Movement Ecology Lab

Congratulations to Kyle and Katie on their graduation this past Saturday! 🎓 We’re proud to celebrate this accomplishment and wish them both the best in their next adventures 🎉

Texas A&M-Corpus Christi TAMU-CC COLLEGE OF SCIENCE Life Sciences TAMU-CC

MS student Kyle King recently presented research from his thesis and NOAA Educational Research Training Opportunity (NERTO) at the NOAA Educational Partnership Program Conference in New York City. His presentations highlighted research on shark depredation in recreational and commercial fisheries and potential strategies for promoting sustainable fisheries and shark conservation 🦈

Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Life Sciences TAMU-CC TAMU-CC COLLEGE OF SCIENCE Sharkbanz NOAA Research NOAA

🦈 Happy Shark Week! 🦈

Earlier this week, our lab presented some of the work we do with sharks. PhD candidate Jaz spoke about her research on the trophic ecology of elasmobranchs; PhD student Cali discussed her upcoming work on the fine-scale movement of bull sharks; MS student Kyle presented his thesis research on depredation; MS student Katie shared her thesis research on elasmobranch habitat use; and undergraduate student Madi highlighted the work she is doing with Texas Sea Grant this summer to disseminate findings from Kyle’s thesis and educate the public about depredation mitigation strategies.

Following these lightning talks, the group participated in a panel discussion about their careers, perspectives on shark research, and what inspires the next generation of scientists ✨

Thanks to everyone who joined us this week to celebrate shark research and support our student researchers!!!

📸: MARCOM

Mary and Jeff Bell Library Texas A&M-Corpus Christi TAMU-CC COLLEGE OF SCIENCE Life Sciences TAMU-CC

🤿 Happy (belated) PADI Women’s Dive Day! 🤿
 
Saturday was Women’s Dive Day. Today we celebrate all the women in our lab who make incredible contributions not just outside of the water, but in it too! Their efforts in diving not only aid in the retrieval and replacement of our acoustic receivers, but also allow the team to gain a better understanding of the bays and estuaries we care so much about.
 

Conference time! 🦈🐟

Members of our lab are in New Orleans this week for the Joint Meeting of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists, where we’ll be presenting a variety of the research projects we’ve been working on. If you’re attending, we’d love to see you! Check out the dates, times, and locations of our presentations below. We hope you’ll stop by and chat with us about our work!

Estuarine Habitat Use of Sympatric Elasmobranchs on the South Texas Coast
🎤M.S. Student Katie
📅 Thursday, July 9, 2026
⏰ 10:15-10:30 AM
📍 Grand Ballroom A

Evaluating a Magnetic Shark Deterrent in Gulf of Mexico Recreational Reef Fish Fisheries
🎤M.S. Student Kyle
📅 Friday, July 10, 2026
⏰ 3:30-3:45 PM
📍 Grand Ballroom B

Integrating Environmental Drivers of Energetic Performance into Bull Shark Nursery Habitat Suitability
🎤Ph.D. Student Cali
📅 Friday, July 10, 2026
⏰ 4:30-6:30 PM (Poster Session)
📍 Napoleon Ballroom

Decadal Reorganization and Environmentally Structured Demographic Shifts in Estuarine Shark Assemblages
🎤Dr. Coffey
📅 Saturday, July 11, 2026
⏰ 9:00-9:15 AM
📍 Grand Ballroom B

We have many exciting announcements for our lab this week!!! 🥳🥳🥳
 
Firstly, a HUGE congratulations to our M.S. students Katie and Kyle on successfully defending their master’s theses this month! We are so proud of both of you are so excited to see all the exciting opportunities in your future. Another HUGE congratulations to our new Ph.D. Candidate, Jaz, for unanimously passing her comprehensive exams last month! We are so proud of her dedication and hard work to advance to candidacy. 
 
Congratulations to all three of our lab members! 🎉

Earlier this month, PhD candidate Yamilla Samara and PhD student Cali Falkenstein participated in the Pathways through the Pipeline Speaker Series at . They shared their personal academic journeys with high school students and wrapped up the seminar with an interactive activity 🎣🦈

Our graduate students love participating in outreach, and this event was especially meaningful because they had the opportunity to share how they got to where they are today while offering advice and encouragement to students who are interested in pursuing careers in science 🔬🧪

🎓 Thesis Defense Announcement 🦈🎣

After several years of research, data collection, and countless hours on the water, we are excited to announce Kyle’s M.S. thesis defense next Friday at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi: “Evaluating a Magnetic Shark Deterrent in Gulf of America Recreational Reef Fish Fisheries”

📅 June 26, 2026 
⏰ 11:00 AM CDT 
📍 Harte Research Institute, Room 127 
💻 Zoom information available on the flyer

Kyle’s research evaluated the effectiveness of a magnetic shark deterrent as a potential non-lethal tool to reduce shark depredation in Gulf recreational fisheries while maintaining catch rates of targeted reef fish.

Good luck, Kyle!



All sampling completed under permit SPR-1123-134 and LOA F/SER24:RM. Special thanks to  for funding for this project and to our collaborators !