Lyle, UR--Micro-baby...love at first sight!

Taylor James 

Hey there everyone, there has been so much going on not only in finding micro plastics and research but also in my personal life. My better half and I just had a little baby boy named Taylor James on the 9th of April.
The last time I was in the lab I got to dissect a 2 oz oyster and found 5 micro plastics in it. I am still using the same extraction procedures to get the muscle out of the shell and still following the same precautions so I will minimize contamination. This past week we went out with Anne Roddenberry fro FWC and did sea grass sampling and other than the water being a little chilly we had a great time.
I have had a few comments on my other blogs that I would like to address. Deb and Paul asked me if I have seen the video on plankton eating the micro plastics? No I have not and if you know where to find the video I would love to see it. Carly Magnus shared with me an article from FACETS journal on micro plastics in the Ottawa River in Canada. After reading the article I have learned even more about some of the effects that plastics have on the environment, so thank you Carly for sharing that with me and the rest of the blogging community. Michelle from ection 201 asked, How many oysters do I take for a sample from each location and is there a specific reason I chose the oysters that I do and am I attempting to sample various sizes? Those are great questions Michelle, I will typically take 2 to 3 oysters from each site that way I don't effect the habitat to much. As for specific size, I have to go by the Florida state rules and regulations for size which is no smaller than 3 inches in length.