Movement Ecology Lab

#nationalscientificdivingday #TAMUCC #scuba #research

Happy National Scientific Diving Day! Our lab’s incredible divers use their AAUS skills to conduct underwater field work like catching invasive lionfish and out-planting receivers! 🤿

We had a great time at the annual CCA Poco Rojo Kids Fishing Tournament this past Saturday! Thank you to @cca_texas for allowing us to share our research with the community! 🎣 #TAMUCC #outreach

We study movement and trophic ecology of mobile fishes, shark depredation, and estuarine habitats using tagging, biologging, video, and stable isotopes 🔬🎣🔊

We are the Movement Ecology Lab at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi, providing evidence-based solutions through stakeholder collaboration and training future researchers 🧪🐟🦈 #tamucc

We study movement and trophic ecology of mobile fishes, shark depredation, and estuarine habitats using tagging, biologging, video, and stable isotopes 🎣 🔊 🧪

We study movement and trophic ecology of mobile fishes, shark depredation, and estuarine habitats using tagging, biologging, video, and stable isotopes 🔊🧪🎥

Texas Southern Flounder Closure: November 1 – December 14 🚫🎣
During this period, no southern flounder may be harvested by any method, including gigging or rod and reel.

Happy Halloween! Did you know that while fish have skeletons of bones, the skeletons of sharks are made entirely of cartilage, the same material that makes up our noses and ears! This lighter and flexible material allows sharks to be more energy-efficient and agile swimmers 🦈 #TAMUCC

Ever wonder what tools we use to study movement ecology? Acoustic transmitters (internal tags to track fish) and receivers (underwater listening device), VR100 and hydrophone, salinity loggers, GoPros, and microscopes are some tools that help us uncover the ecology of fish 🐟🔊🔬 #TAMUCC

Researching fish isn't always about being on the water. Lab work can be just as exciting! PhD candidate Yamilla Samara is using compound-specific stable isotope analysis of amino acids of carbon to study red drum, spotted seatrout, sheepshead resource use at estuarine habitats 🦪🐟🌱 #TAMUCC

Sharks aren’t villains, they’re opportunists! 🦈🐟 This video shows shark depredation and MS student Kyle’s research looks at how often depredation happens and whether magnetic deterrents can help minimize it! #TAMUCC

Thanks to collaborative efforts with other labs and researchers, we can see when some of our tagged fish appear in other acoustic arrays! Recently, we got data that shows some of our sharks and rays have appeared on arrays south of us! #TAMUCC

Busy summer = big numbers for the Movement Ecology Lab 🌊
🎣 400+ fish | 🦈 72 depredations
🎥 200 hrs video | 📡 20 receivers
🚤 47 trips | 📢 247 people reached
✨ Fun catch of the summer: squirrelfish 🐿️🐟
#TAMUCC

Last week, our lab attended our first national American Fisheries Society meeting in San Antonio, TX! 🐟🎣🦈

Grad students Yamilla, Kyle, Jaz & Katie presented their research, and Dr. Coffey shared work from Felipe’s thesis. Proud of our team! #TAMUCC #AFS2025

Last week, Dylan wrapped up his summer in the TAMU-CC S-RISE program, assisting with stomach content analysis to study trophic ecology & microplastic ingestion in Southern Flounder. Grateful for his curiosity, energy & contributions to the lab! 🐟🔬 #SRISE #TAMUCC #StudentResearch

Kicked off #SharkWeek with a student research panel at the Mary and Jeff Bell Library! Jaz, Katie, and Kyle presented lightning talks on their shark-related work here at the Island University. 🦈 #TAMUCC

Our summer is packed with fieldwork! MS student Kyle has been putting in long hours offshore collecting data, while PhD candidate Yamilla has been busy fishing in her bay systems and downloading acoustic receivers. Keep up the great work, team! 🎣🌊🧪 #TAMUCC

Huge congratulations to Yamilla for unanimously passing her comprehensive exams and officially advancing to PhD candidacy! 🥳

She’s the first PhD candidate in our lab, and we couldn’t be prouder of her dedication, perseverance, and the exciting work she’s doing. Way to go, Yamilla! 👏

Congratulations to the first-ever Movement Ecology Lab grads this academic year: Felipe (M.S. ’24), Cindy (B.S. ’25), and soon-to-be alum Videl! We’re proud of all you’ve accomplished and will miss you! #TAMUCC #Graduation

Last of our introductions… Meet our post-Bachelor volunteer, Cali! She received her B.S. in Marine Biology from the University of Hawai'i at Mānoa in 2024, where she worked in shark behavior and coral resilience research at the Hawai'i Institute of Marine Biology. Welcome! 🦈🪸🐠 #TAMUCC

Next up for introductions is Dylan! He’s a senior Biology major at TAMUCC, concentrating in Marine Biology. Dylan volunteers in the lab, is interested in trophic ecology and population dynamics, and loves SCUBA. Welcome!
#TAMUCC #STEM

Next up for introductions is Madison! She’s a sophomore Biology major at TAMUCC, concentrating in Marine Biology. Madison is currently assisting with PhD student Jasmine’s trophic ecology project on southern flounder and is excited to get involved in more lab work soon. Welcome!

We have a few new faces joining our lab, and we will introduce them in the next few weeks! First up… Lily, a Texas local! She is an undergraduate student pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Marine Biology. She will help PhD student Yamilla with her dissertation research #TAMUCC

Shark science in the classroom! 🦈 Last month, Yamilla, Jasmine, Katie, & Kyle visited Ella Barnes Elementary for STEM Day, sharing shark facts with 150+ curious students. Always excited to inspire future marine biologists! 💙🌊 #Outreach #TAMUCC

🎣 Caught a tagged red drum, trout, or sheepshead in TX bays? 
Look for a yellow "Release Fish" tag + internal transmitter! 

📍 Note tag #, date/location, & length 
📞 Report: 361-825-2525 
💻 sportfishcenter.org/outreach/report-tag 
🎁 Reward—released or kept! #TAMUCC

Exciting times! We recently successfully downloaded data from our Aransas Channel receiver array. This data will be used by both Jaz and Katie for their projects tracking the movements of flounder and elasmobranchs. Thanks TPWD for their support! #TAMUCC #fieldwork #telemetry

🦈 This week, we're featuring a unique shark—can you guess what it is? 
🔹 Distinct hammer-shaped head with three notches 
🔹 Forms large schools in coastal & offshore waters 
🔹 A skilled predator with a wide field of vision 
Drop your guesses below! ⬇️

Freezing temps in Texas = the perfect time to reorganize the lab. Prepping for upcoming projects and making sure everything is for a busy research season ahead! #TAMUCC

Last week was a busy week for the lab! Presentations, fieldwork and more presentations! Kyle and Jaz both presented their research in separate seminars and Yamilla got out to tag some fish! Thanks NOAA for funding! #TAMUCC