NSU Fisheries and Avian Ecology Lab
@nsufishnbirdlab.bsky.social
Nova Southeastern University's Fisheries and Avian Ecology Laboratory located at the Guy Harvey Oceanographic Center in Dania Beach, FL.
This data will help her determine if their movement and behavior are impacted by abootic factors in the environment. Great work Mary, and huge thank you to FWC for your support!
September 19, 2025 at 1:22 PM
This data will help her determine if their movement and behavior are impacted by abootic factors in the environment. Great work Mary, and huge thank you to FWC for your support!
A few weeks ago, one of our graduate students Mary Gardella went out with Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission for her thesis work. Mary is using passive acoustic telemetry to track the movement of Bluntnose stingrays in the Indian River Lagoon, FL.
September 19, 2025 at 1:21 PM
A few weeks ago, one of our graduate students Mary Gardella went out with Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission for her thesis work. Mary is using passive acoustic telemetry to track the movement of Bluntnose stingrays in the Indian River Lagoon, FL.
For the past few weeks, our PI Dr. Kerstetter, graduate student Alexia Hilber, and undergraduate students ventured to the Galápagos Islands as a research trip for their Ecology of the Galápagos Islands class. (1/3)
June 2, 2025 at 12:42 AM
For the past few weeks, our PI Dr. Kerstetter, graduate student Alexia Hilber, and undergraduate students ventured to the Galápagos Islands as a research trip for their Ecology of the Galápagos Islands class. (1/3)
And that’s a wrap for Tortuga Music Festival 2025! Huge thank you to Rock The Ocean for hosting this incredible event that allows us to share our research with the community. We are so grateful for this partnership! We had nearly 500 guests visit the booth. Hope you all had as much fun as we did! 💙🌊
April 14, 2025 at 1:54 PM
And that’s a wrap for Tortuga Music Festival 2025! Huge thank you to Rock The Ocean for hosting this incredible event that allows us to share our research with the community. We are so grateful for this partnership! We had nearly 500 guests visit the booth. Hope you all had as much fun as we did! 💙🌊
We had WAY too much fun setting up our booth in preparation for Tortuga this weekend. Want to find out what the pool is for? You’ll have to stop by!!! We can’t wait to see you 🌊🌴🎶
April 3, 2025 at 8:02 PM
We had WAY too much fun setting up our booth in preparation for Tortuga this weekend. Want to find out what the pool is for? You’ll have to stop by!!! We can’t wait to see you 🌊🌴🎶
Here are some more fun posters and great work from the 2025 Undergraduate Student Symposium!
April 3, 2025 at 7:59 PM
Here are some more fun posters and great work from the 2025 Undergraduate Student Symposium!
Our PI, Dr. Kerstetter, giving the opening speech as the keynote faculty speaker!
April 3, 2025 at 7:57 PM
Our PI, Dr. Kerstetter, giving the opening speech as the keynote faculty speaker!
Kevin presenting a census of non-U.S. billfish and swordfish recreational tournaments in the ICCAT Convention Area
April 3, 2025 at 7:55 PM
Kevin presenting a census of non-U.S. billfish and swordfish recreational tournaments in the ICCAT Convention Area
Katie presenting size at sexual maturity of the bluntnose and Altantic stingray from the Indian River Lagoon, FL
April 3, 2025 at 7:54 PM
Katie presenting size at sexual maturity of the bluntnose and Altantic stingray from the Indian River Lagoon, FL
The 2025 Undergraduate Student Symposium was a success! Congratulations to two of our awesome undergrad researchers, Kevin Rafferty and Katie McKimmy, for presenting their hard work yesterday!
April 3, 2025 at 7:53 PM
The 2025 Undergraduate Student Symposium was a success! Congratulations to two of our awesome undergrad researchers, Kevin Rafferty and Katie McKimmy, for presenting their hard work yesterday!
Tortuga through the years! 🌊🌴☀️
Did you know the lab has hosted a booth at Rock The Ocean’s Tortuga Music Festival for multiple years in a row? We are so honored to have been invited back for another year - and it’s just 10 days away!
Did you know the lab has hosted a booth at Rock The Ocean’s Tortuga Music Festival for multiple years in a row? We are so honored to have been invited back for another year - and it’s just 10 days away!
March 25, 2025 at 3:15 PM
Tortuga through the years! 🌊🌴☀️
Did you know the lab has hosted a booth at Rock The Ocean’s Tortuga Music Festival for multiple years in a row? We are so honored to have been invited back for another year - and it’s just 10 days away!
Did you know the lab has hosted a booth at Rock The Ocean’s Tortuga Music Festival for multiple years in a row? We are so honored to have been invited back for another year - and it’s just 10 days away!
Four-leaf clover or parasite? 🤔
Happy St. Patrick’s Day from the fish and bird lab! Pictured is a tapeworm called Rhinebothrium that was found in a stingray by MSMS student Sarah Sargent who is studying the parasite communities of two stingray species! 🍀
Happy St. Patrick’s Day from the fish and bird lab! Pictured is a tapeworm called Rhinebothrium that was found in a stingray by MSMS student Sarah Sargent who is studying the parasite communities of two stingray species! 🍀
March 17, 2025 at 10:47 PM
Four-leaf clover or parasite? 🤔
Happy St. Patrick’s Day from the fish and bird lab! Pictured is a tapeworm called Rhinebothrium that was found in a stingray by MSMS student Sarah Sargent who is studying the parasite communities of two stingray species! 🍀
Happy St. Patrick’s Day from the fish and bird lab! Pictured is a tapeworm called Rhinebothrium that was found in a stingray by MSMS student Sarah Sargent who is studying the parasite communities of two stingray species! 🍀
Congratulations to Shelby Boyles, who presented her current thesis work at day 2 of the HCAS Research Graduate Symposium last week!
The Preferred Menu of Two Stingrays: A Wide Selection of Small Invertebrates and More
The Preferred Menu of Two Stingrays: A Wide Selection of Small Invertebrates and More
February 18, 2025 at 1:41 PM
Congratulations to Shelby Boyles, who presented her current thesis work at day 2 of the HCAS Research Graduate Symposium last week!
The Preferred Menu of Two Stingrays: A Wide Selection of Small Invertebrates and More
The Preferred Menu of Two Stingrays: A Wide Selection of Small Invertebrates and More
Day 1 of the HCAS Research Graduate Symposium was a success! Congratulations to our 3 lab members who presented yesterday.
Good luck to Shelby Boyles who presents her stingray diet content work today at 10:00 am!
Good luck to Shelby Boyles who presents her stingray diet content work today at 10:00 am!
February 14, 2025 at 11:47 AM
Day 1 of the HCAS Research Graduate Symposium was a success! Congratulations to our 3 lab members who presented yesterday.
Good luck to Shelby Boyles who presents her stingray diet content work today at 10:00 am!
Good luck to Shelby Boyles who presents her stingray diet content work today at 10:00 am!
Anyway, sometimes you make lemonade from lemons? While sad to see, at least some science can come from this GHH's death. Thanks to the Hollywood Ocean Rescue crew, Derek Burkholder, and Alexia and Logan for collecting the samples. (Lab PI @fishguydave.bsky.social) 11/11
February 1, 2025 at 8:59 PM
Anyway, sometimes you make lemonade from lemons? While sad to see, at least some science can come from this GHH's death. Thanks to the Hollywood Ocean Rescue crew, Derek Burkholder, and Alexia and Logan for collecting the samples. (Lab PI @fishguydave.bsky.social) 11/11
Finally, we’ll prep the jaws for our institutional undergraduate teaching collection of jaws, which includes sharks, skates, and rays. Students will learn tooth morphology and other details. We’ll also add embryos to our teaching collection of whole specimens. 9/11
February 1, 2025 at 8:59 PM
Finally, we’ll prep the jaws for our institutional undergraduate teaching collection of jaws, which includes sharks, skates, and rays. Students will learn tooth morphology and other details. We’ll also add embryos to our teaching collection of whole specimens. 9/11
Thirdly, it also contained 19 near-term embryos, still connected with their umbilicus -- GHH is viviparous. We took tissue samples for trace element and multiple paternity studies by colleagues. Female GHHs breed only once every 2 years, so from a conservation perspective, this kind of hurt. 5/11
February 1, 2025 at 8:56 PM
Thirdly, it also contained 19 near-term embryos, still connected with their umbilicus -- GHH is viviparous. We took tissue samples for trace element and multiple paternity studies by colleagues. Female GHHs breed only once every 2 years, so from a conservation perspective, this kind of hurt. 5/11
The second thing we do is collect the vertebrae (for age determination) and various other tissue samples for colleagues. We’ll examine the spiral valve ourselves for cestodes (tapeworms) and any external parasites, like this leech. 4/11
February 1, 2025 at 8:55 PM
The second thing we do is collect the vertebrae (for age determination) and various other tissue samples for colleagues. We’ll examine the spiral valve ourselves for cestodes (tapeworms) and any external parasites, like this leech. 4/11
It's legal to fish for sharks! GHH is on the IUCN Endangered Red List, but it's also a species that can be legally retained in US federal waters. However, it's illegal to keep them in Florida state waters -- yes, a weird loophole. Anglers who accidentally catch one really should let it go ASAP. 3/11
February 1, 2025 at 8:55 PM
It's legal to fish for sharks! GHH is on the IUCN Endangered Red List, but it's also a species that can be legally retained in US federal waters. However, it's illegal to keep them in Florida state waters -- yes, a weird loophole. Anglers who accidentally catch one really should let it go ASAP. 3/11
First, we might try to determine why it died. The hook – a size 16/0 circle – was still in the jaw with a wire leader versus a mono, which would prevent bite-offs. This suggests that someone was actually targeting sharks. Circle hooks usually lodge in the jaw rather than deep in the gut. 2/11
February 1, 2025 at 8:54 PM
First, we might try to determine why it died. The hook – a size 16/0 circle – was still in the jaw with a wire leader versus a mono, which would prevent bite-offs. This suggests that someone was actually targeting sharks. Circle hooks usually lodge in the jaw rather than deep in the gut. 2/11
Yesterday our lab PI got a call from Hollywood about a large great hammerhead (GHH) shark on the beach... and do we want it for the lab? Not the first time we've gotten calls like this! Here is a short thread about what fish biologists can do with even a dead animal. (Warning: graphic images) 1/11
February 1, 2025 at 8:53 PM
Yesterday our lab PI got a call from Hollywood about a large great hammerhead (GHH) shark on the beach... and do we want it for the lab? Not the first time we've gotten calls like this! Here is a short thread about what fish biologists can do with even a dead animal. (Warning: graphic images) 1/11
Sarah’s research focuses on the parasite communities within the stingray genus Hypanus.
Special thanks to advisors Dr. Kerstetter and Dr. Blanar, and Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission for their collaboration and assistance!
Special thanks to advisors Dr. Kerstetter and Dr. Blanar, and Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission for their collaboration and assistance!
January 31, 2025 at 6:38 PM
Sarah’s research focuses on the parasite communities within the stingray genus Hypanus.
Special thanks to advisors Dr. Kerstetter and Dr. Blanar, and Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission for their collaboration and assistance!
Special thanks to advisors Dr. Kerstetter and Dr. Blanar, and Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission for their collaboration and assistance!
We are only one month into the year and we’ve already had students present at two different conferences!
Congratulations to Sarah Sargent who presented her research at the International Symposium of Fish Parasitology this past week in Mexico.
Congratulations to Sarah Sargent who presented her research at the International Symposium of Fish Parasitology this past week in Mexico.
January 31, 2025 at 6:37 PM
We are only one month into the year and we’ve already had students present at two different conferences!
Congratulations to Sarah Sargent who presented her research at the International Symposium of Fish Parasitology this past week in Mexico.
Congratulations to Sarah Sargent who presented her research at the International Symposium of Fish Parasitology this past week in Mexico.
Wow! Our students never cease to amaze us!
Alexia Hilber was awarded Best MS-level Student Oral Presentation at the Waterbird Society-Pacific Seabird Group meeting for her work on endoparasites of the invasive gray-headed swamphen, advised by Dr. Chris Blanar and Dr. Dave Kerstetter.
Alexia Hilber was awarded Best MS-level Student Oral Presentation at the Waterbird Society-Pacific Seabird Group meeting for her work on endoparasites of the invasive gray-headed swamphen, advised by Dr. Chris Blanar and Dr. Dave Kerstetter.
January 10, 2025 at 1:54 PM
Wow! Our students never cease to amaze us!
Alexia Hilber was awarded Best MS-level Student Oral Presentation at the Waterbird Society-Pacific Seabird Group meeting for her work on endoparasites of the invasive gray-headed swamphen, advised by Dr. Chris Blanar and Dr. Dave Kerstetter.
Alexia Hilber was awarded Best MS-level Student Oral Presentation at the Waterbird Society-Pacific Seabird Group meeting for her work on endoparasites of the invasive gray-headed swamphen, advised by Dr. Chris Blanar and Dr. Dave Kerstetter.
Congratulations to Trinity Loftis and Alexia Hilber for presenting their research at the Waterbird Society-Pacific Seabird Group meeting! Incredible work ladies! 🪶🪱
Huge thank you to Rock the Ocean for supporting our research through funding. We couldn’t do it without this great organization! 🌊
Huge thank you to Rock the Ocean for supporting our research through funding. We couldn’t do it without this great organization! 🌊
January 10, 2025 at 1:52 PM
Congratulations to Trinity Loftis and Alexia Hilber for presenting their research at the Waterbird Society-Pacific Seabird Group meeting! Incredible work ladies! 🪶🪱
Huge thank you to Rock the Ocean for supporting our research through funding. We couldn’t do it without this great organization! 🌊
Huge thank you to Rock the Ocean for supporting our research through funding. We couldn’t do it without this great organization! 🌊