Barb Block, salmon-shark tagging in Alaska. Our last day in Gravina Bay on Friday was spectacular. Every vista was different: Snow peaks and fir trees. Velvety green meadows. In all directions, trees with eagles roosting. We began the day with some quick catches and successful tagging. We were able to put out 4 tags before the weather came in with winds that made drifting a bit tricky. We ended the day with 18 successful tagging events, most sharks with multiple tags. (Here's a photo from last year's tagging that shows a salmon shark with two tags: a SPOT -- smart position or temperature transmitting tag attached to the dorsal fin -- and a pop-up tag.)

We collected the samples we needed to study some of the more unusual features of salmon sharks. How do they maintain their toasty warm bodies and still keep their heart functioning at ice cold temperatures? Dr. Joe Bonaventura successfully isolated myoglobin. Alessandro was able to prepare cardiac tissues for study back in the lab, and we were able to sample other tissues that we're interested in for future molecular work. (Here's a photo of Chris Perle, from last year, showing what a salmon shark can do to salmon bait!)

It was a wonderful day, complete with a rainbow. (Here's an example, above, from last year, of what this place can look like in good weather!) We took our small fleet of vessels back to Cordova. Our team from Alice's Cove included the F/V Gutsy Girl that with Captain Steve and Riley aboard, caught one of the best sharks of the day. We stayed at Alice's Cove, and the Stormy Port Lodge, which was a slice of Alaska heaven. (The photos below, from last year, show Gutsy Girl and the R/V Solstice.)