A month in the shoes (or fins) of a shark biologist
By Sofia Mendoza and Mauricio Ferragut
As shark lovers, when we first heard about the Pelagios Kakunjá internship, we knew it was something that we needed to experience. We had both recently graduated from university with a bachelor’s degree in Marine and Freshwater Biology, and needed to get real experience in the field doing research.
As such, we were utterly dismayed when our plan to do the internship in February of 2021 was thrown off by travel restrictions related to the pandemic. Luckily, the Pelagios team worked with us to coordinate a later date that would allow us to come to La Paz. Darren, the internship coordinator and scientist we worked with throughout the program, went above and beyond to be flexible and make it possible for us to go, which we are very grateful for. Finally, we decided that the month of June 2021 would work, and spent a month in the beautiful city of La Paz.
During our internship, we were graciously hosted at La Levedad del Ser, a very comfortable home with a beautiful collection of art curated by the lovely hosts. We felt very welcome and secure during our entire stay. La Paz is a beautiful city with a laid back atmosphere. Everything we needed was within walking distance, and the internship program provided us with bikes to get around. The malecón, a boardwalk along the bay, is lined with sculptures related to the ocean and provides a wonderful view of the breathtaking sunsets while on an afternoon walk or bike ride.
As for the internship experience itself, we had the chance to participate in various ongoing projects. We got to go on multiple field trips every week and witnessed the outstanding biodiversity of the Sea of Cortez. We saw many dolphins, including a massive pod of over 100 individuals, sea lions, sea turtles, mobula rays, a myriad of fish, and even a giant manta! Some of the projects we worked on included pelagic shark monitoring, photo identification of individuals, and deployment and analysis of both pelagic and nursery BRUVS (baited remote underwater video systems), which are used to make estimates of shark diversity, abundance, and to analyze behaviour. It was during a few of the pelagic shark monitoring expeditions that we were lucky enough to swim with groups of approximately 8 silky sharks.
Being in the water with these remarkable animals and observing their behavior and body language was exhilarating, and the kind of experience you can only get in the field. Additionally, we got the chance to take part in a shark tagging expedition where we were able to successfully tag 4 silky sharks.
During our time at the Pelagios office, we learned to analyze footage from the field, do data entry work, and use a photo ID database system to identify individual sharks using specific features like body markings, scars, injuries, and pigmentation. It was very exciting to have made our first positive match, by identifying two photos of the same mako shark from different days and locations! On a special occasion, we attended a fascinating presentation by another biologist working for Pelagios, Miguel Grau, who talked to us about his work doing passive acoustic telemetry, a technique that uses sound emitted by acoustic tags and underwater receivers to reveal information about the movement patterns and habitat use of the sharks. This in turn provides the scientists with valuable information to protect their habitats.
Before any field activity, we were briefed on safety protocols and taught any relevant practical skills. These included safety and body language when swimming with sharks, fishing knots, BRUVS assembly and deployment, neonate shark handling, and taking useful morphological measurements.
During our free time, we visited a bunch of different local beaches, went snorkeling with mobula rays, hiked up hills in the desert, admired plenty of colourful sunsets, enjoyed some bike rides along the Malecón, and tried just about every restaurant we came across! We particularly enjoyed exploring the town of Todos Santos, a couple of hours away from La Paz. There is so much to see and explore in Baja California Sur, and we had plenty of time for recreational activities in addition to our work as part of the internship. We also really enjoyed the friendships we were able to form with our fellow interns. It was awesome to meet like-minded people who shared our passion for marine life.
Darren always put an incredible amount of effort into getting us out in the field on expeditions. He's a very hardworking, determined, knowledgeable, and passionate guy, and we thoroughly enjoyed our time assisting him with his projects. It was a wonderful experience delving for the first time in the world of a marine biologist, and witnessing first hand all the "backstage" work that is involved in shark research. With the Pelagios team, we learned that fieldwork can be highly unpredictable, and therefore, being a marine biologist requires one to be considerably flexible and adaptable.
Nevertheless, the encounters that a marine biologist in the field can come across can be some of the most inimaginable, indescribable, and rewarding experiences any ocean lover could ever dream of. We left this internship with a newly found appreciation for the immeasurable amount of effort that goes into studying and protecting the unpredictable, yet fascinating and ecologically essential creatures that are sharks. We highly recommend this shark research experience in La Paz with Pelagios Kakunjá, and we look forward to coming back again in the future!
Blog publication date: November 26, 2021