interview – Page 2 – NOAA Teacher at Sea Blog

August 8, 2025August 11, 2025

Dorothy Holley: The Driver’s Seat!? August 6, 2025

NOAA Teacher at Sea

Dorothy Holley

Aboard NOAA Ship Pisces

July 31 – August 15, 2025

Mission: Northeast Ecosystem Monitoring Survey (EcoMon)

Geographic Area of Cruise: Northwest Atlantic Ocean

Blog Post #4: August 6, 2025

Weather Data from Bridge:
Latitude: 43^o20.065’ N
Longitude: 067^o11.122’ W
Relative Wind speed: 6
Wind Direction: 66
Air Temperature: 19.6
Sea Surface Temperature: 16.91
Barometric Pressure: 1029.76
Speed over ground: 9.3
Water Conductivity: 4.13
Water Salinity: 32.04

Dolphins on the bow!

First, A blog-reader reader emailed to ask me why they put tennis balls on the chairs in the mess hall. Their guess was that it keeps the chairs from sliding. What do you think? Should I ask the captain? Thanks for reading and asking questions!

portrait photo of Dorothy, wearing a sweatshirt, very large orange work overalls, and a swim vest. she stands on a narrow side deck of NOAA Ship Pisces, one hand on the rail and one hand on her hip. — *After a CTD collection, Dorothy watches the sunset*

view of the bridge room of NOAA Ship Pisces: we see control panels with monitors and displays, a chart table in the center, and a line of windows surrounding the room. — The BRIDGE: where the driving happens……

Second, an answer to the math problem from the last blog: If I filtered water from 3 CTD Rosette bottles for 12-minute protocols at 100 stops, then I would spend 2.5 days just on that project. (Yes, I could spend a fraction of a day on a project.)

Science at Sea: This Summer EcoMon cruise is collecting data that will be analyzed to support NOAA’s mission to protect, restore and manage the use of living marine, coastal, and ocean resources through ecosystem-based management. Our planned path through the northwest Atlantic Ocean, from Rhode Island to Cape Hatteras to the Gulf of Maine, is shown in the map below. NOAA Ship Pisces is a floating weather station, reporting temperature and weather data (available on the Windy app).

a map of the station locations. the x axis ranges from 76 degrees West to 64 degrees West and the y axis ranges from 35 degrees north to 45 degrees north. We see the coastline from North Carolina's Outer Banks to Newfoundland. sample locations are marked with blue dots (bongo only stations), red dots (911 + CTD deployments) and red dots with black circles (both). A few green dots denote bongo sampling locations near wind energy areas.

Once we embarked, NOAA Corp members and Scientists evaluated weather data to determine it was preferable to go north before heading south. So, we are now in the Gulf of Maine, one of the most biologically productive marine ecosystems and possibly one of the most rapidly warming.

Unique bathymetry (that’s topography, but under water) of the area is shaped by the mixing of cool freshwater from the Arctic, the Labrador Current, and over 60 Nova Scotia to Cape Cod rivers with warmer salty Gulf Stream currents. Referred to as a semi-enclosed sea, the Gulf of Maine has shallow and deep areas such as the Bay of Fundy and Georges Shelf. As our polar ice cap melts, the Labrador Current and the more-shallow rivers become warmer. Warming temperatures strengthen the Gulf Stream. The “bath tub” effect for the Gulf of Maine translates to warming at nearly three times the global ocean average. (Read more about the Gulf of Maine and Acadia National Park’s 60 miles of coastline and 18 islands in the U.S. National Park Service here )

We have had to maneuver around humpback whales and tons of lobster pots to reach our stops and collect data that will better help scientists understand and manage this important ecosystem. But when we talk about how fast we are going, those steering the ship use the unit of “knots” instead of mph. Why?!

screenshot of Google maps from Dorothy's phone showing the current location: the blue dot surrounded by solid blue (which is how the ocean appears on Google maps)

Screenshot Photos of Dorothy’s phone: Google Maps isn’t very helpful in the ocean!

Interesting Things: Mariners (and aviators) don’t have road maps or Google maps to steer them. They must navigate using latitude and longitude readings, based on the circumference of the earth. One nautical mile is equivalent to one minute of latitude, and one nautical mile per hour is then called one knot. NOAA Ship Pisces cruises at around 8 knots between stops. My land-based brain is still trying to convert!

On the bridge, our NOAA Corps is constantly figuring out speed, time, and distance problems to make sure the Pisces is getting where it needs to be on time, or how we’ll pass with another vessel. LT Urquhart posts the stations for the following day in our “Plan for the Day” Communication.

You do the Math: If 1 knot = 1.15 mph, how long (in hours) will it take us to get to the next stop, 15 miles away? Remember, the ship is traveling at 8 knots. Check in the next blog post for the answer.

Career Spotlight

LT Karina Urquhart

LT Karina Urquhart is a part of the Ship’s NOAA Corps. In other words… She gets to DRIVE THE SHIP! (NOAA Ship Pisces currently has seven NOAA Corps officers, collectively called the Wardroom.) A fascination with the ocean and a strong work ethic developed through years of competitive swimming propelled her into this role. Growing up in Sanford, Maine, she began swimming in elementary school. While she appreciated the access to deep family roots, her mom also grew up in Sanford, she chose to leave Maine to attend college and continue swimming. (She didn’t especially enjoy academic studies, but figured the classes would take care of themselves. Right?)

Graduating from Clark University in Massachusetts with a degree in Environmental Science Conservation Biology and a minor in Studio Art, LT Urquhart returned to Maine summer beach lifeguarding and then found a USDA Pathways Internship in Washington, DC. The lifeguarding and internship experiences, especially spending 8-hour shifts with a colleague observing ocean currents and movements, set the stage for her NOAA Corp Basic Officer Training Class (BOTC) application. Once accepted, she was trained in ship handling and navigation to prepare her for her role as an Officer in NOAA.

BOTC provided many opportunities to sharpen her problem solving and perseverance skills. She often said, “I can do one more week of this,” and then, at some point, it got better. Her first ship assignment was on NOAA Ship Rainier, for 2.5 years, where she conducted hydrographic operations from Alaska to Guam. LT Urquhart took the technical foundation she gained from Rainier and then rotated into a three-year land assignment at NOAA’s National Center for Coastal Ocean Science (NCCOS) where she supported seafloor and lakebed habitat mapping. While working full time, she pursued a master’s degree in Geographic Information Systems, or GIS, from the University of Maryland.

As advice for people starting a new opportunity, LT Urquhart suggests leaning into the things that scare you the most because they’ll probably help you grow the most. It’s scary for a reason. If you feel stressed or overwhelmed, she suggests doing the thing that you don’t want to do first. Sometimes you just have to get over it and sometimes you have to be the person pushing yourself. LT Urquhart credits her experiences in NOAA with helping her distinguish between the challenges she can overcome, when to ask for help, and when to take a step back.

As one of two Operations Officers on board Pisces, LT Urquhart invests in the crew and scientists on our EcoMon mission, making sure we have what we need so that our mission runs as smoothly as possible. She prints the daily “Plan of the Day” listing the stops and times we’ll be collecting samples. She begins by asking “where do I think we’ll be at midnight?” and “Is this 24 hours worth of stations + transits?”. She credits our electronics and Navigation Officer (ENS Cheney) for doing much of the leg work (and math!) for the team. One tool she says that she couldn’t live without are the RADARs– the ship’s eyes that let us see objects and hazards way further than we can actually see. I’m personally glad that she has her camera. While taking pictures is not a part of her official duties, you may have noticed I’ve posted LT Urquhart’s photos in some of my blogs.

Currently, LT Urquhart is reading The Hero Within by Carol S Pearson and On Character by Stanley McChrysal. Two books she would highly recommend are Indianapolis: The True Story of the Worst Disaster in U.S. Naval History and the Fifty-Year Fight to Exonerate an Innocent Man, by Lynn Vincent and Sara Vladic and The Curve of Time, by M. Wylie Blanchet. I enjoy reading her daily updates. Thank you for communicating so well!

Personal Log

Here are some pictures of my cabin (called a stateroom). In the last blog, I posted some amazing pictures taken by my cabinmate Alyssa. Since we are working opposite shifts, we each feel like we have a private stateroom! While I think I am the oldest person onboard, Alyssa (a college student) is the youngest. I wonder if she can share more information on NOAA scholarships, internships, and volunteer opportunities available to college-aged students? Maybe we should ask….

view into a stateroom: we see two bunkbeads with curtains, a window with the curtain drawn, a desk chair, a suitcase. — Berths

view out the stateroom window: a plastic ducky with a sailor's hat sits on the sill looking outward — Berths

Photos: Home, sweet home on NOAA Ship Pisces!

Isn’t it nice to have so many great photographers in one place? It has been said that a picture says a thousand words. Come meet a member of the science team who has published two bird books in my next blog…

Beautiful sunset over the Atlantic

August 6, 2025August 8, 2025

Dorothy Holley: Columns of Information, August 5, 2025

NOAA Teacher at Sea

Dorothy Holley

Aboard NOAA Ship Pisces

July 31 – August 15, 2025

Mission: Northeast Ecosystem Monitoring Survey (EcoMon)

Geographic Area of Cruise: Northwest Atlantic Ocean

Blog Post #3, August 5, 2025

Date: August 5, 2025

Weather Data from Bridge:
Latitude: 4259.65 N
Longitude: 07026.35 W
Relative Wind speed: 15
Wind Direction: 356
Air Temperature: 21.3
Sea Surface Temperature: 18.996
Barometric Pressure: 1023.4
Speed over ground: 9.9
Water Conductivity: 4.265
Water Salinity: 31.21

Sky is overcast due to the Canadian wildfires!

First, a Thank you to Pam who posted a comment to my last post. When out at sea, it is good to know someone is reading along!

Second, an answer to the math problem….. If we are out at sea for two weeks, and deploy the Bongo nets at 100 different stops, our team of scientists will deploy and collect plankton over seven times each day, and since there are two groups, we’ll each deploy and collect about 3-4 times each day. (No, we can’t do partial, or fractional, jobs!)

Dorothy, wearing a 35th anniversary Teacher at Sea sweatshirt, takes a selfie from an upper deck. the sun is starting to set in an aquamarine sky over light blue water. — *Photo: Sunset while on duty is the best!*

Science at Sea:

Over 70% of our planet’s surface contains water. While we can’t analyze every single drop, we can monitor and evaluate water quality patterns to better understand and predict changes in weather, climate, oceans, and coasts. NOAA scientists’ work supports severe weather preparedness and international shipping.

a view from farther down the rail of a CTD rosette suspended just at the water's surface; the sky and water are very gray

a view from farther down the rail of a CTD rosette suspended above the water's surface; the sky and water are very gray

a view from farther down the rail of two crewmembers wearing life vests pulling the CTD rosette back on board; the sky and water are very gray

Photos: Scientist team and Deck team work together to get CTD equipment in place. Photos by LT Karina Urquhart.

The CTD Rosette is an instrument used to collect water samples in the water column at our stops on our Ecosystem Monitoring (EcoMon) Cruise. “CTD” stands for conductivity, temperature and depth. Closer to the ocean floor, the temperature will be colder (lower) and the pressure will be higher. Conductivity describes how well electricity is being conducted and can be used to determine salinity. Taken together, salinity, temperature, and pressure influence water density, which in turn drive ocean currents and influence global climate patterns. Monitoring salinity and temperature patterns helps us better understand marine life distribution and predict changes in our planet’s water cycle.

The CTD Rosette also has oxygen sensors and a fluorometer. There are 12 Niskin bottles that open and close to collect water samples at different depths in the column. Water from three of the bottles is for a project on chlorophyll concentration. We filter water from three different depths to be examined back at the land lab. (Find out more about CTD Rosettes here.)

view of the CTD rosette resting on deck. the sky is hazy gray blue, and the water is gray. at the horizon, a few windmills are barely visible.

view of the ocean over the deck; the sky is cloudy and gray, and the water is gray. at the horizon, a few windmills are barely visible.

CTD Rosette waiting for the next stop. Do you see the windmills?!

You do the Math: If I filtered water from 3 CTD Rosette bottles at each of our 100 stops, and it takes 12 minutes to run the protocol to filter each bottle, then how much time (in days) would I spend on the project? Check in the next blog post for the answer.

Interesting Things: There are no landfills in the ocean. So what happens to our waste?! After every meal we scrape our food waste into a bucket and our paper and plastic waste into another bucket. Plates, cups, bowls, and silverware are washed for the next meal. The food waste is pulverized and dumped into the ocean to biodegrade. The other bucket’s waste is incinerated onboard.

Career Spotlight:

portrait view of Santanna on deck. He is wearing black work gloves, a life vest, and a yellow hardhat. We can see part of a bongo plankton net on deck behind him. The sky is a muted blue, cloudless; the ocean is blue and very calm. — Santanna Dawson, professional mariner

Santanna Dawson has been a part of the deck department on NOAA Ship Pisces for the last year and a half. His team is responsible for everything deck – docking, undocking, equipment, cargo, operations, maintenance, painting, repairing, and even security rounds (in case something comes loose and starts rolling around in the night). He ensures the science experiments actually happen by getting the equipment safely in place.

Santanna speaks with a Gullah Geechee dialect, a mixture of creole and low county charm. And even though he grew up around the ocean in South Carolina, his plan was to follow in his father’s footsteps by joining the Air Force. A car accident after graduation snapped his femur in half, changing everything. Santanna began his career with little knowledge of the maritime industry, working his way up from entry level with training (earning a spot at a maritime school in San Diego) and persistence.

One tool Santanna says he can’t live without is a hammer. A tool he doesn’t have yet is a Bluetooth screw driver. The next book on his reading list is Can’t Hurt Me by David Goggins.

Santanna was one of the first people I met on the ship, and he made me feel right at home. How is that? It wasn’t the obvious southern drawl (he sounds more Senegalese!) but the fact that Santana recently lived in Knightdale, NC, my hometown! He knows about the beautiful Knightdale Station Park and his son attended Knightdale High School. As my mom would say, it really is a small world!

Personal Log: It is joyful to get to “do science” every day! Today I saw pilot whales on the flying bridge with binoculars and a fish egg in the lab with a microscope. I hope you get to experience some joy today, too!

close up view of a tiny sea star in a plankton sieve — Sea star

top down view of a sieve filled with small jellyfish — Sea star

Photos by my cabin mate, Alyssa Rauscher

August 5, 2025August 5, 2025

Cheryl Milliken: Sharks off South Carolina, August 3, 2025

NOAA Teacher at Sea

Cheryl Milliken

Aboard NOAA Ship Oregon II

July 25 – August 10, 2025

Mission: Bottom Longline Survey, Leg 1

Geographic Area of Cruise: Atlantic Coast of Florida

Date: August 3, 2025

Weather Data from the Bridge (3:00 PM)

Latitude: 32° 54.4’ N

Longitude: 079° 00.3’ W

Wind speed: 18 kts.

Wave height: 1-2’

Air temp.: 28.1 C

Sky: Clouds

Science and Technology Log

To date, we have caught, tagged, and fin-clipped silky, sharpnose, sandbar, tiger, great hammerhead, blacknose, nurse, and scalloped hammerhead sharks. We have also brought up red snappers, a pale spotted eel, and a blunt-nose lizardfish. I have never seen any of these fishes before, so it has opened a whole new world of sea creatures for me. I am grateful to have this opportunity to explore a region of the ocean with which I am unfamiliar.

view of a scalloped hammerhead shark lying on it ventral side (belly) in a teal mesh shark cradle suspended over the water. a crewmember, mostly out of frame, reaches two arms over the ship's railing to steady the shark.

top-down view from an upper deck of crewmembers standing near the rail as a teal mesh shark cradle rises out of the water, holding a large tiger shark

a man wearing blue gloves, standing on deck and facing away from the camera, holds out a large red-orange fish by the operculum (opening behind the jaw)

straight on view of a hammerhead shark's head; the shark is suspended in the teal mesh cradle, and two gloved hands hold up its head to prepare to remove the hook

Cheryl, wearing a sunhat, a hard hat on top of the sunhat, and a life vest, kneels on deck. with two gloved hands, she holds up a small sharpnose shark and smiles for a photo.

Top row: Scallloped hammerhead shark in mesh cradle; Large tiger shark being hoisted by crane and cradle to be processed alongside the ship (photo courtesy NOAA Corps officer on the bridge); Field Party Chief and PI Trey Driggers lifting red snapper onto cutting table to remove otoliths and eye lenses. Bottom row: Face of scalloped hammerhead shark prior to removal of circle hook; I am holding a sharpnose shark after measuring and fin-clipping it. (Photo by Gretchen Kruizenga).

Personal Log

Living on a ship is much different than living on land. Obviously, we’re on a moving vessel, so the scenery and location are different every time we wake up. As soon as the mooring lines were cast off, we had no access to shopping for anything that we might have forgotten…

One major change from when I was last aboard a ship 25 years ago is the internet. Thanks to a satellite connection through Starlink, I can now stream movies, call my husband, and scroll through Facebook — even miles from shore. It’s strange but comforting to feel connected to the outside world while being so physically remote.

Our living quarters are compact and communal. On the main deck where we fish, there’s a toilet and sink, while the lower deck — where we sleep — has two water closets with an adjacent sink. Each stateroom also has a small sink, which makes washing up and brushing teeth a bit easier. For showers, we have two shared ones for the entire crew, so we limit ourselves to ten-minute showers to make sure everyone gets a turn and can get to bed soon after their shift.

Before leaving port, the crew was split into two watches: day watch (12 noon to midnight) and night watch (midnight to noon). Most staterooms house two people on opposite watches, so the person off duty has the room to themselves while the other works. Unfortunately, our bunks are located just below the deck where the fishing line is hauled in, so it gets quite noisy. Sleep is something we grab when we can, knowing it may be disrupted by the sound of the winch or the motion of high seas. I’m on day watch, so my schedule feels more natural — but for those on night watch, sleeping during daylight and staying alert all night is a real challenge.

Yesterday we also launched the second drifter. This one had Falmouth High School stickers, of course, but also the crew of NOAA Ship Oregon II wrote their names, drew, or wrote favorite quotes. It was fun to get everyone on the ship involved in this project! The track of Drifter #1 appears to be keeping up with the ship!

close up view of the buoy, shaped like a large fiberglass beach ball. the bottom half is blue and the top half is white, and decorated. We see a sticker of a lobster (mvyradio.org), a school sticker (for Falmouth Clippers), and some handwritten quotes and signatures. — Drifter #2 with quotes from crew

close up view of the buoy, shaped like a large fiberglass beach ball. the bottom half is blue and the top half is white, and decorated. We see some school stickers (for Falmouth Clippers), and some handwritten quotes and signatures, and a drawing of a shark near the seabed. — Drifter #2 with quotes from crew

Cheryl, wearing her Teacher at Sea t shirt, a life vest, and sunglasses, poses for a photo on deck next to the drifting buoy, currently curled up and resting on a table surface. — I am preparing to launch Drifter #2 from fantail

map of sea surface temperature by geographic location as measured by the first drifting buoy. measurements are depicted as squares, color coded by temperature, ranging from 28 degrees Celsius (purple) to 32 degrees Celsius (red); most of the readings are green, which corresponds to 30 degrees C. the measurements start east of Florida and extend north along the Gulf Stream toward North Carolina. — I am preparing to launch Drifter #2 from fantail

Interview with Trey Driggers

Trey, wearing a life vest and work gloves, stands on deck with his right hand on the rail of the ship and his left resting on a white barrel lined with circle hooks. Behind him, the sky is blue with many gray clouds, and the water is blue-gray with some chop. — Dr. Trey Driggers hauling in hooks during our longline survey.

Trey Driggers is the PI, or principal investigator, of the Southeast Fisheries Science Center Bottom Longline (BLL) Survey. He originally wanted to be a musician playing guitar, but his father said that if he went to military school first, he would pay for college. That seemed like a good deal, so he completed an associate’s degree at Valley Forge Military Academy in Wayne, PA, then continued for a BA in History from Clemson University.

Trey imagined being a lawyer, but he was always interested in sharks. His fascination with large predators was driven after his childhood dog was eaten by an alligator in his grandparents’ yard in Florida. He was 8 years old when the movie Jaws came out, and although he was too young to see it, he was intrigued by all the shark-related merchandise that was on the shelves at that time. During his senior year in college, scientists from the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of Natural History released a book entitled, Sharks in Question: The Smithsonian Answer Book. The last section was entitled, “How Do I Become a Shark Specialist?” He read that and thought, “That’s a job?” His career goals dramatically changed; now he realized that he could be a shark biologist. After graduating from Clemson, he enrolled in the courses needed to earn another degree in Marine Science. Once Trey had this focus, he became a straight A student. He finished that program in two years.

After finishing his coursework in marine science, Trey applied for graduate school and was accepted into Dr. John Dean’s lab at the University of South Carolina. Dr. Dean was very supportive of his students and is considered one of the godfathers of otoliths, studying ear stones of finfish to determine their age. Trey’s master’s thesis was on the age and growth of yellowfin tuna. Dr. Dean convinced him to stay in that lab to complete his PhD, as well. Part of his research on blacknose sharks required him to collect fin clips from sharks for a genetic study which was done in part on the Southeast Fisheries Science Center’s Bottom Longline Survey, which solidified his desire to work for the National Marine Fisheries Service. He has been participating in this survey since 1999. The rest is history!

Tell me about your family:

“We live in Ocean Springs, MS. My wife is a biology teacher in middle school. We met at USC and are both Clemson Tigers. We’ve been married for 26 years and have three children: Amelia is a biomedical engineer; Boyd is a junior at Ole Miss; and Max is a senior in high school. We have a malinois dog named Lilah and a chihuahua named Oliver.”

How did you get your position at NOAA Fisheries?

“In 2002 I was still a post-doc, but I went to the Resource Surveys Branch Chief at the Pascagoula lab three separate times to ask for a job. I think I finally wore him down and was hired in 2003. In 2012, I became the Shark Unit Leader. Kristin Hannan is my right-hand partner, and Will Tilley complements us both to make a solid team.”

What is the most fun part of your job?

“There are many fun parts of my job. My coworkers and I are very close, and it’s great being around people who have the same interests. I get to see things very few people get to see and I feel very fortunate to have access to the resources that allow me to conduct broad scale research. When I retire, I will know I did exactly what I set out to do and will have achieved my professional goals.”

What is the most difficult part of your job?

“I miss important family events such as birthdays, first days of school, etc. The good definitely outweighs the bad, though. Our work helps conservation and fishermen. I feel it’s critical to have boots on the ground when conducting research and in my field there is only one place to do that and that is on the water.”

What part of your job with NOAA did you least expect to be doing?

“I least expected the Deepwater Horizon disaster. When that happened, we were told, ‘You’re now forensic biologists,’ and our jobs changed significantly for a time. It was a big adjustment, and a massive effort by many, many people.”

What would you be doing if you didn’t work for NOAA?

“I’ve thought about that a lot and don’t have a good answer. I do play my guitar 3-4 hours per day, though, and would try to do something with that.”

Did You Know?

Scientists have identified ten different species of hammerhead sharks. We are fortunate to have caught two different species so far!

New Animals Seen:

Scalloped hammerhead shark
Pale spotted eel
Decorator crab
Semipalmated plover

out of focus view of a small shorebird walking on a gray surface — Semipalmated plover
(courtesy of Lila Xenakis)

a decorated crab photographed splayed out against a blue surface; we can see some seaweed stuck to it — Decorator crab

August 4, 2025August 5, 2025

Cheryl Milliken: Fish On! August 1, 2025

NOAA Teacher at Sea

Cheryl Milliken

Aboard NOAA Ship Oregon II

July 25 – August 10, 2025

Mission: Bottom Longline Survey, Leg 1

Geographic Area of Cruise: Atlantic Coast of Florida

Date: August 1, 2025 (11:00 AM)

Weather Data from the Bridge

Latitude: 30° 30.1’N

Longitude: 081° 12.6′ W

Wind speed: 10 kts.

Wave height: 0-1 ft.

Air temp.: 31.5° C (89° F)

Sky: Clear

Science and Technology Log

“Fish on!” is what is called out whenever we have a fish on a hook. Everyone springs into action to collect data on the fish as efficiently as possible so it has a better chance of surviving. Their success is evidenced by the number of shark tags that have been returned after this release. Wednesday we caught a large female tiger shark that had been tagged by scientists out of the Apex Predators Program out of the NOAA Fisheries Narragansett lab. Here is a link to the work they conduct in that lab: https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/new-england-mid-atlantic/atlantic-highly-migratory-species/northeast-shark-research. We are awaiting information about the tagged individual (where and when it was tagged, how much it has grown since she was tagged) from scientists in Narragansett.

NOAA Fisheries has been conducting the Southeast Bottom Longline Survey for 30 years! Scientists and crew participating in the survey have vital scientific data on sharks and finfish in U.S. waters from Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, to the Florida Keys and through the Gulf of America.

Each year, survey stations—randomly selected before each cruise—are sampled in both shallow and deep waters. Scientists and crew use standardized fishing protocols to collect data on abundance, distribution, size, sex, and maturity of captured species. For bony fish, they also remove otoliths—tiny calcareous structures in the ear—to count growth rings and estimate age, similar to how one might age a tree.

This long-term, standardized dataset is an invaluable resource. It provides critical baseline information about marine ecosystems, which is especially important when natural disasters strike. Managers can refer to this historical data to understand pre-disaster conditions and guide recovery efforts.

Best of all, the entire database is public. Researchers, policymakers, and curious minds alike can access this wealth of information to support science-based decision-making. Learn more about the Southeast fishery-independent surveys: NOAA Fisheries Southeast Surveys.

Teamwork in Action: Skilled Crew and Augmenters Keep the Survey Moving

This leg of the Southeast Bottom Longline Survey includes several augmenters—crew members temporarily reassigned from other NOAA ships or roles to help out where they’re most needed. Their skills and experience are a welcome asset on board, especially during a time when a federal hiring freeze has led staff to pitch in across vessels.

Among the augmenters are NOAA Corps officers either in training or assisting with training, the ship’s chief steward, and members of the deck crew. Their flexibility and teamwork ensure the survey continues smoothly and safely.

a man stands on deck, feet spread apart for balance, holding up a large barracuda for a photo. we see blue skies with puffy clouds and fairly even blue water in the background beyond the rail.

portrait photo of a man in a red t-shirt wearing sunglasses and a very wide-brimmed straw hat; he leans on a railing of the deck and looks off dramatically into the distance

a man, mostly in silhouette due to the lighting, fishing off the back deck of the ship. beyond the railing is a lovely orange sunset obscured by just a few bits of cloud over dark blue waters.

Left to right: Josh with a barracuda he trolled off the stern deck; Chuck Godwin in the best hat; Sean reeling in the line at sunset.

Fishing operations on this leg are led by a capable and experienced Deck Department:

Josh Cooper, Chief Boatswain, has served on board for 3 ½ years.
Chuck Godwin, the lead fisherman, brings years of experience working aboard NOAA Ship Oregon II.
Sean Gronquist, a skilled fisherman, just celebrated his one-year anniversary on board this week.
Aaron Walton, a seasoned Lead Fisherman from NOAA Ship Bigelow out of Rhode Island, is augmenting the night watch team.
Malachi Olson, a contractor, is also supporting night operations as an augmenter.

During fishing operations, this team handles critical tasks: setting longlines, hauling them back in after one hour, and moving a specialized mesh cradle into place when large sharks are brought aboard. Their coordination and expertise are essential to ensuring the data collection is efficient, humane, and safe for both crew and animals.

Interview with Sean Gronquist

This interview is with skilled fisherman Sean Gronquist. He has been around the Atlantic Ocean his whole life, but on NOAA Ship Oregon II for a year. Growing up, Sean and his friends used to take all kinds of watercraft out into the Intracoastal Waterway around St. Augustine, FL, from a dock behind his house. He learned some basic mechanics from his friend, Jordan, who was able to fix 2-stroke engines on the fly when they were out on the water together.

Sean graduated from the University of North Florida with a degree in anthropology and a dream to be an underwater “Indiana Jones.” He earned his captain’s license and worked as a charter fishing captain for 15 years, where the focus for him was locating the target species of his clients to catch whatever they requested, if possible. Sean literally helped customers check items off their bucket list (he runs Uno Mas Fishing Charters out of Stuart, FL). He could return to this profession if he ever needed to, but for now he finds joy in working toward the important goal of figuring out how many fish are off the southeastern coast of the US.

Why is your work important?

“We collect data that is used by multiple groups to set quotas or limits on fisheries. We’re one of the longest running surveys.”

What do you enjoy most about your work?

“Even during transits, no two days are the same. Straight up, I fish for the government. The fact that I found a job that pays me to do what I’m passionate about, you can’t beat it. I learn something new every day. “

What is the most important tool that you use for your job?

“My answer is simple: a sharp pocket knife comes in handy all the time. You can cut something, open things, all sorts of uses. “

If you could invent any tool to make your work more efficient and cost were no object, what would it be and why?

“It would have to be something to keep weeds off the line, a weedless spring to remove the sargassum weed from the trolling line. We fish off the stern when we have finished all that we need to do, and it’s a pain to have to pull in the lures all the time because they’re fouled with sargassum.”

When did you know you wanted to pursue an ocean career?

“I’ve always known I wanted that. I grew up on the water, so I just needed to figure out how to make a career out of it. I did marine mechanics on Yamaha engines at a guy’s shop but realized that the owner of the shop would always make a lot more money than I would. I did finish carpentry, too, but ultimately I decided to put down a hammer and picked up a wrench.

“My great grandfather was a merchant marine, and my grandfather was a See Bee in the Navy in Okinawa in World War II. It ran in my family, so I always figured I’d end up on a ship.”

Personal Log

I am having so much fun and learning so much on this trip. It’s always nice to interact with people who are like-minded about the wonder of the ocean. We have a range of people on this leg of the cruise (it takes 4 legs to sample all of the stations and regions). Here are the people on the day watch with me:

Trey Driggers, primary investigator for the project
Gretchen Kruizenga, survey technician (Ms. Fix-It!)
Tera Winters, survey scientist (and former veterinarian)
Evan Winters, volunteer entering college at West Florida University when we return

Everyone is pulling their weight (I always feel like I need to step up a little more, but I am trying to keep up at these new tasks) and getting along well. I will try to write more about these new friends in the future.

New Animals Seen

Spotted dolphins
Cannonball jellyfish
Lion’s mane jellyfish
Tiger sharks (large and small)
Sandbar sharks
Leech on the sandbar shark
Nurse shark
Bull shark
Sharpnose shark
Great hammerhead shark! (the other watch actually saw this shark, but they showed me the pictures! We are in competition now to see who catches the next hammerhead.)
Two large red snappers!

a somewhat out of focus view of two dolphins leaping above the surface of the water; blue, mostly clear skies, bright blue water.

a woman wearing a hard hat, life vest, and gloves crouches on deck to hold a large red-orange fish against a long wooden measuring board

a woman wearing a life vest, hat, and sunglasses smiles for the camera as she stands on deck grasping a small stripey shark behind its jaws

close-up view of a marine leech against the bright blue textured background of a fish glove. the leach is blue gray with a pattern of white spots in bands.

view of the underside of a hammerhead shark's head, held back by a blue gloved hand. the shark is suspended above the water in the mesh cradle.

a hammerhead shark in the water, caught on a line, as seen over the railing.

Photos clockwise, from top left: Spotted dolphins swimming in the wake for fun; Lila holding a baby tiger shark, a favorite!; great hammerhead shark on the longline, prior to hauling up; great hammerhead in the mesh cradle being measured, sexed, and tagged; leech (size approximately 2 cm) in my glove, removed from a large sandbar shark); Tera measuring a red snapper prior to removing otoliths (estimated to be around 15 years old).

Did You Know?

Otoliths, or fish ear stones, are the densest part of a finfish’s body and are made of calcium carbonate, the same material as seashells. They are suspended in a liquid to help the fish to know which end is up and to sense vibrations.

otoliths arranged in six neat columns against a black background. the otoliths have been dyed different colors prior to sectioning.

close-up view of two cleaned otoliths resting in the fingers of someone's upturned

Left: Otoliths from six species aligned at the core and ready to be sectioned. Photo: Sandy Sutherland, NOAA Fisheries. Right: Otoliths removed by Tera from the red snapper in the previous photos.

February 3, 2025February 3, 2025

Kiersten Newtoff: So Long, and Thanks for All the (Whales). February 3, 2025

NOAA Teacher at Sea
Kiersten Newtoff
Aboard NOAA Ship Pisces
January 6 – January 27, 2025

Mission: Atlantic Marine Assessment Program for Protected Species (AMAPPS)
Geographic Area of Cruise: North Atlantic Coast
Date: February 3, 2025

Nearly every blog post was an interview with a group of folks working towards a common goal. Well, for this final post, I’ll interview myself (I’m sure there’s a literary term for this, but alas, English was never my best subject) about how it all went! Also, I hate actually talking about myself, so when someone in real life asks me about the trip, I can just tell them to come here. Plus they get pretty pictures. We all win.

What was your favorite interview? (asked by Rob!)

Honestly, I can’t even remember my answer when Rob asked, but it probably wasn’t that insightful. But now that I am home and reflecting, I think all my interviews with the quietest people on the ship were the best. Once we started talking one on one, so many people opened up about their journey and had great advice for people interested in the field. One memorable moment was with Tom, one of the engineers, who I literally had not even heard him say a word to anyone (partly because he wasn’t around at dinner due to his shift, partly because I don’t pay attention). I just went up to him during lunch and asked “Hi, I’m interviewing everyone on the ship and was wondering if we could chat later” to which he just started talking to me about his time in maritime school and how his class would go tutor at the local high school and tell them about the maritime trade! Like bro, I am not prepared for this yet. We did catch up later and I learned even more cool stuff about him. A lot of the crew kind of just minded to themselves or with their smaller crew, but I am glad I kind of forced myself into each ‘group’ and learned from everyone. It definitely strengthened our relationships throughout the trip. Many people had sailed together for years and learned about each other from my blog! It was cool to hear that I got to share their stories.

How big was the boat?

I’m getting this question a lot, but this was my first legit boat ride, so I have very little frame of reference. Smaller than a Carnival cruise ship. Bigger than a yacht on Below Deck. From the engine area, it takes 7 flights of stairs to get to the flying bridge. Here, take a look at the picture, me for scale.

Kiersten standing in front of the NOAA Ship Pisces, which is docked. — Kiersten standing in front of the NOAA Ship *Pisces*. Boat is big, Kiersten is small.

Did you know anyone?

Nope! I had lots of mutual connections with folks though! Yin and I shared a connection with someone I went to graduate school with, I had a student in 2013 who ended up working with Rob in California, and someone I met recently who works 5 minutes from my house was a close colleague and (current! friend!) of Allison’s. The ecology world is small!

What was the coolest thing you saw?

I’m not a very decisive person and am really bad at superlatives. So here’s the top 4:

Seeing North Atlantic Right Whales, some of the rarest and most endangered whale species in the world, off the coast of Virginia Beach
It snowing, and sticking, on the deck
Tons of water spouts forming and breaking up
Being outside in a T-shirt while in the Gulf Stream

A tail fin of a North Atlantic Right Whale dips into the water, with a wind turbine in the background. — North Atlantic Right Whale. NEFSC permit #27066.

A water spout forms in the distance on a dark gray, cloudy day. — North Atlantic Right Whale. NEFSC permit #27066.

How was the motion sickness?

If you haven’t read the Ode to Scopolamine, you’re missing out on my finest work. But after three weeks, it was mostly “fine.” I only puked once, but had a few instances where I decided being horizontal was in my best interest. At night though, rocking softly in bed – I understand why waterbeds were a thing. The nights where things are crashing around and you are getting airborne while sleeping, not as pleasant. But the meds really helped, thank you modern medicine.

What was living on the boat like?

I was in a bunk room, with the best roommate Tasha. She was mama bear and was always looking out for me when I needed to be horizontal. She was also so fun to work with on deck and she is just a cool person. (But also a literally cool person, we had low key thermostat wars fueled by love). We had three cooked meals a day and limitless snacks (when all the chips weren’t being stolen!) and dessert. I learned you are not allowed to work out in the galley, but that it is also the roomiest place on the ship, so I exercised only 1.5 times. I’d rank boat living 5/7.

What did you learn?

Literally everything. Everything about this experience was brand new to me, except that I knew maybe 20% of the seabirds. Although my master’s was in marine biology, my research was on ecotoxicology of Brown Pelicans, which aren’t around this area this time of year. They have the right idea and hang out in the Caribbean. All the science was new, the boat living was new, the struggling to stand was new. Every day I learned new science or new boat things.

Kiersten looks through Big Eye binoculars. The picture was used as a background photo for a desktop, duplicated across two screens. — One of the ways I really felt like part of the team was going into the acoustics lab and seeing this new snazzy screensaver. I pointed it out to everyone that day. (original pic taken by Kelsey).

What do you do now?

My commitment to NOAA Teacher at Sea isn’t over! While the blog portion is done, the main goal of the program is to disseminate to students the important research by NOAA. I am working on a lesson plan for students that I will be test running in Fall 2025 when I return from sabbatical. I used to do a population sampling lab on grid paper and students learned about and tested the accuracy of different population estimation techniques: point, transect, quadrat, and mark and recapture sampling. I am adapting this activity a bit to actually apply the AMAPPS protocol where students will have to consider a sampling technique, and then how to actually implement it given X amount of time at sea, the need for Y conditions, and following an observational protocol Z. The chief scientist Debi developed a map for me to use with students that shows the North Atlantic with contour lines that students can use to develop their sampling regions based on 6 species of concern I provide them. I’m excited to test this out with students! I’ll also be presenting at the Maryland Collegiate STEM Conference to community college faculty about the NOAA Teacher at Sea experience and with students about all of the careers they can pursue with NOAA. And the program also has an alumni organization to keep previous teachers connected with each other and with the organization!

A meme titled "What gives people feelings of power" with a horizontal bar graph underneath. The smallest bar says 'money'. The second largest bar says 'status'. And the largest, by far, bar says 'being in Kiersten's blog'. — The other thing that really made me feel like part of the team was making it into Ian’s meme of the day. Peak.

Who do you want to thank?

Well of course, my mom, who has always believed in me for all the random things I pursue! Of course, the NOAA Teacher at Sea program for hosting this incredible experience for 35 years! And thank you to everyone who had to approve me to join this cruise – which I’m sure Commander Kliewer and Debi had a bit of say in that! Everyone on the ship who let me bother them with my questions and to everyone who made me feel like one of the team, even when I was clearly an outsider. The people made this trip. The experience was fun, but the people were it. (But I swear, I’m not an extrovert).

So long, and thanks for all the (whales).

PS. Do you feel like you missed a blog post or 10? Here’s a quick index to all of them.