Nurse Shark Reproduction Behavior Project

June 13th to 26th 2005

Flag #139

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Geographic Region: Florida Keys Outer Islands

Country/Countries of Destination: USA

Ultimate Destination: Dry Tortugas Florida USA Latitude N 24 .37.476

Longitude W 083.52.212

The operations were conducted from the research vessel Tiburon based out of Key West, Florida, and the sailing vessel Eos based out of Summerland Florida. The Tiburon is owned and operated by Tim Taylor, FN04, and Eos by Wes and Theo Pratt. The Tiburon is 63 feet long and equipped to sleep 14, plus a crew of five. The ship is a USCG certified and SOLAS rated vessel specializing, in research and outreach projects. The S/V Eos is a 41-foot Morgan Ketch outfitted as a sailing research vessel and a quiet shark-tracking platform. Departing from Key West, the Tiburon made her way to the anchorage of the westernmost islands of the Dry Tortugas National Park. We based the operations from this location and launched tenders and kayaks to the restricted shark nursery and mating grounds. All meals were served aboard the Tiburon. General medical services were available through RV Tiburon’s registered nurse. Captain Tim Taylor served as expedition operations support leader in collaboration with Dr. Jeff Carrier, Wes Pratt, Dr. Ed Heist, and Dr. Mike Heithaus as the principal scientific investigators. Captain Tim and his crew oversaw site vessel operation, expedition supplies, field service and maintenance of equipment as well as all logistics of running the research vessel, tenders, diving ops, scientific equipment deployment and retrieval, and alternate site reconnaissance. Captain Tim also represented Ocean Outreach Inc. as director and founder. Ocean Outreach a non-profit 501(c) (3) organization creates and supports educational outreach projects, as well as providing funding for ongoing scientific research. Tim’s children, Garett and Brooke Taylor, and their cousin Taylor Rabbitt were onboard for the expedition and participated in elements of the project whenever possible and appropriate.

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Institutions sponsoring the expedition: Albion College Mote Marine Laboratory University of Southern Illinois Florida international University National Geographic Society Ocean Outreach, Inc. Research Vessel Tiburon, Inc. Everglades National Park Service Appropriate permits to conduct research in the National park were issued to Dr. Carrier in advance of the field work. Introduction: The nurse shark, Ginglymostoma cirratum, is a common resident of Florida and the Gulf of Mexico waters and is frequently caught by commercial and recreational fishermen. It is the shark species most commonly seen by recreational divers and is an important component of the reef environment. In spite of its prevalence and accessibility, information on life history and ecology is limited for this species. The nurse shark is one of 39 species of large coastal sharks managed by the National Marine Fisheries Service. Reproductive habits, nursery ground location and use of essential fish habitat must be delineated for successful management. Information gained may be used as a template to understand other less accessible species of sharks. Since all life stages of the nurse shark are observable in the area, the Dry Tortugas archipelago can be looked at as a natural laboratory for studying this shark’s reproductive cycle. Since 1991, cooperative studies at the Dry Tortugas have been conducted with colleagues from Albion College, Mote Marine Laboratory, the University of Southern Illinois, Sea World of Florida, NMFS, the National Geographic Society, Florida International University and other institutions. Having the capability and opportunity to investigate the entire life history of this species is yielding revolutionary insights, not only into their biology, but also at the factors necessary for their conservation and management. Purpose and Objectives:

Overall Study: To study the long-term reproductive biology and behavior of a tropical species of sharks Ginglymostoma cirratum (nurse shark). The study is currently in its 15th year. 2005 June Expedition: Using animal-borne video and data collecting instruments (Crittercam™) the researchers seek to determine the behavior of male nurse sharks when outside the shallow water observation area. Other objectives include continuing to capture and study subject animals by tagging, deploying temperature recorders (Tidbit™), utilizing telemetry tags, sampling tissues for creation of a DNA library, recapturing and measuring changes in body size as well as collecting and servicing of permanent telemetry collecting monitors.

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Expedition Team

Members of the Expedition: Captain Tim Taylor FN ’04- Expedition Operations Leader

Dr. Jeff Carrier - Chief Scientist, Biology Department's Physiologist, Albion College

Captain Wes Pratt- Chief Scientist, Staff Scientist, Mote Marine lab

Dr. Ed Heist- Geneticist, Assistant Professor, University of Southern Illinois

Dr. Mike Heithaus- Scientific Advisor, Assistant Professor of Biology, FIU

Mehdi Bakltiar- NGS Crittercam Head Engineer

Charles M. Sheppard- NGS Crittercam Contract Engineer

Theo Pratt- Research Assistant

Derrick Burkholder,-Staff Biologist Mote Marine Lab, Research Assistant

Amy Hupp- Albion College Student, Research Assistant

Jacqueline Morales- RN, Chef, Captain

Zack Roehr- Crew, Cameraman

Jillian Morris- Crew, Research Assistant

Ryan Carey- Tiburon Intern

Honorable Mention: The next generation of Explorers

Garett Taylor .. age 9

Brooke Taylor age 7

Taylor Rabbitt age 12

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Dr. Jeffrey Carrier has been a faculty member at Albion College since 1979. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Miami in 1974. Dr. Carrier is the Biology Department's Physiologist and teaches classes in General Physiology, Marine Biology, Endocrinology, and the Biology of Elasmobranch Fishes. He also participates in the introductory biology sequence, teaching labs and lecturing in Cell and Molecular Biology. His primary research interests center on studies of aging, growth, migration, and reproductive biology of nurse sharks (Ginglymostoma cirratum) in the Florida Keys. His studies with long-time colleague Harold L. "Wes" Pratt of Mote Marine Laboratory document the courtship and mating behaviors of

nurse sharks, and his work has been featured on numerous television shows. Carrier has been a longtime, active member of the American Elasmobranch Society (AES), having served as Secretary, Secretary-Editor, and a member of the Board of Directors. He is currently serving as President of AES. Carrier and his students have appeared in 17 shows produced for network and cable television ranging from National Geographic Explorer and Discovery Channel specials to Florida Public Television documentaries and segments for Jack Hanna's Animal Adventures and FOX Television’s Wild Animal Moments series. His most recent collaboration has been with the remote imaging laboratory of the National Geographic Society and Dr. Mike Heithaus of Florida International University. These projects resulted in the production of an episode for the National Geographic Television series Crittercam Chronicles. In addition to his studies of shark reproductive behavior, Carrier has been collaborating with the National Geographic Society's Remote Imaging Laboratory to utilize Crittercam, an animal-borne video and data recording system, as an adjunct to studies of courtship and mating behaviors. National Geographic On-Line joined Carrier and Pratt in the field for a week in June, 2002, and articles featuring their field study are featured on Geographic's On-Line website (Geographic On-Line stories). This study is part of an on-going collaboration between Albion College, Florida International University, and the National Geographic Society's Remote Imaging Lab, and is supported in part with funding from NOAA's Sea Grant National Strategic Initiative Program, the W.W. Diehl Trustees' Professorship, and Hewlett-Mellon Faculty Development funds from Albion College.

Harold L “Wes” Pratt is head of shark research at Mote Marine’s Tropical Lab in Summerland Key, Florida and Science officer for RV Tiburon, Inc. Graduating from the University of Massachusetts in 1968; he began work for what is now the Apex Predators Program in Narragansett, RI. Wes spent 35 years as a Marine Fisheries Biologist with NOAA's National Marine Fisheries Service, Narragansett Laboratory, NEFSC before relocating to the Keys. The focus of his research for the past 34 years has been directed toward understanding the life history and reproduction of

large Atlantic sharks. A background of studies on the biology of sharks has led to a current focus on understanding shark nursery grounds along the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico waters with a special interest in the Florida Keys. Pratt is very interested in the reproductive behavior of sharks as it relates to mating success. His cutting-edge research with Dr Jeff Carrier into the mating behavior of the nurse shark has revealed several unknown and unexpected facets in the complex behavior of these fascinating but poorly understood predators. The author of numerous scientific articles on the biology of shortfin mako, great white, blue, nurse and sandbar sharks, his work has been featured in three National Geographic Magazines, most recently in the May, 1995 issue in an article he wrote; "Wild mating of the nurse sharks". He is author and co-editor of: "Elasmobranchs as Living Resources" the proceedings of a meeting held in Hawaii with

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participants from seven countries addressing the biology, management and conservation of sharks, skates and rays. He is Past-President and Board member of the American Elasmobranch Society, an international scientific organization concerned with the investigation and understanding of sharks and other elasmobranch fishes. Wes is also a diver, photographer, Coast Guard licensed Captain as well as an inventor and has worked on several historical undersea research projects in a saturation diving mode. He has over 30 years experience diving with sharks both in and out of cages.

Dr. Ed Heist is Associate Professor in Fisheries and Zoology at Southern Illinois University in Carbondale where he runs the Fisheries and Illinois Aquaculture Center's Fish Genetics Laboratory. He received his Ph.D. in 1994 from the College of William and Mary and performed postdoctoral research at Texas A&M University. His research employs the tools of molecular genetics including allozymes, DNA sequencing, and DNA microsatellite analysis to study freshwater and marine fishes. Much of his research involves sharks, including studies of population genetics in blacktip shark and molecular ecology of nurse sharks. Other projects ongoing in the fish genetics lab include genetic discrimination of

shovelnose and pallid sturgeons and genetic stock structure of paddlefish. Dr. Heist is an active member of the American Fisheries Society, the American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists, and the American Elasmobranch Society. He currently teaches graduate-level courses in fish genetics and molecular genetics techniques and an undergraduate fish biology course.

Dr. Mike Heithaus is an Assistant Professor of Biology in Florida International University’s Marine Biology Program. He received his PhD in behavioral ecology from Simon Fraser University in 2001, and has since worked at Mote Marine Laboratory’s Center for Shark Research and at the National Geographic Society. Dr. Heithaus’ research focuses on predator-prey interactions and the role of behavioral interactions in structuring marine communities. He is especially interested in how the role of large predators, like sharks, may influence marine communities through

behavioral changes they induce in their prey. His primary work has been on tiger sharks and their prey (sea turtles, dolphins, dugongs) in the pristine seagrass ecosystem of Shark Bay, Western Australia. Dr. Heithaus has used National Geographic’s Crittercam in his studies of tiger sharks and sea turtles and has helped scientists all over the world employ this technology in their studies of species as diverse as seals, whales, and lions. Dr. Heithaus is an active member of the Ecological Society of America, Animal Behavior Society, American Elasmobranch Society, and Society for Marine Mammalogy. He currently teaches a variety of courses including Marine Biology, Behavioral Ecology, Ecology and The Biology of Marine Mammals, supervises graduate students, and continues his research in Shark Bay, Australia and Florida as well as his theoretical work on predator-prey interactions. He recently finished editing a book with two colleagues on the biology of sharks, skates and rays.

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Captain Tim Taylor is an accomplished naturalist and explorer with over 25 years of underwater experience. He is currently President and CEO of the Research Vessel Tiburon, Inc., based in Key West Florida. Tim’s experience includes 18 years as a US Coast Guard certified Captain, numerous dive instructor ratings, underwater still and video expertise and extensive fieldwork. He has hosted many noted marine specialists onboard his vessel Tiburon such as Dr. Sylvia Earle, Dr.

Eugenie Clark, Frank Goddio, Dr. Sue Hendrickson, Dr. Jeff Carrier and Wes Pratt, to name just a few and has guided many researchers and explorers on expeditions in the Bahamas, Cuba and the Florida Keys. The ocean and Key West are home for Tim, his 9-year-old son, Garett, and 7-year-old daughter, Brooke. In recognition of his achievements he has been accepted as a fellow in the Explorers Club for his discovery of Sherwood Forest Reef in the Dry Tortugas. This reef is considered a centerpiece of the Tortugas Ecological Reserve and has become world famous since its discovery in 1997. Past Flag Expeditions #89 lemon sharks, #53 Sherwood Forest. Study Background: • 1977 Dr Jeff Carrier observes nurse sharks mating in the shallow waters of the study

site. • 1991 Wes Pratt and Dr. Jeff Carrier make an initial expedition to document behavior.

The expedition is unsuccessful. • 1992 Carrier and Pratt return with colleague Linda Martin from Monterey Bay

Aquarium and begin a systematic study that continues to the present day. • 1998 Captain Tim Taylor spends 22 days underway in the Tortugas and Marquesas

with Eugene Clark on a research project. During the course of this expedition old friends reunite aboard the Tiburon and Tim is introduced to Wes and Jeff. Tim is able to help locate and document evidence of mating events in the Marquesas Islands, which he shares with Jeff and Wes.

• 2001 Wes and Jeff charter the Tiburon as their operational support platform with vessel, equipment and guiding services. This allows the scientists to expand search plans and monitor deployments. RV Tiburon Inc. helps establish outreach programs.

• 2001 Dr. Ed Heist joins team as geneticist • 2002 Wes Pratt retires from the National Marine Fisheries after 35 years and moves

to the Florida Keys taking a position with Mote’s Tropical Laboratory in Summerland • 2002 Dr. Mike Heithaus collaborates as co-author and Principal Investigator of

Crittercam grant from SeaGrant Materials and Methods: • Daily non-obtrusive observations from observation platform. • Capture animals using non invasive methods (i.e. hand nets or by hand). • Measurements of length and girth. • Various tagging systems deployed and tracked. Different types of tags are used

depending on shark size. • DNA samples collected for subsequent analysis including determining the relatedness

among animals and matching offspring with their parents

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Equipment Descriptions: Pit Tag: Passive induced transponder, sometime referred to as a Pet Identification Tag

Pit Tag Scanner: A digital readout device that scans and displays the unique number given to each Pit tag.

Roto Tag: A passive tag with ID numbers, placed on the dorsal fin of a shark. It is attached with a piercing technical. By making a hole in the fin and snapping the two plastic pieces through, with a specialty tool. When the sharks are recaptured, these tags are cleaned and replaced as needed. The approximate lifespan of a tag is between five to ten years. Over the years, various techniques have been attempted to limit algal growth on the tags to facilitate identification.

Dart Tag: A tag commonly used by the National Marine Fisheries tagging program. It is composed of a large test monofilament line on one end, a capsule with a message, and a miniature stainless harpoon dart on the other end. Inside the capsule is a unique number offering a reward, and a return address in five different languages. The dart is inserted subcutaneously into the shark’s dorsal fin area.

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Monitor: A receiver housed in a 45 cm long and 6 cm diameter tube that electronically collects and stores data from transponder tags placed on the subject animals. Their range is affected by bottom contour and water density. The units currently in use have a 12-month battery life. They must be periodically, physically recovered and downloaded, have their batteries changed, and be cleaned of marine organisms

Transponder Tags: An acoustic tag the size of a cigarette lighter that can be programmed to send a coded signal. Each coded signal is unique and is assigned to the shark the transmitter is attached to. The number of pings emitted per minute determines battery life (the further the pings are spaced apart, the longer the battery life). These tags can be used to track an animal constantly for several days or as in this study, to monitor them over the course of three seasons or close to 750 days. The study has 17 permanent monitors deployed year-round and 15 additional ones are deployed during this portion of the study for a total of 32 shark monitors deployed on this expedition.

ONSET: Temperature data logger, attached to a monitor or other stationary underwater structure. Tidbit: A temperature recorder that collects data every two hours. This setting allows the battery to last approximately seven years. Attached to an animal.

YSI: Instrument used to measure water quality. It measures salinity, dissolved oxygen content, and temperature. Team member Amy Hupp collected samples at various sites every four of the 12 hours watch.

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DNA vial: holds and isolates DNA sample for lab work and long-term storage. Crittercam: A video camera-based device that was developed by Greg Marshal and the National Geographic Society. It collects video imaging, depth, velocity, and temperature as well as a host of other data based on the scientific question one is asking. Deployment of the Crittercam is accomplished by attaching a clamp to the dorsal fin of the shark. At a predetermined time, the onboard computer signals a release and the camera floats to the surface. Once on the surface it emits a VHF radio signal that can be tracked by the Tiburon’s tender or other surface craft.

Tagging kit: Assorted tools used to deploy tags and record data.

Kayaks:

Observation Tower: A promontory built out of scaffolding, used to increase field of observation within research site.

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Research Vessels: Tiburon and Eos

Expedition Log: 6/12/05 Loading for the expedition took up most of the day. Tiburon left the Key West dock at 1:30 AM. Encountering several squalls along the way, seas three to five feet, wind 15 to 20 knots out of the Southeast. Arrived at Dry Tortugas National Park at 7:30 AM. The trip began on the heels of the season’s first tropical storm, hurricane Arlene. As it made its way through the Tortugas two days before our arrival, the storm brought 60+ knot winds and lowered water temperatures, thereby affecting the study site. The harbor at Fort Jefferson for once was devoid of any people or boats, giving the place a strange and eerie feeling, quiet, and calm as a millpond. Work began by locating the scaffolding used to build the observation tower and moving it from the park service workshop to the shallow observation spit that will be manned 12 hours a day for the next 13 days. Four monitors were retrieved and Dr. Carrier downloaded their data, replaced their batteries, and cleaned and serviced them for subsequent re-deployment. The sailing vessel Eos arrived during the afternoon and Wes and Theo Pratt joined the rest of the team building the shark observation tower. Tower Watch: June 13th 8AM to Noon: Theo Noon to 4:00PM: Jill 4:00PM to 8:00PM: Derek YSI: Amy Daily Debrief: National Geographic engineers Charles and Mehdi arrived by Ferry at 10:30 A.M. Tiburon got underway after lunch picking up and servicing the seven older gateway monitors and re-deploying them. All were re-deployed successfully except for one of the boundary marker monitors, which is missing from its location. The tower team today witnessed one mating event and observed a 9-foot hammerhead shark chase and mangle a very large tarpon directly in front of the tower. This activity attracted three large lemon sharks and a single reef shark to the area: a spectacular show! Unfortunately no one had a camera. Amy started monitoring water temperature, salinity, and dissolved oxygen content every four hours at various stations throughout the site. Vessel notes: Onboard Tiburon, some electrical problems were encountered in the A.M. Tim rewired a breaker panel and sealed the exhaust for the new microwave. The tender’s transmission cable failed, parts were ordered via satellite phone, and the tender was out of service for all but crew for now.

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Tower Watch: June 14th AM: Ed Mid-Day: Jill Evening: Theo YSI: Amy Daily Debrief: Charles and Medhi tried to calibrate their equipment on Garden Key, testing new velocity and compass sensors. They were successful with calibrating the compass, but not the velocity meter. They were eventually able to get it to work, but only intermittently. The velocity sensor is unreliable below one mile an hour, making it difficult to track slow moving animals. Tiburon left early to deploy the Heithaus shark monitor array as well as more remote perimeter monitors. All except for one outer boundary marker were placed successfully on GPS marked sites. A large hammerhead shark was witnessed just behind the dive platform as divers were about to enter the water and begin this work. No further shark sightings were made thereafter. The Tower team had only one adult male shark swim through the love nest area today, and it left again through the site’s marked buoy line. Tower Watch: June 15th AM: Theo Mid-Day: Derek Evening: Jill YSI: Amy Daily Debrief: The discussion tonight centered on genetics needs: Ed wants DNA samples from very young animals, no more than one meter in length. This will give the team the data they are looking for as far as matching parents to offspring and determining parentage. Mid-size sharks may not be mature enough to mate and their parents may not still be alive. The 4 P.M. watch reported no activity except for several spotted eagle rays, sea turtles, and juvenile nurse sharks cruising through the site. No mating events were observed. Wes and Jeff spent most of the day organizing data onboard Tiburon, and planning communications procedures. Vessel notes: Tiburon tender parts flown in by seaplane. Tender transmission cable system repaired. The tender is operational again.

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Tower Watch: June 16th AM: Derek Mid-Day: Theo Evening: Jill YSI: Amy Daily Debrief: Dr. Mike Heithaus arrived by seaplane at 8:30 A.M. Dr Mike, Charles, and Mehdi performed a morning of Crittercam tests on two cameras strapped to Wes’ tender. The A.M. watch had three shark sightings, one juvenile and two adults. The evening watch had a single animal that alternated swimming and resting behavior within the bedroom area for five hours. This same animal deterred Wes and Jeff’s attempt to retrieve the monitor located at the spa. Instead Wes placed a temperature monitor on the Vemco receiver at site #2. The download of this roving monitor confirmed that four males are back from last year as well as three females returning from last October’s tagging efforts. Captain Tim took a team, including son Garett, to the outer boundary marker to search for the lost monitor last placed in October. A 40-minute rebreather dive yielded no results. A second dive on open circuit located the monitor after 35 minutes. It was found West of its placement location and was possibly moved by hurricane Arlene. The team then took the opportunity to dive a known shark location nearby. They video-documented the presence of several large sandbar sharks and a half dozen nurse sharks of various sizes. The team discussed Tiburon’s relocation to the outer reef line to take advantage of the flat-calm seas that would be with us for the next few days and also discussed plans for a neonate-juvenile shark capture team. Tower Watch: June 17th AM: Theo Mid-Day: Jill Evening: Ed, Mike, Derek, and Wes YSI: Amy Daily Debrief: During the AM watch Theo witnessed three mating events. Scientists agreed to let the site develop and not to disturb the sharks. Captain Tim relocated the vessel Tiburon and support tenders to the outer reef near monitor site #8. Staff witnessed two sharks from the dive platform. Divers confirmed this sighting at 2:15 P.M. and Mike videotaped an adult male in 65 feet of water under a ledge at 3:30 P.M. The mid-day watch spotted one known female. The evening watch reported lots of late afternoon activity with three more mating events one of which lasted eight minutes. One shark had signs of monofilament left from an old Vemco tag attachment. No positive ID on this animal was made. Amy reported water temp is increasing.

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Tower Watch: June 18th AM: Derek Mid-Day: Jill Evening: Theo YSI: Amy Daily Debrief: Wes arrived on site, pre-watch, to find several animals in the area. The first mating event occurred shortly after the tower team arrived. The tagging team then captured an adult female during the mating event. She was tagged and a Crittercam deployed. Unfortunately the fin clamp mechanism on Crittercam failed within the first few meters of releasing this shark. The work-up of each shark includes an initial pit tag scan for identification of previously caught animals, cleaning of any fouled tags, insertion of a pit tag if needed, placement of roto tags on first dorsal fin if female or on the second dorsal if the animal is male, (done for purposes of sexual identification at a distance), tidbit placement on females, transmitter placement, also on dorsal fins, taking of a DNA sample from the trailing edge of the dorsal fin, measurements of length and girth of the animal, as well as inspection and assessment of the claspers on males. Data from the tidbit monitors will be used to test the theory that increased water temperatures promote breeding much as it accelerates growth and development. Instantaneous scan sampling was implemented today as part of the data collection. This involves recording how many animals are in sight at one given moment. Taken every 15 minutes the scan includes location, behavior and identification of specific animals, if known. Tower Watch: June 19th AM: Theo Mid-Day: Ed Evening: Cancelled due to thunderstorm YSI: Amy Daily Debrief: The action began early today. Wes called out the tagging team onsite by 9 A.M. for a mating event. Wes caught both sharks in one net. The animals were then separated into two hoop nets. One animal was a recapture, a known male, tagged blue and yellow. He also had a scar, an indicator of an old dart tag. This animal had a successful Crittercam deployment. The female had a fouled roto tag. The top tag was replaced, the bottom tag merely cleaned and re-used. As the animals were slowly being worked, Jeff called Tim and the kids over to the site for observation and video recording. Tiburon intern Ryan Carey arrived by Ferry today. Thunderheads moved in over entire area by 2 P.M. forcing the team to abandon the site. No further observations possible for today. Subsequent viewing of the recovered Crittercam footage revealed the male shark encountering a spotted eagle ray and a large lemon shark. While he was resting among coral head, a beautiful view of mutton snappers and sergeant majors filled the screen.

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Tower Watch: June 20th AM: Ed Heist Mid-Day: Theo Evening: Derek, Zack, and Ryan YSI: Amy Daily Debrief: Active morning, first mating event witnessed at 8:02 A.M. Wes visited the site pre-watch and witnessed three tagged fins up in shallow water on the beach. Reference #185, tagged during the 2003 season, #21, tagged originally in 1994 was a pregnant animal transported to Sea World in 1997; she had also received a Vemco transmitter #1 in June of 2002. The rover monitor was picked up from the Spa by Wes and Jeff and was downloaded after being deployed for two days. Rover data showed seven different animals, three of which were tagged last season. To date, the Tower team has logged 17 total mating events. Vessel notes: generator oil changed, water production strainers cleaned. Tower Watch: June 21st AM: Derek Mid-Day: Ed Evening: Theo, Ryan YSI: Amy Daily Debrief: Again the action begins early with mating events observed by Wes prior to the A.M. tower watch start. The tagging team is deployed to work up both a male and female sharks. Both animals were equipped with roto and pits tags as well as transmitters. The female received a tidbit while the male was released with a Crittercam attached. Two Colleagues of Jeff’s arrived via Ferry for an overnight visit. Crittercam deployments and recoveries are timed and GPS numbers are also recorded. On this day the release took place at 10:26 AM, recovery at 1604. Viewing of the tapes later revealed that the Crittercam video malfunctioned but other data were collected, principally direction and velocity of animal movement Tower Watch: June 22nd AM: Derrick Mid-Day: Ed Evening: Cancelled due to storm YSI: Amy Daily Debrief: Early morning mating activity at site. Crittercam was deployed and malfunctioned (no video). The unit was recovered on the beach at Long Key by Tim, Charles and Jacquie who then joined the rest of the tagging team working up a large female. The animal turned out to be one of the biggest caught to date and an animal first tagged in 1993. The team then split up with half returning to the Tiburon, but a fast moving storm prevented the others from doing the same. The wind picked up incredibly quickly and was clocked at 52 knots before knocking down the weather station atop the Tiburon. A sharp drop of 10 degrees in temperature was also recorded. Captain Tim let go of his main anchor after its line became entangled with a sailboat’s ground tackle. A second anchor was lost overboard (got caught in line when main one was released). Zack was sent in the tender to rescue a man who was tying to swim back to his vessel (being dragged off by the storm). Team members remaining on site took refuge on the lee side of the island after securing equipment. One kayak almost flew away and planks were ripped away from the scaffolding, barely missing Wes’ head. Tiburon motored around the harbor till the storm passed then tied up at the Fort’s docks. Jeff’s guests boarded the Ferry to return to Key West. A dive team retrieved the principal anchor without incident. Meanwhile all hands got back onboard safe and sound. The Park Service Rangers asked for and received our assistance with the evacuation of two men

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off their sailboat that ran aground in Bird Key Harbor after their engine died. Their vessel was secured and Mike and John of the sailing vessel Hialia gratefully accepted our hospitality for the night. An exhausted group went to bed early that night. Tower Watch: June 23rd AM: Theo, and Ryan Mid Day: Ed Evening: Derek YSI: Amy Daily Debrief: Crittercam deployment team on site since early morning and stayed until lunchtime (Jeff, Wes, Jill, Derek). Mating events now total 47. A late Crittercam deployment on a female provided the opportunity for an evening search and recovery. The camera popped off nearly four hours after deployment. Nighttime recovery is always difficult especially when the current is strong and a lighting system is required. The camera was found approximately two miles away; just short of Loggerhead Key at 10:20 P.M. Captain Tim gave further assistance to Mike and John by overhauling S/V Hialia’s fuel delivery system. Their sailboat had righted itself after high tides during the night it was able to move into safer water under its own power. Tower Watch: June 24th AM: Theo Mid-Day: Derek Evening: Ed YSI: Amy Daily Debrief: Very active morning. Many animals were observed inside the study site throughout the day. The A.M. shift caught two males, both completely new to the study. Both were tagged and were released with Crittercams attached. One camera was retrieved without incident, the other was lost and not recovered. The crew continued listening throughout day and evening, but without success. Researchers found an expelled nurse shark egg. It was not known whether the egg was fertile. They will try to incubate once back at Mote Marine Lab. Tower Watch: June 25th AM: Derek and Jill Mid Day: Ed Evening: Wes and Theo without tower YSI: Amy Daily Debrief: Today marked the last day of observations on the tower, as the scaffolding was taken down by 2:00 PM and stored for another year with the rangers. The watch shifts were set from 8-11 and from 11-2. The entire capture team was present in preparation for heavy activity, which had been observed the previous day. A single, brief mating event occurred before the 8 A.M. watch and another upon the arrival of the watch team. Only two more mating events were observed the rest of the day with the final count for the trip totaling 65. Ed ventured around the backside of Bush Key in pursuit of juveniles. He returned with two females, both of which had been equipped with pit tags the year before. Since their total length was under 100 cm, they were considered too small to carry roto tags. The animals were weighed, measured, and assessed for health condition. Both animals had grown approximately five cm and had each gained just over a pound. This is a strong indication of animal success within the region. Two separate dive teams ran search patterns for ground tackle lost overboard during the storm on 6/22. They were unsuccessful. The afternoon was spent collecting and securing all equipment for the return to port tomorrow. A late afternoon trip to the French wreck for a recreational dive was welcomed by all and ended the day for the group, except for Wes who stayed behind to finish the evening watch.

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June 26th: Captain Tim, Derek and Zack left with the tender in the pre-dawn hours this AM to retrieve the temporary (15) monitors off of Bird Key (the Heithaus array). The data that these monitors collected is used to validate the movement of Crittercam-bearing animals and is specific to that element of the study. All of the remaining monitors are left year round to gather data on resident animals. While there, the team observed the same 9 foot long hammerhead take another tarpon. The Tiburon got underway by 9:30 AM making good time at 11.5 knots under fair skies and calm seas reaching her homeport of Key West by 3:30 PM. Conclusions: Nurse sharks continue to use the breeding grounds in spite of changes to the shallow water bottom brought about by hurricanes of the previous year. The high percentage of tagged animals that were encountered during the current study provide additional evidence of the value of the area as a breeding grounds. Site fidelity was again evidenced by previously tagged nurse sharks that faithfully return to the area to mate. Females that returned to the area during the current study provide additional evidence that nurse shark females breed on a bi-annual cycle and that males return annually to breed. Growth rates from recaptures again support the slow growth rate in this species, averaging 10-15cm/yr (4-6 in per year). Modifications to the animal-borne video and data recording system ("CritterCam") more clearly revealed movement patterns of males carrying the instrument when compared to permanently mounted data loggers, but were inconclusive in revealing deep water interactions in this species.

Wes Pratt Sails off into the Sunset