"Seasonal and Long-Term Changes in Relative Abundance of Bull Sharks from a Tourist Shark Feeding Site in Fiji" Evaluation

Summary:
     Feeding sharks and rays have become a popular activity for tourist. Some are concerned that feeding the sharks can be harmful to the population of sharks. This study count bull sharks at a marine Reserve in Fiji. The main goal was to answer the following questions: 1) What are the changes of abundance of the bull shark? 2) How many sharks use the feeding site? 3) What is the female to male ratio of sharks? 4) How does the reproductive cycle vary each season? From the results of these questions show how the number of sharks going to the site change each year and what the reproductive cycle of the shark is.
     In order to attract sharks at this site, a diver dives down to different levels and releases food into the water. Sharks come because they are attracted to the chum and then the tourist can feed the sharks. From 2003 to 2009, bull sharks were counted and observed at each feeding. They counted how many bull sharks came, what sex they were, if they were pregnant, if there were any mating scars and if they had any other type of distinguishing features. Some sharks were named and they observed when that specific shark would come back.
    The results showed that each day 0 to 40 sharks would come to the feeding site. Over the long term there was an increase in sharks. The average female to male ratio was 3:4 but the overall was 3:6. Females had mating wounds from December to February. After the females left pregnant in the months October through December she would come back having gave birth.

Evaluate:
     The article is accurate because it goes into detail about the study that the report was on. It does not stray from the main topic at all. The authors are specific and the study has a clear purpose. The report on the study is broken down into headings that make it clear as to how they conducted the study, why, and what the results were. The way the report was written was slightly confusing at first but once they clearly stated the purpose it was easier to follow. The report could have been more concise. There was some redundancy in the report. It could have been shorter and more to the point. The study was ethical. They did not harm the sharks or the people who were feeding the sharks. They simply observed and counted the bull sharks. Overall the readability was not at a low reading level. It was a little difficult to read. But it was still understandable. As a reader, I am satisfied with the report and how it was written.
      The intended purpose was made clear, which was to count and observe the bull sharks. They wanted to see if the population increased and what the reproduction cycle was like in the area. The audience was directed towards other scientist, and conservationists. Someone who was at least in 11th grade could understand the study. It was not a very complicated study but the report was not written for a lay audience. The organization of the document was very good. The sections were broken up. The results were broken up into subheadings which made it easy to see the findings.

Reference:
Brunnschweiler, J.M., & Baensch, H. (2011). Seasonal and Long-Term Changes in Relative   
      Abundance of Bull Sharks from a Tourist Shark Feeding Site in Fiji. Plos one,6(1), doi:  
      10.1371/journal.pone.0016597.

 

"Dolphin Shows and Interaction Programs: Benefits for Conservation Education?" Evaluation

Summary:
     Dolphins and other marine organisms are being threatened due to anthropogenic factors. Dolphins are effected by overfishing, pollution, and boating. Educational programs in aquariums are set up through shows and interactive programs to teach people about the marine environment and conservation. This study's goal is to see if these programs are effective in helping educate the public.
      This study was conducted to see if attending dolphin shows and going to interactive dolphin programs would change a persons behavior, attitude, and/or conservation knowledge. A survey was given to individuals over the age of 18 who either attended a dolphin show or interactive program, or did not. Surveys were given to participants before their experience, directly after their experience, and three months after. The surveys asked questions about the participants general knowledge, conservation behaviors, attitude toward conservation and overall experience.
     The results showed that the experience was entertaining and for the interactive program it was an experience of a lifetime. After both shows, the audience had an increase in conservation interest both long term and short term. Participants had increased interest in dolphins and marine animals. The number of dolphin shows the participant attended seemed to be a factor in their interests. Overall, both interactive and non interactive dolphin shows were successful in educating the public on conservation efforts regarding the oceans.

Evaluation:
     This report seemed to be very accurate. The authors went into great detail about the experiment that took place. They did not leave out any details and the experiment made sense. The report had all the parts that were necessary to be an accurate report. The report was clear. The headings clarify each step of the process. The authors explain why they did the experiment, how they did it, and what they found as results. The experiment is ethical because all participants knew what they were participating in and why. The experiment itself was ethical because the goal was to determine how to educate people on marine conservation. The report was very easy to read. The reading level was at a low level that I could easily understand. There weren't too many big words and the sentence structure is not complex. I think that the report was overall satisfying to the reader.
     The purpose of this report was to explain what the experiment was, how it was conducted, and what the results were. The audience was directed to a lay audience. The vocab was not complicated and it was easy to follow. The study was not hard to follow. The organization of the document was easy to follow. The headings made it clear as to what they did in the experiment.

Reference:
Miller, L.J., Zeigler-Hill, V., Mellen, J., Koeppel, J., Greer, T., & Kuczaj, S. (2012). Dolphin Shows
     and Interaction Programs: Benefits for Conservation Education?. Zoo Biology, 32. 45-53.