{"id":2320,"date":"2015-10-13T16:15:40","date_gmt":"2015-10-13T20:15:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mote.org\/?p=2320"},"modified":"2024-02-09T16:17:56","modified_gmt":"2024-02-09T21:17:56","slug":"major-shark-research-expedition-on-m-v-ocearch-to-launch-in-gulf-include-mote-scientist","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mote.org\/news\/major-shark-research-expedition-on-m-v-ocearch-to-launch-in-gulf-include-mote-scientist\/","title":{"rendered":"Major shark research expedition on M\/V OCEARCH to launch in Gulf, include Mote scientist"},"content":{"rendered":"

Please note: The shark-research expedition aboard the M\/V OCEARCH that was scheduled to launch this month in the Gulf of Mexico with a Mote Marine Laboratory scientist on board has been postponed because of bad weather. We will provide more information when the expedition resumes in early November.<\/p>\n

A major shark-research expedition aboard the internationally known M\/V OCEARCH is launching this month in the Gulf of Mexico, with a Mote Marine Laboratory scientist on board to collect and study shark blood samples in a team effort to gather previously unattainable data on these important top predators.<\/p>\n

During the October expedition, which has its first shark-fishing day on Oct. 15, scientists from many institutions plan to tag, sample and release hammerhead, tiger and mako sharks. Participants hope to better understand: how the sharks travel in relation to Gulf habitats and structures, including natural and artificial reefs and oil\/gas platforms; how shark habitats connect among the U.S., Mexico and Cuba \u2014 important information for international conservation efforts; and what physiology and health traits the sharks show, especially related to stress, body condition at release and capacity to reproduce.<\/p>\n

Mote scientists have partnered in multiple expeditions led by OCEARCH, a nonprofit dedicated to gathering scientific data for tracking (telemetry) and biological studies of keystone marine species such as great white sharks.<\/p>\n

This expedition\u2019s leading scientific partners hail from Texas A&M University, and contributing scientists hail from Mote, University of South Alabama & Dauphin Island Sea Lab, University of North Florida and the National Institute of Polar Research in Japan. The ship M\/V OCEARCH, which will be their at-sea laboratory, has a 75,000-pound-capacity hydraulic platform designed to safely lift mature sharks out of the ocean. This allows multi-disciplinary research teams to work with the sharks and then return them to sea.<\/p>\n

Sharks play important roles as top predators that help preserve the balance of ocean ecosystems, but they face pressures such as overfishing and habitat loss, and much more research is needed to fully understand threats to their populations and to inform fisheries management.<\/p>\n

Mote Postdoctoral Research Fellow Dr. Heather Marshall will collect shark blood samples for projects by multiple researchers on board, including her own research on stress in caught-and-released sharks.<\/p>\n

While it is often assumed that many sharks survive release, it is critical to understand how often they really do, and how survival rates vary with different circumstances and species. Such data are vital for management of sharks vulnerable to being overfished and\/or becoming accidental bycatch.<\/p>\n