Artist’s Workshop

Art and sharks?! Name a better duo. The Shark Lab introduced a new course this year involving an art workshop with an emphasis on science and nature as inspiration. Fourteen artists joined us from all over the world to participate. Francesca Page is a UK-based artist and photographer that led the course. The ocean has always inspired her, and she felt compelled to offer a workshop teaching others how to turn their ocean encounters into art and evoke conservation. She led classes on sketching, color theory, and watercolor painting and shared some of the details behind her work with us. Initial sketches were done in the field and then translated into drawings and paintings when in the classroom. Her main goal was to ignite the child in us and create art without fear of failure or judgment. It fostered such a supportive environment with some amazing artwork coming out of it. We are excited to see what other pieces are created from the artists that participated in this course! If this is something you are interested in, keep an eye out for 2023 workshop dates HERE!

Florida Keys Research

We continued some research in the Florida Keys this month and welcomed former interns Jack Dales and Shane White back to help. Jack Dales is a graduate student at Jacksonville University with advisor Dr. Bryan Franks, one of the Shark Lab’s board members. For his Master’s project, Jack is collecting samples from juvenile lemon sharks from different areas around the east coast to conduct stable isotope analysis to compare their diet and behavior.

Return of the Bimini Hammerheads 

Bimini is known for its population of great hammerheads that return every year during the winter months. We are able to distinguish and identify them based on individual characteristics like ventral patterns and notches on their fins. Some of the individuals have already returned to Bimini for the winter like Gaia who is the largest resident hammerhead we get in Bimini. Crew member Chelle Blais, created a catalog of Bimini’s great hammerheads that you can use to identify the hammerheads yourself! Follow this link to check it out and learn more about the conservation of these critically endangered sharks. 

Thanksgiving Fun!

Our crew members went all out for Thanksgiving last year, and this year was no exception! While including the signature foods like a turkey, pumpkin pie, and green bean casserole, we also had lobster macaroni and cheese. Our puppy, Ace, enjoyed his first Thanksgiving day plate, and Station Assistant, Alina, enjoyed her second American Thanksgiving! 

Good Luck, Kylie!

We said goodbye to Station Assistant, Kylie Bostick, at the end of this month. She is going on to pursue her Master’s degree in marine science at James Cook University in Townsville, Australia. We will miss her dedication, exceptional abilities in the field, and hard work here at the Shark Lab. Best of luck with everything, Kylie!