CV

January 2022 - July 2022

Sarasota Bay Explorers

Sarasota, FL

• Lead and narrated two hour long Sea Life Encounter Cruises associated with Mote Marine Lab & Aquarium to educate the public about the marine environment of Sarasota Bay.
• Acted as a first mate while maintaining the vessels and equipment such as trawl nets, animal aquariums, ropes, etc.
• Led nature walks on an uninhabited island as well as deployed FWC permit approved mid-water trawl nets for educational purposes.

F&W BIOLOGICAL SCIENTIST I

December 2021 - March 2022

Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Fish and Wildlife Research Institute            

St. Petersburg, FL

• Conducted directed field research and monitoring of commercial and recreational fisheries from Florida’s Gulf of Mexico waters by collecting detailed biostatistical data (species composition, sex ratio, weight, effort, gear, and area fished.

• Collected samples from marine fish for stock assessments and genetic analysis and performed data analysis, production of tables and figures for publication, participation in technical or scientific reports, and occasional sampling of recreational fisheries.

MOTE MARINE ELECTRONIC MONITORING FISHERIES RESEARCH INTERN

May 2020 - August 2020 & May 2021 - August 2021

Mote Marine Laboratory and Aquarium

Sarasota, FL

• Interned with The Center for Fisheries Electronic Monitoring at Mote, partnering with the Commercial Gulf of Mexico reef fish fishery, which is the first to target gulf-wide electronic monitoring (systems installed on fishing vessels with 3-5 cameras and sensors) to obtain catch & bycatch data for management decisions to create a sustainable commercial reef fish fishery. 

• Reviewed fishing vessel video to analyze catch & bycatch, coordinated artificial intelligence programing (Tator) for computer to automatically count and measure fish, assisted with captain and crew correspondence, troubleshooted vessel electronic monitoring systems, performed literature searches and review, attended Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council meetings, assessed and corrected volunteer video footage, and formulated and maintained project budgeting sheets into an online database.

• Participated in sampling projects using seine nets within the Sarasota area and Mote’s annual snook tag and release events by measuring fish, corresponding locations of fish, taking water parameter data, and transporting and releasing fish.

NSU FISHERIES AND AVIAN ECOLOGY LAB ASSISTANT

August 2020 - May 2022

Nova Southeastern University 

Fort Lauderdale, FL

• Led effect of Time in Wildlife Rehab Clinic and Administration of Anthelmintic Drugs on Avian Endoparasite Communities Research Study.

• Spearheaded Albacore Tuna Depth Distribution and Post Release Mortality Research Study.

• Extracted otoliths for a graduate student’s master’s thesis project dealing with the age and growth of mesopelagic fishes including escolar, oilfish, and snake mackerel (rare bycatch species).

• Dissected stomach contents of albacore, yellowfin tuna, swordfish, and other billfish species for a graduate student’s thesis on gut content analysis of highly migratory species. 

• Performed a skull (neurocranium) prep of escolar by removing muscle, tissue, performing a series of baths, and 3-D scanning the neurocranium for the online database, NSU Works.

• Performed a jaw prep of a spiny dogfish and blacktip shark by removing muscle, tissue, performing a series of baths, and 3-D scanning the jaws for the online database, NSU Works.

• Performed a clearing and staining project of bony fish using a variety of different chemical & staining baths.

• Dissected sharks and stingrays extracting internal organs, musculature, and jaws for research projects.

THE BILLFISH FOUNDATION SAILFISH RESEARCH INTERN

August 2019 - March 2020

The Billfish Foundation

Fort Lauderdale, FL

• Interned with The Billfish Foundation to advance the conservation of billfish & associated species to improve the health of oceans & economies.

• Proposed and conducted a research project on sailfish to determine if sea surface temperature affects the distribution of sailfish off the East coast of Florida from 2003 to 2018.

  • Pratt, Meredith M. (2021) "Atlantic Sailfish (Istiophorus albicans) Distribution off the East Coast of Florida from 2003 to 2018 in Response to Sea Surface Temperature," Mako: NSU Undergraduate Student Journal: Vol. 2021, Article 1.

  • Available at: https://nsuworks.nova.edu/mako/vol2021/iss1/1

• Presented a poster presentation at the 74th Gulf and Caribbean Fisheries Institute Conference (GCFI74) in Fort Walton Beach, Florida November 2021.

ELASMOBRANCH RESEARCH SCIENTIST