Expedition leaders: Annie Guttridge, Dr. Phil Matich, and collaborative scientist PhD candidate Eric Schneider

Crew: Elizabeth, Leila, Molli, Philip, and Skylar – Skylar, a US veteran, had his position on the expedition fully sponsored by Saving the Blue.

Special Bahamian Guests: Rosetta and Rantaa

Introduction

We’ve just returned from another incredibly successful Saving the Blue research expedition! In the course of our six-day excursion, we captured, tagged, and released forty-one healthy sharks, of six different species. Along the way, we enjoyed much more than just research; this exciting and unforgettable week was full of mahi-mahi, yellowfin tuna, blue holes, night fishing, and a little downtime enjoying the beauty and sharks of Andros.

Day 1

On landing, we made our way through immigration, and after a 40-minute taxi ride south, we arrived to our accommodation and were welcomed by Captain Cole and the Bonefish Lodge staff. Everyone had a little time to unpack before listening to some lodge rules and regulations, followed by a safety and protocol briefing from Annie. After a quick bite to eat, the crew headed out for their first afternoon on the water.

Dr. Phil Matich led a detailed briefing on equipment, processes, and general research safety, instilling confidence in the team that we were ready to set our first lines. Five drumlines were set, and with an hour soak time (wait), the team was eager to see if we had any luck on the first hooks. Bingo, we had two nurse sharks!

All team members had a role and were responsible for collecting environmental information, shark tissue samples, measurements, data, and more. Of course, things felt a little overwhelming at first, but within a day, we knew the team would be up to speed and running like a well-oiled machine in no time. Human and shark safety is of the upmost importance, and team leaders Annie and Phil ensured everyone was vigilant, thoughtful, and alert at all times. With a total of two sharks caught, we fished until the last minute of sunlight, then headed back to the lodge in total darkness.

On arrival back to the lodge, we were greeted by visiting scientist (PhD student), and collaborator Eric Schneider from The Cape Eleuthera Institute www.ceibahamas.org. Our team then showered and settled down for a homemade, local feast and discussion of how exciting and productive the first afternoon fishing was.

Day 2

We were up early for a fabulous breakfast of cereal, omelets, fresh fruit, and more, followed by our departure at 9am. The day’s objectives included retrieving three acoustic receivers deployed in shallow water habitats that are used by our team to monitor the presence/absence of sharks or rays equipped with transmitters, followed by an afternoon of shark captures.

First up, we had the task of finding the receivers. With winds blowing 20knots and the shallow water fairly murky, it took some time to safely locate them. On sighting them, Phil dove down, unclipped the receivers, and passed them back to team members on the boat. The receivers were then cleaned and the data downloaded, then they were ready for redeployment. Excitingly, we found data detecting an adult lemon shark and a nurse shark previously tagged by Dr. Guttridge during his time working at the Bimini Sharklab!

With our receivers retrieved, our team prepared for another set of drum lining.

Once set, it was a waiting game of jokes, stories, and fun shark facts. On arrival to each drumline, environmental parameters were recorded (e.g. water temperature, dissolved oxygen, salinity) using a YSI probe, which is an instrument used to analyze water. These values can be correlated with captures to determine their influence on habitat use. We set drumlines all afternoon and caught a total of eight sharks, again into the darkness of the night!

On arrival back to the lodge, the team quickly got themselves ready for dinner. Before calling it a night, we were treated to a lecture from Eric on Bahamian fisheries.

Day 3

Today, our crew were up early at 6am, as we had ambitious plans to visit our silky shark location and try to capture and fit a satellite tag on large female or male, for Eric’s project.

On arrival, everyone slipped in to view the silkies that were already present, we had five in total. None of the sharks had our external tags, so we decided to hop back in the boat and drop a poly ball in the hopes of catching a shark that was likely swimming out of sight in deeper water. Our line flew, it was a juvenile at just 110cm. This shark was processed and contributed important data to our long term life history project on the species. We were, however, really looking for a shark over 200cm for the tag we had prepared that morning.

With another line set, we waited, but not for long! A shark took off with our line and pulled the buoy under. We all looked at each other, anticipating a large shark. We carefully pulled the line up to reveal a large silky, and with smiles all around, we knew we had to work together efficiently to get the tag in place and release the shark as quickly as possible. It was a male, and the first measurements in were 156cm pcl (pre-caudal length), 173cm fl (fork length), 202cm tl (total length). We couldn’t have asked for more, as he was exactly what we were looking for! With the work up process complete, he swam off strong, heading straight back down to the depths.

With spirits high, we set another poly ball. Within twenty minutes, we saw our buoy moving. There was indeed another shark on, a 126cm silky. This beauty was tagged by our Bahamian guest Rosetta! Rosetta was relaxed and confident as she worked. We believe Rosetta was the first Bahamian woman to tag a shark in Andros!

After a jammed-packed morning we started our ride back to the lodge, but not before stopping off at a blue hole for everyone to cool off!

On arrival to the lodge, we dropped Rosetta off, and headed back out for more captures. We set our lines and were rewarded with a large nurse shark and a blacknose.

After an extremely long day, we headed home, refueled with amazing food, and sat out in the rain watching the local lemon sharks circle around our feet. You know you’re around true shark enthusiasts when you’d all rather be standing in the rain, in the dark, watching the sharks, than be tucked up warm in a dry in bed!

Day 4

Another early 6am start for more silky action. We headed out with positive vibes aplenty.

On arrival, we got a glimpse of an animal we had previously tagged! Annie and a few others popped in to swim with the silkies and were surprised to see mahi-mahi, rainbow runners, and yellowfin tuna in attendance. Annie gained a close pic of the tagged shark and was able to ID it from the photograph. With the sharks and fish putting on quite the show, it was hard to climb back onto the boat to start our day’s objective of another silky capture.

With the lines set we immediately caught a 146cm male silky. This shark was another ideal candidate for Eric’s tag, so the team coordinated quickly for another speedy workup. The satellite tag placed on this shark will provide Eric, and us, an insight into this shark’s movements for the next four months. Do they stay in the safety of the Tongue of the Ocean, or range into open water? We aim to find out.

As we sat patiently waiting, Phil pointed to the buoy and said, I just really hope something big takes our line. Just then, BOOM! It got hit hard. None of us could believe the timing! We all watched as the buoy was dragged around like a rag roll, and we knew something large was on. As we approached and started to carefully retrieve the line, we gazed down at a giant shadow. It was an incredibly large dusky shark!

Once the shark was secured to the boat, our standardized work up process began, with the addition of Phil inserting an acoustic tag. The acoustic tag will emit a unique coded pulse every 300 seconds for the next ten years, at a high frequency outside of the sharks hearing. When the shark swims within range of a research receiver (listening device), the time, date, and ID number of the shark will be recorded for later download. Annie and Philip were in the water capturing imagery while silkies and mahi mahi swam around them, curious of what was going on! After the shark was quickly processed, it was released and swam away strong, once again into the abyss. This species is a rare capture for the Tongue of the Ocean, and our team were thrilled to include it as part of our pelagic shark research project.

With spirits on a major high, we packed up and headed to another shark fishing location. When we got there, we all jumped in to cool off and enjoy a few minutes beneath the waves. Some played with the sand in the shallows, others explored the local corals, and the rest remained on the boat grabbing a quick bite to eat. After our mini-break, more drum lines were set, and within a few hours we had caught an additional four sharks.

With yet another fabulous day behind us, we headed home for a hot shower, a wonderful meal, and a lecture quiz by Phil. Other guests and fishers at the lodge joined in and everyone had a blast learning while having fun.

Day 5

We woke to another day in paradise and another shark-filled, full day of receiver retrieval and redeployment, as well as day and night shark fishing!

Another receiver retrieval was first, this time at 50ft. Annie and Philip hopped in, with Philip watching Annie (for safety) as she dove to retrieve the receiver. We do not recommend others copy this type of dive unless one is an experienced freediver with a safety diver present. Once retrieved, other, local receivers were redeployed. 

With the receivers safety placed on the boat, we decided to bait a little to see if we could attract any great hammerheads that might be in the area. We know hammerheads use the corridor we were in, as we had seen them there previously. Although the tides were not on our side, we gave it a shot! After an hour of trying, we called it a day and agreed to move on to more captures. We caught a total of five sharks.

With the crew tiring and a big night ahead, we returned home for some much needed rest and an early dinner. After our downtime, we geared up for the night shift. We departed just after 5pm, and our lines were set within the hour. By this stage, our crew were working very efficiently as a team, so set up took mere minutes once we were on location.

The night started busy with two blacknose and a blacktip, caught almost back-to-back. As these species of shark are sensitive to capture, we reduced the soak time to ensure no shark captured was on the line more than a half-hour. This prioritizes the health and wellbeing of the sharks.

Next up was a wave of nurse sharks, six in total. These sometimes relaxed, always resilient and beautiful beings are the ideal species to demonstrate a workup on. Bahamian guest Rantaa stepped in to assist our crew. Rantaa helped secure the shark with ropes, took detailed measurements, and placed the tag!

After a long night of captures, star gazing, stories and jokes, it was time to head home. We were all in bed before midnight.

Day 6

Our last full day was upon us, but with a hammerhead baiting session planned for the morning, spirits and hopes were high.

Behind the Scenes

Behind the shark captures and data lies an immense amount of hard, repetitive work. Our drum lines consist of a floating buoy tied to a rope that’s then secured to a 45-pound (20-kilogram) weight, which has a monofilament line attached to it with a baited hook. The weight is dropped into the water with the rope length allowing the buoy to comfortably sit at the surface, so we always know where our equipment is. Almost every time a shark is captured, this set up must be recreated.

With both adrenaline and mood running high, it was time to leave and move on to our afternoon captures. With our lines set for the final time, we were rewarded with four Caribbean reef sharks, ranging in length from 102cm to 184cm.

As we headed in for dinner, we found ourselves reflecting on the incredible week and how far the team had come. These trips always bring a diverse range of people together who perhaps wouldn’t meet otherwise, and with the common interest of sharks uniting them, friendships are formed and memories created.

That evening, we stayed up a little later than usual, chatting, laughing, and enjoying the large lemon sharks off the dock for the last time on this trip.

Day 7

It was our last morning, but there was still time for a morning activity. Guests were asked to grab their equipment and meet at the boat for a surprise. All were whisked off to a popular lemon shark spot for some fun snorkeling and walking in the shallows with the lemons. As with all shark activities, it was hard to leave, but we had a flight to catch.

Back home to the lodge we traveled, and after a speedy packing session followed by a ‘see you soon’ to Captain Cole and the Bonefish staff, we jumped in our taxis to head to the airport. Our flight home seemed to go far too quickly, as before we knew it, we had landed back in Fort Lauderdale. Goodbyes followed, however, we all knew we’d stay in touch, and see each other again! What an incredible week that we’ll never forget.

Thank you

Thank you to our research trip leaders Annie Guttridge, Dr. Phil Matich, and collaborative scientist PhD candidate Eric Schneider for guiding the team through an incredibly successful week. A huge thank you to our research assistants for their passion, determination and endless enthusiasm to work hard, learn, and produce results. We would also like to thank the Andros Island Bonefish Club for their hospitality, and hardworking and ever professional Captain Cole from PFO Charters, for his top-class boating and captaining skills.