NOAA Teacher at Sea
Guy Sturdevant
Aboard NOAA Ship Oscar Dyson
June 21 – July 15, 2026
Mission: Summer Pollock Acoustic Survey, Leg 2
Geographic Area of Cruise: Bering Sea, Alaska
Date: July 14, 2026
Weather Data from the Bridge
N 58.16° W 172.21 °, 0 AMSL
Conditions: Overcast, Seas at < 1’
Visibility: >3 NM
Wind: 4°/ 6 kt
Barometric Pressure 1010.3 mBar
Dry Bulb Temp: 46 ° F
Science Log
Last time we left off with a bin full of fish waiting to be processed. Today we’ll dive into the wet lab where we sort, measure, and process the fish.
Trigger Warning: In order to provide you with the most accurate understanding of the important science aboard Oscar Dyson, I will describe laboratory procedures and handling processes that require dissection of select fish.
While no one involved enjoys this, it helps scientists understand and protect this natural resource. Fish caught are handled ethically, bycatch (catching species other than the intended target) is extremely minimal, and any sensitive species are immediately released back into the ocean.
The wet lab is just that, wet! Seawater is used to process and clean fish, so every device and surface in the lab must be waterproofed and corrosion-resistant. Before we hop into the lab, we need to don cold-weather rain gear to keep us warm and dry. Once suited up, the science team uses a conveyor belt to sort the haul.
Each haul is unique; the wet lab supervisor decides which sorting method to use. To ensure we have gathered a statistically representative sample of what we are seeing on the echosounder, we aim to process approximately 350 pollock per haul, as well as sample any other species captured. This sample lets scientists divide the acoustic backscatter they recorded on the transect into categories by fish species and size classes- without the catch, there’s no way to know exactly how to assign this backscatter. A skilled acoustic lead scientist aims to land the perfect amount of fish; no more, no less.
The Midwater Assessment and Conservation Engineering (MACE) group of the Alaska Fisheries Science Center is responsible for running acoustic pollock surveys representing over 2.5 million square kilometers. To achieve this herculean task, the team has designed and continues to develop novel tools, processes, and methods. This spirit of innovation makes MACE unique.
In my next (and last!) post, we will look at some of these innovations and how they will empower scientists in MACE and across NOAA to produce the best possible data and science.
Personal Log
As my time at sea draws to a close, I am so grateful for this amazing opportunity and the very special crew of people that make this research happen. In my next and final post, we will look at the career pathways across the different departments and meet some of the new friends I’ve made aboard Oscar Dyson.
Emergencies At Sea
During safety drills, we practice mustering to life rafts and donning survival dry suits. As we wait on the back deck, the lead for each lifeboat practices recording key information, such as our current location and the bearing and distance to the nearest land. As I sat on the back deck, flopping like a fish while I squeezed into my survival suit, it struck me that the nearest hospital could well be over 500 kilometers away.
Aboard NOAA vessels, medical emergencies are the responsibility of the medical person in charge (MPIC). MPICs are typically junior officers trained in basic life support who have access to a small medical bay, basic life support equipment, and a limited cabinet of medications. A fair comparison might be to think of the medical bay like the back of an ambulance. Unlike an ambulance, however, the medical bay could be tasked with keeping a person alive for days awaiting evacuation. The MPIC is not alone; they are supported by a team of medical professionals ashore, with access to live feeds of patients’ vitals, who will help guide the MPIC in providing care.
Aboard Oscar Dyson, we were incredibly lucky to have LCDR LeeAnn Keener, a nurse practitioner serving in the US Public Health Service. Were we to have an emergency, LCDR Keener’s training and practice as a licensed medical professional would be a great asset. Currently, only a handful of vessels sail with a licensed medical professional.
Were an emergency to occur, the US Coast Guard would respond from their base in Kodiak, the largest USCG base in the world. First, an MH-60 Jayhawk rescue helicopter would scramble and begin moving towards the vessel in distress; this could take as long as 8 hours to arrive on scene. While underway, the flight surgeon aboard would contact the MPIC and begin preparing to receive the patient or patients. If necessary, Kodiak would begin marshaling additional resources to aid in the evacuation. In some cases, aircraft such as an HC-130 will be dispatched to a remote airfield to serve as the second leg of the emergency relay. Even with this incredible effort, it may take well over a day for a patient to reach the nearest level II trauma center in Anchorage. The total cost of such a remote rescue may well exceed $100,000.
Stay tuned for my final post where we put all the pieces together and profile career opportunities at NOAA!