On behalf of Dr Michael Hyatt, the veterinarian at Adventure Aquarium in Camden, NJ.
I along with my Co-author, Paul Anderson, a research scientist with Mystic Aquarium, have been studying the stress response in sharks after capture and handling. Our current research, on how temperature, salinity and dissolved oxygen may exacerbate the stress response in bull and bonnethead sharks, is almost complete. We are hoping our work will help guide the formulation of capture and handling recommendations to minimize acute and delayed mortality of captured sharks in commercial and recreational fisheries, and in fisheries research.
Field work and sample collection has been completed; we have developed a data set on 61 bull and 93 bonnethead sharks that were captured and handled for fisheries research in the Rookery Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve (Naples, FL) over a 4 year period. Data analysis has not yet been completed.
To finish this experimental project and submit for publication, we need $5,000 in order to conduct statistical analyses and reporting to determine the effects of water quality parameters on the stress response due to capture and handling.
Today, we are launching a crowdfunding campaign on Experiment to raise support for our research: https://experiment.com/sharkstress. Once we complete the statistical analyses, we’ll be sharing every step of the scientific process from the field to the lab, on our project page. It’s a very unique experience and we are lucky to have a chance to share this with you. Once we’re ready to publish our results, we’ll thank all of our backers in our paper.
We are reaching out to ask for your support. If you can’t donate directly, could you please take a moment to share our project? Even just a social media post, or emailing the project to any friends, family, or colleagues interested in science and the environment will help finish this amazing project.
If you have any additional questions about the research, or how this works, we’ll be happy to answer them. Thanks for supporting this science, it won’t be possible without you!
Learn more about our project at: https://experiment.com/sharkstress
Best regards,
Mike
Michael Hyatt, DVM
Adventure Aquarium
Camden, NJ
WAVMA – 2006 to 2016
10 Years of Advocacy for Aquatic Veterinary Medicine!
