Tag: lionfish

Posted on

Thomas Nassif, July 16, 2005

NOAA Teacher at Sea
Thomas Nassif
Onboard NOAA Ship Nancy Foster
July 15 – 24, 2005

Mission: Invasive Lionfish Survey
Geographical Area: Southeast U.S.
Date: July 16, 2005

Underwater photograph of a lion fish taken by Doug Kesling, deep-sea diver on the NANCY FOSTER.
Underwater photograph of a lion fish taken by Doug Kesling, deep-sea diver on the NANCY FOSTER.

Weather Data

Latitude: 34°43’N
Longitude: 76°42’W
Visibility: 10 nautical miles (nm)
Wind direction: 200°
Wind speed: 11 kts
Sea wave height: less than 1 foot
Swell wave height: none
Sea water temperature: 87 F, 30.5°C
Sea level pressure: 1017.9 mb
Relative Humidity: 86%
Cloud cover: 2/8, Cumulus, Stratocumulus, Cirrostratus

Science and Technology Log

After the final computer tests, our ship finally left for sea today at 1310 hours. The NANCY FOSTER steamed ahead through choppy waters to the first dive site of the Lionfish study, “210 Rock.” The dive site is located 27 nautical miles off the coast of Cape Lookout, North Carolina. At 1800 hours four SCUBA divers leaped off of the starboard side of the ship in search of Lionfish. They were equipped with two underwater video cameras and two waterproof clipboards to record their observations. The divers leaped off the boat and dove to the ocean floor (to a depth of 108 feet) to tally the number of Lionfish compared to other native species of fish within a given distance (this is called a visual transect survey).

Thomas Nassif helping on deck to deploy a drop camera that sends real-time video footage of the deep sea to the ship’s television monitors.
Thomas Nassif helping on deck to deploy a drop camera that sends real-time video footage of the deep sea to the ship’s television monitors.

Now for a brief interlude…

What are Lionfish and why are we taking the time to study them? Lionfish are members of the scorpion fish family that are not native to the Atlantic Ocean. Organisms like the Lionfish that arrive, survive, and successfully reproduce in an ecosystem where they did not previously exist are called an invasive species. Lionfish are a very colorful fish with venomous spines originally from the Indo-Pacific coral reefs of southeastern Asia. Ever since their accidental release into the Atlantic Ocean in 1992, Lionfish have reproduced quickly and established themselves in increasing numbers along the Atlantic Coast from Florida to North Carolina. Lionfish are ambush predators that use their venomous spines to paralyze and swallow whole fish (baby shrimp, snapper, and grouper). For this reason, their presence in the Atlantic may negatively impact the local ecosystem and pose a vital threat to the commercial fisheries industry.

Back to the divers…

Upon their return to the ship from 210 Rock, the divers discovered 10 Lionfish, all of them juveniles, approximately 20 cm. in length. Lionfish have been reported in the vicinity before, but not until recently. This suggests a possible Lionfish migration into the area from the warmer waters of the Gulf Stream several miles away in the Atlantic (Lionfish can only survive in warmer, more tropical water temperatures). Now for some good news: The divers saw an impressive variety of native fish including Adult Gag, Scamp, Red Grouper, Blue Angel Fish, Soap fish, Spotfin Hogfish, Spanish Hogfish, White Grunt, Bank Sea Bass, Black Sea Bass, Almaco Jack, and Spade Fish. All of this suggests that the ecosystem near 210 Rock is biologically diverse, vibrant, and healthy. Hopefully it will remain that way, despite the looming threat of the Lionfish in the horizon…

This map clearly shows the Gulf Stream in the Southeastern Atlantic (look for a dark red streak off the coast of Florida). Darker reds are the warmest ocean temperatures, blues are the coldest.
This map clearly shows the Gulf Stream in the Southeastern Atlantic (look for a dark red streak off the coast of Florida). Darker reds are the warmest ocean temperatures, blues are the coldest.

Personal Log

I was relieved that we were able to get at least one dive off today, despite our ship’s delayed departure. Most amazing was the video footage that the divers brought back onboard the ship – they captured several Lionfish on video, hidden beneath rocks and carefully camouflaged in their background environment. Watching the video makes me realize that the ocean floor is a dramatically different landscape than what we are accustomed to on land!

Question of the Day

Should we worry about Lionfish closer to shore along the beaches of the Atlantic Coast? Is their sting venomous enough to kill a person?

Luckily for us, a venomous spine from a Lionfish is not enough to kill a person, but they can cause a painful sting. You will also appreciate the fact that Lionfish will probably never invade beaches along the Atlantic coastline. This is because temperature limits their distribution in the Atlantic. The Gulf Stream is a warm current of the Atlantic Ocean that originates in the Gulf of Mexico and runs northeastward along North America. Because the Gulf Stream remains several miles offshore from the Atlantic coastline, these waters can remain somewhat warm during the winter, despite frigid inshore water temperatures. This is why Lionfish can survive in the Gulf Stream (where it is warmer in the wintertime) but not closer to the coast (where winter water temperatures are far colder). Additionally, Lionfish cannot survive north of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina due to the colder water temperatures along the northeastern Atlantic coastline. For this reason, scientists consider Cape Hatteras a “Zoo-geographical boundary” beyond which Lionfish cannot stay alive.

Posted on

Thomas Nassif, July 15, 2005

NOAA Teacher at Sea
Thomas Nassif
Onboard NOAA Ship Nancy Foster
July 15 – 24, 2005

Mission: Invasive Lionfish Survey
Geographical Area: Southeast U.S.
Date: July 15, 2005

THE BOUNTY: A replica of The Bounty, an 18th Century British Naval Research Vessel.
THE BOUNTY: A replica of The Bounty, an 18th Century British Naval Research Vessel.

Weather Data

Latitude: 34°43’N
Longitude: 76°42’W
Visibility: 10 nautical miles (nm)
Wind direction: 200°
Wind speed: 11 kts
Sea wave height: less than 1 foot
Swell wave height: none
Sea water temperature: 87 F, 30.5°C
Sea level pressure: 1017.9 mb
Relative Humidity: 86%
Cloud cover: 2/8, Cumulus, Stratocumulus, Cirrostratus

Science and Technology Log

My first morning aboard the NOAA research vessel NANCY FOSTER began with a loud pounding sound on my door at 2am. I immediately awoke to a voice from the Lieutenant, “Thomas Nassif, you must move your car immediately!” Evidently I was parked directly in front of a giant crane on the portside of the ship. Later in the day I marveled at the enormous size of the NANCY FOSTER, which stands at 187 feet long and 894 tons. Eight SCUBA divers diligently worked on deck to ensure that their diving equipment was in good working condition when the deep-sea dives get underway tomorrow. We were scheduled to depart Morehead City today, but due to a problem with the ship’s computer system we are not leaving for the open sea until tomorrow morning at 1000 hours. Two specialists arrived early this afternoon to work on the computer system that runs the entire ship, including propulsion, navigation, lighting, and air conditioning. Imagine how complicated the computer system must be, having been built in Canada, programmed with Russian software, and used on an American ship! Evidently they are the only computer specialists in the entire US who know how to fix the NANCY FOSTER’s intricate computer system.

Thomas Nassif stands in front of the NOAA research vessel NANCY FOSTER.
Thomas Nassif stands in front of the NOAA research vessel NANCY FOSTER.

We took advantage of the delay in our departure to walk along the Morehead City Port to check out The Bounty, a replica of the legendary 18th century British Naval ship that sank off the shores of Tahiti. I imagined what it must have been like to be aboard The Bounty in the 1700’s. Unlike the NANCY FOSTER’s heavy reliance on computers to run the entire ship, the Bounty only needed a ship’s wheel for steering and enormous sails to propel the ship forward. This replica of the Bounty was built in 1961 for the Marlin Brando movie “Mutiny on the Bounty” and more recently appeared in “Pirates of the Carribean.” The original Bounty was an 18th century British Naval ship under the direction of Captain Bligh. A member of the crew, Fletcher Christian, led a mutiny against the ship’s captain to protest his extremely strict and regimented control over the crew. While on route to Tahiti, a mutiny erupted between the Captain Bligh and the crew over whether to proceed around the tip of South America (Cape Horn), one of the most treacherous routes for ships to circumnavigate. And to think that one of the major goals of the Tahiti expedition was to collect Bread Fruit for possible use as a food staple for British colonies in the Caribbean. One of the scientists aboard our cruise commented: “I tasted bread fruit once in Micronesia. I must admit it was one of the foulest tasting foods I’d ever had. Bread fruit is hard, yellow, grainy, and terribly bitter.”

Question of the day

How many people are aboard the ship for the Lion Fish Cruise?

There are 16 crew members aboard the NANCY FOSTER to ensure the ship runs properly and 7 scuba divers who will conduct deep-sea research on Lion Fish. Additionally there are two reporters from the Philadelphia Enquirer who are researching the Gulf Stream. And finally one teacher (that’s me) who plans to create a video documentary about the Lion Fish cruise.