Whale shark research update/upcoming offshore trip

Hello,
I am writing to inform you of an upcoming whale shark tagging expedition that needs your help!

The GCRL team will board the Oceana vessel “Latitude” Friday morning and remain at-sea on the 170-ft vessel through Sunday. The Latitude will anchor on Diaphus Bank ( 28° 4’60.00"N 90°42’0.00"W) which is 20 miles East of Ewing Bank. Oceana has 2 smaller vessels used for motoring around when whale sharks are seen and if there is a large feeding aggregation farther away, the Latitude can move to the new location. We will be accessible on radio channels 16 and 122.9, as well as have email access which will be checked regularly.

For more information about the Oceana Gulf of Mexico expedition and the vessel we will be on, see below:
http://na.oceana.org/en/our-work/oceana-on-the-water/gulf-of-mexico-expedition/overview

Monday and possibly Tuesday, the GCRL team will be making day trips out to Ewing Bank aboard a 30-ft vessel “Reel Life”. The vessel will leave out of Cocodrie, LA at 6 am and arrive in the area of Ewing Bank/Diaphus Bank around 9 am and remain each day until about 3 pm (which means the vessel will be in the vicinity of the Grand Isle blocks, as well as South Timbalier & Ship Shoal blocks).

Support synopsis:
Dates: Friday 8/20 - Tuesday 8/24
Radio Channels: 16 & 122.9 (& email coorespondence jennifer.mckinney@eagles.usm.edu)
Location: Ewing Bank/Diaphus Bank (South of South Timbalier South & Grand Isle South Blocks)
Call sign: whale shark research team

Please help emanate this information and request that all whale shark sightings be reported promptly to ensure that this trip is a success!

Last week’s tagging expedition was a success. The spotter plane located 2 whale sharks, but we were only able to deploy tags on 1 of the sharks because the other was a bit skittish. NBC news correspondent/ TV personality Jeff Corwin accompanied us on the trip and the work was featured on the Nightly News with Brian Williams this Monday. To view the news clip see below:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3032619/vp/38730284#38730284

I cannot thank you all enough for your support!

Jennifer McKinney
Graduate Research Assistant

Gulf Coast Research Laboratory
Whale Shark Sightings Survey: www.usm.edu/gcrl/whaleshark
www.facebook.com/whalesharkresearch

703 East Beach
Ocean Springs, MS 39564
Office: 228-872-4257
Cell: 562-458-0505

Quote from the website your referenced:

“The team will test for underwater oil and study important seafloor habitats as well as the migratory marine life affected by the spill, including endangered sea turtles as well as the rare whale shark.
While most of the media attention has surrounded the visible oil on the surface of the Gulf, our expedition will uncover the impacts of the unseen, underwater oil that is damaging marine wildlife and habitats in the Gulf and will likely continue to do so for years to come.
[B]The facts uncovered by our on-the-water team will be critical in the fight to end dangerous [/B][B]offshore drilling[/B][B] and transition to [/B][B]clean energy.[/B]

Do you really think this is a good forum to drum up support for a “scientific” mission that has already reached a conclusion based on a political agenda to destroy the industry that employs many of the members? I’m all for happy, healthy whale sharks but this is not science in my opinion.

[QUOTE=captmrb;41276]Quote from the website your referenced:

“The team will test for underwater oil and study important seafloor habitats as well as the migratory marine life affected by the spill, including endangered sea turtles as well as the rare whale shark.
While most of the media attention has surrounded the visible oil on the surface of the Gulf, our expedition will uncover the impacts of the unseen, underwater oil that is damaging marine wildlife and habitats in the Gulf and will likely continue to do so for years to come.
[B]The facts uncovered by our on-the-water team will be critical in the fight to end dangerous [/B][B]offshore drilling[/B][B] and transition to [/B][B]clean energy.[/B]

Do you really think this is a good forum to drum up support for a “scientific” mission that has already reached a conclusion based on a political agenda to destroy the industry that employs many of the members? I’m all for happy, healthy whale sharks but this is not science in my opinion.[/QUOTE]

It seems that they have already made conclusions before the completion the gathering of data. That is the problem with a lot of what is going on the the environmental groups today. Our teachers are not teaching science and research (hypothesis, gathering of data, analysis and conclusions). Instead, the hypothesis IS the conclusion and data is gathered only when it supports the assumption. Yet all the while, surveys go out and report that “Scientific research shows. . . .” I certainly do hope that they are so committed to their mission that their vessels are not fitted with any internal combustion engines.

[QUOTE=cmakin;41277]It seems that they have already made conclusions before the completion the gathering of data. That is the problem with a lot of what is going on the the environmental groups today. Our teachers are not teaching science and research (hypothesis, gathering of data, analysis and conclusions). Instead, the hypothesis IS the conclusion and data is gathered only when it supports the assumption. Yet all the while, surveys go out and report that “Scientific research shows. . . .” I certainly do hope that they are so committed to their mission that their vessels are not fitted with any internal combustion engines.[/QUOTE]
Word.

There is so much bad science going around it’s enough to make the fathers of the scientific method roll over in their graves.

Is whale shark good to eat? Perhaps meuniere style?

Valuable information.