Monday, June 2, 2014

Tiger Beach Exploration


In efforts to collect data for the research of female tiger shark habitats, the International SeaKeepers Society has taken the yacht, Penny Mae, to Tiger Beach for exploration and discovery. Scientists are aiming to track the reproductive stages and patterns of the sharks. They wish to better understand how tourism affects the natural habitation and if additional measures of safety are necessary for the tiger sharks' preservation. Learn more in this article.
The International SeaKeepers Society takes DISCOVERY Yacht Penny Mae to Tiger Beach for a tiger shark tagging expedition. A team of researchers from the University of Miami will tag tiger sharks, take blood samples, and conduct ultra-sounds using a custom-made floating platform designed by Florida Biodiversity Institute and Dr. Neil Hammerschlag. The floating platform will be attached to the stern of Penny Mae, which will serve as the base for the expedition site and research. The newest addition to SeaKeepers DISCOVERY Yacht Fleet, Penny Mae is a 138foot long Tri-Deck motor yacht. Shark tagging provides researchers with information about habitat use by sending signals from the tags to receivers. The researchers will be retrieving receivers that were discharged in October 2013 for data analysis and will be deploying more receivers to continue monitoring. 


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