Watch the first interview from our new series, where authors elaborate on their findings published in ICES Journal of Marine Science. Danielle Haulsee discusses the distribution of the endangered Atlantic sturgeon and the reliability of species distribution models. Read the full paper ➡️ https://doi.org/10.1093/icesjms/fsaa024.

In this presentation, I describe research from the University of Delaware, Delaware State University, and BOEM, to monitor for the occurrence of endangered Atlantic Sturgeon and commercially important Winter Skate in the wind energy lease area off of the Delaware/Maryland coastline. Where the wind blows: Occurrence and distribution of species of concern in a future offshore wind energy area Abstract: Technological advances and changes in national energy policy objectives have increased interest in U.S. offshore wind energy. The coastal ocean off the US Mid-Atlantic has particularly good conditions for offshore wind energy projects and contains multiple Wind Energy Lease Areas (WEAs). The Delaware (DE) WEA is located approximately 11 km from the coastline, but little is known about the distribution and occurrence of marine species in this area. Between 2017-2019, an acoustic telemetry array recorded observations of Atlantic sturgeon (Acipenser oxyrinchus oxyrinchus), winter skate (Leucoraja ocellata), and other acoustically tagged species in the DE WEA. A generalized additive model (GAM) was created to predict the occurrence and distribution of Atlantic sturgeon using remotely sensed ocean surface parameters (temperature, color), modeled ocean bottom temperature, and seafloor characteristics (bathymetry, sediment grain size, and bottom temperature). This model expands on similar models produced for Atlantic sturgeon in the area but captures the distribution of Atlantic sturgeon further offshore than previously observed. Atlantic sturgeon residency occurred year-round, but shifted offshore and was highest in November and December. Few tagged winter skate were detected in the DE WEA, indicating that there is a low risk of offshore wind development impacting this commercial stock in this WEA. Our study provides the information necessary to implement impact reduction strategies during the construction and operation of future wind energy projects in this region. This talk was originally presented virtually at the Western Society of Naturalists Meeting, 2020.

Here I present how data collected from a mobile application that records sportfishing catches and releases could be useful for fisheries conservation and management efforts. Captapp: A New Mobile Platform for Sportfishing Citizen Science Abstract: Globally, recreational fishermen act as citizen scientists, logging catches and harvests of marine species. Many marine species are lacking in fisheries-dependent or government supported research programs, especially highly migratory species that transcend local geo-political boundaries. Uncertainty surrounding a sportfishes population stock can often lead to ineffective or overly conservative management strategies that cause distrust from the recreational fishing communities. However, it is becoming increasingly clear that effective management strategies include direct input and feedback from fisherman stakeholders. Here we present a new recreational fishing log mobile application, CaptApp, which encourages fisherman to log catches and releases of many popular sportfishing species. This application encourages fisherman participation through its virtual tournament feature, allowing captains and anglers compete locally, regionally and globally. Releases are validated using the applications integrated video capture feature and tagging of the fish with identification tags from a variety of organizations collecting scientific data on sportfish is highly encouraged or required for some tournaments. This application has the potential to collect highly valuable species observation information, leveraging the participation of the recreational fishing communities globally. The integrated virtual tournament feature is unique to the application and will likely encourage long-term participation. In addition, the integrated video capture feature allows for validation of species identification and observation records, and the auto geo-tagging feature allows scientists to obtain location information for species, which can be integrated into species distribution modeling efforts, or population surveys. This talk was virtually presented at the Annual American Fisheries Society Meeting in 2020.

A 5-min lightning talk about my research for Project DynaMAR (Dynamic Marine Animal Research). Here we discuss competing fisheries and the multiple stressors impacting two species of billfish in the Eastern Tropical Pacific and how we plan to use satellite archival tags to help detangle some of these issues. This talk was virtually presented at 18th Annual UCSC/Stanford Species Interactions Workshop, December 5th, 2020.

University of Delaware researchers shed light on sand tiger sharks (Carcharias taurus) and their annual migration habits along the Eastern Seaboard in a new paper published in the Nature journal, Scientific Reports. Using a novel tagging procedure, the UD researchers collected tens of thousands of interactions between the 300 or so tagged sand tiger sharks and also documented interactions between sand tigers and seven other fish species. Read More: http://www.udel.edu/udaily/2016/september/shark-social-networking/

In January, our team traveled to Costa Rica to begin our field work. Out on the water we got to see some of the amazing marine species that call these waters home. Here's some of the highlights. Hope you enjoy them as much as we do. We are looking forward to getting down there again soon to continue our research. We are also sharing project updates on our Expedition page on Nat Geo's Open Explorer. Please follow along their for updates on what we are up to! https://openexplorer.nationalgeographic.com/expedition/fastfish/ Music: https://www.purple-planet.com

Thanks to the S.E.E Initiative and OpenROV, we were able to get an OpenROV Trident sent to us right before our latest trip down to Costa Rica. We used some down time to practice driving the ROV, and observing fish we could find 125 miles offshore of Costa Rica on a seamount. Being able to observe what fish are underwater gives us better insight into what kinds of baitfish are available in the open ocean for pelagic predators like large tunas, sharks, and billfish (marlin and sailfish). Here are some of the highlights! For more information and updates, follow our expedition page at openexplorer.nationalgeographic.com/expedition/fastfish Footage from Go Pro Hero 7 and OpenROV Trident. Music: https://www.purple-planet.com

Another trip to Costa Rica meant another opportunity to use our Trident to explore the open ocean. We used some down time to do another quick survey on a seamount offshore, 200 miles offshore of Costa Rica. Being able to observe what fish are underwater gives us better insight into what kinds of baitfish are available in the open ocean for pelagic predators like large tunas, sharks, and billfish (marlin and sailfish). Here are some of the highlights! For more information and updates, follow our expedition page at openexplorer.nationalgeographic.com/expedition/fastfish Footage from SoFar Ocean Trident.

We recently were able to recover some lost footage from the SoFar Ocean Trident. We were exploring around our fishing boat at night, 125 miles offshore of Costa Rica. We didn't edit this video down, so you can get the full effect of the darkness, and sudden appearance of fish, squid, and other zooplankton that show up on the camera in the lights (as well as some shots of the boat hull as we practiced our piloting skills). Enjoy! The fish in the beginning is a juvenile African Pompano. What else can you find in the footage? Follow our expedition here to learn about the science our team is doing off Costa Rica, and what we are using the Trident ROV for -- https://openexplorer.nationalgeographic.com/expedition/fastfish Special thanks to the Sofar Ocen team for helping us recover this footage, and to the S.E.E. Initiative for donating the ROV to our project.