Where are they now? An SDRP past intern’s perspective: A journey from the east to the west to study dolphins!
By Mridula Srinivasan, PhD, NOAA Fisheries Service
As a girl born and raised in India, marine biology was not a subject that was known or discussed as a career option. My only exposure to marine mammals and the oceans was through television documentaries and magazines. I saw my first wild dolphin when I was 22 years old! Yet, driven by a strong desire to study and learn about the oceans and dolphins in particular, I took a trans-Atlantic trip to the United States to pursue higher studies.
My first serious foray into studying dolphins in the field was courtesy of a 3.5 month internship at Mote Marine Laboratory with the SDRP through then PhD student Spencer Fire in May-Aug 2004. Spencer was looking at the effect of Karenia brevis on bottlenose dolphin behavior in Sarasota Bay, Florida. It involved both lab and field components. I am very grateful to Spencer, Kim-Bassos Hull, Damon Gannon, other interns and staff with the SDRP for patiently teaching me the ropes of boat-based field work. During my internship, I was involved in photo-identification, collection of dolphin behavioral data, biopsy sampling, radio-tracking, synoptic surveys, purse seining and dolphin prey acoustics and identification. It was perhaps one of the best experiences of my life, a hard hitting and intensive introduction to dolphin research. I was particularly impressed by the corporate efficiency with which the SDRP conducted its daily and long-term operations. Data were collected and archived in a systematic fashion. Also, all new recruits and volunteers went through a training period that ensured consistent data collection methods regardless of a change in research leads – a model worth following for those engaged in marine mammal research.
In 2005, I joined a PhD program in Wildlife and Fisheries Sciences/Marine Biology at Texas A & M with Dr. Bernd Würsig as my academic supervisor. Besides having an excellent mentor in Bernd, the faculty at Texas A & M and the resources available made it a wonderful place for higher learning. My dissertation research dealt with trying to understand the costs vs. benefits of dusky dolphin (Lagenorhynchus obscurus) anti-predator decision making under threat from killer whales (Orcinus orca) and sharks off Kaikoura, New Zealand. Post completion of my PhD in 2009, I secured a 1-year Knauss Sea Grant Fellowship at National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Research –International. The Knauss Fellowship provided me an excellent opportunity to integrate science with marine policy at the highest echelons of NOAA Research leadership. Besides the opportunity to travel domestically and internationally, I learned about the latest developments in climatic and physical sciences, which I hope to incorporate into marine mammal studies. Currently, I work as a marine mammal biologist in the Office of Science and Technology, NOAA Fisheries Service, handling Protected Species Science issues. Besides actively working with Indian partners to set up a research and marine animal stranding program in India, I continue to work on my doctoral related interests and plan to return to New Zealand to follow up on previous research. There have been ups and downs, missed opportunities and detours, and yet for what seems a lifetime, it was well worth the trip to becoming a marine mammal scientist! Thank you, Sarasota Dolphin Research Program!
By Mridula Srinivasan, PhD, NOAA Fisheries Service
As a girl born and raised in India, marine biology was not a subject that was known or discussed as a career option. My only exposure to marine mammals and the oceans was through television documentaries and magazines. I saw my first wild dolphin when I was 22 years old! Yet, driven by a strong desire to study and learn about the oceans and dolphins in particular, I took a trans-Atlantic trip to the United States to pursue higher studies.
My first serious foray into studying dolphins in the field was courtesy of a 3.5 month internship at Mote Marine Laboratory with the SDRP through then PhD student Spencer Fire in May-Aug 2004. Spencer was looking at the effect of Karenia brevis on bottlenose dolphin behavior in Sarasota Bay, Florida. It involved both lab and field components. I am very grateful to Spencer, Kim-Bassos Hull, Damon Gannon, other interns and staff with the SDRP for patiently teaching me the ropes of boat-based field work. During my internship, I was involved in photo-identification, collection of dolphin behavioral data, biopsy sampling, radio-tracking, synoptic surveys, purse seining and dolphin prey acoustics and identification. It was perhaps one of the best experiences of my life, a hard hitting and intensive introduction to dolphin research. I was particularly impressed by the corporate efficiency with which the SDRP conducted its daily and long-term operations. Data were collected and archived in a systematic fashion. Also, all new recruits and volunteers went through a training period that ensured consistent data collection methods regardless of a change in research leads – a model worth following for those engaged in marine mammal research.
In 2005, I joined a PhD program in Wildlife and Fisheries Sciences/Marine Biology at Texas A & M with Dr. Bernd Würsig as my academic supervisor. Besides having an excellent mentor in Bernd, the faculty at Texas A & M and the resources available made it a wonderful place for higher learning. My dissertation research dealt with trying to understand the costs vs. benefits of dusky dolphin (Lagenorhynchus obscurus) anti-predator decision making under threat from killer whales (Orcinus orca) and sharks off Kaikoura, New Zealand. Post completion of my PhD in 2009, I secured a 1-year Knauss Sea Grant Fellowship at National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Research –International. The Knauss Fellowship provided me an excellent opportunity to integrate science with marine policy at the highest echelons of NOAA Research leadership. Besides the opportunity to travel domestically and internationally, I learned about the latest developments in climatic and physical sciences, which I hope to incorporate into marine mammal studies. Currently, I work as a marine mammal biologist in the Office of Science and Technology, NOAA Fisheries Service, handling Protected Species Science issues. Besides actively working with Indian partners to set up a research and marine animal stranding program in India, I continue to work on my doctoral related interests and plan to return to New Zealand to follow up on previous research. There have been ups and downs, missed opportunities and detours, and yet for what seems a lifetime, it was well worth the trip to becoming a marine mammal scientist! Thank you, Sarasota Dolphin Research Program!
