Patricia Heithaus spends her days in front of a computer screen watching videos of coral reefs. The grandmother of four is looking for sharks. She stays caffeinated by sipping on cups of tea brought to her by her husband, Ray. She admits it's not the most typical thing for someone to do in their retirement: She watches, she waits and when she sees something, she identifies the species, counts their numbers and she documents it all using special software designed to keep track of the predators.
She's careful not to double-count, looking for little details most would miss: a difference in color, a scar, any little clue that confirms she hasn't counted that individual before. It's tedious. In some videos, she sees so many sharks or rays that she has to hit pause to capture accurate data. In other videos, she'll watch for hours without a single sighting. She's logged 2,000 hours-worth of data, more than any other volunteer on the project.
FIU marine scientists Demian Chapman leads the project, dubbed Global FinPrint, along with Mike Heithaus, dean of the FIU's College of Arts, Sciences & Education, and other senior collaborators from Australia and Canada. Patricia is Mike's mom. When her marine scientist son told her five years ago they would be embarking on the largest ever attempt to survey the world's reef sharks and rays, she was quick to volunteer. Others did too, 731 to be exact, from all across the world, including many faculty, post-doctoral researchers and students in FIU's Institute of Environment. They would follow the direction of 121 scientists representing 89 universities, aquariums, nonprofits and other entities — among them 18 faculty, staff and students from FIU — spearheading the project.
Working with governments, NGOs, nonprofits, corporations, other universities and individuals, the global network of scientists deployed baited remote underwater video stations (BRUVS) on 371 reefs across the world. They collected more than 15,000 hours of footage. The noninvasive system captures sharks and rays on camera in their natural environment, providing critical insight into where they are present, in what numbers and the conditions they are living in. Once a BRUV is retrieved, the footage is sent to volunteers, including Patricia, to start watching and documenting what they see.
