Shark Chronicles 087 - Testimonials

...I arrived full of excitement at the prospect of working with Great White Sharks

...The largest single impression I got upon arriving and throughout my time here, is the seriousness which is given to proper execution of duties and collection of data. The idea of it being a summer science camp is swiftly proven false. The work schedule is full and the breadth of duties is wide enough that one doesn’t get bored with any one activity too soon. I think the demanding schedule builds an esprit du corps and imparts a level of commitment throughout the entourage from ‘staff’ to interns.

...Being that close to a Great White Shark and capturing its movements through camera was more exhilarating than I could have imagined and exceeded all expectations.

...A highlight for me was getting the opportunity to take a genetic sample of a Great White and standing at the stern of the boat with my sample pole thinking what an amazing situation I found myself in.

...I like the fact that the aquarium is an integral part of the initiative as the aquarium reality does not include flashy photos of breaching white sharks, but contains basic hands on research of less spectacular, or sexy, species of marine life. I chose this picture because it shows the engagement of the interns in what is happening.

...It is not only the work that we do here in Mossel Bay that makes the internship so exciting. There is also the opportunity to take part in activities at the weekend, such as the world’s highest bungy jump, caving, ostrich riding, zip lines, game drives and of course a trip to Cape Town to do a cage dive and see Table Mountain.

...I’ve had many experiences that I will never forget. One of these was researching the Body tonic of sharks, while flipped upside-down. Surprisingly sharks relax while they are upside-down, but the reason why still is unexplained. So it is very exciting to research in an area where many is still unknown.

...I took a trip to Addo Elephant National Park, the key tourism destination in the Eastern Cape. It is the only park in the world where the BIG 7 occur together in a reserve: over 500 elephants, Cape buffalo, leopard, black rhino, lions, the great white shark and seasonal Southern right whale as well as a variety of different birds, hyena, eland, kudu, zebra, smaller mammals, and reptiles. I booked the "Sundowner" game drive and a game drive for the following morning. Both were organised by Addo with guides to show us the best parts of the park.

...This is my second time in Mossel Bay after tracking a great white for over days in 2005 and meeting Ryan and Enrico for the first time back then. I love being involved in all the work around the sharks and all the ongoing shark- and marine mammal projects.

...I have always wanted to get into scientific journalism. Oceans Research has a magazine called Beyond Blue and in our time here we were given the opportunity to do research for the magazine and even write articles.

...Oceans Research really has opened me to experiences that I would never have been exposed to and I am very grateful for the once in a lifetime opportunity. In my time at Mossel Bay and with Oceans I have learnt so much about practical fieldwork and research and have enjoyed making new connections with people and learning about a new culture.

...Overall I count myself very lucky to have had this experience and would definitely love to return one day. The enthusiasm of the Field Specialists and Researchers who have guided us this month have definitely made my experience more enjoyable and I would like to thank them also for teaching and influencing me. I am now certain that a career in the Marine Sciences is what I wish to pursue and I am looking forward to the future with the knowledge I have gained from this month in hand.

...I have received hands on training in more areas than I could have imagined. I now have a much clearer understanding for shark conservation and marine research. I feel I’m making a difference here and am gaining so much from every single day.

Stepphen, Jordan, Janette, Lucinda, Max, Greg, and Timo: January 2011 Mossel Bay Marine Lab interns

Shark Chronicles 023 - Stable Isotope Sampling

On Monday 11th August, a SAMPLA team including Ryan, Ed, Christine, Nico and Amy anchored by Seal Island to do some chumming. We were lucky enough to see more sharks than we had done for a while and they had decided to be bold and playful. Amy took the bait rope and was able to lure the sharks close to the boat so that they were in reach of Ryan and the genetic pole. A quick ‘pop’ and he removed a small plug of flesh with the screw-like tip. Quite often the sharks don’t appreciate being jabbed with the pole and swim off never to be seen again but the individuals we had didn’t seem too bothered and kept coming back to the bait. One was very heavily scarred and a large wound running down from its dorsal fin showed it was a tough shark. Usually, it is a good day for SAMPLA if we manage to get one biopsy sample but Ryan was on fire as were the sharks so in total we obtained three stable isotope samples and two genetic samples, all in one morning! Once the stable isotope samples are taken they are carefully removed from the tip of the pole with tweezers and frozen to preserve the cells and prevent further biological reactions that may alter the isotope composition. Genetic samples are preserved in alcohol.

This data collection by SAMPLA is in association with Keshnee Pillay, a doctoral student at Marine Coastal Management. Stable isotope analysis of the sharks’ flesh can tell us about the isotope ratios of carbon, nitrogen and oxygen present. These enter the sharks’ tissues from the food it has eaten and so inferences can be made into the food chain and energy flow through the ecosystem, along with samples ranging from plants and invertebrates to seals and fish. SAMPLA is always eager to collaborate with other scientists, institutions and the government to broaden our research into the great white shark, plus we get to have all the fun working with the sharks themselves!

Amy Blessington (SAMPLA intern)

Shark Chronicles 001 - The beginning of a new era...

Welcome to the beginning of SAMPLA.

There are many marine predators that SAMPLA wishes to bring out of their realm and into ours through the tools of research and exploration. For now, the great white shark, Carcharadon carcharias, is our main focus.

The first shark trip SAMPLA’s founders took together (sadly without Steph at that point) was in June 2007.
It was a ‘routine’ DNA collection trip and the swell, combined with a dodgy meat pie, proved to be more threatening than the sharks. We sat for an hour, a greasy slick emanating from the boat, the only visitor a box fish that nibbled on flaked tuna, but no sharks. No sharks, one hour, we shifted (a patient group?).
The first appearance of a shark is always exciting. A slight shift in sea surface colour is sometimes the first sign, but this time Ryan (and Fiona, my wife) noticed the gulls were not so comfortable sitting on the water, as well as a corresponding ‘change in tune’ to a shark squawk. A small shark arrived, just over 2 metres, and flirted with the bait. Small shark or not, we wanted some of his DNA.

Collecting biopsy (flesh) samples for DNA analysis involves a chummer (who makes the environment adjacent to the boat irresistible to sharks). The chummer gets covered in oily fish and continues to smell for days after a trip (some times clothes are unsalvageable). Then you have the bait rope handler. Rather like a matador luring/evading a bull, the bait handler tries to lure the shark as close to the back of the boat as possible, without the shark getting the bait. Finally, you have "Ahab" himself (not very politically correct), the harpooner. He waits like a darter, for the ‘money shot’, the exposed flesh at the base of the dorsal fin. Before screams of ‘how could you’ fall on the harpooner, it is only a small plug of flesh, it is vital in getting geographical patterns of relatedness in populations, and the shark often returns afterwards to look for the bait (i.e. it didn’t hurt that bad).
We got seven biopsy samples from seven different sharks that day – not bad. A short trip and a short passage of writing, the story of SAMPLA’s exploits will continue…

TOBY