Internships

"Not a day on the boat went by without laughing or joking,
or even singing. We had a blast, and they are all people
I would definitely like to stay in touch with."
- Lindsey - Summer Intern, 2002.

Tyna and Kristen (Summer 2002 interns) help
keep the net away from the prop, during
deployment of the 600' seine.

DESCRIPTION OF CURRENT RESEARCH

The Fisheries Habitat Ecology Programs is conducting research that can be directly applied to marine conservation, and by doing so effectively contribute to conservation and management policy formulation. Among our primary research interests is examining the connection between nursery and adult habitats for fish species that undergo ontogenetic habitat shifts. Some of our current research addresses the connection between settlement and post-settlement abundance, nursery habitat use, and adult abundance for species that undergo ontogenetic habitat shifts. Species of particular concern in Charlotte Harbor are Centropomus undecimalis, Sciaenops ocellatus. We are also using a comparative approach to examine use of multiple habitats by fishes and anthropogenic impacts on these habitats. We are also conducting research on juvenile Albula vulpes in the Florida Keys.

OTHER PROJECTS INTERNS MAY BE INVOLVED IN

Assemble an otolith and scale database for prey species of common snook in Charlotte Harbor, and use this database to determine prey consumed by snook by examining stomach contents.

Test a new chronographic tethering device and conduct experiments on rates of predation of juvenile fishes.

Assist in the creation and testing of a remote sampling tool that will allow us to census tagged fishes with a passive array. This will involve conducting an experiment to determine the efficacy of the new sampling tool (and may involve computer programming for the remote computer terminal).

Conduct experiments to validate daily growth rings in otoliths of juvenile permit and bonefish, and age.

"In just over two months I became very familiar with the fish populations and the ecology of Charlotte Harbor." - Ryan - Summer Intern, 2003.

"This internship provided me with a great look at a career in Marine Biology." - Ryan - Summer Intern, 2003.

Ryan (summer 2003 intern) pushes the canoe
full of gear through Yucca Pen (one of our
sample creeks).

Ryan pulling the 75' seine in Yucca Pen.
Any Snook in there?

(Both Photos of Ryan from Catherine Corbett, Charlotte Harbor NEP)

QUALIFICATIONS

H.S. Diploma, Enrollment in College (Junior or Senior status) - Fisheries and Wildlife Sciences, Zoology, Marine Biology, Biology, or Environmental Science Majors preferable (but not required).
Strong desire to learn about fish and/or the marine environment.
Valid driver's license.
Ability to swim.
Good sense of balance while working on a boat - should not be prone to excessive sea-sickness.

FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT ANDREA DAVIS

With Mote...."I was able to spend a great amount of time conducting preliminary data for on ongoing seagrass productivity study. I learned how to conduct sampling techniques that I had learned about in class, and was able to see how each technique would yield the necessary data for the project in mind. Not only did I learn tons, I also had a lot of fun." - Lindsey - Summer Intern, 2002.

Kristen and Tyna (two summer 2002 interns)
prepare to pull the 30 foot seine near the
Pine Island Field House.

Kristen and Tyna pull the 30 foot seine in
order to catch sheepshead minnows to feed
the snook.

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This Page Created By: Maggie Newton - E-mail me!
Last Updated on: May 26, 2004