Alongside scientists from Florida International University, ANGARI sponsors and donors participated as citizen scientists in an exciting day of shark research onboard the R/V ANGARI!
EXPEDITION DETAILS
July 25, 2026
Palm Beach County, FL
Imani Bascoe
Victoria Goldner
Aeden Mell
William Sample
Lacy Smith
Davon Strickland
All sharks were fished for, caught, studied and released for research purposes under Florida permits held by Florida International University scientists.
The ANGARI Foundation Board of Directors welcomed sponsors and donors aboard R/V ANGARI for a Coastal Ocean Explorers: Sharks expedition in partnership with scientists from Florida International University’s College of Arts, Sciences and Education (FIU). Designed to showcase the impact of donor support, the expedition gave participants the opportunity to experience the program through the eyes of a student or educator while contributing to shark research off the coast of Palm Beach County.
The day began onboard R/V ANGARI, where FIU scientists introduced participants to the diverse, local shark species and shared how ongoing research through the FIU and ANGARI partnership is advancing our understanding of these important marine predators. Participants also learned how the data collected during each expedition contributes to long-term shark conservation and management efforts.
Next, the team headed offshore to begin fishing with bottom-set drumlines, a special piece of equipment used by scientists to safely capture and study large sharks. Participants worked alongside FIU scientists to prepare, deploy and recover seven drumlines throughout the day. Their efforts resulted in the successful capture of three different sharks: a bull shark (Carcharhinus leucas), a lemon shark (Negaprion brevirostris) and a nurse shark (Ginglymostoma cirratum).
As each shark was safely secured alongside the vessel, sponsors and donors worked alongside the FIU team to complete the data collection from each shark. Participants helped measure the sharks’ precaudal length (PCL), fork length (FL) and stretched total length (STL), collected fin clip tissue samples for future genetic analysis, and applied National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Cooperative Shark Tagging Program (NOAA CSTP) identification tags before each shark was safely released.
Each capture provided a meaningful opportunity to experience the research process from start to finish. The expedition offered sponsors and donors a firsthand look at the unique, hands-on experiences their generosity makes possible for middle and high school students through the Coastal Ocean Explorers: Sharks program!
This expedition was supported by the generous donors of ANGARI Foundation.
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.
