Category: Lynn Kurth

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Lynn Kurth: Eagerly Waiting to Tag Sharks, July 28, 2014

NOAA Teacher at Sea
Lynn M. Kurth
Aboard NOAA Ship Oregon II
July 25 – August 9, 2014

Mission: Shark/Red Snapper Longline Survey
Geographical area of cruise:  Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic
Date:  July 28, 2014

Lat:  24 17.334 N
Lon:  082 30.265

Weather Data from the Bridge:
Wind: 7.52 knots
Barometric Pressure:  1017.85 mb
Temperature: 31.1 Degrees C


Science and Technology Log: 

We have been traveling across the Gulf over the past two days and will continue traveling until Monday night when we will reach our first testing station.  Wondering exactly where we are?  You can see the ship’s location live at:  NOAA Shiptracker

Our official survey has not begun but Dr. Jim Nienow, an instructor from Valdosta University, is aboard for the cruise and has been doing some basic plankton sampling while we are on the move.  Dr. Nienow participated in his first shark longline survey back in 2008 and this is his sixth cruise aboard the Oregon II.  He enjoys being part of the shark longline survey because it provides him with the opportunity to collect the samples that he analyzes with his students when he returns to the university.  In the first few years that Dr. Neinow began collecting plankton samples he was interested in the overall biodiversity he found in the samples.

But over the past few years his work has evolved and he is currently focused on the distribution of diatoms.  Diatoms are microscopic single celled photosynthesizing algae and are the most common type of phytoplankton found.  Diatoms represent approximately half of the ocean’s production.  In other words, these little buggers are important because they serve as the base of the food chain for the ocean.  By studying diatoms scientists are able to study the overall health of the particular environment that they were collected from.

 

Dr. Jim Nienow
Dr. Jim Nienow

We have spent some time preparing the gear for the survey by getting the fishing lines ready.   Circle hooks are used for the shark long line survey vs. J hooks so that the sharks are rarely hooked deep which makes the hook easier to remove and reduces the potential of harming the shark.

J hook vs. Circle hook
J hook vs. Circle hook
Preparing the gear
Preparing the gear
50 hooks prepared to receive bait
50 hooks prepared to receive bait

 

Did you Know?

Diatoms are used for the following:

  • as mild abrasives found in cleaning products and sometimes toothpaste
  • as filter material when making alcoholic/non alcoholic drinks, syrup and medicines
  • as insulation in sound proof or fire proof doors
Diatoms as seen through Dr. Nienow's scanning electron microscope Photo Credit: Dr. Jim Nienow
Diatoms as seen through Dr. Nienow’s scanning electron microscope
Photo Credit: Dr. Jim Nienow and The Deep C Consortium
Diatoms as seen through Dr. Nienow's scanning electron microscope Photo Credit: Dr. Jim Nienow
Diatoms as seen through Dr. Nienow’s scanning electron microscope
Photo Credit: Dr. Jim Nienow and the Deep C Consortium

Personal Log: 

During our time traveling we had an abandon ship drill.  If we were to abandon the ship we would put on a full neoprene survival suit before entering the water.  The water temperature in the Gulf of Mexico is around 87 degrees Fahrenheit so the suit protects folks from hypothermia that would occur over time.

suit
“Teach” (my nickname on the ship) in the survival suit
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Lynn Kurth: Summer Adventure At Sea, July 22, 2014

NOAA Teacher at Sea
Lynn Kurth
Aboard NOAA Ship Oregon  II
July 25 – August 9, 2014

Mission: Shark/Red Snapper Longline Survey
Geographical area of cruise: Gulf of Mexico
Date: July 22, 2014

Personal Log

Hello, from the Badger State! My name is Lynn Schultz-Kurth. I am a 7th and 8th grade science teacher at Prairie River Middle School in Merrill, WI, a small town in the center of the state. Summer is an exciting time here in Wisconsin, but even more exciting this year as we survived one of the nastiest winters on record. As the rivers are finally warm enough to comfortably swim in and the black-eyed susans are in full bloom, I am going to be leaving my home on the Wisconsin River for Pascagoula, MS to be part of NOAA’s (National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration) Teacher at Sea program.

Black-eyed susans in my garden on the Wisconsin River
Black-eyed susans in my garden on the Wisconsin River

I am honored to be joining the crew aboard the Oregon II, a 170ft. national marine fishing vessel, for a Shark/Red Snapper longline survey, departing from Pascagoula, MS on July 26th and returning to port in Mayport, FL on August 9th. During my mission sharks will be caught, measured, tagged, and released in order to assess their abundance, distribution, and migrational patterns, and to examine their distribution with regard to oceanographic features. I had some experience aboard a research vessel in the summer of 2011, when I participated in Sea Grant’s week long workshop for teachers aboard the R/V Lake Guardian on Lake Superior. Based on that experience, I am expecting to learn a lot, meet amazing people, work long hours and have the experience of a lifetime that will enable me to share “real” science with my students now and in the years to come.