Knowledge Exchange Part 2

University of Trinidad and Tobago (UTT) representatives to Texas.

Dr. Kelly Kingon, Principal Investigator (PI), and her PhD student, Christopher Ragobar flew to Corpus Christi, Texas to visit Dr. Dave Portnoy, Co-PI and his genomics laboratory. A large part of this SOSF project involves understanding the genomics of the scalloped hammerheads in Trinidad and using genetic tools to better understand nursery function, connectivity, population size and more. The UTT team wanted to learn how the samples are processed in the TAMU-CC lab as well as experience how the sharks off the coast of Texas are surveyed. They were given an extensive tour of the facilities at TAMU-CC and taught the methodology for processing the tissue samples. The process is extremely meticulous and the UTT team is extremely grateful for the expertise and patience that is going into this laboratory work. It was interesting and insightful to learn the many steps it takes to extract meaningful results from the tissue samples, as well as to see all the expensive equipment in action. The UTT team has a much deeper understanding and appreciation for the work being done to accomplish this part of the project. We also went out to try and catch some sharks in Corpus Christi Bay. Unfortunately, this part of the visit wasn’t as productive, mostly due to the timing. The sharks leave the coastal areas during the winter when the water is cooler and return in the spring. The visit in April seemed to still be too early for their return and all that was caught in the gillnets were gafftopsail catfish. It was still a fun experience, and the team learned how the TAMU-CC team’s gillnet was set and retrieved, gaining pointers to help improve the deployment of the gill net once back in Trinidad. We also went out to do some nearshore seining and checked their artificial habitats for recruiting fishes to learn about the Texas coastal marine organisms. Below are some pictures highlighting the visit.

From left to right, Dr. Kelly Kingon, Christopher Ragobar, Dr. David Portnoy in the Life Sciences Building at Texas A&M University – Corpus Christi. Photo © Dale Kingon

From left to right, Dr. Dominic Swift (postdoctoral researcher in Dr. Portnoy’s lab), Cameron Mireles (undergraduate student), Dr. Kelly Kingon and Christopher Ragobar learning about genomic extraction techniques in Dr. Portnoy’s laboratory. Photo © Dale Kingon

From left to right, Dr. Kelly Kingon, Dr. Dominic Swift, and Christopher Ragobar checking out some of the high-tech equipment in Dr. Portnoy’s lab. Photo © Dale Kingon

From left to right, Dr. David Portnoy, Christopher Ragobar and Dr. Kelly Kingon at the outside entrance to Texas A&M University – Corpus Christi campus. Photo © Dale Kingon

Dr. Kelly Kingon, Kayla Dye and Nick Weber from Dr. Portnoy’s lab using a small seine to catch juvenile fishes and invertebrates in a shallow, muddy estuary near Corpus Christi. Photo © Dale Kingon

From left to right, Dr. Kelly Kingon, Zayla Kingon, Lizz Dolan, Dr. David Portnoy, Kayla Dye and Nick Weber examining the seine catch. Photo © Dale Kingon