Michael received a B.S. Degree from the University of Rhode Island in 2014 where he studied Aquaculture and Fisheries Technology and participated in numerous fisheries research projects including fish trawl surveys, lobster trap species and size selectivity, blue crab abundance and distribution, and whelk fishery dynamics. Following graduation, he held positions with the Commercial Fisheries Research Foundation, Southern New England Cooperative Ventless Trap Survey, and City of Attleboro Conservation Commission which kept him engaged in the fields of fisheries and environmental management.
In the fall of 2015 Long joined the Jordaan Lab and the Environmental Conservation program, and is concentrating on wildlife, fish, and conservation biology. Michael’s graduate work focuses on the spatial ecology of horseshoe crabs in Wellfleet Bay on Cape Cod, Massachusetts where he serves as the horseshoe crab field coordinator for the Massachusetts Audubon Society’s Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary. In that position he manages multiple horseshoe crab conservation efforts on the outer Cape including acoustic telemetry, visual spawning surveys, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service button tagging, and outreach to local communities and tourists.