A group of students and chaperones from Eagles Landing Middle School joined scientists from Florida International University (FIU) for a day of shark research onboard the R/V ANGARI.
EXPEDITION DETAILS
March 12, 2026
Palm Beach County, FL
Michelle Deabbudt
Sophia Hemsi
William Sample
Lacy Smith
Emily Spurgeon
All sharks were fished for, caught, studied and released for research purposes under Florida permits held by Florida International University scientists.
A group of Eagles Landing Middle School students and chaperones came aboard the R/V ANGARI for a Coastal Ocean Explorers: Sharks expedition to work alongside scientists from Florida International University’s College of Arts, Sciences and Education. Participants deployed two kinds 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.
Participants spent the morning deploying the first BRUVS of the day and 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, so that a hooked shark can continue to swim freely 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. This group of students did a great job working together as a team to haul and deploy each drumline!
Due to some mechanical issues onboard the R/V ANGARI, the team returned to the dock early, but that did not stop them from continuing their fishing efforts! The students were divided into teams once more and rotated through different stations with the scientists around the vessel . Students learned how to handline, tie different types of knots used in marine industries, learned about the different jaws and fins of several shark species and even deployed a second BRUVS!
On the second deployment of the BRUVS, a school of jack crevalle (Carnaz hippos) repeatedly investigated the bait cage throughout the full hour of the deployment! Although no sharks were caught or observed during the expedition, it was an engaging and rewarding day of hands-on marine research and career exploration for these Eagles Landing Middle School students!
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.
