A group of students and educators from Oxbridge Academy joined scientists from Florida International University (FIU) for a day of shark research onboard the R/V ANGARI.
EXPEDITION DETAILS
March 6, 2026
Palm Beach County, FL
Michelle Debbaudt
Sophia Hemsi
Lacy Smith
William Sample
Davon Strickland
All sharks were fished for, caught, studied and released for research purposes under Florida permits held by Florida International University scientists.
We were lucky to welcome a second group from Oxbridge Academy to participate in our Coastal Ocean Explorers: Sharks program this spring! Students and educators joined scientists from Florida International University’s (FIU) College of Arts, Sciences and Education for a day of shark research onboard the R/V ANGARI. Participents spent the day learning about and deploying drumlines, a specialized fishing gear used for shark research, as well as building and deploying a baited remote underwater video system (BRUVS).
To start the day, the science team taught students how to build and deploy a baited remote underwater video system (BRUVS). Students deployed the BRUVS into the Lake Worth Lagoon and spent the next hour of underwater filming practicing their marine species identification skills. Using BRUVS footage from previous ANGARI expeditions and from the Global FinPrint project, students were able to learn different identification skills and how BRUVS data is used in shark research and conservation.
Next, the team headed further north in the lagoon to begin setting drumlines. Each team of students were responsible for assembling and deploying a drumline alongside the scientists and resetting their line throughout the day. The group jumped for joy when one of our lines caught a nurse shark (Ginglymostoma cirratum)! The shark was quickly secured to the stern of the boat prior to welcoming students down to begin the scientific workup. With the help of the science team, students helped take different body measurements and tissue samples from the nurse shark. This particular shark already happened to have a spaghetti tag from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Cooperative Shark Tagging Program (NOAA CSTP) under its dorsal fin! This meant that this shark had been previously captured and the team made note of the tag number to report back to NOAA. Before safely releasing the shark, students and educators examined the shark’s dermal denticles that give the animal its tough skin!
After an exciting day of fishing, the team headed back to the dock. Students asked the science team great questions about the impacts of the research being conducted onboard R/V ANGARI and other shark research happening through FIU in South Florida. It was another amazing Coastal Ocean Explorers: Sharks expedition full of experiential learning opportunities!
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.
