This year's work is mostly dedicated to figuring out what the dolphins eat - she has darters that come and collect skin samples, and we (the lowly assistants) go out on FWC trips to collect fish. She'll do stable isotope analysis when she gets back to Boston to see what signatures are in both fish and dolphin, and since you are what you eat...she should be able to figure out their favorite delicacies!
The FWC (Fish and Wildlife Commission) trips are fun. The people are really nice and I am definitely learning a lot about fish - in particular, that I don't like working with fish, ha! The work is far from glamorous - long hours of getting dirty, wet, and stinky, lots of pulling, jumping in an out of the boat, and there are plenty of possible dangers/discomforts that comes with the work. Following is a list of things that you have to be constantly be aware of when wading in Cedar Key water:
1. Sting Rays! - There are tons of stingrays in these waters. Stingrays eat mostly clams and since this area makes its living off clams, there are plenty for rays to munch on. The technique fishmen/scientists/everyone uses to prevent stepping on and getti
ng stung by a stingray is to SHUFFLE. Shuffle shuffle shuffle those feet. If you don't - you will get stung...without a doubt.2. Gators - The gators are not an immediate threat as they could care less for us humans, but they are definitely here! I see them on the banks all the time, and they get pretty big. I saw one the other day that was probably 12-foot. The problem with the gators is mostly that people feed them, so they are not afraid of people or boats. Apparently the big ones are kind of lazy, but the little ones are fiesty...and those are the ones that are harder to see.
3. Water Moccasins - These snakes are deadly and aggressive. I've been told that they will stand right up and lunge just like a viper. The good thing with these, though, is that they stay mostly on land. I guess what they like to do best is to hang out underneath pelican nests to gobble up babies that may fall out of the nest. As a result, water moccasins, here, are actually white - from the bird poop!
4. Jellyfish - The jellyfish in these waters are far from deadly, but they do sting! On my last FWC trip we had to pull a seine in water with lots of stinging jellyfish - it was uncomfortable to say the least, but the sting lasts only for 15 minutes or so and then its fine.
5. Catfish - I hate catfish. They are disgusting fish that will eat anything and get gigantic. On top of being just an ugly and unfortunate fish, these suckers will prick you like no other! They have sharp prickers in their pectoral and dorsal fins that will make you bleed for sure. One poor guy working for the FWC was handling a catfish and dropped it on his foot - the dorsal spine went right through is boot and foot! OUCH!
6. - Muddy Substrate - The bottoms of the Cedar Key waters are not sandy. The waters are not clear and beautiful...they are very murky and very muddy. The mud is not forgiving either - it will suck your foot in and not let go. It is definitely not like quick sand, but it is scary at times, because it is very difficult to walk or move if you step too heavily. I generally like to glide on top like I'm skiing. I'm fortunate in that I am light - heavier people have more problems with the mud.
I'm sure I'm forgetting something on this fabulous list, but this pretty much covers the basics. Needless to say, I am not THAT fond of going out to collect fish. It is a lot of uncomfortable work and never-ending counting and surveying of fish, but I kind of like the adventure of it all. I guess I am doing well, though, because they are very happy with my work there. They say I pull hard, work well, and learn fast. That's the Chaffey way! :)
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