Honorary Chair Sir Edmund Hillary 1919-2008	President Daniel A. Bennett	Honorary President Don Walsh, Ph.D.

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EXPEDITIONS Flag Reports   FLAG 139 Nurse Shark Reproduction Behavior Project June 13—26, 2005 Capt. Tim Taylor FN'04 Expedition Members: Capt. Tim Taylor FN'04—Expedition Operations Leader Dr. Jeff Carrier—Chief Scientist Captain Wes Pratt—Chief Scientist Dr. Ed Heist—Geneticist Dr. Mike Heithaus—Scientific Advisor Mehdi Bakltiar—NGS Crittercam Head Engineer Charles M. Sheppard—NGS Crittercam Contract Engineer Theo Pratt—Research Assistant Derrick Burkholder—Research Assistant Amy Hupp—Research Assistant Jacqueline Morales—RN, Chef, Captain Zack Roehr—Crew, Cameraman Jillian Morris—Crew, Research Assistant Ryan Carey—Tiburon Intern Honorable Mention: The next generation of Explorers Garett Taylor age 9 Brooke Taylor age 7 Taylor Rabbitt age 12   Introduction The nurse shark, Ginglymostoma cirratum, is a common resident of Florida and the Gulf of Mexico waters and is frequently caught by commercial and recreational fishermen. It is the shark species most commonly seen by recreational divers and is an important component of the reef environment. In spite of its prevalence and accessibility, information on life history and ecology is limited for this species. The nurse shark is one of 39 species of large coastal sharks managed by the National Marine Fisheries Service. Reproductive habits, nursery ground location and use of essential fish habitat must be delineated for successful management. Information gained may be used as a template to understand other less accessible species of sharks. Since all life stages of the nurse shark are observable in the area, the Dry Tortugas archipelago can be looked at as a natural laboratory for studying this shark’s reproductive cycle. Since 1991, cooperative studies at the Dry Tortugas have been conducted with colleagues from Albion College, Mote Marine Laboratory, the University of Southern Illinois, Sea World of Florida, NMFS, the National Geographic Society, Florida International University, and other institutions. FULL REPORT in pdf RETURN TO LIST

EXPEDITIONS Flag Expeditions Into the Field Flag Reports Carrying the Flag Flag Application Grant Expeditions Expedition Grants

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