Lollie Garay – NOAA Teacher at Sea Blog

May 19, 2009April 5, 2021

Lollie Garay, May 19, 2009

NOAA Teacher at Sea
Lollie Garay
Onboard Research Vessel Hugh R. Sharp
May 9-20, 2009

Mission: Sea scallop survey
Geographical Area: North Atlantic
Date: May 19, 2009

Day Shift Crew (left-ft): Larry Brady, Shayla Williams, Vic Nordahl, Gary Pearson, Shad Mahlum, Lollie Garay

Weather Data from the Bridge
Temp: 12.72˚C
True wind: 1.7 KT
Seas: 2-3 Ft.

Science and Technology Log

Our day began on Station 170 with calm seas, clear skies and warm sunshine. We completed the last sampling tow late in the afternoon and began the final clean-up. All the equipment and gear was washed down and packed. We are now headed back to Lewes, Delaware where our voyage began.

Mary Moore waits on the dredge to come in.

It’s hard to believe 12 days have gone by already. It has been amazing journey and I have learned so much. The men and women whose work takes them to the seas are to be commended. It is hard work with long hours in all kinds of weather. But in all of science team and crew I sense the pride and the commitment each has for their work. I am going home with stories and images to share with my classroom, friends and family with a first-hand perspective. And I leave my crew with profound gratitude for all they have taught me.

Personal Log

I spent some time last night talking with the youngest member of the ship’s crew, Mary Moore. Mary comes from four generations of commercial fishermen. She admitted that she decided early on she did not want to follow her parents’ footsteps .But after looking at other career choices she came full circle and does indeed work at sea. Mary earned a Hundred Ton License which allows her to drive vessels up to 100 tons. She went to school in Florida for Seaman Training where she learned Basic fire-fighting, First Aid/CPR, Survival at Sea, and Personal Responsibility. When I asked her what she liked most about her job or the sea she said, “Just being out at sea–it feels like home.” Watching the last rays of sunlight dancing on the smooth, rolling sea, I can understand what she means. In twelve days I found a personal sense of accomplishment and a love of the sea as well.

May 18, 2009April 5, 2021

Lollie Garay, May 18, 2009

NOAA Teacher at Sea
Lollie Garay
Onboard Research Vessel Hugh R. Sharp
May 9-20, 2009

Mission: Sea scallop survey
Geographical Area: North Atlantic
Date: May 18, 2009

Weather Data from the Bridge
Scattered showers, thunderstorms
Temp: 9.28˚ C
True wind: 13.4 KT

Science and Technology Log

Today a video camera was attached to the dredge. Using the camera they are able to see when the dredge is actually on the ground to determine the amount of bottom contact. It is important to verify sensors like these anytime you work in science. The inclinometer records angle changes that we can interpret into a time on bottom which can be used to calculate a tow distance or bottom contact. This is compared to the tow distance calculated from the GPS recorded by FSCS. Unfortunately, the inclinometer angle change is not abrupt enough to determine the start time, so the camera is used to determine the amount of time before we start recording tow distance with FSCS.

Looking for crabs in a pile of Starfish is harder than you think!

We have two days of sampling left and then we begin to clean and pack. The first dredge today brought up so many sand dollars that they had to shovel some away before they could even secure the dredge! By late afternoon we were back into starfish; in all the dredges the scallop count was comparatively small.

Personal Log

Around 4PM the skies cleared and we had sunshine again! It was a welcome sight after days of fog, cloud cover, and cold. That, along with calmer seas, made for a great day. Sitting on deck in the warmth of the Sun watching the wave action, I reflect all the different moods of the sea I have seen. I also think about all the wondrous animals I have seen; and wonder about how much more life there is that we didn’t see.

Lollie and a heap of Sand dollars! — Lollie and a heap of sand dollars!

May 17, 2009April 5, 2021

Lollie Garay, May 17, 2009

NOAA Teacher at Sea
Lollie Garay
Onboard Research Vessel Hugh R. Sharp
May 9-20, 2009

Mission: Sea scallop survey
Geographical Area: North Atlantic
Date: May 17, 2009

It was great to see the Sun again after all the fog!

Weather Date from the Bridge
Showers/scattered thunderstorms
Temp: 12.2˚C
Winds: 11.1KT
Seas: 5-8 ft

Science and Technology Log

We have completed 138 stations and are halfway through today’s shift. Our transit today will take us to the closest we’ve been to the coast. Having said that, we are still about 40 miles offshore. The weather today has been better than we expected. Seas are still choppy, and the air is very cool.

Working out on deck requires us to bundle up. The fog has lifted after cutting visibility down to 100 ft yesterday! The captain said that he had three different computers going at the same time to insure safe navigation. This led to a conversation about how technology has changed on ships. Captain Warrington said in the old days all they used were 2 radars, a stopwatch, and “dead reckoning” where they lay out a line of travel (their course) on paper. As you can see from my past conversations about the science night crewmembers, people come from all walks of life to work in NOAA’s Fisheries Service. I have not written about the science day crew because the other Teacher At Sea, Elise Olivieri is working with them. Check out her logs to see what’s happening on her shift! And what about the ship’s crew?

We have Vessel Master James Warrington (the Captain). He has been with the University of Delaware for 25 years, and a Captain for 18 years. He started out as an engineer and decided he would like it better on the bridge! He has to go through re-certification periodically to maintain his license. I asked him what his most interesting assignment of all time was and he said it was working at the Bermuda Biological Station. Chris Bogan has been a Vessel Master since 1983 and is the First Mate on this cruise. He told me that 90% of his family had been sea captains, on both sides of his family!

One of the most important crewmembers on board is Paul Gomez, the cook! Paul is originally from Ecuador. His family lives in New York, but Paul, his wife and children live in Delaware. Paul has worked with the University of Delaware for 5 years and stays out at sea most of the year. He has been out at sea for 165 days already this year. Paul says he really enjoys his work because of all the people he meets. You can ask anyone on this cruise and they will tell you that he is a fabulous chef! And he is always smiling.

Personal Log

We had a lot of smiles this evening. We are within satellite range that has brought our cell phones back to life, at least for awhile. We are just off the coast of Manhattan, so everyone got busy with a call home. We also got a glimpse of city lights off in the distance. As I was getting into my foul weather gear again tonight, I started thinking about how many times this has happened this week. We have averaged 9 stations per day on our shift and have been working for 9 days so far, which means that I have put on this gear 81 times. This may sound trivial to you, but it’s one of those little details that help you laugh as you near the end of another long 12 hour shift!

New animals Seen Today

An interesting little crab (Parchment worm Polyonyx) that makes its home in Parchment Worm tubes.

May 16, 2009April 5, 2021

Lollie Garay, May 16, 2009

NOAA Teacher at Sea
Lollie Garay
Onboard Research Vessel Hugh R. Sharp
May 9-20, 2009

Look at the size of the rock the dredge brought up!

Mission: Sea scallop survey
Geographical Area: North Atlantic
Date: May 16, 2009

Weather Data from the Bridge
Temp: 14.11 C
True wind: 11KT
Seas: 4-6 ft

Science and Technology Log

Our day begins with calmer seas and some sunshine, the fog lingers, draped softly over the sea. We are making good progress in the number of stations sampled. However, there is word that a storm may be approaching on Sunday. We expect to be closer to the coastline by then, so perhaps we won’t feel the full brunt of the weather system. Wave action will determine if the dredge is deployed or not.

By late afternoon through tonight the winds have picked up again. Waves are pounding the ship as we move between stations. We’ve had some interesting catches today, mostly sand dollars with few scallops. But this evening we pulled up a large boulder! Then we had a catch with no scallops at all. Another dredge brought up a Windowpane flounder also known as daylight. If you hold it up to the light, you can see right through it! Another interesting specimen is the black rectangular egg sac of a Skate. You can see the embryo of the fish inside when you hold it up to the light as well. You just never know what‘s going to come up in the net. Yesterday I was talking about the green slimy secretion from sand dollars. Today Shad was telling me about Horseshoe Crabs. Turns out they have blue blood, the result of using copper to oxidize their blood instead of oxygen like we do!

Personal Log

Can you see the Skate embryo in the sac?

In the few minutes that we have between stations, it‘s not unusual to hear the crew talking about their families and loved ones. Anecdotes shared accentuate the human factor in this service. Especially late in the shift, it’s fun to exchange stories about home. I’m back in my cabin ready to call it a night. As I lay in my bunk I feel the ship fighting against the waves. A funny thought occurred to me: the cabins are below the water! We’ve been sleeping “in the sea”!

New animals Seen Today

Wrymouth fish Liparid (sea snail)

A Horseshoe Crab hurries across the sorting table.

May 15, 2009April 5, 2021

Lollie Garay, May 15, 2009

NOAA Teacher at Sea
Lollie Garay
Onboard Research Vessel Hugh R. Sharp
May 9-20, 2009

Mission: Sea scallop survey
Geographical Area: North Atlantic
Date: May 15, 2009

Weather Data from the Bridge
Temperature: 13.5˚C
True wind: 4.1 KT
Seas: 3-4 ft

Science and Technology Log

See the green secretions around the Sand dollars and the Jonah Crab?

We’ve been at sea for seven days now and the daily sampling continues. Winds are not as strong as yesterday and we’re all glad. Skies are overcast and a thick fog surrounds us. Nothing out of the ordinary occurred today. By the time our shift ended we had completed 9 sampling stations. The majority of the dredges brought up were full of sand dollars. Lots of sand dollars mean slimy green secretions all over everything! Live sand dollars have a felt-like coating of fine spines. They shuffle through loose sand and feed on diatoms and microorganisms. Flounders and other bottom fishes feed on them. Their color is highly soluble and stains.

Lollie and Larry Brady measure special samples in the wet lab.

I’ll continue my conversations about my day shift crew. Larry Brady is a Biological Science Technician with the NOAA Fisheries Service. A former business manager with McGraw-Hill, he began volunteering with the Northeast Region Fisheries Services Sandy Hooks Lab in New Jersey. He found he really enjoyed what he did. One thing led to another and he has now been with the NOAA fisheries for 9 years. His responsibilities include maintaining the FSCS hardware and auditing data.

Dr. Shayla D. Williams is a research chemist at the Howard Marine Science Laboratory in Sandy Hook, New Jersey. She is researching fatty acid chemical tracers in two Northeast fisheries key resource species: Summer Flounders and Black Sea Bass. Fatty acids are a reflection of one’s diet. As Dr. Williams says, “You are what you eat.” Gary Pearson is on his first survey cruise. Formerly with the Massachusetts Military Reservation, 102^nd Fighter Wing division, he has been with the NOAA Fisheries Service maintenance department for three years. Gary works with just about every physical aspect of this survey, except for data entry.

Personal Log

Dr. Shayla Williams rakes the catch for sorting.

As the night shift came on duty tonight, “Doc” A.J. told me that he had sandwiched his head between pillows to keep from rolling around and slept just fine through the tempestuous day. So, once I finally got to my bunk I thought about what he said. I only had one pillow, but I did have my life jacket. So, I tucked myself between the life jacket and the wall. He was right! I didn’t roll either and slept all through the night!

New Animals Seen Today

Spiny Dogfish (2) Pipe fish

Gary Pearson sorts out the fish after a catch.