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Movement Ecology Lab @movecology.bsky.social · 40m

Ever wonder what tools we use to study movement ecology? Acoustic transmitters (internal tags to track fish) and receivers (underwater listening device), VR100 and hydrophone, salinity loggers, GoPros, and microscopes are some tools that help us uncover the ecology of fish 🐟🔊🔬 #TAMUCC

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Movement Ecology Lab @movecology.bsky.social · 7d

Researching fish isn't always about being on the water. Lab work can be just as exciting! PhD candidate Yamilla Samara is using compound-specific stable isotope analysis of amino acids of carbon to study red drum, spotted seatrout, sheepshead resource use at estuarine habitats 🦪🐟🌱 #TAMUCC

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Movement Ecology Lab @movecology.bsky.social · 11d

Sharks aren’t villains, they’re opportunists! 🦈🐟 This video shows shark depredation and MS student Kyle’s research looks at how often depredation happens and whether magnetic deterrents can help minimize it! #TAMUCC

Movement Ecology Lab @movecology.bsky.social · 21d

Thanks to collaborative efforts with other labs and researchers, we can see when some of our tagged fish appear in other acoustic arrays! Recently, we got data that shows some of our sharks and rays have appeared on arrays south of us! #TAMUCC

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Movement Ecology Lab @movecology.bsky.social · 28d

Busy summer = big numbers for the Movement Ecology Lab 🌊
🎣 400+ fish | 🦈 72 depredations
🎥 200 hrs video | 📡 20 receivers
🚤 47 trips | 📢 247 people reached
✨ Fun catch of the summer: squirrelfish 🐿️🐟
#TAMUCC

Movement Ecology Lab @movecology.bsky.social · Aug 22

Last week, our lab attended our first national American Fisheries Society meeting in San Antonio, TX! 🐟🎣🦈

Grad students Yamilla, Kyle, Jaz & Katie presented their research, and Dr. Coffey shared work from Felipe’s thesis. Proud of our team! #TAMUCC #AFS2025

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Movement Ecology Lab @movecology.bsky.social · Aug 6

Last week, Dylan wrapped up his summer in the TAMU-CC S-RISE program, assisting with stomach content analysis to study trophic ecology & microplastic ingestion in Southern Flounder. Grateful for his curiosity, energy & contributions to the lab! 🐟🔬 #SRISE #TAMUCC #StudentResearch

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Movement Ecology Lab @movecology.bsky.social · Jul 22

Kicked off #SharkWeek with a student research panel at the Mary and Jeff Bell Library! Jaz, Katie, and Kyle presented lightning talks on their shark-related work here at the Island University. 🦈 #TAMUCC

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Movement Ecology Lab @movecology.bsky.social · Jul 16

Our summer is packed with fieldwork! MS student Kyle has been putting in long hours offshore collecting data, while PhD candidate Yamilla has been busy fishing in her bay systems and downloading acoustic receivers. Keep up the great work, team! 🎣🌊🧪 #TAMUCC

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Movement Ecology Lab @movecology.bsky.social · Jun 23

Huge congratulations to Yamilla for unanimously passing her comprehensive exams and officially advancing to PhD candidacy! 🥳

She’s the first PhD candidate in our lab, and we couldn’t be prouder of her dedication, perseverance, and the exciting work she’s doing. Way to go, Yamilla! 👏

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Movement Ecology Lab @movecology.bsky.social · May 19

Congratulations to the first-ever Movement Ecology Lab grads this academic year: Felipe (M.S. ’24), Cindy (B.S. ’25), and soon-to-be alum Videl! We’re proud of all you’ve accomplished and will miss you! #TAMUCC #Graduation

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Movement Ecology Lab @movecology.bsky.social · May 8

Last of our introductions… Meet our post-Bachelor volunteer, Cali! She received her B.S. in Marine Biology from the University of Hawai'i at Mānoa in 2024, where she worked in shark behavior and coral resilience research at the Hawai'i Institute of Marine Biology. Welcome! 🦈🪸🐠 #TAMUCC

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Movement Ecology Lab @movecology.bsky.social · Apr 24

Next up for introductions is Dylan! He’s a senior Biology major at TAMUCC, concentrating in Marine Biology. Dylan volunteers in the lab, is interested in trophic ecology and population dynamics, and loves SCUBA. Welcome!
#TAMUCC #STEM

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Movement Ecology Lab @movecology.bsky.social · Apr 17

Next up for introductions is Madison! She’s a sophomore Biology major at TAMUCC, concentrating in Marine Biology. Madison is currently assisting with PhD student Jasmine’s trophic ecology project on southern flounder and is excited to get involved in more lab work soon. Welcome!

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Movement Ecology Lab @movecology.bsky.social · Apr 9

We have a few new faces joining our lab, and we will introduce them in the next few weeks! First up… Lily, a Texas local! She is an undergraduate student pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Marine Biology. She will help PhD student Yamilla with her dissertation research #TAMUCC

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Movement Ecology Lab @movecology.bsky.social · Apr 2

Shark science in the classroom! 🦈 Last month, Yamilla, Jasmine, Katie, & Kyle visited Ella Barnes Elementary for STEM Day, sharing shark facts with 150+ curious students. Always excited to inspire future marine biologists! 💙🌊 #Outreach #TAMUCC

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Movement Ecology Lab @movecology.bsky.social · Mar 26

🎣 Caught a tagged red drum, trout, or sheepshead in TX bays?
Look for a yellow "Release Fish" tag + internal transmitter!

📍 Note tag #, date/location, & length
📞 Report: 361-825-2525
💻 sportfishcenter.org/outreach/report-tag
🎁 Reward—released or kept! #TAMUCC

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Movement Ecology Lab @movecology.bsky.social · Mar 19

Exciting times! We recently successfully downloaded data from our Aransas Channel receiver array. This data will be used by both Jaz and Katie for their projects tracking the movements of flounder and elasmobranchs. Thanks TPWD for their support! #TAMUCC #fieldwork #telemetry

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Movement Ecology Lab @movecology.bsky.social · Mar 5

🦈 This week, we're featuring a unique shark—can you guess what it is?
🔹 Distinct hammer-shaped head with three notches  🔹 Forms large schools in coastal & offshore waters  🔹 A skilled predator with a wide field of vision
Drop your guesses below! ⬇️

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Movement Ecology Lab @movecology.bsky.social · Feb 21

Freezing temps in Texas = the perfect time to reorganize the lab. Prepping for upcoming projects and making sure everything is for a busy research season ahead! #TAMUCC

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Movement Ecology Lab @movecology.bsky.social · Feb 17

Last week was a busy week for the lab! Presentations, fieldwork and more presentations! Kyle and Jaz both presented their research in separate seminars and Yamilla got out to tag some fish! Thanks NOAA for funding! #TAMUCC

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Movement Ecology Lab @movecology.bsky.social · Feb 6

Recently, MS student Kyle and undergraduate student Cindy found many cool critters on video! The first species we want to feature is... the Rock Hind (Epinephelus adscensionis)! Can you spot the fish in the 3rd picture?!

Thanks to Texas Sea Grant for funding and to our collaborators @ CSSC! #TAMUCC

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Movement Ecology Lab @movecology.bsky.social · Jan 29

Movement Ecology Lab is back on campus and gearing up for the new semester! Recently, PhD Student Yamilla was in the field finishing up deploying receivers for her project on gamefish, and now we can tag fish! Thanks @noaa.gov & TPWD for funding! #TAMUCC

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Movement Ecology Lab @movecology.bsky.social · Aug 5

Meet Jaz! Originally from outside Philadelphia, she’s our new PhD student. With a B.S. from the University of New England and an M.S. from @uafairbanks and @biminisharklab, she’s studied bull shark movement in the North Atlantic. At TAMUCC, she’ll explore fish and shark migration

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Movement Ecology Lab @movecology.bsky.social · Jul 26

Today our lab had the pleasure of giving a talk to the the students from the Aquateens program at the Texas State Aquarium. We had a lot of fun talking about #sharks, #bycatch and #acoustictelemetry 🦈 🐟 #outreach

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