Shark Scientist Tracks Toxins and Movements in Florida
Shark scientist Jasmin Graham details a day in Sarasota, Florida, from a dental appointment and aerial drills to grant writing and preparing a survey
Marine scientist and science communicator Jasmin Graham works to change the perception of sharks. "Sharks are not monsters, they just need better PR," she writes.
Graham's day in Sarasota, Florida, began with a 7am wake-up for a dental appointment. She got a head start on emails and took a fundraising phone call in the car. After the dentist, she returned home to do her drills as an aerialist, which includes lyra (aerial hoop), pole, and silks. Breakfast was Honey Nut Cheerios. She then went to the office to meet with an artist in residence with her nonprofit, Minorities in Shark Sciences. The artist is helping build props and sets for their theater shows, including an immersive experience about the mass extinction of sharks that is a combination of a whodunit and an escape room.
Survey Preparations and Goals
For lunch, she had a delivered pasta meal. After that, she worked on a grant for grassroots organizations working on the environment in the south-east. Graham is co-chair of the Priorities, Projects, and Campaigns committee of the America the Beautiful for All Coalition, a coalition of organizations that want to protect nature and also center justice and access. She then worked on prepping for the shark survey next week.
A significant part of Graham's work involves these surveys. The overall mission is to understand local shark populations and assess their health and stability. Next week's survey will specifically target bonnethead sharks, though they also commonly catch stingrays.
Fieldwork Procedures
The survey procedure involves several steps once an animal is brought on board. Researchers measure the shark or ray. They then take a small fin clip for genetic relatedness studies and a muscle biopsy to analyze toxin loads in the body. Graham's team is particularly interested in brevetoxin, which comes from red tide, a harmful algal bloom frequent in Florida.
For the bonnethead sharks, scientists make a quick incision to implant an acoustic transmitter before suturing the wound. This transmitter can track the animal's movements for up to three years. After the procedures, the shark is released.
Advocacy and Daily Life
To unwind, Graham came home and had a personal pizza. She then drove to Beerbusters, a Blockbusters-themed bar, for music bingo hosted by a friend, where prizes are items people want to get rid of. She won a printer and a 3D puzzle. On the way home, she listened to the KPop Demon Hunters soundtrack.
Graham emphasizes the importance of sleep, aiming for eight hours, and usually goes to bed between 11pm and midnight. She ends her day by petting her dog, watching silly videos, and checking her Google Calendar for the next day to mentally prepare.
