NOAA Teacher at Sea
Cheryl Milliken
Aboard NOAA Ship Oregon II
July 25 – August 10, 2025
Mission: Bottom Longline Survey, Leg 1
Geographic Area of Cruise: Atlantic Coast of Florida
Date: August 15, 2025
Weather Data from the Bridge (on our Boston Whaler)
Latitude: 41° 42.48’ N
Longitude: 070° 38.34’ W
Wind speed: 0-1 kts
Wave height: 1-2 ft
Air temp.: 26.7° C
Sky: Clouds
Science and Technology Log
The end of the trip wrapped up rather quickly, requiring us to steam for a while between stations and from the last station to the port of Miami Beach, FL, by noon on August 10. During this leg we were able to sample 45 stations between Miami and Cape Hatteras, NC.
While on my trip, I wanted to highlight some of the many careers on the ship. I interviewed someone from NOAA Corps, a scientist, a survey technician, two fishermen, and an engineer to get a range of job prospects on this ship. Today I have two people who have great influence on the culture of the ship: the chief steward and the commanding officer. Each of these people took a different path to get to Oregon II, and each person had a common goal: to support and conduct solid science.
Interview with Celeste Morris
Anyone who has been on a vessel at least overnight knows the most important position to maintain positive morale on the ship is the chief steward (head chef!). Our trip was no exception, even though our chief steward was an augmenter. Miss Celeste Morris serves a unique role among NOAA’s vessels: she moves from one ship to another in order to take the place of (augment) the chief steward when they go on vacation. Celeste started out as a teacher in Savannah, Georgia. She volunteered on a cruise, and one of the scientists suggested she apply for a position. “Well, I can’t be an engineer, so I applied for 2nd Cook.”
She has been on many vessels in the NOAA fleet. When not working, she likes to see her two grown daughters and her granddog. Thank you, Miss Celeste, for greeting us all with a smile and friendly conversation whenever we approached you in the galley. I loved trying all the new-to-me dishes that you made. Shoutout to Kierra Bradley, the 2nd cook, who kept up with everyone’s dishes and made a to-die-for mac and cheese!
Interview with CO Adam Reed
The last person on my interview list is the Commanding Officer (CO), CDR Adam Reed. CDR Reed has only a few more months on the ship; he will be transferring command to CDR Jesse Milton in January 2026. CDR Milton has had several very interesting appointments, including time on American Samoa and a 10-month stint as station science leader at the Amundsen–Scott South Pole Station in Antarctica! Jesse was on this leg getting a feel for the vessel, and he proved himself to be ready and knowledgeable when that time comes. In the meantime, CDR Reed will stay at the helm to support the Southeast Fisheries Science Center on NOAA Ship Oregon II.
This leg seemed to have an abundance of NOAA Corps officers, but that may be a typical situation. Along with CDR Adam Reed and Jesse Milton, CAPT Tracy Miller, director of training for OMAO (Office of Marine and Aviation Operations) Training, was present to command a shift. LT Luke Petzy was generally at the helm during my watch, and commissioned bridge officer ENS Vincenzo LeDonne was on with the night watch. LCDR Pete Gleichauf, the Executive Officer (XO) of the ship, had to read all my blogs to make sure there were no errors, and for his positive comments I am grateful. Many of these NOAA Corps officers, as well as the crew, had background training in science but ended up on this support path.
CDR Adam Reed has been in the NOAA Corps for nearly 18 years. He is originally from Colorado and graduated from Colorado School of Mines with a degree in Engineering Physics. This is his first time as CO on a NOAA vessel, but he has spent time as XO on three other ships: NOAA Ship Rainier (around Alaska), NOAA Ship Fairweather (Rainier’s sister ship in Alaska), and NOAA Ship Ferdinand R. Hassler (a coastal mapping vessel that works along the Great Lakes to the Gulf of America [formerly Gulf of Mexico]). NOAA Corps officers generally serve in a rotation of sea assignment lasting 2 years, followed by a 3-year land assignment. CDR Reed was stationed at Northeast Fisheries Science Center (NEFSC) in Woods Hole, MA, prior to his current appointment on Oregon II. When his duties end here, he will be stationed at Newport, RI.
What do you like most about the job?
“I like traveling to all the different places and ports. I consider myself a foodie, so I like to go out to local restaurants.”
I know you live in Falmouth, MA, with your wife when you’re not at sea. What are your favorite restaurants there?
“I’d have to say Bluefins [Bluefins Sushi & Bar on Main Street in Falmouth], but we go to the Pickle Jar more often [also on Main Street]. We can walk to downtown, which is great.”
What hobbies do you have?
“I like to play video games and Dungeons and Dragons. I play curling in Falmouth. I like to ski in Colorado.” [He also loves puns! Sometimes the daily plan will have a pun from him to lighten the mood.]
If you could invent any tool to make your work more efficient and cost were no object, what would it be and why?
“The one tool [that is already invented] would be dynamic positioning. It’s an integrated system of computer controls that coordinate all engines automatically. Smaller ships can do this, but Oregon II is very analog. O II is single screw, meaning only one propeller. Some ships in NOAA’s fleet, like Okeanos Explorer, have that [technology].”
Drifter update
Here are links to see where our drifters are:
- Drifter #1 (released off of St. Augustine, FL)
- Drifter #2 (released 93 miles off St. Catherine’s Island, GA)
- Drifter #3 (released southeast of Cape Hatteras, NC)
As of today, Drifter #1 is about 20 miles east of Topsail Beach, just north of Wilmington, NC. Drifter #2 made a solid loop in its track but now appears to be back in the Gulf Stream. Although we were nervous that we would not be close enough to the Gulf Stream during our initial plan to launch Drifter #3, it appears to have progressed well in that path.
Personal Log
Now that I am home and have some time to reflect, I appreciate how everyone on NOAA Ship Oregon II welcomed me into their family. Living on the ship for seventeen days requires patience, grace, and courtesy, and my shipmates were well-versed in all of that and more. I have to get back to school on August 26 (students start on September 2), and I know these folks are rooting for me to teach my students all about how I spent my summer.
First photo: Day watch, L to R: Evan Winters (volunteer), Tera Winters (contractor), Sean Gronquist (skilled fisherman), Cheryl Milliken (NOAA Teacher at Sea), Mike Fountain (oiler and stand-in crane operator and fisherman), Trey Driggers (chief scientist), Josh Cooper (lead boatswain), and Gretchen Kruizenga (senior survey technician).
Second photo: Night watch, L to R: Lila Xenakis (volunteer), Henry Legett (volunteer), Kristin Hannan (acting Fieldwork Coordinator and lead of night watch), Nick Hopkins (Fisheries Methods and Equipment Specialist at SEFSC), and Noah Harris (volunteer).
Prior to sailing, I was most concerned about seasickness. At my annual physical, I explained my trip to my primary care physician, and she prescribed Scopolamine patches for my time at sea. I was fortunate that when we left Pascagoula, we were in calm seas for a few days, and noticeable waves didn’t hit us until we were heading up the east coast of Florida. At that point, I felt a little queasy, but I chewed on some candied ginger and made sure to drink lots of water! I now know that there is a successful way for me to manage seasickness over a long period of time at sea. That was a game changer!
The meals on the ship were outstanding. We always had a choice of two meat entrees, a side, and fresh vegetables. Lots of people on the ship were focusing on getting enough protein, and Celeste met those needs with healthy portions. We had to sacrifice the large red groupers and red snappers for age and growth measurements (by extracting the ear stones, or otoliths), so people filleted the meat off those individuals, and we all enjoyed some fresh fish. The crew have amassed a huge assortment of condiments (including mayonnaise that doesn’t need refrigeration…!), so it was fun to try new sauces on things like pulled chicken and chicken tenders. My love for roasted vegetables has increased thanks to Celeste offering items I don’t generally eat!
It’s funny to think about the crew out on another leg, while I and several of my colleagues on Leg 1 will only sail once. I think a bunch of the volunteers will go out again, but my perspective of the cruise is the 16-day snapshot of our specific time together. Kristin Hannan is out with Teacher at Sea Robert Markuske, training him and helping to launch more ocean drifters.
I am excited to see what Lila Xenakis does in the future. She is a master’s student in the Daly-Engel Shark Conservation Lab at Florida Tech (Florida Institute of Technology). Students from this lab try to volunteer on the shark bottom longline survey because they get fin clip samples from sharks caught during the survey, which adds to their database of genetic samples. They need hundreds of samples to examine populations of sharks in a meaningful way, and it’s not fair to ask for samples without pitching in. Besides, who doesn’t want to experience sharks up close and personal?
Dr. Toby Daly-Engel and her students examine ecology and reproductive strategies of different shark species by examining patterns in nuclear and mitochondrial DNA. Some shark species exhibit philopatry, meaning they go back to their birthplace in order to reproduce. This behavior is also exhibited in turtles and river herring, for example. By looking at the DNA, these scientists can tell if the populations are mixing or if they are inbred. Samples from east of Florida and the southeast can answer these questions. The more questions that are answered, the more there are to answer! Scientific research is a never-ending journey to find the answers.
Did You Know?
Sharks have a unique organ for digestion known as the spiral valve. The microbiome (microorganisms that live) in sharks’ spiral valves differs not only from species to species, but even among the layers of the valve in an individual! The microbiome, or bacteria, must help digest different parts of their meal as it moves through the spiral valve.
Something to think about:
While on our trip, we were targeting large sharks and large reef fishes because of the hook size that was used. Meanwhile, in the waters around Cape Cod this summer people have seen several hammerhead sharks and a juvenile tiger shark: Hammerhead Sightings Increase In Upper Cape Waters; Fisherman Hooks Tiger Shark. In addition, the Atlantic White Shark Conservancy, with the help of MA Division of Marine Fisheries shark biologist Greg Skomal, tagged ten great white sharks in Cape Cod Bay this past month. Of course, this is the 50th anniversary of the release of Jaws, so the many events to signify this occasion keep sharks forefront in our minds here on the Cape.
Are the sharks being seen more frequently because people are looking for them? Is more food available to these sharks than in the past? Is the increase in temperature of waters off Cape Cod causing the sharks to stretch their distribution further north, or is it an anomaly? We will have to see, and I am glad NOAA Fisheries is out there collecting data on fishes over a long time frame to be able to make informed decisions about the species that are commercially important to us.