Posts from the Field...

My good friend Ryan, a MS student working on dietary habits of blacknose sharks, is currently doing research in the Keys. As he does not have internet connection in the evenings, he's sending me mini-blog posts in the form of texts. Hopefully we'll have photos soon!

Thursday, January 20th:
RF: Just blew trailor tire.
Me: Oh no! Everyone ok?
RF: Yeah.
Me: Okay, good. Back on the road yet?
(Attempted to send me a pic of the blowout)
Hours later:
RF: Yeah, it's an epic blowout.
Me: Still fixing it?

Hours later...
RF: Back on the road.
Me: Oh My Gosh! That took hours!

Later that evening:
Me: Where are you?
RF: Mile 161 on FL turnpike
And then...
RF: 83 miles outside of Miami...

Friday, January 21st:
Me: Where are you? How's it going?
RF: 2 immature great hammerheads, a scallop (scalloped hammerhead), and a silky.
Me: w00t!
RF: So other than starting the day with a bit of a cold and losing my voice by the end of the day, it was great! Seas were 2-3 ft and crystal clear.

Later that evening:
Me: I'm sorry you're not feeling well, even though you had a great day...
RF: It's okay. I don't feel too bad--it's just my vocal chords.
Me: Okay, that's at least good. :) Wish I was there...
Me: Are you staying on the boat or on land?
RF: Land at KML

Sunday, January 22nd:
RF: So yesterday (Saturday) we caught a lot of nurses (nurse sharks) and my voice began coming back. A bit choppy. We snagged a line of lobster traps...took 4 hrs to pull in. Got 2 mokkarans, a mature male blacknose, a small silky, and large bull that got off at the boat.

Later Sunday evening:
RF: God such a long day! I need a massage.
Me: I'm sorry. Good day though?
RF: For the most part. We lost gear but caught animals.
Me: What? Really?
RF: Yup. Got hung up.
Me: Longlines? What did you catch?
RF: Yup. Blacknose, Nurse, Blacktip.

I will post more as I hear from him...