USM Estuarine and Movement Ecology Lab

Yesterday, our team had the opportunity to take the GCRL Summer Field Program Ichthyology class out to the Pearl River for a day of fieldwork! Students got hands-on experience with gillnet sampling and acoustic telemetry while learning about Gulf Sturgeon research.

After helping deploy and retrieve gillnets, students worked alongside our team to process captured sturgeon by taking measurements, collecting genetic samples, and applying PIT and Floy tags before the fish were safely released.

It was a great day on the water, and we're always excited to share these field experiences with the next generation of fisheries scientists!

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You may notice fewer pinkish-orange buoys around the barrier islands! Last week, with the help of U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC), our team retrieved 42 of our 70 acoustic receiver buoys from the water.

These buoys house acoustic receivers that detect tagged fish as they swim past and have been used over the past five years to monitor Gulf Sturgeon movement following the filling of Camille Cut. This marks the final year of post-fill monitoring, so these receivers will not be redeployed this fall.

While the end of this project is bittersweet, we're excited to see what insights this final season of data will provide!

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Huge congratulations to Josh Perry for successfully defending his master's thesis on June 5!

His thesis, "Mind the Gap: Addressing Deficiencies for Two Data-Limited Fishery Species in the Gulf of Mexico" examined Grey Snapper and Tripletail movements in the northern Gulf using acoustic telemetry and investigated the age, growth, and maturity of Grey Snapper to help address data gaps for these species.

We're excited to celebrate this accomplishment and can't wait to see what's next. Congratulations, Josh!

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Last weekend, our team joined anglers at the Ocean Springs Marine Mart Fishing Tournament to collect biological samples from Cobia and Tripletail as part of a Gulf-wide research project funded by Gulf States Marine Fisheries Commission.

These samples will help us better understand the age, genetics, diet, reproduction, and movement of these important species.

Thank you to Ocean Springs Marine Mart for hosting us and to the anglers who allowed us to sample their fish! We're excited to see this project get underway and look forward to sharing updates as we work with collaborators and begin acoustic tagging efforts to track Cobia and Tripletail movements throughout the Gulf.

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Last week, we said farewell to our undergraduate intern, Olivia, as she prepares to begin her next adventure as a master's student at the University of British Colombia.

Over the past two years, we've had the privilege of watching Olivia grow both personally and professionally. Her hard work, enthusiasm, and dedication have made a huge impact on our team, and we're incredibly proud of all she's accomplished.

While we're sad to see her go, we're excited to see where this next chapter takes her. We have no doubt she'll do great things, and we can't wait to follow along on her journey.

Congratulations, Olivia, and best of luck at UNBC!

(P.S. swipe to the last slide to see how we really feel about Olivia leaving us)

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Earlier this week, our team completed sediment and infaunal sampling at 168 sites across the Pascagoula and St. Louis Bay systems in collaboration with U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC) and Sedimentary, Environmental Radiochemical Research Lab- SER2L.

This marks our second and final post-construction sampling effort following oyster reef installation in 2024, building on three baseline surveys conducted prior to restoration.

By monitoring changes in sediment composition and benthic infaunal communities over time, we aim to better understand the ecological impacts of oyster reef restoration. These data will also be integrated with acoustic telemetry to examine how fish use restored habitats.

Infaunal samples will be analyzed by Gulf Benthic Taxonomy Assessment, LLC, while sediment samples will be processed by SER2L.

Thank you to our collaborators for helping make this work possible!

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Earlier this month, members of our team worked alongside USM Center for Fisheries Research and Development to collect biological samples from cobia at Gorenflo’s 40th Annual Cobia Tournament.

The data collected will help advance our understanding of this important Gulf species and support ongoing research. Thank you to the anglers who allowed us to sample their fish and to Gorenflos Tackle. Point Cadet Marina Biloxi, Ms for making this work possible!

Big congratulations to Olivia and Alyssa on their USM College of Arts & Sciences awards!

Olivia received the Golden Eagle Undergraduate Research Award and Alyssa was named Outstanding Master’s Student — two well-deserved recognitions.

We’re so proud of you both!

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On Saturday, our interns presented at the USM Undergraduate Research Symposium in Hattiesburg.

Alexis shared her MAR490 research project, and Olivia presented some of her honors thesis work—earning 2nd place in her category!

Amazing work all around. We're so proud of you both!

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Yesterday we lost one of the most influential Gulf fisheries biologists in Jim Franks. As a young fisheries scientist, Jim was an excellent advocate… even when I was hard-headed and didn’t fully listen. Jim always took time for science communication and connection. No one will be able to replace his charisma, approachability, and ability to put most at ease. The connections to fishers from around the region that he curated through simply caring, being able to joke, and taking the time to understand their connection to the fishes they target. Jim was instrumental in ensuring that USM and the Gulf Coast Research Lab could be trusted sources of information to the public. Jim has made our jobs easier by simply being who he was, a good human. I have always connected with the Lorax, “Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better”… Jim was someone that cared a whole awful lot and I believe inspired others to as well. The night before he passed, I was at a Gulf-wide conference where his name came up many times from colleagues and collaborators remarking how their connection to many coastal migratory species was facilitated by Jim. From just chatting about fish, sampling at the Mississippi Gulf Coast Billfish Classic, dressing up for the Fishmas run, or grabbing a beer at Hops; Jim will certainly be missed.

- Mike