Researchers

Bio

Research Interests

Fish - any kind, any question. If it's got fins, we're interested. Research in my laboratory focuses on a very diverse range of fish and fisheries issues. The ultimate goals of much of this research are to characterize and analyze the biological and ecological factors affecting fish populations, and to assist in the development of fish and habitat management strategies.

Other projects focus on the basic biology and physiology of fishes, still other efforts are examining the biological and commercial aspects of finfish aquaculture. Much of this work involves intensive field work, often developing and using novel sampling gear to answer specific questions. The work also often involves laboratory research, ranging from molecular genetics to the use of Nuclear Magnetic Resonance spectroscopy to examine fish physiology in vivo to ICP-MS analysis of fish otoliths.

One major focus of my work is an investigation of the processes affecting the recruitment and survival of larval and juvenile fishes. We've worked on numerous species in previous years, including grouper and snapper, and we're now spending a lot of effort on tarpon. Catching a huge tarpon is the dream of anglers throughout the country, who spend great sums to fish in the clear waters in the Florida Keys or the Caribbean. Our tarpon fishing is a bit different - we use moored plankton nets to capture larvae migrating from the ocean to the estuary, and we wade through thick mud, murky water and tangles of mangrove trees to capture tiny tarpon in their brackish marsh nursery habitats. A variety of factors are under investigation, including analysis of factors impacting the timing and magnitude of recruitment, estimating population sizes in marshes, characterizing their growth and survival rates, and analyzing their feeding biology and bioacoustics.

Another major research effort is on the utilization of artificial reefs by fish populations, with special emphasis on assessing the impact of fishing pressure on the reefs. This project involves extensive scuba surveys using visual and video monitoring of a series of massive artificial reefs deployed in 70' of water 10 miles off the Florida coast. Finally, in addition to our research activities, I run our summer field program in Australia, where we provide students with an intense 6-week immersion in the wonderful marine and terrestrial ecosystems of that spectacular region of the world.

My laboratory this year has seven graduate students and five undergraduate students working on various aspects of these and a diverse range of other projects. Funding is currently being provided by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, and additional support is being sought from several governmental and private agencies, including our new Florida Tech Sportfish Research Institute.

Selected Publications

• Shenker, J.M, E. Cowie-Mojica and H. Patterson. In press. Recruitment of larval tarpon (Megalops atlanticus) into the Indian River Lagoon, Florida: Cyclical and hurricane-driven transport. Contrib. Mar. Sci.
• Shenker, J.M, R.E. Crabtree, H. Patterson, C. Stevens and K. Yakubik. In press. Spawning date and age at recruitment of larval tarpon (Megalops atlanticus) into the Indian River Lagoon. Contrib. Mar. Sci.
• Patterson, H.M., S.R. Thorrold and J.M. Shenker. 2000. Analysis of otolith elemental fingerprints in Nassau grouper (Epinephelus striatus) from the Bahamas and Belize using solution-based ICP-MS. Coral Reefs 18:171-180.
• Poulakis, G.R., J.M. Shenker and D. Scott Taylor. 2000. Habitat use by fishes after tidal reconnection of an impounded estuarine wetland in the Indian River Lagoon, Florida (USA). Wetlands Ecology and Management 1-19
• Samson, J.C. and J. Shenker. 2000. The teratogenic effects of methylmercury on early development of the zebrafish, Danio rerio. Aquatic Toxicology 48:343-354.
• Harndon, C.W, R. E. Crabtree and J. M. Shenker. 1999. Onshore transport of elopomorph leptocephali and glass eels (Pisces: Osteichthyes) in the Florida Keys. Gulf of Mex. Sci. 17:17-26.
• Shenker, J.M. , R. Crabtree and G. Zarillo. 1995. Recruitment of larval tarpon and other fishes into the Indian River Lagoon. Bull. Mar. Sci. 57:284.
• Mojica, R., J.M. Shenker, C. Harndon and D. Wagner. 1995. Recruitment of bonefish, Albula vulpes, around Lee Stocking Island, Bahamas. U.S. Fish. Bull. 93:666-674.
• Thorrold, S.R., J.M. Shenker, E. Wishinski, R. Mojica and E.D. Maddox. 1994. Larval supply of shorefishes to nursery habitats around Lee Stocking Island, Bahamas. I. Small-scale distribution patterns. Mar. Biol. 118:567-578.
• Thorrold, S.R., J.M. Shenker, E.D. Maddox, R. Mojica and E. Wishinski. 1994. Larval supply of shorefishes to nursery habitats around Lee Stocking Island, Bahamas. II. Lunar and oceanographic influences. Mar. Biol. 118:567-578.
• Thorrold, S. R., J. M. Shenker, R. Mojica and H. Patterson. 1994. Temporal patterns in the larval supply of summer-recruiting reef fishes to Lee Stocking Island, Bahamas. Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser. 112:75-86
• Shenker, J.M., S.R. Thorrold, E.D. Maddox, S. Pearl, E. Wishinski, and N. Smith. 1993. Onshore transport of settlement-stage Nassau grouper (Epinephelus striatus) and other fishes in Exuma Sound, Bahamas. Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser. 98:31-43.