Abstract
The use of ultrasound as a non-invasive diagnostic tool has been common in healthcare and veterinary settings for decades but its utilization in the marine environment is still being explored. The education and training needed to be able to use and interpret ultrasound is often only passed on to scientists fortunate enough to learn from a colleague with a working knowledge of the modality. This makes it difficult for developing scientists to utilize the full potential that ultrasound has to offer marine researchers. The majority of published studies that used ultrasound on elasmobranchs have answered questions about reproduction. Several other organ systems are routinely looked at in terrestrial species and can be applied to elasmobranchs as well with the proper training of students and scientists.
Field School was founded with the belief that learning environments should be challenging yet supportive and equally accessible for all. Throughout the summer their 55-foot research vessel, R/V Garvin, made trips out in Biscayne Bay, Florida, and the surrounding waters of Miami, Florida to do research on local sharks via long-line and drum-line fishing methods. They provided education and field skill opportunities to students from across the country and internationally during the week-long courses offered. Over the course of the summer, a few hundred sharks were landed, evaluated, and returned to the water in healthy condition.
This project can serve as a field guide, demonstrating how to use ultrasound effectively and efficiently for research purposes during a shark workup. The Butterfly iQ Vet Ultrasound system was used to establish an introductory overview of how to use ultrasound in the field, including image interpretation, best use practices, and to establish what structures are easily identifiable for future studies. This project gave students and scientists who wish to use ultrasound to evaluate sharks in a non-lethal and minimally-invasive manner, a foundation to work from.