NOAA Teacher at Sea
Susan Brown
Aboard NOAA Ship Oregon II
September 2 – 15, 2017
Mission: Shark/Red Snapper Longline Survey
Geographic Area of Cruise: Gulf of Mexico
Date: August 24, 2017
Weather Data from the Bridge
I’m currently at home in Flagstaff, Arizona. It’s a typical, monsoon season morning coming in at 11.6 degrees C (53 degrees F) at 7:12 am with humidity at 92%. I’m about 1,700 miles away from Pascagoula, Mississippi, where I will be joining the team on our ship, NOAA Ship Oregon II, in just a few days!
NOAA Ship Oregon II Photo Credit: NOAA
Weather Data from my desk at school:
Latitude: 35.190807
Longitude: -111.65127
Sea wave height: NA
Wind Speed: 2 Mph
Wind Direction: NW
Visibility:
Air Temperature: 11. 6 degrees C
Barometric Pressure: 29.84” falling Rapdily
Sky: scattered clouds
Science and Technology Log
Once on board, I will be assisting the science crew with the third leg of the Shark/Red Snapper Longline Survey and will be fishing from Brownsville, TX to Galveston, TX. The mission of this survey is to monitor interannual variability of shark populations of the Atlantic coast and the Gulf of Mexico.
My understanding is that we will be working a 12-hour shift using longline gear to capture specimens and measure the length, weight and sex of the animal. The longline is baited with Atlantic Mackerel and will sit in the water for one hour. Here is what longline gear looks like:
The larger animals will require landing slings! I can’t even imagine. The science crew will also be tagging the animals as well as retaining a few for research. Finclips, like taking a nail clipping, will be gathered for DNA analysis. I am most excited to get up and close with these wonderful creatures tagging them to monitor their movement and health.
As part of the survey we will be gathering CTD (Conductivity Temperature Depth) data that provides a surface to bottom profile of temperature, salinity, dissolved oxygen, chlorophyll, turbidity and depth. As a class, we will be learning about these in depth in the classroom when we reach our unit on water quality in relation to our local watershed.
Personal Log
I am getting excited for this adventure and happy to have you along for the journey. I look forward to your questions and can’t wait to learn about these beautiful creatures while working with scientists. Please makes sure to check out the “Question of the Day” and other activities that will be posted on this blog. Your current research on sharks will come in handy while I am out here and will be crucial to learning about ocean food webs and current threats. Remember to check in daily for new posts while you are working on your projects.
Did You Know?
That I have never been to the Gulf of Mexico!
Question of the day
What species of shark live in the Gulf of Mexico?
Why do so many sharks like the Gulf of Mexico?
Christian, on board research fishery biologist, states the reason sharks like this area because there are a lot a resources here — food, habitat, nursery areas, temperature of the water — especially in the Southern Gulf as the water temperature doesn’t fluctuates so much.
temperature and food
Why do some sharks have 6 and 7 gills
Christian says that the 6 and 7 gills could possible belong to a more ancestral line. It’s a hard question to answer scientists don’t know sure.
how sharks have adapted over time
How often do whale sharks eat?
Check this site out: https://www.sharks.org/blogs/science-blog/whale-sharks-are-big-eaters
Sharks are opportunistic. Whale sharks are constantly eating where are other species can go days or weeks without eating. Most predators in the wild are not terribly successful catching it’s prey. They work hard and are constantly burning energy. The most effective predator in the world is the seahorse!
What species of sharks are the main reason for surfing prohibition on the Gulf of Mexico 🇲🇽
There isn’t much surfing in the Gulf of Mexico due to no wave action unless there is a storm. Swimming advisories may be issues for harmful marine life that may include jellyfish, Tigers, Hammerheads, Bulls, Blacktips.
not sure but i would imagine bull sharks
Can sharks be a purplish blue or a very dark brown?
Yes ,sharks be dark brown and Makos can be electric blue
Thanks
you bet!
purple no, dark brown yes.
Are you excited 😊
Absolutely…a once in a lifetime opportunity to get up close and personal with these amazing animals. Thanks for asking : )
Absolutely…a once in a lifetime opportunity to get up close and personal with these amazing animals. Thanks for asking : )
yes
Is the Shark aggressive toward you when you try to tag it?
They can be : )
What do you do if a shark has a sickness do you put it back or cure it?
Brett, parasitologist, states that you would want to find out what’s wrong with it instead of releasing it.
use it for research
Do you have a room on the ship?
Yes I do! I share a stateroom with another volunteer
How many times has there been a negative encounter with a Shark?
Lisa, the Chief Scientist on board, says there have been two in the past twenty years and the injuries were minor. There are more injuries due to things that happen on the ship like closing doors on fingers, items falling on you in rough seas, and knocking shins into doors.
Have tons of fun, Mrs. Brown!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I am! This is pretty darn amazing.
thanks!
Diego: How do you remove the hooks from the sharks mouth? what kind of line do you use? Is it a fishing rode, or do you reel them in using some device thats more attached to the ship?
They either use their hands or a set of pliers. We are using something called a longline that we attach 100 baited hooks to and deploy it from the stern of the ship so that the bait rests on the bottom. The bait is allowed to rest for one hour before we haul up the longline from the bow of the ship.
How many sharks have you tagged
I tagged my first shark last night! It was a large sandbar shark that we brought up using a cradle. It was amazing to be so close to a shark.
did you touch a shark if so what did it feel like
Yes, I have touched several sharks. The skin feels like sandpaper!
mrs brown went will you be back
I will be back in the classroom September 18th! I can’t wait to talk to everyone about this adventure.
What dose you room look like and how big is the boat
Look at my second blog post and you will see my room with the bunk bed. The ship is about 175 feet long.
What kind of sharks have the scientists decided to keep to research them?
Blacktip, spinner and sharpnose that came up already dead on the line
How seasick have you been?
I felt a little sick the first night in dock but once I took some medicine I haven’t had an issue : )
What kind of sharks did the scientists keep to study?
The sharks that came up dead will be used for outreach and research – sharpnose, blacktip and spinner sharks