Category: NOAA Teacher at Sea

Posted on

Geoff Goodenow, May 5, 2004

NOAA Teacher at Sea
Geoff Goodenow
Onboard NOAA Ship Oscar Elton Sette
May 2 – 25, 2004

Mission: Swordfish Assessment Survey
Geographical Area: Hawaiian Islands
Date: May 5, 2004

These data noted at about 1600 hours:

Lat: 19 27
Long: 156 02
Sky: Sunshine; clouds hanging over coastline
Air temp: 26C
Barometer: 1011.0
Wind: 290 at 11 knots
Relative humidity: 55%
Sea temp: 26.7C
Depth: 2392 m

Science and Technology Log

Retrieving the longline takes about 2.5 hours. This morning it brought in one mahi mahi (dolphinfish) alive, and one bigeye tuna that had died on the line. Trolling afterwards brought in 3 more fish including one big eye and two yellowfin tunas. Samples were collected as yesterday.

I will give you a better idea over the next few reports as to how different samples are going to be used. I’ll start with the blood serum, liver and muscle tissue samples being taken by Michele who is from Virginia Institute of Marine Sciences (VIMS).

The blood serum contains a compound called vitellogenin. It is a precursor to a protein needed for egg yolk production. It is typically in relatively high levels in females. Environmental stresses such as persistent organic pollutants (POPs) which include PCBs, pesticides such as DDT and chemical flame retardants among others, can elevate vitellogenin levels noticeably in males. A heightened level suggests that their immune system is compromised. Serum will be analyzed for levels of that compound.

Liver, muscle tissue and serum will be analyzed by gas chromatography and mass spectrometry for the presence of POPs. From all of this it might become possible to determine if there is a correlation between level of POP and presence of vitellogenin and therefore stress on the immune system.

Surface plankton tows were done this afternoon, and tows at depth (60 meters)will take place tonight after longline is set. Tonight’s set of the longline will be north to south just a few miles west of where the first two were set. Both of those were set along a north to south line which overlapped by about 1/3. (They were not 20 miles apart as I stated yesterday) I learned that the line was intentionally cut last night probably by some fishermen who felt this line intruded upon their territory. We did recover all of our gear.

Personal Log

It was not until nearly the end of the longline recovery that the two fish were hauled in. Consequently, it was a long morning and as it was looking totally unproductive, Chris, our physician assistant/medical officer, suggested that the Teacher at Sea program was really a way to get people on board in case a sacrifice is needed to make the waters more productive. No wonder my students were encouraging me to participate. But later I heard that it was bad luck for our fishing to eat bananas on deck so eyes turned toward several who were in violation and ignoring that doctrine. I wonder what it will be tomorrow.

The big eye which came aboard was not identified with certainty until opened. Striations on its liver, I presume not present in other tuna species (certainly not in all) confirmed it to be big eye. I asked chief scientist, Rich Brill, the significance of those and he explained in some detail that they are part of a mechanism for keeping the liver warm. I will attempt to explain that mechanism another time. It is a neat piece of plumbing for sure.

I also observed Steve as he used a laser to determine the focal point of a big eye’s lens for each color of light. This, too, is something I will try to explain at another time. The big eye tuna’s lens was nearly spherical and about 3 cm diameter.

For a change of pace, here are a few bits about the ship that the captain shared with me yesterday. This was built for the navy in the 1980s as a listening ship for submarines. It was refitted for research in Jacksonville, FL then brought here through the Panama Canal. It can store about 30 days of food and enough fuel (160,000 gallons of diesel) to stay out comfortably for about 50 days. We can make our own fresh water at a rate of approximately 3000 gal/day.

Questions:

How do eruptions of Hawaiian volcanoes compare to those like Mount St. Helens, for example?

The height of these volcanic islands affects wind speeds and sea conditions as noted yesterday. How much above sea level is the highest point on Maui? on Hawaii? If you consider its base on the ocean floor as part of its overall height, how tall is the highest peak on Hawaii? Is that taller than Mt. Everest?

It’s nice to be hearing from some of you; thanks for writing. That’s all for now.

Geoff

Posted on

Geoff Goodenow, May 4, 2004

NOAA Teacher at Sea
Geoff Goodenow
Onboard NOAA Ship Oscar Elton Sette
May 2 – 25, 2004

Mission: Swordfish Assessment Survey
Geographical Area: Hawaiian Islands
Date: May 4, 2004

Latitude: 19 19
Longitude 156 05
Sunny with scattered clouds
Air temp 26C
Barometer 1013.75
Wind 130 degrees at 9 knots
Relative humidity 59%
Sea temp 26.5
Ocean depth 2770 meters

Scientific and Technical Log

This morning we hauled in the longline. This is the first time this team has used the larger hooks and herring (as opposed to squid) for bait as a means of avoiding taking of turtles. In that sense, we had tremendous success — no turtles. But on the downside, we caught only two fish — a mahi mahi (Coryphaena hippurus),still alive, and a wahoo (Acanthocybium solandri) which had died on the line. Eyes, liver, blood, and muscle tissue were taken from both. For the experiments on vision that Kerstin is doing only live eyes are useful.

Some surface plankton tows were conducted over a couple hours this afternoon. Several eggs were gathered and preserved. More tows will be conducted after the longline is set.

When nothing else was going on, two lines were trolled off the stern.   This method yielded 4 fish including bigeye tuna (Thunnus obesus), skipjack tuna (Katsuwanus pelamis) and yellowfin tuna (T. albacares). These were sampled as above and in addition we kept stomachs for later study of contents. So 400 hooks sitting in the longline for 12 hours so far isn’t looking nearly as effective as a good old fishing line and a lure.

Tonight at 8PM we again set the longline, this one about 20 miles north of last night’s set. Because the winds are still very strong outside the shelter of the big island we are a bit restricted as to where we can go to fish right now. Winds are to becomes calmer over the next 48 hours.

Here is the longline set up in more detail than before. A spool holding about 40 miles of line sits parallel to length of ship on port side approx. mid-ship. Line feeds off to a pully along side of ship which directs line 90 degrees to stern. Via a couple more pullies the line goes to starboard side of stern. A team on the stern takes care of it from here. At center is person with basket of hooks attached to metal or monofilament leads with a clip on the other end. He withdraws the hook and clip, passing the hook to his right and the clip to his left while pulling the leader from the basket. The hook is baited, while the clip is passed to the next man to the left. On a signal about every 12 seconds, the leader is clipped to the line as it pours off the stern and the baited hook is tossed. A light stick goes on every fourth leader or so to attract fish. Better luck to us tonight!

Personal Log

My role this morning as line was retrieved was to record information (catch location, length, weight, sex) about each fish brought aboard and to assist in gathering muscle tissue samples for Brittany who is not present on this cruise as well as for others. Again I was brake man and bait boy on the longline tonight.

The afternoon hours seem to be those of least to do unless the troll lines are hot. Today I felt settled enough in the stomach to dare to enter a very confined space and enjoy my first shower at sea. Then I sought out a shady spot on the upper deck where I parked myself for a bit of reading. The wind was light and sea calm; I had a nice view of the west side of Hawaii. The lush, green slopes were interrupted in several places by lava flows. I had the opportunity to talk with the captain about many aspects of the ship, weather, ocean currents much of which I will try to incorporate into upcoming reports. But I was particularly interested in our rough weather of Sunday and he explained it as follows. As we crossed open water we were encountering winds of 20-25 knots, but as we entered the channel between Maui and Hawaii wind speeds were 35-40 knots. The reason for the increase is that both islands have very high mountains so the air is being funneled through a rather narrow slot and speeding up. This produced 10-12 foot waves with very short periods, and the ability to create a lot of discomfort in those at sea.

Tonight as we work, the light of a full (?) moon dances on the water.

Question:

One more (easy) location question for the astronomy buffs: Our latitude today is about 19 degrees north. What is the altitude of the North star (Polaris) as we view it from here? What is its altitude at your latitude?

OK, so we know where we are, but how did the Hawaiian islands get here? All of these islands are of volcanic origin. The Hotspot theory explains how the islands formed here. Briefly describe this theory.

Which of the islands (easternmost or westernmost) are the oldest in the Hawaiian Island chain? How long ago are the oldest islands estimated to have formed?

The Galapagos Islands also formed according to the hotspot theory. Which islands in that chain are oldest (eastern or western islands)? How old are the oldest of those islands?

For those who are wondering, yes, I do expect to be able to post some pictures, but we are not quite set up yet at this end to do so. That’s all for now,

Geoff

Posted on

Geoff Goodenow, May 3, 2004

NOAA Teacher at Sea
Geoff Goodenow
Onboard NOAA Ship Oscar Elton Sette
May 2 – 25, 2004

Mission: Swordfish Assessment Survey
Geographical Area: Hawaiian Islands
Date: May 3, 2004

Technical and Scientific Log

Due to the rough sea all work scheduled for last night as well as a troll (net) for 6AM was cancelled. As we steamed eastward a couple of lines were trolled and did bring in two fish, a mahi mahi and ono . Both fish were kept. Their eyes were dissected for lens and retina and muscle samples were taken.

Goodenow mahi mahi
TAS Geoff Goodenow shows off a mahi mahi.

I learned more of the eye studies today from Kerstin. Longlining has taken a toll on sea turtle populations. Recently a judge ordered the practice stopped in Hawaiian waters due to the turtle by-catch. One way to avoid turtles is to utilize larger hooks and bait that turtles don’t like. As we set lines on this cruise we are employing those techniques. But Kerstin’s work with eyes is an attempt to learn of different sensory abilities in the different animals to see if those differences can be used to make catch by longline more selective. A web search under longlining will lead you to some articles about the by-catch issues.

Plankton tow — We did one at surface for an hour then one at depth for another hour. It is preferred to tow through visible surface “slicks” where target larvae (those of billfish) like to gather. No slicks were found as they were probably broken up in last night’s rough water.

These samples are being gathered (1) for the eye studies and (2) to be used to see if a genetic marker can be found that will be useful in identifying species in the larval stage. If found, identification will be much easier than doing so morphologically and will make reproductive studies easier.

Tonight at 8PM we set our first baited longline. I started at the spool with “brake shoe” in hand poised for trouble that never came. After an hour or so of that I was “promoted” to bait boy–in the heart of the action! I kept the bait box full for Bruce as he attached the herring through the eyes to hooks. We set 180 pounds of fish on 400 hooks along 9 miles of line. Our leaders were metal tonight as our targets, sharks, can’t bite through the metal. Monofilament is used when the target is billfish because the metal leaders damage those animals in ways that monofilament does not. Every so often a temperature/depth recorder is attached to the line. About every 4th hook also gets a light stick attached as an attractant for fish. Buoys go over at regular intervals to help hold the line at desired depth and of course to mark its position. We will pick up the line after breakfast and see how well our efforts are rewarded.

Personal Log

I was none too excited about getting out of bed this morning and leaving the prone position which had proved to be the most effective at preventing unpleasantries. But I had to make the move. The sea was still rough and sure enough that memorable sensation returned and put me on my knees before the toilet bowl once again. A couple of dry gags settled me, but I immediately headed to our physician assistant for appropriate meds. We found much calmer water on the west side of Hawaii and those of us who were quite unsettled this morning found our comfort growing through the day. Someone said swells/waves last night were 10-12 feet and coming from various directions. No wonder I felt as though I had been in a washing machine.

Question:

How does the altitude of the sun (its angle above the horizon) at noon at 18 degrees north latitude compare with its altitude at 42 degrees north over the course of a year? To find out, use an analemma to find out the sun’s position with respect to the equator. Graph altitude (0-90 degrees) on the y axis and the 21st of each month on the x axis. Describe similarities and differences in the patterns.

Posted on

Geoff Goodenow, May 2, 2004

NOAA Teacher at Sea
Geoff Goodenow
Onboard NOAA Ship Oscar Elton Sette
May 2 – 25, 2004

Mission: Swordfish Assessment Survey
Geographical Area: Hawaiian Islands
Date: May 2, 2004

Science and Technology Log

This morning we set sail at 10AM. After lunch and drills, the crew set out a longline of about 2 miles of un-baited hooks which were immediately retrieved. This was done as a test of equipment and to help crew get the rhythm of the procedure. I was asked to stand by the spool as line was fed to the stern. My role was to watch for any slackin the line, brake the spool to take up any slack or stop the spool if it tangled (bird nested). All went well on the test.

Scientists and their teams were busy setting up their respective labs and preparing for the work ahead. One team will be doing vision studies using retinas removed from selected animals. Muscle tissue and blood samples will be taken for other studies. Plankton tows will be done at daylight and night to collect specific types present at those different times of the day.

Some fish will be tagged and released. The pop up archival tags record an animal’s depth, latitude and longitudes and other data as it moves through the ocean over a specified period, perhaps 8 months. After that time, the tag automatically is released from the fish, pops to the surface and transmits its data to a satellite.

The longline was set to be deployed at 8PM, but due to rough seas that effort was cancelled. So as you can tell, this was a day of preparation, with the real science soon to come.

Personal Log

I arrived Friday, April 30 after nearly 23 waking hours, 5000 air miles and 10.5 air hours from Harrisburg, PA. It was not difficult to find comfort in my upper berth aboard the SETTE. On Saturday, I was up by 8AM, walked about Honolulu most of the day. I had brief tour of the ship with chief scientist Rich Brill. By Sunday, I felt well rested and comfortable at sea until after supper. By then things were a bit rough and most of supper and perhaps a bit of lunch came back up. But I slept well — horizontal felt best.

Question for Today:

Locaction, location, location:

Determine the change in latitude and longitude from your home to Honolulu. How many time zones are crossed? State the westernmost and easternmost longitudes of the entire Hawaiian Island chain. State the northernmost and southernmost latitudes of the Hawaiian Island chain.

Posted on

Dr. Laura Brezinsky, April 20, 2004

NOAA Teacher at Sea
Laura Brezinsky
Aboard NOAA Ship Miller Freeman
April 8 – April 22, 2004

Day12: Tuesday, April 20, 2004

Latitude: 52.47.97N
Longitude: 168 55.95

Weather: continuous clear
Visibility: 29.5-49.5 ft (Very High)
Wind direction: 109 degrees
Wind speed: 16 (m/s)
Sea wave height: up to 8 feet
Sea water temperature: 4.1 Degrees
Sea level pressure:97 mb

Science and Technology Log

Yesterday we tried to retrieve 2 moorings in the Alaska Stream but we couldn’t get a signal on the second one. Today we went back and tried again but still no signal. This could be do to a missing or damaged mooring. We will proceed to the next site and pick up another mooring and continue taking CTD readings on our way back to Dutch harbor. Projected arrival time is April 22 8:00 am.

Personal Log

The waves were up again last night and I am seriously looking forward to sleeping in a bed that doesn’t move. Tomorrow will be spent doing laundry, packing up equipment and generally getting ready to go into port. This is my last log for the trip.

Question of the Day: What is the Alaska Stream and how does it effect weather patterns?

Laura