Scientists from a variety of research labs at Florida University University (FIU) participated in a day of hands-on experience in different research methods used to study sharks in Palm Beach County.
EXPEDITION DETAILS
September 14, 2025
Palm Beach County, FL
Gina Clementi
Michelle Debbaudt
Mia Gabb
Kirk Gastrich
Victoria Goldner
Sue-Lin Lam
Lorenzo Marro-Ambrosini
Jordan Meckstroth
Chase Schaffhauser
Lacy Smith
Colleen Sola
Deirdre Stinson
Alondra Vidales
Michelle Yi
All sharks were fished for, caught, studied and released for research purposes under Florida permits held by Florida International University scientists.
Scientists from Florida International University’s College of Arts, Sciences & Education (FIU CASE), joined the ANGARI crew and spent a day onboard R/V ANGARI to sharpen and develop their shark research field skills. Throughout the day, participants learned and implemented two types of specialized research gear: drumlines, which are used to fish for sharks for research purposes, and a baited remote underwater video system (BRUVS), which is used to capture underwater footage of marine life.
Scientists spent the bulk of the day assembling, deploying and checking drumlines in the Lake Worth Lagoon. Drumlines consist of a baited circle hook attached to a monofilament line, which is connected to a weighted drum on a swivel. This allows a hooked shark to continue to swim freely in circles around the weight. A float line connects the drum to a floating buoy on the surface of the water, which marks its position to allow for recovery. Over the course of the expedition, the hardworking scientists deployed and checked 37 drumlines!
This successful day not only allowed the participants to practice their fieldwork techniques but also provided these scientists with the opportunity to have a first look into the operations of our Coastal Ocean Explorers: Sharks program. Many of these scientists will be joining the team in the field in the coming year as part of the FIU science team on COE: Sharks expeditions with students and teachers from Palm Beach County. Everyone is excited for an awesome school year of science at sea!
CHIEF SCIENTIST
Will Sample is a Ph.D. candidate in the Marine Community and Behavioral Ecology Lab at Florida International University. His current research uses both long-term historical datasets and newer methods, such as high-resolution accelerometry, to study the movement and behavioral ecology of juvenile bull sharks. He specifically focuses on the way these sharks may be transporting nutrients across habitat boundaries, how they may be optimizing their movements to save energy and what the long-term implications of different behaviors they specialize in may be. Will’s research in the Florida Everglades studying the ways sharks move through this crucial ecosystem is important for conservation and informing habitat restoration and management efforts. Will earned a B.S. in Liberal Arts and Sciences from Florida Atlantic University in 2018 and has lived all throughout Florida for most of his life, from Jacksonville to Jupiter to the Keys. He is passionate about community outreach and education, particularly regarding Florida’s natural habitats, and currently serves as lead scientist for ANGARI’s Palm Beach County based Coastal Ocean Explorers: Sharks program aboard R/V ANGARI.
