After the buoy deployment yesterday, I spent the afternoon, contributing to our blog, setting up my online courses for this semester and building fishing lures. Yes, building fishing lures. I mean we are in the middle of the Pacific Ocean – why not fish? This type of fishing is very different from what we typically think of when fishing in the rivers and lakes of Montana. Most of the fish are big and require heavy tackle. I had the opportunity to help Jonathan and Doc (Helen) build a lure using multicolored rubber skits tied onto a large metal head.
These lures are then attached to a nylon line that is about 200 feet long and attached to the rear of the boat.
Fishing off the back of the boat
Catch of the day
The prized fish is the yellow fin tuna (Ahi) that the crew likes to make Sashimi and Poke (Sushi). Other fish caught include Whaoo (Ono) and Mahi Mahi (Dorado). The Chief Stewart even deep fat fried the Ono to produce delicious, firm chunks of fish to supplement on of our dinner meals and tonight we had Ono baked in chili sauce that Rick said was…Ono, which is Hawaiian for ‘good’. After lunch today I launched the Rossiter/MSU Atlantic Oceanographic Meteorological Laboratory (AOML) drifting buoy. These buoys collect surface sea surface temperature and air temperature data and send this information to the Argos satellite system. The data is downloaded and used by agencies such as the National Weather Service to produce models that are used to predict weather patterns. The satellites also track the AOML buoy’s drifting path. These buoys will collect this data for approximately the next three years. You can track the Rossiter/MSU drifting buoy as soon as the information from the deployment is registered with the proper agency.
Rick had a fairly relaxed day today, preparing the
next batch of cups for the 3000 meter CTD cast at 8S: 155W and doing odd jobs on the buoy deck getting ready for our recovery-deploytomorrow at 5S: 155W and future deployments scheduled later in the cruise.
With the drifter buoy
Cups ready for the depthsContinuing south
As you can see by the GPS, at 4:54 Hawaiian Standard time (7:54 Mountain Standard Time) we continue to move south toward our next buoy recovery and deployment at 5 latitude South and 155 West longitude.
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.
I woke up to gray skies and a 10 knot wind. The wind blew waves to around 1 foot high and rocked the RAINIER gently in Cushman Bay. We have been lucky in that no rain has fallen in the eight days since we left Kodiak and the seas have been remained calm Mitrofania Island. The deck crew lowered the launches an hour earlier at 7:00 am and I joined launch RA-4 led by Ensign Andrew Halbach with assistance from Survey Tech Dan Boles. Coxswain Carl Verplank guided the RA-4 towards the south western side of Mitrofania Island near Spitz Rock.
Lowering the CTD
As we rounded the corner of the island, one to three foot swells driven by a north east wind hit us and knocked the launch around and splashed water over our bow and up onto the windows. This made for roughest conditions I have seen so far on the trip, but not rough enough to affect our sonar mapping. Carl told me that the Rainier crew has mapped ocean bottom depth in worst conditions. We stopped the launch and Ensign Halbach let me lower the SEACAT CTD (conductivity, temperature, and density) probe to the bottom 200 meters down so we can collect data to correct our sonar data. As mentioned in previous log entries; temperature, conductivity (amount of salt in the water) and pressure changes how fast sound moves in water and the CTD probe gives the computer information to correct the sonar for these factors. The CTD data changes over the day and by location so we took measurement every four hours for a total of three times. Here is a close up of SEACAT CTD probe and Dan Boles lowering it the later in the day: After the probe returned to the launch, Ensign Halbach turned on the Reson Radar which has good resolution and works the best in shallow, near-shore waters and around rocks. Our first transects took us close to the shore and Dan sat on the bow and held on tight to look for submerged rocks that could damage the launch hull and sonar probe. Dan got knocked around and splashed with water, but we quickly returned to our dry cabin as we moved further off shore:
The transect traversing nearshore areas
We “mowed the lawn” following long transects that took about half an hour each to complete before turning around and moving over 100 meters to start the next transect. On transects heading into the wind, our launch traveled at 7 knots per hour and hit each wave hard with a thump and splash over the bow. On transects following the wind, the waves picked us up and we “surfed” down the backsides of two to three foot swells. The following seas pushed the launch around and Carl first turned the steering wheel hard left and then hard right to keep us on a straight line. Later in the day, I drove the launch for over an hour and learned how to set a rhythm for completing these left and right turns for each wave. At first, the launch crew remained quiet as we fought some minor motion sickness. After eating and drinking coffee and soda, most of us perked up and started talking. Carl told us about finding brown bear tracks while fishing on the main land last night near the abounded village site of Mitrofania. Dan, Carl and I told each other bear stories and eventually shifted the conversation to education. Carl and Dan both have mothers that work in public schools and told me how their parents put in long hours during the school year.
Cooking dinner!
Carl, a young man in his twenties, is from Fort Wayne, Indiana and worked on the RAINIER the past four years. Carl’s Dad is an attorney and he has some younger sisters that will meet him in Homer for a visit at the end of our current leg. Carl also completed underwater dive school this past spring and can now help install tide gauge stations or inspect the RAINIER’s hull. Carl plans to stay on the RAINIER for at least another year.
Dan Boles is slightly older than Carl and has a Bachelor’s degree in geology and French. Dan grew up in Tennessee and at one point his mom raised horses on a farm. Dan has been on board for almost a year and talked his younger brother (Matt) into joining the RAINIER. Can you imagine sharing a tiny bunk bed room and working with your brother all day long? From what I saw, Dan and Matt get along well.
Taking a quick snooze
After 5 hours, Carl pulled the launch behind Spitz Island that provided us protection from the wind and waves, but filled the air with the foul smell of sea gull dung from the thousands of birds nesting near by. The RAINIER crew gets a half hour lunch break whether on the ship or out in a launch. Ensign Halbach, who had been up late and working on our radio transmitter site, took a nap. Dan set up his Coleman stove and cooked up some salmon fillets he brought along. The salmon tasted good after a long morning out on the water. Carl and I fished off the launch and I landed a sea bass on my first cast. I actually caught three on my first cast, but the first two fell off the hook before the third set the line. I could see several sea bass fighting for my hook. Here are some photos from lunch: After lunch we continued or mapping till around 4:30 pm. The ride back became calmer after we moved past the corner and on to the north side of Mitrofania Island which blocked the wind. We had nice views of the mountains and the RAINIER as we approached the ship. In the evening, I went out on the fan deck (very back of the ship) and fished off the side. Everyone told me the fish weren’t biting, but I tried anyway. I quickly caught a small halibut and hauled it on board with help from other crew. After carefully removing the hook, I threw it back into the water so it could grow bigger before the next fisherman comes along. I fished a little longer and caught a second halibut.
Rainier from the launch
I decided to keep this one and Mike Riley, an oiler from Engineering, showed me how to bleed and fillet the fish. Halibut are more difficult to clean than other fish because they are flat, almost pancake shaped on their sides and a back bone that runs down the middle of their body. They also swim side ways with the flat side facing up and look the surface with their two eyes located on the same side of their head.
After cleaning the halibut, Mike showed me how to vacuum pack the fish and how to store it in our big freezer. Mike is in his early twenties with a shaved head and several piercings in his ears, lips and nose. Mike looks almost like a pirate or punk rocker, but the crew respects him for his fishing and filleting abilities.
The evening ended well and I retired to my bunk for a well deserved sleep.
A beautiful evening
Personal Log
I had a busy day today getting up at 5:50 am and readying myself for the launch. I really had to keep my balance on the launch today as we bounced around, but I didn’t get sea sick like some people did in the other boat. Driving the launch was the best part of my day as I skipped over waves and learned how to handle it in following seas. I learned how to focus on a point far away and to use a rhythm in steering to keep a straight course in rough seas.
Catching the sea bass and two halibuts was a real treat as many people did not catch anything today in the windy conditions. I felt a bit sorry for the fish as we cut it up, but I look forward to eating the meat upon returning from the trip.
Question of the Day
What are three factors that would make waves high out in the ocean?
Time: 18:00
Latitude: N 56°22.60
Longitude: W 152°56.70 Visibility: 10 nm
Wind direction: 115
Wind speed: 8 knots
Sea wave height: 0 – 1 ft
Swell wave height: 2 – 3 feet
Sea water temperature: 12.2 °C
Sea level pressure: 1013.5 mb
Air temperature: 13.3 °C
Cloud cover: 5/8
Science and Technology Log
We are still in transit today to Kodiak, with a planned stop for some “biological testing”, a.k.a. fishing. About two hours before we were going to stop to fish, we heard the bridge announce, “Whales breaching off the port bow!” This is the call for everyone to rush to the portside to see the whales. And what an incredible sight! I was atop the fly deck with TAS Norton and ENS Slover, and none of us could believe the symphony of spray that lay 150 meters ahead of us. It seemed choreographed, almost, with one humpback whale to the right blowing spray into the air at the same time as a whale on the left side. The finale consisted of at least 3 whales breaching so far out of the water you could see their entire underside! Just when we thought the show was over, two whales came within 20 meters of the portside of the boat and breached, waving hello as they went under. Luckily, we had slowed the boat down, so the chances of hitting these whales were small. For such massive and mysterious creatures, these animals completed their whale ballet show gracefully!
We later started fishing, and this sight was yet another of awe at the creatures that inhabit this part of the world. After only 10 minutes, there were about 12 fish on the fantail, 3 of which were halibut that were over 125 pounds, one which was at least 5 feet! After another 10 minutes, the fantail was covered with fish and blood and guts, promising a feast for weeks to come. The birds circled above waiting in anticipation, arguing when a piece of fresh fish was thrown overboard. Again a new image to me, the albatross intimidated the other gulls with its large wing span and threatening call. This day was certainly full of wildlife!
Personal Log
I have never seen whales breach in the wild before, and it truly was an amazing spectacle! Parallel to that, I have never caught a fish any bigger than a 20 inch rainbow trout. Catching a 25 pound black rockfish was extremely exciting, as well as seeing all of the halibut caught! I will say that while fly fishing takes a lot more patience and technique, the fishing that occurred today required more strength and team work. There were at least 4 people helping lug the largest of the fish onto the ship!
We are almost to Kodiak, should be there by morning, and I find myself sad to leave this boat. It has truly been an amazing experience, one in which I learned a lot about the wildlife, research, crew, and myself. I realize now that two weeks at sea really does allow for a lot of self-contemplation and growth. I am very thankful to have had this experience.
Question of the Day:
How big is the biggest humpback whale recorded? How big is the biggest whale recorded? How does this compare to the average sized person?
