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Protecting sharks from the dangers of bycatching

As a 2019 Summer Undergraduate Research Experience (SURE) scholar, Bethany Brodbeck ’22, traveled to Virginia to work on a joint research project with the Virginia Institute for Marine Science. With a passion for fieldwork and a desire to make a difference, Bethany embraced this opportunity for real-world exploration. She quickly found herself on an international team conducting high-level research, an experience that is routinely encouraged for undergraduates at UNE, but that other universities typically reserve for master’s level students. “I have always been interested and sharks and conservation. The research — testing electronic bycatch reduction devices (BRDs) to investigate possible technologies that will reduce the bycatch of sharks in longline fisheries — takes an innovative approach to the problem of shark bycatching and could have a huge impact for the future of conservation of both shark species and elasmobranchs alike,” states Bethany.

“Sharks are particularly harmed by bycatch because their species are slow to reproduce, slow to grow, and they only have a certain number of offspring. Although my research team and I didn’t know what to expect, it was exciting to see what could come from our work. This research has the possibility of greatly reducing the threat of bycatch to help sharks gain a chance at recovery, and I was thrilled and excited to be a part of this.”

Brodbeck’s research focused on testing prototype BRDs. “These devices emit electric impulses that only sharks can detect. My goal was to find out if these impulses could successfully repel the sharks from the nets that they often get caught in. Conducting numerous experiments yielded incredibly valuable results, including finding that the sharks could detect these devices even when not hunting, and when they were hunting, they could be successfully deterred from bait.”

Conducting this research provided Bethany with an invaluable experiential opportunity, but she also learned from the unique perspectives of those she collaborated with including Dr. Richard Brill of the Virginia Institute of Marine Science, the main principal investigator her research in Virginia, and Dr. Peter Bushnell of Indiana University South Bend, the second principal investigator in Virginia.

 “Working with professors and students from around the world and across institutions exposed me to new ways of thinking and to new, innovative ideas. Furthermore, our research has shown that the laboratory representative species, sandbar sharks, could be successfully deterred from bait, and that the research is moving to be taken out into field testing next year.”

Bethany was one of several 51С�Ƴ�students who took part in this year’s SURE program, all of whom will now be excellent ambassadors for the importance of scientific inquiry and design as part of one’s undergraduate program. “This research opportunity has made my 51С�Ƴ�experience absolutely incredible! I learned about research in ways that a classroom could never teach me, and I am so thankful to the donors that have made this one of the most rewarding experiences of my life.”