Monday, August 27, 2012

The American researcher tells his "miraculous" fishing in Mauritius


Paul Clerkin, this young researcher who has discovered eight new species of sharks off the coast of Mauritius, has agreed to answer the questions of Zinfos974. He embarked on the Watch Will, a fishing vessel New Zealand based in Mauritius, on 28 February. After two months at sea, he returned to Mauritius to work a little more than five weeks. He is now back in the United States.

Zinfos974: Tell us a little about this trip. That is that you need to do?

Paul Clerkin: I launched in this adventure because I had the opportunity to do research in a remote and relatively unexplored in the southwest of the Indian Ocean region. As a biologist of the sharks, it was really exciting. I have already done the expeditions in the Bering Sea so I was prepared to face the rigours of life on board.

This trip was much requested collaborations and coordination. My Advisor, Dr. Dave Ebert, Moss Landing Marine Laboratory, is Program Director at the Research Centre of the Pacific on the shark which is the headquarters for the West coast of the United States from the national shark Research Consortium. The laboratory and research centre have incredible opportunities.

The expedition was coordinated through the international network of Dave. Dave has worked with Dr. Ross Shotton, the Executive Secretary of the Association of fishermen in deep waters of the southern Indian Ocean, to allow me to board a boat in the South of the Indian ocean. Will Watch, a New Zealand trawler, has agreed to provide free a place on board and food and access to all their catches. Normally, they take the sea for periods of three months and it was very nice on their part to propose to me on board.

Why Mauritius?

The depths there did not the object of much research. There is much to learn, especially sharks. Fishing boats began to go 10 or 20 years ago and it remains a relatively unexplored area.

I am graduate of the Marine Laboratory of Moss Landing and Gavin Naylor, of the University of Charleston, has obtained a National Science Foundation Fellowship. He has been able to pay for my equipment and my trip to Mauritius. Once on the boat, they fed me while it was at sea. Return to Mauritius, I worked at the Albion fisheries research centre. I didn't have space to work on my shark when I arrived: everything was in a refrigerator and they were brilliant, they told me that I could go work there down. They helped me to gather the data and have they asked people to work with me to conditioning and send specimens. Albion Mauritius scientists really much helped me and ensured that tout was ready. It was really nice.

I have of course with all those with whom I have worked on the boat, the factory team... Often, they were not sure of what I was doing but they were very nice and let me do my job. I worked much alone on the boat. The factory team helped me move things. Everyone at Albion was very nice. I have worked with people in the research centre who were really helpful, they helped me every day and stayed until late for it.

Therefore, no Mauritian on board but you have much support from their once back on the ground?

Yes, I could not do without them. I there would probably still working on my shark! Without the cooperation and assistance of the centre for research of Albion and the Mauritian Ministry of fishing, Drs. Ross and Naylor, and without contact of Dr. Ebert, it would simply not have been possible.

Why do think you that this part of the ocean had not explored until now?

I think that there deep water fishing industry is still relatively new and we went, in fact, some distance from the island, to between five and seven days of navigation. The fact is that go already until there and that it is in deep water (2000 metres deep), which requires equipment and technology. And it's hard to fish some of the species that these guys fishing. So it's a little bit of everything: a recent fishing and recent research. It could not have financed an expedition to research our own boat so the fact that fishermen are go and allow me to come was a real opportunity.

Have what difficulties you encountered?

The trip was well, work on the boat also, I was always running to the right and left to make the most possible samples and make sure that the given

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