Sandin lab member perspectives on a shark conservation-themed art and film festival that recently stopped in San Diego.

UCSD.TV features Stuart Sandin talking about “Coral Reefs: Ecosystems in Decline”, a presentation he gave as part of the popular ‘Perspectives on Ocean Science’ lecture series…

Last night, sitting on the deck of the ship, I smelled fire. Not a fire that would cause the captain of the Hanse Explorer to sound the alarm, but fire from the island off our starboard side. The people of Tabuaeran — which is also known as Fanning Island — were stoking the flames to cook fish that they had caught from the surrounding coral reefs earlier in the day. This was the first time I had smelled smoke during this expedition.

A flashback to the recent days spent diving at Kingman Reef.

Yes, we have counted a lot of fish. And yes, we have used simple equipment. But the data collected have been far from simple. As opposed to simply counting all fish to the closest color, we also record the species identity and the size of each individual within our survey area.

Read the latest from the Northern Line Islands Expedition as they travel to the stunning reef at Kingman. Take a glimpse into the past as you read about this near-pristine reef- one of only a few left in the world.

Hey all you shark fans out there- check out this piece on “A World Without Sharks”. Stuart is interviewed by Ben Murray of TakePart about the loss of sharks (and predators in general) from the ocean.

For my Master’s project I have been interested in looking at predator-prey interactions. I chose initially to look at the effect of visual predator stimulus on the growth of fish. I wanted to see if higher levels of visual predator presence could induce higher levels of Corstisol (stress hormone), and ultimately present itself phenotypically through altered growth.

We are pleased to welcome two new members to the Sandin lab – Dr. Gareth Williams and Rachel Morrison.

Last year was my first visit to the Phoenix Islands. I joined friends and colleagues to study the coral reefs of these remote islands of the Republic of Kiribati. The Phoenix Islands were made into one of the world’s largest marine protected areas in 2008, with the islands, coral reefs, and all of the seamounts and waters within 200 nautical miles protected from all fishing. This is PIPA, the Phoenix Islands Protected Area .