Scientific Diving Adventures
Join me on some Scientific Diving Adventures, as I dive on shipwrecks off the Maryland coast with graduate students to conduct research on fish, corals, and their habitats.
We all want more fish. Abundant fish populations require healthy habitats. This video shows some of the habitats on the Atlantic coast of the US and explains why they are important and need to be protected.
What is fish habitat? Dive with Dr. Cara Schweitzer as she studies the relationship between black sea bass and their habitats using underwater video cameras and quadrat photography.
Sea (Whip) Hunt. Join me as I dive with grad student Rebecca Wenker to study age and growth of gorgonian sea whips.
Camera Sled Video
An underwater video camera sled was used by grad student Wilmelie Cruz to assess queen conch abundance in Puerto Rico. Here we make a test run of the sled, prior to research in Puerto Rico.
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Goin' Fishin' Video
Catching black sea bass with hook and line under controlled conditions is one way to estimate their abundance. But to interpret the data we need to understand how fish react to baited hooks. To do that we hung a Go-Pro camera on the fishing line. This video shows sea bass attacking bait on the end of a fishing line, as well as the camera.
The Enchanted Sea Whip Forest
Join us for a swim through a forest of Alcyonaceans (gorgonians, or sea whips) on a submerged wreck off the coast of Maryland. Sea whips may be an excellent indicator of habitat damage caused by fishing. This site is not used for commercial fishing so all sea whips are in excellent condition. Watch out for the shark at 1:35!