Katie U.R : Sharks are Friends, Not Food !

If you asked anyone I'm pretty sure I first fell in love with seeing the commercials of the trainers performing with Orcas. I thought it was the coolest thing being able to spend your time working while swimming with animals that weighed a small truck (Don't get me wrong, after growing up and seeing the truth for the animals that are kept in captivity, I am against all of that!). Living by the beach also played a huge roll in why I wanted to Marine Biology. I chose this field because the ocean is still undiscovered. There is still so many things that need to be explored and I honestly hope to be apart of that group of people who get to. 

The ocean and the life that inhabit's it is what motivates me. The wrecks that have happened through out the ocean that have not been discovered is something I would really like to take part in finding. The ocean inspires me to become a better person for the world. It makes me want to help make people see that we cant keep throwing trash into it and that its not okay to not clean up the debris that is all around it. 

I care about everything in the ocean. I believe there are other things that are more important than other things, but I do care about them all. Sharks are a huge thing for me. I believe there is a lot going on with them that we are not made aware about. When I first got certified for diving, my first dive I went on I got the chance of seeing a couple Blacktips. It was a beautiful thing. Knowing that some sharks aren't so lucky to keep their fins was something that made me upset. Learning more about that is what got me into the whole Sharkwater stuff. Rob Stewart showed everybody what is happening in other countries to the sharks that swim in those waters. People are cutting off their fins and using them for food and other things. Some are even using the whole meat of the shark for things. 

Blacktip in BVI's 2015

Since I cant really stop people from Shark finning in a semester I think I want to maybe do my independent research project on the kinds of bacteria found in sharks mouths that cause bacterial infections in shark bite victims.  I might start out by going out on my grandfathers boat and catching and releasing the sharks that I am able to catch and do a lot of swabbing's on their mouths, and get as many as I can so I can do a range of sharks not just a couple. I also need to find shark bite victims that are opened to telling their stories on what bacterial infections they got. Just some ideas for now though!