My name is Jared Handelman and I am a Ph.D. student at Stony Brook University’s School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences (SoMAS), Southampton, working with Dr. Joe Warren in the Acoustic Laboratory for Ecological Studies. My research focuses on understanding the distribution, abundance, and ecology of Atlantic menhaden (Brevoortia tyrannus), commonly known as bunker, and the predators that depend on them.
I conduct surveys along the South Shore of Long Island using unmanned aerial systems (drones) and satellite imagery to identify and quantify menhaden schools and document their associated predators. These surveys allow us to examine where menhaden and their predators occur, how their distributions change throughout the year, and how environmental conditions such as water temperature, habitat, and oceanographic conditions may influence their movements and habitat use.
Menhaden are one of the most important forage fish in the Atlantic ecosystem. They serve as a critical food source for a wide variety of predators including striped bass, bluefish, tuna, whales, dolphins, and several species of sharks. Because of their importance to the marine web, understanding where menhaden occur, how abundant they are, and what age classes make up local schools can provide valuable information to better understand (and potentially manage) these fish. I am hoping to use menhaden scales to determine age and growth. Fish scales can contain annual growth patterns that allow researchers to estimate the age of individual fish. By collecting menhaden scales from different locations around Long Island, we can begin to examine whether there are differences in the age and growth patterns of menhaden across the South Shore of Long Island.
Looking for Local Fishermen to Help
I am looking for anyone who regularly encounters or catches bunker in the Jones Beach, Dune Road, and Montauk Point areas who may be willing to donate menhaden samples for research. Information needed includes date/time fish were caught, how and where they were caught, total length (cm), standard length (cm), weight (g), and about 6 scales per side of the fish. Data can be filled out through a form and or emailed to me directly. The goal is to get around 20 fish per site. The scales can be put into small vials or picked up and collected. These samples would be used strictly for scientific research and would contribute to a larger effort to better understand the age structure, growth, distribution, and ecology of Atlantic menhaden around Long Island. Local fishermen have an incredible amount of knowledge about our waters, and observations and samples collected by people who are on the water regularly can be extremely valuable to researchers. If you regularly encounter bunker in these areas and would be interested in contributing samples, or if you would simply like to learn more about the project, please feel free to reach out to me. I would be happy to explain the research and what types of samples/measurements are needed. Thank you to the Long Island/New Jersey fishing community for supporting local fisheries research and helping us better understand the species that make our coastal ecosystem so productive.
Contact Information:
Jared Handelman, PhD Student
Acoustic Laboratory for Ecological Studies (ALES)
School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences
Stony Brook University
Email: jared.handelman@stonybrook.edu
Cell: (917) 775-2140