Smalltooth Sawfish Abundance Survey :: May 2010

Wednesday May 12, 2010
Whippoorwill. Whippoorwill. Whippoorwill.

The sun gets up earlier and earlier these days and the sky was light before we could cross the Hathaway Bridge into town. Crew of 4 this trip – intern, technician, graduate student, and me.

Super excited about having Chick-fil-A for lunch in Ocala. But, wait. Closed! Closed? On a Wednesday? Closed for renovations. Ugh. So we ate at Chili’s instead. A light lunch. We plan to stop at The Cheesecake Factory in Naples on the way in.

Barely any traffic. Made great time. I’m becoming more and more accustomed to the long car ride. The 7 hour trip to Monroe, LA, last weekend to help the sister pack up her apartment was nothing. Of course, I did sleep most of the way as the last two and a half weeks have been non-stop with HAZwhoper training sucking three days, finishing and submitting a new manuscript, SEDAR documents due, my birthday, recital coming up, teaching SPINNING, planning a vacation, my sister’s up-coming graduation, my best friend’s breakup, the house, kitties, and the boyfriend.

We arrived after dark. You know you are a regular when the hotel checks you in, leaves the door unlocked, the keys on the counter, and turns the AC on before you get there. Room 106 should have our name on it. Lots of mosquitoes so unpacking was hurried and involved a lot of slapping, clapping, and bouncing from one foot to the other.

Weather looks good for the entire week. East wind. Sunny.

Exhausted. Tomorrow we fish Faka Union Bay and Panther Key. I get through this trip and I get a vacation.


Thursday May 13, 2010
In the truck by 0700. On the water by 0745. It goes a little something like this – bug spray, sunscreen, bug spray. I shudder to think what those chemicals are doing to my skin.

Several dolphin and manatee in Faka Union Canal. Dolphin as well in the channel out to Panther Key.

Fishing Panther Key with the remaining outgoing tide by 0830. We are fishing out here first because we are waiting on the needles used to apply the acoustic tags to arrive via FedEx. They did not get packed and a note has been made to keep them with the other tagging gear and *not in a clever location.

Took benthic samples. No sawfish.

Moved nets to east-side of spoil island in Faka Union Bay with incoming tide. Took benthic samples. No sawfish, but more bycatch than any other trip so far – catfish, ladyfish, blue crab, crevalle jack.

Off the water by 1730. Back to the apartment to prep dinner. Chicken Tetrazinni. While dinner cooked in the oven, the graduate student napped (she is coming down with a sinus infection!), the intern and technician went to the pool, and I went for a short run. Dinner, TV, read for a bit, then sleep.

Tomorrow we clean the acoustic telemetry stations and fix the height of the poles as per our permit.


Friday May 14, 2010
On the water by 0720. Cleaning stations and pounding poles by 0800. Working on an outgoing tide. Off the water by 1100. We will go back this afternoon and get Lopez River Mouth, Cross Bays 3, and Mud Bay 2 and 3. We need a lot of water for those stations. We pulled 4 of the HOBOs and will get the other two this afternoon.

The AC in the apartment in the middle of the day feels nice. It is hot and buggy out there.

Stopped by a charter guy while we were cleaning the acoustic station at the Tuner River Mouth. Sweaty and muddy, we spoke for a bit about the project, the area, and sawfish. He said that he has not seen any this year, but admitted to not fishing the flats.

After we cleaned Mud Bay 1 this morning, we walked the flat on an almost low-high tide. Didn’t seen any sawfish, but the water was all turned up from the rushing tide. We did not stop to look at Turner River for the same reasons.

Back on the water by 1400. Two things to note – 1) an east wind blows water into Cross Bay 3 and 2) murky at Mud Bay on a high-high tide. Can barely see the bottom. Off the water by 1700.

Quick swim. Bean soup for dinner. Uploaded HOBOs and set them to start. TV. Bed.


Saturday May 15, 2010
Back to ENP to fish today. On the water by 0730. Fishing an outgoing tide at Turner River by 0830. Took benthic samples. No sawfish.

Gusty east wind. Partly cloudy. Quiet.

Moved nets to Mud Bay on incoming tide at 1230. Took benthic samples on both sides of mangrove island.

Lots of biting flies and bumble bees.

Watched an osprey bathe. Silly bird.

I always get turned out when the wind and tide/current are in opposite directions.

Pulled nets at 1600. No sawfish. Very murky over flat at high tide. Deployed the HOBOs. Off the water by 1700.


Sunday May 17, 2010
Truck 0700. Water 0730. Fishing Lopez River mouth with outgoing tide. Set all 4 nets and took benthic samples. No sawfish.

A couple local guys in the store suggested we try Rabbit Key, Little Creek, and the mouth of Lostman’s River. Those places are about a 45 minute steam from Chokoloskee on the outside. A little out of our range.

Set all four nets again in Sunday Bay with incoming tide. Showers all around us. Air feels cool. Rain and thunder in the distance.

A shark hit the 4”-100’ but got out before we could get to it. Probably a baby bull. Left a giant hole. Ugh.

Began pulling in the 4”-200’ and the graduate student got tagged pretty hard in the hand by a catfish. The whole spine went into the top of her hand. Blood everywhere. She was in a lot of pain. Washed with Hibiclens as best she would let me. Collected hot water from the engine in a bucket and submerged her hand to keep the swelling down. She was a big girl and tried not to cry. Took it like a champ. The intern and technician pulled in the rest of the gear and we headed back to the dock. No fishing Cross Bay 3 today. Weather starting to get crappy anyway.

ENP ranger with harmonica wanted to chat it up at the dock and I did as best I could with a storm bearing down and one of my crew in serious pain. We talked about the possibility of the sawfish being on a delay, but really, the more and more we fish and catch nothing the more and more I am convinced that the mothers pupped south of here.

Back at the apartment, the graduate student continues to run hot water from the tap over her hand. Even sits at dinner with her hand in a bowl of hot water. Says it feels better that way.

Chicken Cacciatori. Then movies – Hitman, Hell Boy, Beowolf.

Flip of the coin says we are fishing in ENP again tomorrow and skipping Goodland this trip. The hunt continues.

Caveat – If the graduate student’s hand looks bad in the morning, we’re going home a day early.


Monday May 17, 2010
Up with the sun and on the water again by 0730. South wind. Hand looks pretty good and she promised me to take it easy.

Added chain to Turner River station so the receiver stays under water through the entire tidal cycle.

Fished Mud Bay with outgoing high-low. Nothing.

Spoke with a local guide, Captain Ray. He said he was the one who took the scientists from Mote Marine Labs around back at the beginning of the project. Way back when they were just figuring things out. He said that he sees age-1 hanging out on the east-side of Chokoloskee Island on a high tide in the morning. He said to come back in June and July.

June Trip: Mon 28 – Fri 2
July Trip: Sun 25 – Sat 31

Fished Cross Bay 3 on incoming high-high. Catfish. Mackerel. Mangrove snapper. Mullet. No sawfish.

Weather held out today. Hot and sunny with clouds all around, but no rain. Flies everywhere.

Off the water by 1700.


Tuesday May 18, 2010
We come home from this trip licking our wounds and discouraged.