NOAA Teacher at Sea
John Sammons
Onboard NOAA Ship Albatross IV
July 25 – August 4, 2005
Mission: Ecosystem Survey
Geographic Region: Northeast U.S.
Date: August 3, 2005
Weather Data from the Bridge
Latitude: 42° 5’ N
Longitude: 67° 28’ W
Visibility: undetermined
Wind direction: E ( 107 degrees)
Wind speed: 12 knots
Sea wave height: 3’
Swell wave height: 0’
Sea water temperature: 14°C
Sea level pressure: 1022.2 millibars
Cloud cover: 30% Partly cloudy,cumulus
Questions of the Day: In what group is the scallop categorized – vertebrates or invertebrates? What kingdom does the scallop belong – monerans, protests, fungi, plants, or animals?
(You may need to use a dictionary to look up these words before deciding the correct answer.)
Yesterday’s Answer: If the sea scallop population were to change drastically, then the population of starfish and crabs might change, too. Other organisms that are in the same community as the scallop are little skate, red hake, yellow tail flounder, and goosefish.
Science and Technology Log:
On Wednesday, the ALBATROSS IV began surveying the western edge of Georges Bank. Typically dense fog, cool temperatures, low visibility dominate the scene. We are currently about 55 miles offshore as we continue to meander between stations and conduct a sampling of the various strata. This morning we caught a dogfish shark in the dredge and took a photo opportunity. It is exciting when a new species (one we have not seen yet on this survey) appears in the dredge. The biggest excitement came when hagfish started to appear in the dredge. These snake-like fish tried to squirm their way off the deck. Several adjustments were made in the trackline (or stations we will visit) to account for time and problems with the tow.
The chart below shows a selected number of species and the total catch weights from July 25 – August 2.
|
Species Names |
Catch Weight (grams) |
|---|---|
|
HAGFISH ATLANTIC |
3,230 |
|
SPINY DOGFISH |
1,560 |
|
BARNDOOR SKATE |
33,462 |
|
WINTER SKATE |
152,976 |
|
LITTLE SKATE |
608,663 |
|
SMOOTH SKATE |
5,303 |
|
THORNY SKATE |
6,199 |
|
ATLANTIC HERRING |
402 |
|
SILVER HAKE |
116,339 |
|
COD |
11,498 |
|
HADDOCK |
59,354 |
|
WHITE HAKE |
7,140 |
|
RED HAKE |
399,512 |
|
SPOTTED HAKE |
310 |
|
FOURBEARD ROCKLING |
191 |
|
AMERICAN PLAICE |
30,250 |
|
FLUKE |
27,660 |
|
FOURSPOT FLOUNDER |
124,973 |
|
YT FLOUNDER |
108,054 |
|
WINTER FLOUNDER |
46,980 |
|
WITCH FLOUNDER |
15,660 |
|
WINDOWPANE FLOUNDER |
27,576 |
|
GULF STREAM FLOUNDER |
9,189 |
|
BLACKBELLY ROSEFISH |
8 |
|
SCULPIN UNCL |
18 |
|
MOUSTACHE SCULPIN |
33 |
|
LH SCULPIN |
80,691 |
|
SEA RAVEN |
21,468 |
|
ALLIGATORFISH |
2 |
|
NORTHERN SEAROBIN |
47 |
|
CUNNER |
493 |
|
ROCK GUNNEL |
75 |
|
NORTHERN SAND LANCE |
40 |
|
OCEAN POUT |
68 |
|
FAWN CUSKEEL |
382 |
|
GOOSEFISH |
933,330 |
|
AMERICAN LOBSTER MALE |
34,550 |
|
CANCER CRAB UNCL UNSEXED |
122,684 |
|
STARFISH UNCL |
161,477 |
|
ASTERIAS BOREAL |
242,902 |
|
ASTROPECTEN SP |
15,623 |
|
ICELAND SCALLOP LIVE |
450 |
|
SCALLOP ICELAND CLAPPER |
56 |
|
CONGER EEL UNCL |
200 |
|
SEA SCALLOP CLAPPER |
222,600 |
|
SEA SCALLOP LIVE |
19,863,690 |
|
SNAKE EEL UNCL |
59 |
|
ILLEX SQUID |
1,313 |
|
OCTOPUS SPOONARM |
109 |
|
SPOONARM OCTOPUS |
200 |
|
SCORPIONFISH AND ROCKFISH UNCL |
4 |
|
UNKNOWN 01 |
19 |
1) Order the 10 highest amounts from greatest to least.
2) Order the 10 lowest amounts from least to greatest.
3) Which species has a total with a 9 in the millions place?
4) Which species has a total with a 6 in the ten thousands place?
5) Which species has a total with a 9 in the hundred thousands place?
6) Choose a species to research. Why do you think their numbers are higher or lower than the others are?
Personal Log
A Few Days Left
With just a few days left before we enter the home port,
We still continue to collect and sample and we sort.
The number of each species catch continues to go up,
We even brought a dogfish in that was only just a “pup”.
What more can we expect to find within the capture net,
From this station to the next one, we’ll take what we can get.