Bimini Biological Field Station - Shark Lab

Bimini Biological Field Station - Shark Lab The BBFSF is a world-famous facility founded by shark biologist Dr. Samuel H. Gruber in 1990.

04/09/2026

A surprise visitor on our BRUV!

Using our Baited Remote Underwater Videos (or BRUVs), we get to observe marine fish and invertebrates, but sometimes, we get a surprise visit from some marine mammals like this Atlantic Bottlenose Dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) !

Once our BRUVs have been deployed, retrieved, and video data downloaded, the next step is data analysis. Analysing BRUV footage can be a long process including identifying and quantifying the species we observe, sometimes in murky water or poor visibility.

Our team is continuously working on analyzing new BRUV footage, so keep an eye out for more surprise visits in the future!

Thank you to Ocean Mokum Foundation / Tea Zegarac for their continued support on this project!

Research activities occurred within the FKNMS and under permit FKNMS-2025-266 issued to Bimini Biological Field Station Foundation
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📸: BIMINI SHARK LAB , Cover photo: Wyatt Albert
✍️: Tim Furst

The Bimini Biological Field Station Foundation is now accepting applications for the March 1st - June 2nd 2027 internshi...
02/09/2026

The Bimini Biological Field Station Foundation is now accepting applications for the March 1st - June 2nd 2027 internship program in South Bimini, The Bahamas. This internship period includes a research trip in the Florida Keys. 

To apply, submit your completed application (including cover letter, CV and letters of recommendation) no later than September 30th at 11:59PM EST. Learn more and apply at: www.biminisharklab.com/internships

Interns will assist with fieldwork, research, education, outreach and daily operations at a remote field station. Ideal candidates are motivated, team-oriented, adaptable and eager to build practical skills in marine science and take on new challenges.

Scholarships are available thanks to the support of the McPZ Foundation. If you would like to be considered for an intern scholarship, please complete the entire Intern Application form, including the questions in the “Scholarships” section. 

Applications are competitive, and there are limited positions available (up to 5 intern positions). 

Positions are voluntary. Only shortlisted applicants will be contacted for an interview. 

IMPORTANT NOTICE: Use of AI to complete your answers will result in your application being disqualified. We want to learn about you from YOU, we are not looking for “perfect” answers. 

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26/08/2026

Teacher and Educators course 2 of 2026!

At the beginning of August we had the pleasure of hosting a second scholarship funded Teacher and Educators course here at the lab!

We had a week packed with workshops hosted by Baylie , lectures hosted by Dr Dean Grubbs and daily trips out on the water to visit the sharks and ecosystems learnt about in lectures. 

This group was truly fabulous, they brought so much fun and energy and it was a joy to have you all at the lab and share our passion for sharks with you! We can’t wait to see how you all bring this back to your classrooms!

A huge thank you to the Ocean Mokum Foundation Ocean Mokum Foundation / Tea Zegarac for their support of this course allowing us to make experiences like this happen!

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đź“·: Tim Furst, Baylie, I S S Y
✍️: I S S Y

24/08/2026

Lets talk shark tags!

Each tag gives us a different piece of the puzzle, helping us understand individual sharks and their movements.

Acoustic tags are inserted into the body cavity of sharks and communicate with underwater receivers to give data on the movements of individuals. They do not give live data and rely on us retrieving the receivers periodically from the water to download their data. 

Dart tags are external tags used for every shark. While the way in which this looks can vary, these all serve the same purpose which is to give the shark a unique ID. These tags do not transmit data, they serve as a way to identify an individual if it is recaptured. If a shark is recaptured, we can be contacted via our information written on the tag to tell us which individual it is and hopefully give some updated information. For example, new size measurements can be compared with previous records to track growth. This information is really useful for understanding the individuals we capture.  

The PIT tag is mainly used for lemon and nurse sharks. This tag is inserted inside the skin of the shark. These tags are most similar to the microchip you would put into your pet.

Satellite tags communicate with satellites in space and give live, real time location data on shark movements. Satellite tags are attached externally onto the dorsal fin and each time the dorsal breaks the surface we can receive data on the whereabouts of the shark. 

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✍️: I S S Y

22/08/2026

How do we tell if a shark is pregnant?

Our team uses a special ultrasound probe designed to work in water, allowing us to see pups developing inside a female shark in much the same way an ultrasound is used for humans!

But there is one small challenge! Ultrasound gel doesn’t work particularly well when you’re trying to scan a shark! The gel would simply wash away, so instead, we place the probe inside a latex cover and add the gel inside, allowing us to get clear images. 

Watch this Tiger shark have an ultrasound and see if you can spot one of her pups!

Thank you to Ocean Mokum Foundation / Tea Zegarac for their continued support of our research!

Research activities occurred within the FKNMS and under permit FKNMS-2025-266 issued to Bimini Biological Field Station Foundation
_____________________________________
📸: BIMINI SHARK LAB
✍️: I S S Y

No bones. No problem!See how flexible these different shark species are!But if sharks don’t have a skeleton, how are the...
19/08/2026

No bones. No problem!

See how flexible these different shark species are!

But if sharks don’t have a skeleton, how are they so strong?

Sharks are in the class Chondrichthyes (chondr = cartilage) so their skeleton is made of cartilage, a substance much lighter and more flexible than bone. Cartilage is also less dense, helping to compensate for their lack of swim bladder for buoyancy. 

Despite being made of cartilage, a shark’s skeleton is far from weak! At certain points in the shark’s body, cartilage is stiffened by the addition of mineral appetite which forms tiny, prism-shaped structures, making it very strong. This creates a unique, mosaic-like pattern known as tessellated cartilage. These plates are connected by strong intertesseral fibres, providing the skeleton with exceptional strength and flexibility. 

In fact, studies have shown that cartilage in shark vertebrae are as stiff and strong as bone. Rather than being inferior to bone, shark cartilage represents a different evolutionary solution allowing sharks to be strong, flexible and built for life at sea.

âť“Did you know that juvenile Lemon sharks are so flexible they can bite their own tails?

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📸: Wyatt Albert
✍️: I S S Y

In April our team deployed a satellite tag on a Great Hammerhead while in the Florida Keys! See how far this shark has t...
16/08/2026

In April our team deployed a satellite tag on a Great Hammerhead while in the Florida Keys! See how far this shark has travelled since April! 

Sat tagging Great Hammerhead sharks is an important part of some of the lab’s ongoing research into their movements. As a critically endangered species, understanding where these sharks travel and spend their time helps us identify areas that are important to them and inform conservation efforts. Our goal is to better protect Great Hammerheads and help keep them swimming in our waters for generations to come. 

_____________________________________
📸: BIMINI SHARK LAB
✍️: I S S Y

12/08/2026

We had the pleasure of hosting students from the University of The Bahamas at the lab! They joined us for a week of shark and fish ecology lectures, combined with hands-on field experiences that gave them the opportunity to observe the incredible marine wildlife of The Bahamas firsthand!

For many of the students, this was their first time experiencing marine life in the field, and it was a privilege to share those moments with them. We are excited for them to take what they learned back into their studies and future careers.

A huge thank you to the University of The Bahamas students for spending the week with us. We loved having you at the lab, sharing these experiences together, and watching your enthusiasm for marine science grow in and out of the water. You were a fabulous group and we look forward to seeing all that you accomplish in the future!

A huge thank you to the McPZ Foundation for making this course possible!
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📸: Wyatt Albert
✍️: I S S Y

It’s lobster season! Before you head out, this is what you should know!The Caribbean spiny lobster (Panulirus argus) typ...
07/08/2026

It’s lobster season! Before you head out, this is what you should know!

The Caribbean spiny lobster (Panulirus argus) typically resides under reef ledges during the day and comes out into the open at night to feed on a variety of benthic invertebrates. Their long antennae and spiny bodies are their most notable features, along with their impressive maximum size of 45cm.

Caribbean spiny lobsters are recreationally and commercially important, being one of the Bahamas’ largest marine export. Within the Bahamas, Caribbean spiny lobsters have specific regulations to help conserve them for future generations.

The open season for lobster is August 1 to March 31, with a strict limit of 10 lobsters per boat at any time. Lobster must be 3 ⅜ carapace length or 5 1/2 inches tail length, and no egg-bearing lobster can be retained. No SCUBA can be used, and all lobstering must occur 200 yards from the coast of Family islands. Lobster harvested during the Bahamas’ open season cannot be transferred into U.S. state waters during their respective closed season.

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📸: Wyatt Albert
✍️: Ethan Prawdzik

 

07/08/2026

Lobster season is here! Before you head out, this is what you should know.

The Caribbean spiny lobster (Panulirus argus) typically resides under reef ledges during the day and comes out into the open at night to feed. Their long antennae and spiny bodies are their most notable features, along with their impressive maximum size of 45cm.

Caribbean spiny lobsters are recreationally and commercially important, being the Bahamas’ largest marine export. Within the Bahamas, Caribbean spiny lobsters have specific regulations to help conserve them for future generations.

The open season for lobster is August 1 to March 31, with a strict limit of 10 lobsters per boat at any time. Lobster must be 3 ⅜ carapace length or 6 inches tail length, and no egg-bearing lobster can be retained. No SCUBA can be used, and all lobstering must occur 200 yards from the coast. Lobster harvested during the Bahamas’ open season cannot be transferred into U.S. state waters during their respective closed season.

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📸: Wyatt Albert
✍️: Ethan Prawdzik

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