Service-Learning Internship: Longlining for Sharks
Authors: Nicole Holt
Faculty Supervisors: Dr. C. Tate Holbrook
Abstract:
During the summer of 2015, I participated in a service learning internship at the Coastal Resources Division of the Department of Natural Resources. My biggest responsibilities were on the longlining boat collecting data on various shark species and Red Drum. Once the sharks were on the boat I measured their length, weight, and maturity as well as determined their sex and species. Several of the shark species received a tag in their dorsal fin in order to track their movement and add to the acquirable data. The data collected will contribute to a database for long-term monitoring of abundance and stock assessments. The remaining portion of the internship not on the longlining boat was spent assisting other DNR projects such as banding oyster catchers, helping with the drop ring survey, and cutting and mounting otolith bones of fish in the drum family.
