Skye Minnis' Saving the Blue (STB) experience began with an Instagram post – and now the 20-year-old marine science major who is in her final year at the Bahamas Agricultural Marine Science Institute (BAMSI) is anticipating her participation in Discovery Channel's Shark Week expedition.

Minnis, along with fellow BAMSI student, Bianca Miller, has been able to take advantage of a collaboration between the institute and STB whose mission is to recover and restore a variety of threatened marine species, while connecting communities to ocean wildlife, which aligns with BAMSI's push to educate its marine science students, introduce them to the marine environment and increase their exposure to issues related to conservation and green sustainable living.

For Minnis and Miller, the collaboration has provided an opportunity for them to gain training, experience and exposure alongside seasoned marine scientists.

During an internship with International Field Studies (IFS), the agency highlighted on Instagram a project Minnis was working on.

Dr. Tristan Guttridge, STB vice president and director, said he was glad to see Minnis getting dives in, and encouraged her to reach out to STB.

She did!

Bianca Miller, 19, a second-year marine science student at Bahamas Agricultural Marine Science Institute (BAMSI), assists with tagging a shark.

They communicated for several months before Minnis was able to attend a tagging expedition in November 2022. She stayed for five days in Cargill Creek, Central Andros.

"During that first trip, we saw six species of sharks and placed acoustic tags on the sharks."

In January, Minnis had another opportunity to be a part of STB's research team. Unlike the first occasion, they focused on collecting muscle samples from southern stingrays to compare data analysis.

"I was able to take some muscle samples from two of the rays that we caught. I learned a lot about the different sharks during this trip - how they behaved, how they act in certain environments and how they respond to certain things."

For Minnis, the STB team was a valuable resource.

"It's an amazing organization with amazing people – really nurturing; both Annie and Tristan. Tristan, he was really nice; I asked questions and he was very keen on answering. He told me that for my age, I'm getting a lot of experience. When he was my age, he didn't get the experience that I am getting. He didn't get it until he was much older. He was happy that young persons were getting that experience from BAMSI."

For her final paper for BAMSI, Guttridge is helping Minnis carry out research which looks at the impact of sharks on Bahamian fishermen.

Minnis had initially planned on focusing on Andros exclusively, but with the support of the STB team, she said she is looking to expand her thesis to cover more of The Bahamas.

Miller, 19, a second-year marine science student, first met with the STB team during a trip to Cargill Creek. She had been corresponding with Guttridge after a classmate told her about the organization.

During her first trip, which entailed a shark and stingray tagging exercise, they started the day taking muscle samples from stingrays and looking for sharks. They did not encounter any sharks on that excursion, which left Miller discouraged, but she said she realized she needed to be patient with the process if she was to have the encounter that she was excited to experience.

The following day, the group made plans to go to the Tongue of the Ocean where she was able to tag two sharks and helped pull in the buoys.

"I was kind of scared when tagging the shark for the first time, but eventually I realized it wasn't as bad as I thought ... everybody has a fear of sharks," said Miller.

Reflecting on the experience, Miller said she learned a lot.

"I learned how to tag sharks. I was watching how they set up on the boat. I also learned how to tie a bow knot for the boat, and I asked questions about what they do with the samples. I was curious, because I didn't know of any lab being in Andros; they said they sent the samples back to Florida.

"Saving the Blue is a great organization for the simple fact that I've been in Andros all my life, and I didn't know we had people who came to the island related to marine research, except for BNT [Bahamas National Trust] and Forfar [Forfar Field Station which is owned and operated by IFS, a non-profit]. When I found out about their shark research, I was very excited," said Miller.

"I wish that they had more organizations working in North Andros, especially for younger people ... ones in high school, to give them more of an insight into their environment. Growing up, I never met anyone who wanted to pursue a career in environmental studies."

Miller, who is tapped to be a part of the Class of 2023, is focused on a career in conservation of the marine environment.

"I want to work in The Bahamas. It's important because we are surrounded by water, so preserving the marine environment is important."

She said she would ultimately like to matriculate toward a doctorate degree.

Annie Guttridge, president of STB, said that she and her teammates are excited to work with BAMSI and are looking forward to their collaborations.

Referencing the students, she said they found everyone different.

"Many of them have never been out in deep water before. Tashon [Burrows, a third BAMSI student] never snorkeled before, but we were able to put him in the water swimming with sharks. Yes, he might have been afraid, but he did it," said Annie.

And that during Bianca's first excursion, the team was focused on capturing stingrays and taking samples for their Great Hammerhead project which examines factors associated with the shark, including the role stingrays play in their diet.

The STB president said they had previously engaged in similar research on Bimini, but that it would be their first time doing it on Andros.

Part of STB's mission, Annie said, is to give Bahamian students the opportunity to get hands-on experience with a variety of marine-related projects.

"Not many people are offering this opportunity in Andros. We want them to see it for themselves," she said. "They want to become marine biologists, but they're not really able to try it, so we give them an opportunity to see if this is something they really want to do or maybe be more office based. We want them to see if they love the experience, love being on the water ... people find what they love."

Alaasis Braynen, BAMSI CEO and general manager, said the institute's engagement with STB is a testament to the potential of Bahamians.

"It also demonstrates the strength of the marine program at BAMSI college which

is based on the high caliber of lecturers and the rigors of curriculum content. It is in fact the BAMSI college marine degree, which has become a magnet to leading universities in the United States and we look forward to collaborations involving both lecturers and students which will be of mutual benefit," said Braynen.

Minnis is expected to be a part of Discovery Channel's Shark Week expedition; an air date has yet to be announced. She is currently working on her dive master and scuba instructor certification, and plans to continue to work at the Field Station and with STB.

Click here to read more at The Nassau Guardian