Courtyard Marriott North Ft Lauderdale
2440 W. Cypress Creek Road
Fort Lauderdale, Florida 33309-1829

Feel free to join us for dinner @ 6:00 PM in The Bistro, food and beverage service provided, located in the Courtyard By Marriott North Fort Lauderdale/Cypress Creek.  Social Time begins around 7:00 PM in the Florida Room.  The general meeting starts at 7:30 PM with current events, announcements of local dives, mini-trips, status of overseas trips, announcements of social activities, and the Lobster Pot! Then our monthly guest speaker takes center stage for an informative, often educational, definitely entertaining presentation on a dive subject, exotic dive destination, or perhaps new equipment.  Please come to one of our meetings the first Thursday of each month.  Visitors and guests are welcome.

Hammerheads and Shore-Based Shark Fishing

Presentation by Hannah Medd

Hannah Medd, founder of the American Shark Conservancy and marine biologist, has more than 10 years’ experience conducting applied research and conservation outreach for global and local shark and ray initiatives. She earned her Bachelors of Science in Marine Biology and Ecology at Florida Tech in Melbourne, Florida. She traveled to South Africa to complete her Masters of Science in Marine Biodiversity from the University of Cape Town, where she learned about many aspects of marine resource management, including research and academia, government and policy, socioeconomics and ecotourism.

Endangered great hammerheads are popular species among divers and fishermen alike. This species is prohibited from landing in Florida waters and yet seem to be facing a poorly-understood threat, shore-based shark fishing. As part of American Shark Conservancy's research program, this project will describe the impact of this activity on the species and use these data to help inform policy.