Jenna Cloninger – NOAA Teacher at Sea Blog

July 9, 2025July 9, 2025

Jenna Cloninger: Just Keep Swimming, July 9, 2025

NOAA Teacher at Sea

Jenna Cloninger

Aboard Bell M. Shimada

June 11 – June 26, 2025

Mission: Integrated West Coast Pelagics Survey (Leg 1)

Geographic Area of Cruise: Pacific Ocean, California Coast

Today’s Date: July 9, 2025

Track the Ship: Bell M. Shimada

Personal Log

I’ve been home from my voyage for almost two weeks, and I have been avoiding this last blog post because I don’t want the adventure to truly be over. (I have avoided unpacking my suitcase for the same reason!) But alas, all good things must come to an end. After cruising beneath the Golden Gate Bridge and making our way to port in San Francisco on June 26th, I immediately hopped on a flight back to Atlanta and was in my own bed by 2:00 a.m. the next morning.

view of the Golden Gate Bridge from below; we can see the northern end where it meets Marin County. The sky is blue, and there is a line of low gray clouds. — Photo taken from NOAA Ship Bell M. Shimada as we passed beneath the Golden Gate Bridge into San Francisco.

Saying goodbye to everyone aboard NOAA ship Bell M. Shimada was bittersweet, because I honestly don’t know if I’ll ever see those people ever again. (Thank goodness for modern technology, though, which will keep us connected.) Being at sea is an experience unlike anything I have ever done, and I am filled with so much gratitude for everyone who made this trip happen.

Classroom Connections

So, what’s next for me? Well, teachers in my area return to school on July 21^st, and so my summer is slowly slipping away. That means that very soon, I will have six new classes of oceanography students walking into my classroom, ready to learn about the ocean. But first, as with any classroom, we will spend some time getting to know each other before we dive into the curriculum. I plan on introducing myself with a slideshow of pictures and stories from my time at sea, because I want my students to see that an average teacher from a landlocked city without any special college degree can still explore the ocean. I went to school in this same district and was raised in this same town; I want my students to see themselves in me. I want my students to see that it is okay to be scared of something new and to try it anyway. I want my students to see that science is messy and can be unpredictable at times, but it’s all part of the process. I want my students to see science as a verb; as something that is experienced, not only something that is studied in school.

In addition, as part of my agreement with the NOAA Teacher at Sea program, I will be creating lesson plans for my classroom that incorporate some of the research conducted during my time at sea. I will also be creating curriculum content around oceanography careers for my students to explore. I also want to include social-emotional learning about skills such as collaboration, communication, and self-awareness.

I want my students to learn that it’s not always about what you know, but what you can accomplish alongside others. Learning in the classroom does not take place in isolation, and neither does working in the field. I want my students to leave high school and enter adult society as functional humans who can work with a team to achieve a common goal, even if they feel uncomfortable at first. I want my students to understand concepts such as comradery and morale, and to understand how their actions can affect others. And I want my students to feel confident in their ability to problem-solve and communicate with others in times of uncertainty. These are all skills that I witnessed firsthand aboard the ship, and I feel that these lessons are just as important as the science content that I teach every day.

This is goodbye for now, but as part of the NOAA Teacher at Sea alumni association, I hope there will be more opportunities for me to partner with NOAA to explore the big blue world. And in the meantime, I’ll do what the character Dory from Finding Nemo does – just keep swimming.

NOAA Ship Bell M. Shimada, docked in San Francisco.

June 30, 2025July 1, 2025

Jenna Cloninger: Nearing the End, June 23, 2025

NOAA Teacher at Sea

Jenna Cloninger

Aboard Bell M. Shimada

June 11 – June 26, 2025

Mission: Integrated West Coast Pelagics Survey (Leg 1)

Geographic Area of Cruise: Pacific Ocean, California Coast

Today’s Date: June 23, 2025

Track the Ship: Bell M. Shimada

Weather Data Snapshot: 9:16am, Pacific Daylight Time

Currently, the air temperature is 57°F (14°C) with a wind speed of 15 knots and a wave height of 6 feet. I have just completed my first daytime marine mammal watch (mentioned in a previous blog post), where I spotted several dolphins and sea lions. The bright sunlight and clear blue skies made it easy to spot mammals during the day, as opposed to the nighttime when I am normally on marine mammal watch. As with every marine mammal watch, if marine mammals are spotted, fishing operations are paused until marine mammals are no longer within a certain distance of our vessel. If marine mammals persist in the area, fishing operations may be suspended entirely. In today’s case, we called off our fishing operations after seeing several marine mammals over the course of an hour.

a woman leans on a windowsill to look through binoculars over the ocean surface. we cannot see her face. The sky blue and the ocean is only lightly choppy. — Photo of me using a pair of binoculars to watch for marine mammals.

Science and Technology Log

In other news, I finally got to experience my first and only hake trawl! Pacific hake, otherwise known as Pacific whiting, are another species of fish that are being assessed on this integrated survey. They are fished during the daytime hours at the midwater level as opposed to the nighttime hours at the surface level, as we do for coastal pelagic species (CPS) like mackerel, anchovies, and sardines. Scientists use real-time acoustic data to determine the best places to fish for hake as well as CPS, and up until this point in our survey, a hake trawl never quite lined up with my waking hours. After becoming an expert on CPS, I had to learn how to identify hake as well. (And in my completely biased opinion, I enjoyed trawling for CPS more than hake, but that’s just me!)

top-down view of a pile of hake (fish) in a white basket — Young hake fish, otherwise known as Pacific whiting.

However, when asked if I wanted to “jump in there” for a photo with the hake, I couldn’t say no! As I’ve said, one of the best parts of this whole experience has been how much fun I am having with my team. They have been my personal photographers so that I have plenty of excellent pictures for this blog!

Jenna, wearing orange overalls, orange gloves, and a Teacher at Sea beanie, crouches in a large black plastic crate. in the crate, surrounding Jenna, are several green baskets filled with fish, squid, and pyrosomes (gelatinous tube-shaped organisms.) Jenna holds up a hake and smiles for the camera. — Photo of me holding a hake fish in a basket of hake, squid, and pyrosomes from our trawl.

The following night, we caught around a dozen jack mackerel that were the largest I had ever seen! We normally see smaller individuals in our trawls, but these big guys were the highlight of the night. And just like we do with the smaller specimens, we measured their lengths and weights and extracted otoliths (mentioned in a previous blog post). As you can see in the picture below, these fish were so large that they barely fit into our “taco trays” that we use for organizing fish for dissection.

Jenna, wearing orange gloves and a Teacher at Sea beanie, stands in the wet lab. She holds up a folded green plastic "Taco tray" supporting five large fish - the fish are longer than the tray is wide. She is smiling for the camera. — Photo of me holding several large jack mackerel fish in dissection trays.

Personal Log

I am nearing the end of this adventure at sea, and I must say, I have a lot of mixed feelings about it. Am I excited to go home and see my family? Of course. Will I miss my newfound family aboard NOAA ship Bell M. Shimada? Definitely. As a teacher, I get to go home and relax for the rest of the summer, while everyone else on board this vessel will continue their work in some form or fashion, whether that’s on the ship or in an office somewhere on land. I will miss the sense of discovery that every new day brings, and I will miss the comradery of the ship. I have had such a positive experience with everyone, whether they are part of the science team, the deck crew, the NOAA Corps., etc. and it’s something that I wish everyone had the chance to experience. It’s not every day that you meet a group of people who are genuinely kind and cooperative with one another as they work toward a common goal.

Did You Know?

For today’s Did You Know? section, I have decided to highlight some information about two members of the science team who are sailing on NOAA ship Bell M. Shimada with me for Leg 1. I chose to interview John Pohl and Julia Clemons because their backgrounds are in oceanography, which is the subject that I teach. I hope to use the summaries of these interviews to help my students gain insight into the life and career of an oceanographer.

Interview with an Oceanographer: John Pohl

John Pohl, a research oceanographer with NOAA, has been captivated by the ocean since childhood and now dedicates his career to exploring and understanding the marine world. He believes the scientific method is a powerful tool to satisfy curiosity and make meaningful contributions to both human society and the natural world. Pohl emphasizes the importance of recognizing how deeply our lives depend on ecological systems, such as those that produce oxygen, food, and clean water. He enjoys the variety and adventure of fieldwork, whether on research vessels or diving underwater, as well as the creativity involved in developing new scientific ideas. While much of his time is spent analyzing data at a computer, it’s the blend of discovery and imagination that keeps his work fulfilling. He wishes more people would realize that scientists are not emotionless or robotic, but rather are fueled by curiosity and wonder. To students interested in marine science, Pohl advises taking charge of their own learning, using available free resources, and seeking out mentors and collaborators who inspire and support their growth. He believes that nurturing a sense of wonder and building strong, positive networks are key to both personal and professional development.

Interview with an Oceanographer: Julia Clemons

Julia Clemons, team lead of NOAA’s Fisheries Engineering and Acoustic Technologies (FEAT) team and co-lead of the Integrated West Coast Pelagics Survey (IWCPS), has a background in geological oceanography and brings her lifelong passion for the ocean to work with her every day. Her team collects fishery-independent data, which is important because it helps scientists understand fish distribution and population trends beyond just areas that are easy to fish. This information is essential for tracking how fish grow and migrate, and for supporting sustainable fisheries management. Julia finds joy at work in collaborating with others, especially during large-scale surveys that inform stock assessments of important species like Pacific hake. Although much of her work is done in the office, she also spends one to two months at sea each year during intense fieldwork periods. She’s loved the beach since she was a toddler and turned that early fascination into a career. Julia wishes more people knew how much effort, planning, and dedication go into each research survey and how deeply scientists care about getting things right. Her advice to students is to follow their passion boldly, stay open to learning, ask for help when needed, and not let discouragement from others define their future. Passion and persistence, she believes, matter more than having all the answers at the start.

June 25, 2025June 25, 2025

Jenna Cloninger: CTDs and Cephalopod Central, June 20, 2025

NOAA Teacher at Sea

Jenna Cloninger

Aboard Bell M. Shimada

June 11 – June 26, 2025

Mission: Integrated West Coast Pelagics Survey (Leg 1)

Geographic Area of Cruise: Pacific Ocean, California Coast

Today’s Date: June 20, 2025

Track the Ship: Bell M. Shimada

Weather Data Snapshot: 9:54am, Pacific Daylight Time

Currently, the air temperature is 58°F (14°C) with a wind speed of 23 knots and a wave height of 9 feet. Not only are the seas rough offshore, but the wind is making it very chilly to work outside. Luckily, we have some gear that keeps us warm for times when we need to be outside for extended periods. The sky is clear, and the sun is shining, so I am counting my blessings despite the cooler temperatures.

two women bundled up for outdoor work in large red "float coats" and beanies - they are striking somewhat silly poses for the camera. Jenna (left) is wearing a Teacher at Sea beanie. — Melissa (left) and myself (right) preparing to go outside for UCTD deployment.

Science and Technology Log

It’s been an exciting week regarding technology! I had the opportunity to help prepare a CTD (a piece of equipment mentioned in a previous blog post) for deployment as well as the opportunity to observe a UCTD being deployed. A CTD (Conductivity, Temperature, Depth) is a tool that measures how salty and warm the water is at certain depths . For larger CTDs, the ship comes to a stop, scientists then lower the CTD using a cable, and it collects data as it goes down. A UCTD (Underway CTD), however, is a smaller version that can be used while the ship is moving. It’s dropped into the water and pulled behind the ship, collecting data as it sinks. This allows scientists to gather information more quickly and without stopping the ship. Both tools are important for helping scientists understand seawater conditions and how they change based on depth, time of day, season, location, etc.

Elias stands, and Jenna kneels, near a large apparatus consisting of a white metal frame, a ring of gray water sampling bottles, and a scientific probe. Jenna is wearing a hard hat and doing something (stringing a wire?) on the CTD as Elias looks on. — Elias and myself preparing the CTD for deployment.

Jenna, wearing a red float coat and Teacher at Sea beanie, stands on deck and holds what appears to be a metal tube in both hands for a photo. — Photo of me with UCTD equipment.

In other news, we have run into several different cephalopods this week. Cephalopods are part of a group of marine invertebrates that includes octopus, squid, cuttlefish, and nautilus. They are known for having large heads, arms or tentacles, and relatively high intelligence when compared to other invertebrates. In our case, we caught a few different kinds of squid, a few small octopus, and a nautilus in our trawling net. I was particularly excited to see the nautilus, because I had never seen one in person before!

close up view of a paper nautilus against a white background; we can see the curved shell with sawtooth bumps, and the eye of the nautilus peeking out the opening of the shell — Paper Nautilus

a squid in a green plastic basket — Robust Clubhook Squid

smaller squid photographed against a plastic blue background — Market Squid

close-up view of a small octopus — Tuberculate Pelagic Octopus

three octopus in messy piles in a green plastic basket — A group of three (3) Seven-Armed Octopus.

As you can see, cephalopods come in many different varieties. I enjoy teaching about them in the classroom because of their unique evolutionary features, like chromatophores, which are specialized cells that enable cephalopods like squid, cuttlefish, and octopuses to rapidly change color. It should also be noted that cephalopods are part of the phylum Mollusca, just like the abalone that I discussed in a previous blog post. In general, I really love teaching about mollusks in the classroom because of the amount of diversity that we see within the phylum.

Personal Log

Speaking of squid, I tried calamari (fried squid) for lunch yesterday. I typically do not eat seafood of any kind, but when you’re on a ship, the food options may not always be what you want them to be. (That’s not to say that the food isn’t amazing, because it is. I am simply a picky eater.) Let’s just say that I will not be eating any more squid any time soon. (But I will still pose for pictures with them!)

a gloved hand holds out a very round squid for a close-up photo — Me, holding a Sandpaper Squid.

I also got to photograph a sunrise on the Pacific! The mornings have typically been hazy, or the boat has been facing the wrong direction for me to view the sun properly, but I finally managed to catch the sunrise while out on the back deck after processing our last catch of the night. Seeing the sunrise and sunset on the Pacific are two goals that I had when I started this journey. Unfortunately, because of my night shift hours, I do not think I will be able to catch a sunset any time soon. Perhaps on the last night of the cruise, I will stay up past my “bedtime” and wait for the sunset!

view through the A-frame on the aft deck of the sun rising over the ocean. seabirds trail the boat, silhouetted against the sun. to the right of the deck, a group of four crewmembers wearing personal flotation devices and hard hats work to untangle a trawl net. — Sunrise on the Pacific ocean from the fishing deck of NOAA ship Bell M. Shimada.

On another note, it has been 10 days since I left Georgia and arrived on the west coast, and I am starting to feel the effects of working such long days. I miss my family, and I miss the comfort of home. That is not to say that I am not enjoying this learning experience, because I am. But I want people to know that individuals who conduct research on scientific vessels like NOAA ship Bell M. Shimada are some of the most hard-working people I have ever met. I get to go home after 16 days and return to my own house with my own bed and other creature comforts. Some people are on this ship for several legs between now and September, and if they’re not at sea, they’re at their respective places of everyday work, such as an office or science center. It’s quite admirable, and humbling, to see how dedicated these people are to marine science and to the well-being of our oceans. It makes me want to be a better teacher so that we have people in the future who love and care for the ocean and are interested in preserving it as well.

view through a porthole window of a churning ocean — A view of the rough seas from my stateroom.

Did You Know?

Let’s talk about butterfish! Off the Atlantic coast, there is a commercial fishery for Atlantic butterfish. There’s another species of butterfish known as the Pacific butterfish that is quite common off the coast of California even though it’s not fished commercially in this region. I have decided that butterfish are the cutest fish that we have caught in our net so far! I love them so much that my teammates toss me all the butterfish when we are sorting our catch, and I make excited noises when I find them buried amongst our anchovies, mackerels, and sardines. In honor of the humble butterfish, I dedicate this Did You Know? section to them!

a hand holds a fish up to a laminated photo of a group of fish (labeled Peprilus simillimus, Pacific butterfish) mounted on a metal wall — A Pacific butterfish from our catch being compared to an image of the species.

According to NOAA, butterfish are small, round fish that are bluish on top with silvery sides and belly. They have small mouths, blunt noses, and grow to about 6–9 inches long, though some can reach 12 inches and weigh up to 1.25 pounds. Butterfish grow quickly but don’t live long; most only live about 3 years and can reproduce by age 1. They spawn in the summer (June and July) and swim in loose groups, feeding on small invertebrates. Why do we care about butterfish? Many animals, like bigger fish, marine mammals, and seabirds, eat butterfish. That means that they are a humble yet important piece of a healthy and balanced ocean ecosystem.

an orange-gloved hand holds three fish by their tails, splayed out like flowers, above a pile of smaller fish (probably anchovy) — A bouquet of butterfish, my new favorite fish.

June 23, 2025June 23, 2025

Jenna Cloninger: Mackerel Mania and Seafood Sustainability, June 17, 2025

NOAA Teacher at Sea

Jenna Cloninger

Aboard Bell M. Shimada

June 11 – June 26, 2025

Mission: Integrated West Coast Pelagics Survey (Leg 1)

Geographic Area of Cruise: Pacific Ocean, California Coast

Today’s Date: June 17, 2025

Track the Ship: Bell M. Shimada

Weather Data Snapshot: 12:23pm, Pacific Daylight Time

Currently, the air temperature is 63°F (17°C) with a wind speed of 14 knots and a wave height of 8 feet. The seas have been rough lately, but at least the sun is shining! I wandered onto the back deck earlier to combat some seasickness, and it was quite chilly with the strong wind.

Science and Technology Log

I am amazed at how quickly conditions change while at sea. One minute, I forget I’m even on a moving vessel. The next, I’m bumping into walls and feeling like gravity isn’t following its own rules anymore. And getting work done? That’s a whole other challenge!

Two days ago, the seas were relatively calm, and we had a ton of work to do in the science lab. My teammates extracted 150 otoliths from various fish specimens, and I must have measured and weighed at least 100 more fish. We had an amazing set of trawls that brought us samples of each of our target species: anchovy, sardine, and mackerel. We are studying these species to estimate their biomass and better understand their population dynamics and life cycles. I had already seen plenty of anchovy and some small mackerel. However, this was my first time seeing such large mackerel – and this isn’t even their full size!

Jenna, wearing a personal flotation device and a hard hat, grins as she holds a fish out straight toward the camera, exaggerating its apparent size. She's standing in the wet lab of the ship, surrounded by metal walls and cabinets. — Photo of me holding a Pacific mackerel and being very excited about it.

According to NOAA, Pacific mackerel are a smart seafood choice for consumers in the United States because they are harvested sustainably; their nets are selective and therefore reduce bycatch; and they are caught using surface trawls instead of bottom trawls, which can destroy sensitive habitat. (Click here to see if some of your favorite seafood is harvested sustainably, or if you should make a different choice at the grocery store or at your favorite restaurant.)

ten mackerel (fish) placed in two rows on a metal dissection table. each mackerel rests in a fold of a green plastic tray that helps hold the fish upright for easier dissection. — Here, the mackerel are laid out in special trays that we use to organize them for dissection. Each mackerel will be dissected for otoliths, or ear bones, as mentioned in my previous blog post.

Let me explain some keywords related to seafood sustainability:

Sustainable fishing means catching just enough fish for people to eat without hurting fish populations to the point that they can’t grow and stay healthy for the future. It also means protecting the ocean environment and other species that share the habitat. This helps make sure there are fish for people to catch and eat for many generations.

Bycatch is when fishers accidentally catch animals they weren’t trying to catch, like turtles, dolphins, or other fish. These animals are often thrown back into the ocean, but some may be injured or die in the process. Reducing bycatch helps protect ocean ecosystems and endangered species.

Bottom trawling is when a fishing net is dragged along the ocean floor to catch fish or shellfish that live near the bottom, like shrimp. Surface trawling, also called pelagic trawling, uses nets that are pulled through the open water to catch fish that swim near the surface, like the anchovy, mackerel, and sardines that we are targeting.

The surface trawling net on NOAA ship Bell M. Shimada is also equipped with a marine mammal excluder device, which is a special apparatus built into the net that prevents large mammals such as dolphins or sea lions from becoming trapped. If these animals do happen to swim into our net, they can escape through the excluder device. This reduces bycatch of other large animals as well, such as sea turtles and sharks.

Jenna, wearing orange overalls over a Teacher at Sea shirt, along with rubber boots and a Teacher at Sea beanie, poses for a photo on deck. She stands in front of a crate full of buoys, a folded up trawl net, and some sort of winch. — Photo of me on deck with some fishing gear.

Going back to the changing conditions at sea, yesterday was a rough day! Our trawling operations were cut short due to a tangled net, so we finished our work early. That was a very good thing for me, because I had time to catch up on this blog, do some laundry, and even take a break to try and combat some seasickness. I am taking Dramamine every single day, but when the waves are rough, there’s not much you can do except step outside for some fresh air and hope you don’t lose your lunch. (Or breakfast, in my case.) The sea was so rough that afternoon that instead of being rocked to sleep, I was awake for most of my sleeping hours, which left me feeling exhausted when I woke for my next shift.

Personal Log

I need to take a minute to give a shout-out to the incredible team of human beings that I have been working with on this cruise. Honestly, everyone here has been so friendly, helpful, and supportive in every way. While I interact with many people on the ship throughout the day, I am part of a specific night shift of individuals that work alongside each other during the midnight to noon hours. Melissa, Kelsey, Bryan, and Elias have been so much fun to work with, and I am learning new things from them every day. They hold a variety of positions: a fish biologist and project coordinator, a research fish biologist, a fisheries biologist, and an affiliated data analyst.

Kelsey, wearing orange overalls and rubber boots, stands in the wet lab. She holds up a green dissection tray containing five mackerel (fish) and smile big for the photo. in the background we can see another science team member hunched over a dissection table. — Kelsey, a research fish biologist, is very excited for otolith dissections.

Did You Know?

Part of our job as scientists is to conduct a marine mammal watch before every trawl to ensure that we avoid marine mammals that may be swimming within range of our net. This is another way that we work to reduce bycatch and keep marine mammals safe while we conduct our trawling operations. We conduct these watches during daylight and nighttime hours in all kinds of weather, because you never know when you might spot a marine mammal. I took this picture of the moonlight reflecting on the ocean’s surface during one of my late-night marine mammal watches.

a nighttime view over a calm ocean; a full or nearly full moon, partially obscured by clouds, illuminates a swatch of the ocean's surface. — Photo of the moon reflecting off the Pacific ocean during my nighttime marine mammal watch shift.

June 20, 2025June 20, 2025

Jenna Cloninger: Anchovy Expert and Pyrosome Party Time, June 15, 2025

NOAA Teacher at Sea

Jenna Cloninger

Aboard Bell M. Shimada

June 11 – June 26, 2025

Mission: Integrated West Coast Pelagics Survey (Leg 1)

Geographic Area of Cruise: Pacific Ocean, California Coast

Today’s Date: June 15, 2025

Track the Ship: Bell M. Shimada

Weather Data Snapshot: 12:23pm, Pacific Daylight Time

Currently, the air temperature is 65°F (18°C) with a wind speed of 10 knots and a wave height of 5 feet. I was finally able to witness a sunrise this morning during my working hours, thanks to clear skies, and I am staying up a little bit past my “bedtime” to enjoy today’s sunshine.

Science and Technology Log

Trawling operations are in full swing here on the ship! Please enjoy this image of me in front of our two trawling nets, which we pull behind the boat at different depths to target different species of fish.

A woman in bright orange overalls and rubber boots poses for a photo in front of two massive spools mounted horizontally above the aft deck, such that they can be wound or unwound. The spools contain teal and yellow netting. One trawl net is partially unrolled, with buoys attached at different points. — Photo of me with our fishing nets, which we use for surface and midwater trawling.

In these first few days, we are seeing many anchovy! I have quickly become an expert at identifying the differences between anchovy and other fishes that may be brought up with our net. In addition to fish species, we see quite a few small squid and some other invertebrates known as pyrosomes in our net. (See the Did You Know? section below for more information.)

close up view of the corner of a plastic teal basket filled with small narrow fish, each about 3-4 inches long. a hand wearing a black glove holds a single fish out for display above the pile. — Photo of a basket of anchovy, with one being held by someone’s hand for a size reference.

After sorting our catch, we measure and weigh a certain number of the target species (sardine, anchovy, and mackerel) to collect data that helps us characterize their species and size distributions. In addition, some specimens are selected for dissection, where we determine the fish’s sex, reproductive stage, and health; collect tissue samples for genetic analysis; and extract otoliths for estimating age.(For more about otoliths, which are also known as ear stones or ear bones, click here.) This information helps scientists monitor fish health through their life history stages. It’s not possible to catch every fish in the ocean, so scientists study a smaller representative group instead, like we are doing aboard NOAA Ship Bell M. Shimada. This age data, along with other information like length, weight, and sex, is used to create computer-generated models of the fish population. When combined with acoustic data, these models help estimate how many fish are in the wild and predict what might happen if people keep fishing.

A woman wearing heavy-duty orange overalls and black gloves stands at a measuring board on a metal table in the wet lab. With her right hand, she uses a tool to measure a small fish placed along the board. She looks down, absorbed in her work. — Photo of me measuring a very small fish with a digital tool called an Ichythystick.

In the picture above, you can see that I am using a special tool called an Ichthystick to digitally measure the length of each fish in a specific subset from our catch. I have discovered that, although I do not normally consider myself squeamish when it comes to science, I am not a fan of dissecting fish for otoliths. Instead, I do a lot of the measuring and weighing of the fish, as well as additional tasks to support my teammates while they work on extracting otoliths.

In addition to trawling for fish, NOAA Ship Bell M. Shimada has a special piece of technology known as a CTD. A CTD is a scientific instrument used in marine science to study the properties of seawater. CTD stands for Conductivity, Temperature, and Depth. These three measurements help scientists understand what the ocean is like at different levels. The CTD device is usually attached to a metal frame and lowered into the ocean from a research ship. As it goes down, it collects data about the water’s temperature, how salty it is (measured by conductivity), and how deep it is. This information helps scientists learn about ocean currents, climate, and marine life. CTDs can also carry bottles that collect water samples from specific depths. Scientists use these samples to test for oxygen, nutrients, or tiny organisms. CTD data is very important for studying how the ocean changes over time. (I have not yet seen the CTD in action, but I pass by it every day on the side deck and am hoping that it will be deployed sometime soon during my working hours.)

Jenna, wearing a Teacher at Sea beanie and a Teacher at Sea t-shirt under heavy orange overalls, stands next to the CTD rosette - a large metal apparatus that hosts both the CTD probe and a ring of gray water sampling bottles. — Photo of me next to a CTD (Conductivity, Temperature, Depth) device for size reference.

Personal Log

Adjusting to life at sea is an ongoing process. I experienced a bit of seasickness yesterday right after lunch, but I was able to go to my stateroom at noon (which is the end of my night shift) and sleep it off until my next shift began at midnight. As a person who traditionally struggles with sleep, I am so exhausted after each shift that I am sleeping much better on the ship than I do at home, which I did not expect! In addition, I am eating much better on the ship than I do at home, thanks to our amazing Chief Steward who has been cooking fabulous meals for us. I have learned that mealtimes are very important on the ship, because sitting with your colleagues while enjoying good food is a boost for team morale and helps everyone stay energized.

Did You Know?

A lot of different animals can become caught in a trawling net while fishing, but pyrosomes are some of the most common animals we see during night trawls (aside from our target species of anchovy, mackerel, and sardine). What are pyrosomes? NOAA’s website tells us that pyrosomes are pelagic tunicates, which are part of the phylum Chordata. In other words, pyrosomes are tough, bumpy, gelatinous tube-like animals that gather in large clusters at the ocean’s surface. Like many jelly-like animals in the ocean, we still don’t know a lot about pyrosomes and how they live. This makes it hard to understand how they might be affecting ocean ecosystems. For example, pyrosomes can grow quickly and filter large amounts of water, which could have a big effect on phytoplankton blooms. Before this experience, I had never even heard of a pyrosome, and now, I feel like I am part of a pyrosome party every night!

top down view of a green plastic basket filled mostly with pyrosomes (which look like pink gelatinous tubes) with some various fish mixed in. — A basket full of pyrosomes (the pink gelatinous tubes) mixed with fish.