcome!  We hope you’ll enjoy reading about our adventures.  Click on the bullets below to find the stories written about in the Wave:

• Dive in the Monterey Bay Aquarium kelp forest tank and swim amongst the fishes while waving to visitors on the other side of the glass

• Walk miles of beaches at night in tropical Papua Indonesia in search of leatherback sea turtles coming on shore to lay their eggs 

• Cruise through the ice pack in the Bering Sea aboard an ice-reinforced vessel to look for birds and marine mammals

Drop-In to MLML Open House: See Sharks up Close!

Sharks are not as scary after you learn about them.

It’s amazing how many people are scared of sharks.  I have over 500 dives over four years on the west coast and have only seen one large shark.  It was such a neat experience to see a ten foot shark in the water – most likely a sixgill shark, which are not dangerous.  During Open House the sharks will all treat you with respect (as you should them!).  All the sharks we have are preserved, not living specimens, but it is neat to see them and appreciate them up close.  This year we’ll have a salmon shark on display – be sure to come check it out!

MLML Open House 2011 is Saturday, April 30 & Sunday, May 1.

Can I take him home to France with me?

photo: E. Loury

French international student and shark lover Marie Cachera cuddles a leopard shark from the MLML collection.  Marie conducted a diet study on the starry skate as part of her Master’s thesis while visiting MLML for five months in 2009. Despite our location in a podunk town, the caliber of research of Moss Landing Marine Labs has attracted scientists and students from all over the world.  Read an interview with MLML’s current international student Edem Mahu from Ghana.

To Catch A Giant Shark

photo: M. Johnson

There are fewer rude awakenings for a sleepy Pacific Sleeper Shark than to get hauled up in a net during a government fishing survey.  But for fish biologists, it’s an incredible opportunity to get a photo with the “big one!”  Ichthyology student Erin Loury poses with the unexpected catch while volunteering with the National Marine Fisheries Service groundfish survey as part of a partnership with MLML’s Pacific Shark Research Center.  Don’t worry, the shark was released alive – but probably a little grumpy.

One Day While Surfing… A White Shark Encounter

Paul catches a shark-free wave.

by Paul Tompkins, Phycology Lab

The gulls first caught my attention, a small flock in a tight swarm above the waves just beyond my surfboard. Others floated on the surface below.  Suddenly the sea below them erupted, and the birds on the surface took flight.  A frothy pink spray of water shot into the air; there was blood in the water. As the water calmed the gulls swooped and dove, feeding. A few seconds later the scene repeated itself, another violent splash of bloody water.  My instincts were screaming, telling me turn and paddle in, to get out of the water.

My curiosity got the better of me, and I sat transfixed as something was being ripped to pieces only a few hundred yards away.  Other gulls were making a beeline to join in the feast, and the flock grew.  I watched the attack for another minute, until at last a large black fin broke the horizon and my suspicions were confirmed.  This was no sea lion or orca, but a large white shark, eating lunch.

I swung towards the beach, catching my last wave on the way in.  As I crested the dunes to get a better vantage, I saw the shark hit twice more. I ran to the parking lot to grab my binoculars.  By the time I looked back to sea, the gulls had stopped flying, all were swimming on the surface. I peered through the lenses for a few more minutes, but the attack had ended.  I walked back down to my car, relieved that I had been a witness to a raw display of nature’s brutality, rather than an unwilling participant.

The fish doctor is in: meet our new ichthyology profressor, Dr. Scott Hamilton

Dr. Scott Hamilton

Dr. Scott Hamilton will be joining the Moss Landing Marine Labs faculty in Spring 2011 as the new Ichthyologist.  Currently a postdoctoral researcher at the University of California Santa Barbara, Scott has participated in a variety of exciting research projects. He gave us a chance to ask a few questions about his current work, and his future plans.  Keep reading to find out what we learned. (Interview by Brynn Hooton).

Q:  Scott, how did you get your start as an ichthyologist?

A:  My interest in the world of ichthyology began when I was kid and tried to read every book I could find about sharks. However, my first research project started during college. Through a tropical field studies program in Panama, we examined the ability of large roving parrotfish schools (important grazers on coral reefs) to circumvent the defenses of territorial damselfish and gain access to their algal gardens.

Scott's first fish love was all things shark, like this Blacktip reef shark at the Palmyra atoll. (photo: S. Hamilton)

His first research involved studying coral reef fishes. (photo: S. Hamilton)

Q: What is the one thing about MLML that you are most looking forward to?

A:  At Moss Landing I am most looking forward to working closely with students to develop exciting research projects that will get us diving in the beautiful kelp forests around Monterey Bay

Scott is looking forward to continuing kelp forest research here in Monterey Bay. (photo: Scott Hamilton)

A colorful garibaldi in the kelp forests of Catalina Island. (photo: Scott Hamilton)

Q:  Anything new with your research that you would like to share?

A:  We just started a new research project examining differences in reproductive behaviors and mating success of California sheephead inside and outside of marine reserves at Catalina Island. Unfortunately, this summer the waters have been unseasonably cold due to strong La Nina conditions and the fish were not courting or mating at any of our sites. So, we shifted gears and instead conducted experiments to examine size-selective foraging of sheephead on sea urchins and differences in predation rates inside and outside of reserves. There was a strong lesson here that sometimes there are factors outside of your control that affect research. We also overlapped on this trip with Diana Stellar and a number of students from Moss Landing, which provided for endless good times.

California Sheephead feed on urchins during a predation experiment. (photo: Scott Hamilton)

Q:   When do you plan to relocate?

A:  My wife and I are hoping to move to Monterey sometime around December and look forward to becoming integrated in the Moss Landing community.

That’s all from Scott for now, but check back during the spring semester to find out about all of the new adventures he’s having at Moss Landing Marine Labs.

Welcome to the MLML family, Scott! We're looking forward to hainvg you join us. (photo: S. Hamilton)

Sustainable Seafood News You Can Use

Mariah Boyle

by Mariah Boyle, Ichthyology Lab

Hi everyone, another post from your sustainable seafood enthusiast! If you don’t already know I work at FishWise, a non-profit sustainable seafood consultancy, in Santa Cruz CA while finishing up my thesis.

FishWise has just launched a new public enewsletter. You can go here (http://www.fishwise.org/contact-us) to sign up for the newsletter, and once a month we will email you top sustainable seafood news along with a species spotlight on a sustainable fish, recipes, and policy initiatives that you can support.

The FishWise blog now features a photo of the week!

Also our blog also just started a photo of the week! Every Wednesday we will post a fantastic underwater photo and tell you how it applies to sustainable seafood. Check out this week’s white shark. http://www.fishwise.org/blog

If you have any questions about careers in sustainable seafood or questions about what makes seafood sustainable please post it here as a comment!