Making known the world of water,
both fresh and salt.
SAME's 2008 Annual Conference
Dauphin Island Sea Lab
Dauphin Island, AL
Our annual meeting November 14-16,
2008 was held at the Dauphin Island Sea Lab in conjunction with
the COSEE: Central Gulf of Mexico’s 2-Day workshop. Our
speakers were Ms. Tami Wells, Marcus Drymon, and Dr. Sean Powers.
Ms. Wells’ topic of discussion
was Ocean Observing Systems. She described the various techniques
used by scientists to penetrate the ocean’s surface when
searching for whales, as well as using dogs on small boats to
“sniff out” whale poop to save money on flying miles
and miles without seeing a whale in sight. It was interesting
to hear about how the military is using dolphins and sea lions
to scout out waterways for bombs before our ships enter a harbor,
or to retrieve explosives and automated vehicles lost on the sea
floor. The educators participated in a hands-on workshop presented
by Ms. Tami Wells using colored light bulbs, colored cellophane,
and jellybeans to show how wavelengths of light are absorbed or
reflected at the ocean’s surface, with a multitude of lesson
plans to take home. If anyone is interested in lessons on this
topic, please contact me (jturner@disl.org)
and I’ll get them to you.
Ms. Tami Wells presented about Ocean Observing Systems. |
George Goodman participated in a hands-on activity. |
Charlene Mauro viewed jelly-beans through colored
cellophane, while Tami McConnell held the light. |
Marcus Drymon spoke about his long-line
shark research that is taking place on the continental shelf on
the Gulf of Mexico. He showed images demonstrating the process
of tagging, measuring, weighing, identifying, and releasing sharks.
Mr. Drymon showed multiple images of sharks common to the GOM
and pointed out the identifying characteristics. It is amazing
how similar these species are, with only a couple dots on their
dorsal side or the lack of black on the tip of one fin to distinguish
them. A hands-on activity taught by DISL educator Jenny Cook offered
the educators information and classroom ideas on sharks’
senses.
Marcus Drymon presented on sharks. |
Jenny Cook presented a hands-on lesson on “Fish Make
Sense.” |
Angela Capello searched for a magnetized ray
with a compass dressed up in a shark costume, while Jane
Putman and Dianne Lindstedt looked on. |
Dr. Sean Powers tied sharks into
the topic of the decline of fish populations. He discussed the
causes of decline in the fisheries –overfishing, pollution,
biological invasions, and habitat loss and degradation. He mentioned
that there isn’t a long-term fishery data set, so they have
gone to the local fishing rodeos along the Gulf Coast for comparisons
to track the decline in fish numbers as well as the size of the
“the big ones.”
The field trips of kayaking and the
boat trip into Mobile Bay were cancelled due to 20+ mph winds!
Instead we walked on Sand Island (which is now connected to Dauphin
Island due to barrier island movement and storm activity) and
a few were brave enough to venture into knee-deep water to seine.
A few mojarra, mullet, a killifish, and a baby blue crab were
pulled in. The wind was blustery, and we all witnessed sand movement
in action, but the sunset was all worth it.
The evening ended with a seafood
dinner and a social in the Estuarium. The silent auction was a
roaring success, bringing in enough money to provide the registration
fee for two K-12 classroom teachers to attend the National Marine
Educators Association conference in Monterey Bay, CA June 29-July
3, 2009. Thank you to all who contributed, both auction items
and money.
Several things were accomplished
at the business meeting Sunday morning. The bylaws were revised
by the Bylaws Committee and approved by the members present. The
revised bylaws will be added to the website. A $200 donation to
the Hurricane Bowl, which is the regional division of the National
Ocean Science Bowl, was approved. The Hurricane Bowl will take
place on February 7, 2009 at the Gulf Coast Research Laboratory
in Ocean Springs, MS. If you’d like to participate or volunteer
to help, please contact Dr. Shelia Brown at shelia.brown@usm.edu
.
Awards were presented to Jennifer
“Murt” Conover for being an outstanding educator at
LUMCON and Dr. Sharon Walker for being an outstanding resource
to the SAME organization.
Jennifer “Murt” Conover and Dr. Sharon Walkeroon
jellies in the Estuarium. |
President-Elect Chris Verlinde offered
a proposal to have the SAME meeting at Camp Timpoochee in Niceville,
FL on November 13-15, 2009. This will be the first time our conference
will be held in Florida. Add these dates to your calendar and
plan to attend. This meeting is going to be sponsored by COSEE:
Central Gulf of Mexico. More information about this conference
will be posted on the website at a later date.
Happy Holidays everyone!
Joan Turner
This site is hosted by the
Louisiana Sea Grant College Program
Louisiana Marine Education Resources Web site.
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