Kaitlyn at the Tortuga Music Festival teaching people about the importance of catch-and-release fishing.
Kaitlyn Isaacson originally grew up in the Pacific Northwest region, Washington state, and then later in her life moved clear across the country where she now resides in sunny Palm Beach, Florida. Kaitlyn has always had a passion for marine life and she decided to pursue that passion and expand her knowledge in biology at the University of Tampa where she later received her BSc degree in Marine Science and Biology.
While she was studying for her undergraduate degree, she was able to gain experience in the marine stranding, rescue, and recovery field through the Clearwater Marine Aquarium’s rescue internship program. She gained a lot of field experience through multiple emergency responses to sick, injured, distressed, or deceased marine mammals, sea turtles, and other various wildlife. She was able to connect with many organizations within the response network, namely, she was able to participate in several necropsies thanks to the FWC’s Marine Mammal Pathobiology Lab staff.
During her undergraduate years, she also worked at a south Florida scuba diving shop where she was able to learn more about the diving industry and become more involved in the local diving community. She was also able to connect with the American Shark Conservancy’s founder, Hannah Medd, and Kaitlyn quickly began to get involved in research projects, conservation efforts, and community outreach. Once Kaitlyn graduated from college, she took every available opportunity to assist with the various research projects under the American Shark Conservancy and she loves to provide support wherever needed. Her goal is to continue to stay involved in shark conservation and research through the organization because she is passionate about these sharks which typically receive a negative reputation. Through her passion and her studies, Kaitlyn understands the importance of their impact on ocean ecosystems and loves to share her knowledge and experience through conservation efforts.
