NOAA Teacher at Sea
Stacey Morris
Aboard NOAA Ship Reuben Lasker
July 26 – August 10, 2026
Mission: Integrated West Coast Pelagics Survey
Geographic Area of Cruise: West Coast Pacific Ocean
Date: August 7, 2026
Weather Data from the Bridge
Latitude: 45°00.923°’N
Longitude: 124°27.721’W
Wind Speed: 14 kts
Air Temperature: 17.5°C
Science and Technology Log
My mother just texted me, “So, what do you do with the fish that you catch?” Great question!
We do three trawls every evening, based on what the acoustic data shows us from moving our ship along our transect lines during the day. We do a marine mammal watch for 15 minutes before we cast the net. If everything is clear, we drop the net into the water. We then put two large metal “doors” into the water, that support the mouth of the net opening. The net has been specifically designed for the fish survey, to catch even the smallest fish larva and krill. Towards the end of the net, called the “codend,” there is a metal grate that is sewn into the net with a slit above it. This grate not only keeps larger species out of the net, like sharks, dolphins, and sea lions, but it also allows them to escape if they do swim into the net. There are sensors at the top and bottom of the net that show its position so we know that it is in the right position. Here is a photo of the monitor that can “see” the net:
We fish for thirty minutes, and then we hear “haul back!” which signals the net is being reeled back in. They use a large industrial spool to wind the net and the deck crew makes sure that it doesn’t get tangled, plus they stop if they see anything caught in the lines, such as mola mola (ocean sunfish) that like to hitch a ride in the net.
When we reach the back of the net, this is where we focus for our survey. If there are any protected species, like salmon, we measure, weigh, and take a quick photo record before we toss them back into the water. We put hardy fish that are not part of our survey into a saltwater bucket and also toss them over the side once we collect data.
We focus mainly on our target species, Northern Anchovies, Pacific Sardines, Pacific Mackerel, and Jack Mackerel, and separate them out from the rest of the catch. From these, we take a random sample to measure and weigh, and then we remove their otoliths (ear bones) which can be used to determine their age. We document all the species we find, and if there are any sample requests (from universities or marine labs) that we can fulfill, those fish are put into the freezer.
Once we are done sorting, documenting, and data collecting, everything goes back to the sea and we clean up before the next trawl comes in. We always randomly sample five baskets from a catch, no matter how big or small it is. A “water catch” is if we don’t pull up any of our target species, but we’ve been lucky enough to have at least one in each of our trawls on this leg of the trip. I’ve been amazed at how different each of our trawls have been, and it’s changed quite a bit as we go north, with different species being more prevalent.
Here are the fish that we have seen between San Francisco and Florence, OR :
| English Common Name | Spanish Common Name | Scientific Name |
| Northern anchovy | Anchoveta del Pacífico | Engraulis mordax |
| Animalia | Animales | Animalia |
| Jack mackerel | Jurel del Pacífico | Trachurus symmetricus |
| Whitebait smelt | Pez lápiz | Allosmerus elongatus |
| Pacific hake (whiting) | Merluza del Pacífico | Merluccius productus |
| Pacific herring | Arenque del Pacífico | Clupea pallasii |
| Coho salmon | Salmón coho | Oncorhynchus kisutch |
| Chinook (King) salmon | Salmón chinook/rey | Oncorhynchus tshawytscha |
| Pacific sardine | Sardina del Pacífico | Sardinops sagax |
| Pacific (chub) Mackerel | Caballa del Pacífico | Scomber japonicus |
| Eulachon | Eulacón | Thaleichthys pacificus |
| Steelhead | Trucha arcoíris | Oncorhynchus mykiss |
| Whiptail ribbonfish | Pez listón | Desmodema lorum |
| American shad | Sábal americano | Alosa sapidissima |
| Abraliopsis felis | Calamar | Abraliopsis felis |
| Aequorea sp | Medusa cristal | Aequorea sp |
| Amphipods (order) | Anfípodos | Amphipoda |
| Wolf eel | Pez lobo moteado | Anarrhichthys ocellatus |
| Sablefish (blackcod) | Bacalao negro | Anoplopoma fimbria |
| Pacific argentine | Argentina plateada | Argentina sialis |
| Greater argonaut – paper nautilus | Argonauta | Argonauta argo |
| Shiny (shining) loosejaw | Pez dragón luminoso | Aristostomias scintillans |
| Moon jellies (genus) | Medusa luna | Aurelia sp |
| Deepsea smelts (family) | Peces de aguas profundas | Bathylagidae |
| Carinariid heteropod (shell) | Carinaria | Carinaria japonica |
| Heteropods (shell) | Carináridos | Carinariidae |
| Ocean Whitefish | Blanquillo | Caulolatilus princeps |
| Chiroteuthis calyx | Calamar de cristal | Chiroteuthis calyx |
| Pacific sanddab | Lenguado del Pacífico | Citharichthys sordidus |
| Speckled sanddab | Lenguado manchado | Citharichthys stigmaeus |
| Pacific saury | Paparda del Pacífico | Cololabis saira |
| Spectacular corolla (Sea butterfly) | Salpa | Corolla spectabilis |
| Sandpaper (tennis ball) squid | Calamar de cristal | Cranchia scabra |
| Comb jellies (phylum) | Ctenóforos | Ctenophora |
| Crabs – Shrimps (order) | Decápodos | Decapoda |
| California headlightfish | Pez linterna | Diaphus theta |
| Humboldt squid | Calamar gigante de Humboldt | Dosidicus gigas |
| Northern anchovy larvae | Larvas de anchoveta del Pacífico | Engraulis mordax larvae |
| Striped (luminous flying) squid | Calamar luminoso | Eucleoteuthis luminosa |
| Pacific Krill | Kril del Pacífico | Euphausia pacifica |
| Euphausiids (order) | Kril | Euphausiacea |
| Soupfin shark | Cazón | Galeorhinus galeus |
| Rex sole | Platija del Pacífico | Glyptocephalus zachirus |
| Hardtail (catalina) conger | Anguila serpiente | Gnathophis cinctus |
| North Pacific armhook squid | Calamar boreal | Gonatopsis borealis |
| Gonatus sp | Calamar Gonatus | Gonatus sp |
| Seven armed octopus | Pulpo siete brazos | Haliphron atlanticus |
| Hormiphora sp | Ctenóforo | Hormiphora sp |
| Diamond turbot | Platija diamante | Hypsopsetta guttulata |
| Medusafish | Pez medusa | Icichthys lockingtoni |
| Ragfish | Pez ragfish | Icosteus aenigmaticus |
| Pacific blackdragon | Pez dragón negro | Idiacanthus antrostomus |
| Cookie cutter shark | Tiburón cigarro | Isistius brasiliensis |
| Glass squid | Calamar Leachia | Leachia pacifica |
| Bay goby | Gobio escamoso | Lepidogobius lepidus |
| Pacific staghorn sculpin | Charrasco costero | Leptocottus armatus |
| Slender barracudina | Pez lagarto | Lestidiops ringens |
| California smoothtongue | Pez plateado | Leuroglossus stilbius |
| Eared (popeye) blacksmelt | Pez gelatinoso | Lipolagus ochotensis |
| California market squid | Calamar de California | Loligo (Doryteuthis) opalescens |
| Slender sole | Platija fina | Lyopsetta exilis |
| Dover sole | Solla dl Pacífico | Microstomus pacificus |
| Ocean sunfish | Pez luna | Mola mola |
| Robust clubhook squid | Calamar robusto | Moroteuthis (Onykia) robusta |
| Octopus squid | Calamar pulpo | Octopoteuthis deletron |
| Tuberculate pelagic octopus | Pulpo pelágico | Ocythoe tuberculata |
| Boreal clubhook squid | Calamar garfio | Onychoteuthis borealijaponicus |
| Ocean (pink) shrimp | Camarón rosado | Pandalus jordani |
| California Spiny lobster | Langosta de California | Panulirus interruptus |
| Barracudinas (family) | Peces lagarto | Paralepididae |
| Purple striped jelly | Medusa pelágica | Pelagia colorata |
| Pacific butterfish (Pompano) | Palometa del Pacífico | Peprilus simillimus |
| Egg-yolk jelly | Medusa huevo frito | Phacellophora camtschatica |
| Phronima sp | Phronima | Phronima sp |
| Pelagic red crab (tuna crab) | Langostilla roja | Pleuroncodes planipes |
| Plainfin midshipman | Pez sapo luminoso | Porichthys notatus |
| Praya sp | Sifonóforo | Praya sp |
| Blue shark | Tiburón azul | Prionace glauca |
| Pelagic stingray | Raya violeta | Pteroplatytrygon violacea |
| Heteropods (no shell) | Caracoles pelágicos | Pterotracheidae |
| Jewel fire squid | Calamar luciérnaga | Pterygioteuthis gemmata |
| Pyrosome | Pirosoma | Pyrosoma atlanticum |
| Salps (order) | Salpas | Salpida |
| Pacific bonito | Bonito del Pacífico | Sarda chiliensis |
| California scorpionfish | Pez escorpión manchado | Scorpaena guttata |
| Cabezon | Cabrilla marmoleada | Scorpaenichthys marmoratus |
| Brown rockfish | Róbalo orejón | Sebastes auriculatus |
| Rockfishes (genus) | Róbalo | Sebastes sp |
| Sergestid shrimps (family) | Camarones pelágicos | Sergestidae |
| Northern lampfish | Pez linterna norteño | Stenobrachius leucopsarus |
| Blackbelly dragonfish | Pez dragón | Stomias atriventer |
| California lanternfish | Pez linterna de California | Symbolophorus californiensis |
| Kelp pipefish | Pez pipa de California | Syngnathus californiensis |
| Blue lanternfish | Linternilla azul | Tarletonbeania crenularis |
| Smalleye Squaretail | Pez cuadrado | Tetragonurus cuvieri |
| Common salp | Salpa gigante | Thetys vagina |
| Pacific torpedo (electric) ray | Raya eléctrica de California | Torpedo californica |
| Jack mackerel larvae | Larvas de jurel del Pacífico | Tracharus symmetricus larvae |
| King-of-the-salmon | Pez cinta | Trachipterus altivelis |
| Mexican lampfish | Pez linterna mexicano | Triphoturus mexicanus |
| Panama lightfish | Pejecito punteado | Vinciguerria lucetia |
| Vinciguerria sp | Pez linterna | Vinciguerria sp |
| Longspine combfish | Pez peine | Zaniolepis latipinnis |
While northern anchovy, Pacific and jack mackerel, whitebait smelt, and Pacific herring make up most of the fish we catch during our survey, California smooth tongue fish are our most common non-target species. Most of our target species are included in federal fisheries management plans, which means scientists regularly monitor their populations to help ensure they are harvested sustainably.
Understanding how fish populations change from year to year is essential for assessing the health of fish stocks and managing fisheries responsibly. Some species are especially important to the West Coast ecosystem and economy. Pacific sardines, for example, once supported a major fishery, but their population has declined dramatically in recent decades. Northern anchovies may not have the same economic value, but they play a critical role in the marine food web by serving as prey for many larger fish, seabirds, and marine mammals. Jack mackerel are also ecologically important and support commercial and bait fisheries that extend from state waters into federally managed waters.
Whitebait smelt and Pacific herring are unique to our survey because they are detected not only in our net catches but also in our acoustic data. Comparing the two datasets helps scientists validate survey results and improve estimates of fish abundance.
Did You Know?
FishBase is a website where you can look up 36500 different fish species, their common names, and pictures to help you identify something that you see or catch. You can even find out what they are called in other countries where they are found, which is tremendously helpful when you are working with fisheries that expand beyond U.S. waters or with migrating fish.
Personal Log
We are now located off of Newport, and I realize we are getting to the end of our trawling survey. I’m excited to get back home and see my family and friends, but I know I’ll miss the adventure of being on a scientific expedition with experts in the field. I love asking questions about the fish we are seeing, the nautical gauges on the bridge, and what all the equipment is down below in the labs and engine room. The wind has died down, and it’s easier walking around the ship. I’m sleeping very well, better than at home, which must be due to the rocking or the physical labor of processing the fish trawling. My favorite activity is mammal watch, making sure none are close to our boat before we put the net into the water. Seeing whales with the moon over the water was a beautiful sight!
