Summer Program


Students will be participating in field work out on boats Monday through Friday each week catching, tagging, and recording data on sharks and stingrays as well as participating in classroom lectures. Students perform all aspects of the field work from baiting hooks to setting longlines and nets and processing the animals. Students may sign up for as many weeks as you would like. Weeks do not have to be consecutive. Each week will be conducted similar to the example schedule shown below. Any student who chooses to attend multiple weeks will be given more responsibility on the boat each week. Students who attend multiple weeks will hear different lectures each week. There are six weeks of different lectures. Attend six weeks to hear them all!


Students attending four weeks will be considered a chief scientist* on the research project.


Program Fees are currently $949 per week. Housing is available, if needed at a cost of $345 per week.


*Chief Scientists will be acknowledged by name on any published papers resulting from this research. Since Chief Scientists spend more time with us we are better able to write detailed recommendation letters for these students.

Our Current Research

We are currently planning on tagging sharks and rays with identification tags and acoustic tags as we have for the last 11 years to determine their geographic distribution. We have been documenting the shark and ray species found in this part of Florida, determining population sizes, determining age structure within a population, determining sex ratio within a population, observing site fidelity of individuals, and any changes in population sizes that occur during this study. We are looking for possible interactions between the populations of different species. We work with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission on sea turtle monitoring in our area and share our data with FWC, NOAA, and the Florida Division of Parks and Recreation.

Manatee Education / Manatee Kayaking Observation Trip

A manatee field observation trip will also be offered as an option for those participating in our summer program. The field observation trip will include transportation from our housing or the classrooms to the Weeki Wachee river. Participants will then be provided a double kayak and will be taken on a marine biologist guided tour of the river to observe manatees in their natural habitat. Participants will also be provided with a mask and snorkel to observe the manatees underwater. This optional trip will be conducted with a minimum of six participants and a maximum of twelve. Participants will be able to sign up for the trip once they arrive for their program weeks. This year there will also be a limited number of crystal kayaks available which are made of lexan and are completely see-through! This trip is INCLUDED with program fees!

The Weekly Itinerary

What to Expect (Saturday through Sunday)


Research will be conducted from one of our boats every day of the program, weather permitting*.


Sunday - Arrive at the Tampa (TPA) or Clearwater/St. Petersburg (PIE) airport. Transportation from either airport to our classrooms and our housing is included.


Monday through Friday - Out on a research vessel for around six hours each day conducting field research collecting sharks and stingrays. All animals will be sexed, measured, have pertinent data recorded, tagged, and released by our students. Other animals may be brought on board for observation, photographic documentation, then released. Attend brief lectures on our various local ecosystems and the animals we may encounter in those habitats prior to experiencing that ecosystem. Snorkeling over grass beds, in mangrove forests, and reef structures will be available throughout the week. 


Lecture topics: Students who attend 6 weeks will hear all lectures seen here and more. Shark and ray anatomy, physiology, reproduction, feeding behavior, habitat utilization, identification, conservation concerns, and current research; basics of estuaries including seagrasses and mangroves; fisheries; aquaculture; ecotoxicology; sea turtle anatomy, physiology, reproduction, and conservation concerns; manatee anatomy, physiology, reproduction, and conservation concerns; artificial and natural reef habitats; scientific research and communication; aquariums and captivity; concept of species; and invasive species and how to deal with them.


Saturday - Return travel. Transportation to the Tampa or Clearwater/St. Petersburg airports is included.

NOW ENROLLING !!

Summer ​​Program Weeks 2024

Summer 2024

Week # 1 May 5-11, 2024

Week # 2 May 12-18, 2024

Week # 3 May 19-25, 2024

Week # 4 May 26 - June 1

Week # 5 June 2-8, 2024

Week # 6 June 9-15, 2024

Week # 7 June 16-22, 2024

Week # 8 June 23-29, 2024

Week # 9 June 30 - July 6, 2024

Week # 10 July 7-13, 2024

Week # 11 July 14-20, 2024

Week # 12 July 21-27, 2024

Week # 13 July 28 - August 3, 2024

Week # 14 August 4 - 10, 2024

Week # 15 August 11 - 17, 2024

Week # 16 August 18 - 24, 2024


APPLY NOW!
Professors- University / College Faculty

The above weeks are for individual students, however if you would like to bring your class or group either during the summer or in the spring or fall, we can accommodate your specific needs. Our classrooms and boats handle groups up to 40 students.


Not only can our shark research internship program be tailored to meet your specific class needs, we can also provide a group rate which includes housing, in town transportation and meals. Additionally, we provide special group trips for our Costa Rica class or Colombia class which can accommodate 16 students or 14 students and two professors/chaperones. These trips can also be tailored to fit your class needs.


Please contact us at info@coastalmera.com for more details.


See the below testimonial from Professor Todd Wellnitz who has brings classes annually from the University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire to our program


"CMERA provides an extraordinary, high-impact educational experience that cannot be found anywhere else for the price. My students were out on the water every day setting the gear, catching and handling sharks and rays, and learning about marine ecosystems first hand. We had opportunities to see dolphins and sea turtles, swim with manatees, and dive artificial reefs. I think it fair to say my students learned more during our week at CMERA then they might have from a semester in the classroom. The students come back changed. They will remember their experience and what they learned for years to come.”


Professor Todd Wellnitz, University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire

Share by: