This summer I leaned how to pilot an ROV! It was as simple as playing a video game with Xbox controller (in addition to a couple nuances).

Come listen to me talk about my research project! open.spotify.com/episode/05SW...

I haven’t posted much on here lately because the typically format doesn’t really seem to be receptive of the type of posts I usually make for Instagram. Does anyone else feel that way?

My crash course on species ID for sharks in the Gulf of Mexico! Of course there was a lot more nuance in identifying this species, but that all wouldn’t fit within this video! Did you guess correctly? Hope you enjoy!

I’m excited to share the finished product of a short film I have been working on! This video summarizes the benefits of dried blood spot analysis to estimate the trophic level of multiple shark species at the Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary! Go check out the video on my Instagram!

So a couple of shark species swim into a marine sanctuary….but I haven’t thought of the punchline yet. I’m still working on figuring out why, where, or when. This is the entire purpose of my PhD research project 🦈

Sitting down for the first time to discuss my background and current research on #TheFisheriesPodcast!! I have never been on a podcast before so I was a little nervous and probably talked too much 😆 open.spotify.com/episode/6b5Y...

Some INCREDIBLE photos taken by Mountain and Wave Films documenting a trip to the Flower Garden Banks in an attempt to capture some sharks for a trophic ecology study. This project would not have been possible without the funding provided by the @saveourseasfoundation

ohhh lookie here it’s our paper!! 🧪🌎🌐🐠👩🏻‍🔬🐡🎨 sturgeon are more thermally plastic than other fish (they can increase their thermal tolerance per acclimation degree) !! but warm temperatures seem to have negative impacts on growth and survival in early life stages. We need WAY more data on older fish

Let’s be honest. Science blogs, while fun and informative, generally don’t appeal to a non-scientific audience (even if they’re the target demographic). What if we use pretty pictures and I just tell you everything you would like to know about my topic of research?

#GARWEEK IS HERE!!! We’re excited to celebrate this “most-loathed,” misunderstood, and amazing group of living fossil fishes with you all! Enjoy this Intro to Gars @ologies.bsky.social from #Garology! Feel free to share YOUR #GarPuns, photos, #GARtwork and any other GARish posts!

Who has heard about the Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary? It’s one of only 15 national marine sanctuaries in US waters and the only one in the Gulf of Mexico!! This species rich hotspot is home to many tropical and marine fishes which attracts large predators such as tunas and sharks

This is the face of a shark! I've stained the mineralised tissues to show that their teeth and scales are both made of the same enamel-like material 🦈 🦷 🧪

I just put together a small reel that summarized my personal CPUE (catch per unit effort) for shark tagging this year. I have over 500 hours of boat time and only caught 35 individuals from my target species!! You would think trying to catch sharks on a coral reef would be easy 🤣

It’s always great to see evidence of effective management strategies that are slowly rebuilding elasmobranch populations in the states 🦈

New #GlobalSharkTrends study published in @science.org reveals #overfishing has more than halved shark & ray populations over the past 50-years causing widespread erosion of ecological function and exceptionally high extinction risk 👉Full article bit.ly/GlobalSharkTrends 🧵1/20

Is that freshly lab prepared paprika and onion powder? Sometimes when sitting in a the lab crushing muscle tissue and blood samples for a long time the intrusive thoughts start to seep in 😂

Reposting this because I had significantly more engagement on Threads and already connected with some enthusiastic people! I’m looking for opportunities to work with others to build my science communication skills!

Only seven of these spade-toothed whales have ever been spotted!!

Hello science communicators! I'm trying to find anyone who would be willing to sit down and talk with me about my research. It can be for any type of science communication or electronic media (reel, podcast, article) As I slowly dive into education and outreach I am trying to find ways (1/3)

Quick Update: The scalloped hammerhead we tagged over a month ago is very much still hanging around north of the Flower Gardens!! This individual has been already given us a decent number of detections and hopefully continues to do so for the next year!

Orcas always fascinate me. Now we have documented a group hunting a whale shark (wild!)

One of my least favorite things about ID’ing large adult blacktips is that the majority of the “black tips” disappear making them look the part of a stereotypical “grey shark”. Spinner sharks at the same size usually have more distinct black fin tips, but I bet the name was already taken 😆

Sometimes I try to ID the grey blobs from depth as we're bringing a shark to the boat. Most of the sharks from the Carcharhinid family that have similar physical appearances which makes this fun 🦈 Small: silky, finetooth, blacknose Larger: sandbar, blacktip, spinner REALLY big : dusky!

Just wrapped up the field and lab work for one of dissertation chapters! This trophic study holds a special place in my heart as the first study I have designed, acquired funding, and performed the field and lab work 🦈 🦑 Hopefully for some awesome results!!

This week I’m giving thanks for the Sling-Jaw Wrasse, and it’s amazing jaw #biomechanics! 🐟🦑🧪🌿

Can the twilight zone be fished responsibly? The feeding ecology of swordfish and tuna may yield answers. 🦑🌎🧪🌿🐟 www.whoi.edu/oceanus/feat...

I haven’t quite figured out how to express my thoughts and stream of consciousness in short form content on #Bluesky, but I do spend time making shorts and reels about my research which are frequently posted to my #Instagram

Spending some time in the lab today trying to figure out how much 200 uL of whole blood weighs for stable isotope analysis 🩸 🧐 🦑 🦈

Did you know that sharks eat other sharks? It’s a common occurrence to observe these predation events between sharks of different sizes! Here’s a picture of an Atlantic sharpnose shark that narrowly escaped a predation event from a much larger shark!! She was still alive too!! 🦈 🦑

During one of my written exams for candidacy this week I was asked, “Tell me everything you know about your study species”. All I could do is smile as I thought to myself, “You asked for it, because I can talk about sharks all day” 🦈 Beautiful adult dusky shark in the video below!

Last month I had my FIRST successful tag and release of a scalloped hammerhead inside the #flowergardenbanksnms. We’ve been trying to find them in the sanctuary for almost 3 years!! Turn up the volume to hear my yell of excitement 😆 🔊

Ok, this one I *do* want your help with. Making a starter pack of shark and ray scientists and conservationists. There are a lot of folks I missed, help me fill this out. go.bsky.app/Q1x1gJB 🧪🌎🦑🦈🐠

ICCAT again does NOT implement best practice "Fins Naturally Attached" rules thanks to just 2 of its members blocking widely supported efforts to get the measure implemented. Some other shark measures were adopted. Details in the link www.sharkleague.org/2024/11/18/u... #sharkconservation #shark

The “who am I?” post! I’m a PhD student studying the movement patterns and feeding behaviors of sharks in the Gulf of Mexico 🦈 I’m trying to find connections with people who have a passion for: 🌊 The Ocean 🦀 Marine Life 🧬 Science 🦠 Biology/Ecology 🌲 The Environment/Climate #MarineLife

Every shark that is captured has a small piece of it’s fin removed, called a fin clip. This fin sample is used for genetic analysis to help us understand how populations are connected across the extent of their movement range to aid with recruitment and recovery efforts for these species #MarineLife

1.1 grams of fish muscle tissue neatly package into a tin container for stable isotope analysis. Only another 200 to go 😂

Collected some fish samples for a food web study off of Vancouver Island, BC last month! Here’s a vermillion rockfish I ended up catching! #MarineLife

One of my favorite skills I’ve developed working with all sorts of fish throughout graduate school! Extracting blood from the caudal vein!

Found a spotted ratfish on the beach while visiting Vancouver Island!!

My first interaction with a deep water shark! Meet the little gulper shark!

My home for the next 3 weeks! Heading out on a bottom longline survey with NOAA trying to catch some of my target shark species!!

My home for the next 3 weeks! Heading out on a bottom longline survey with NOAA trying to catch some of my target shark species!!

Here are some newly painted satellite tags! Ready to deployed on hammerhead sharks next month!

Next week I have a HUGE opportunity to participate as a researcher on the NOAA bottom longline survey in the Gulf of Mexico. I’m starting to prep gear to take some biopsy samples for my target shark species next month!!

Painting some satellite tags today for scalloped hammerhead deployments!