In June, the winning team from the Blue Crab Bowl came back to the Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS) campus to cash in on their first place prize, a research trip on the Bay Eagle! Excited and raring to go, the team from Lord Botetourt High School in western Virginia, their coaches/teachers and the secondary school supervisor for Botetourt County boarded the Bay Eagle at 5:45 a.m. They were prepared for anything. VIMS captain, Durand Ward, physical oceanographer, Bob Gammisch, Fisheries Ph.D. students Dean Grubbs and Ken Goldman, and MS student, Christina Conrath had an eventful day planned. These high school students were going shark fishing!

Dean Grubbs planned to set a long-line on the Eastern Shore of the Chesapeake Bay in order to capture, measure, tag and release sandbar sharks. Grubbs' scientific focus is to analyze shark populations along the mid-Atlantic coast and within the Bay. These population studies assist in determining appropriate regulations for the shark fishery.

After a brief orientation, the students were quickly put to work baiting 240 hooks. Once the line was set, the waiting began. During this time, Gammisch spoke with the students about side scan sonar technology. On this trip, Grubbs and Gammisch were experimenting with the use of the side scan sonar to detect sharks on the long-line. Students watched as the scientists tried to identify sharks on the line as well as other fishes in the area via the computer. If it can be determined from scanning a long-line that small sharks produce distinct, recognizable sonar signals, then the scientists can scan other areas to look at abundance and distribution of the juvenile sandbar sharks. Grubbs would like to see if the concentrations of this species are random aggregations or organized schools and to estimate how many of this species frequent the area.

At the beginning of the trip, one student declared, “I can’t wait to get covered in scales and fish guts!” She did not leave disappointed. Students chopped all the bait, baited all the hooks, logged pertinent data, and assisted with the recovery of the long-line and with measuring and tagging 38 sandbar shark pups. Grubbs worked the students hard and ensured that they received an education in the trials and tribulations of scientific field research.

Many thanks to the staff, faculty and students who made this trip such a memorable experience for these students. A special thanks to Dean Wright for providing the support for this exceptional opportunity.