NOAA Teacher at Sea
Laura Brezinsky
Aboard NOAA Ship Miller Freeman
April 8 – April 22, 2004
Day 7: Thursday, April 15, 2004
Latitude: 57.40.47N
Longitude: 155 12.38
Weather: continuous clouds
Visibility: 29.5-49.5 ft (Very High)
Wind direction: 220 degrees
Wind speed: 11 (m/s)
Sea level pressure: 26
Science and Technology Log:
Yesterday afternoon we began to collect data on “line 8” which is a line that goes across the Shelikof Straight from Kodiak Island to the Aleutian Peninsula. This is a line of moorings that has been in place for many years. After servicing the moorings, we began transiting back and forth taking CTD readings. This operation will take approximately 24 hours at which time we will begin moving South/West down the Aleutian Island Chain. As part of “The Ring of Fire” The Aleutian Islands are volcanically active and they continue to erupt on a regular basis. According to one of the ship’s crew who has been on this ship for many years and has seen them erupt, these volcanoes are explosive unlike our Hawaiian Volcanoes. Personal log Last night the ship had a couple hours of down time and I got a chance to go fishing. No one actually caught anything, but I suppose that’s why they call it fishing. Although thousands of tourists and commercial fishers flock to Alaska every year to catch the many different species of Salmon, the fishery remains one of the most healthy and prolific in the country. This is probably due to the relative inaccessibility of much of the state in combination with strict regulations. Recently the practice of farming Atlantic Salmon
has increased, much to the dismay of conservation Biologists.
Question of the day: Describe how Atlantic Salmon are farmed and processed? What are the negative impacts related to the farming of Atlantic Salmon? Discuss potential impacts to wild populations as well as local impacts due to pollution.
Laura
