NOAA Teacher at Sea Peggy Deichstetter Aboard Oregon II August 29 – September 10, 2012
Mission: Longline Shark and Red Snapper Survey Geographical area of cruise: Gulf of Mexico Day 1 August 30
Peggy Deichstetter in her Safety SuitPeggy Deichstetter in her safety suitPeggy Deichstetter in her safety suit
I woke up at 2:30am. Why didn’t my alarm go off? Now, I have to get dressed with all the stuff I will need for the rest of the day without waking my roommate. I make my way to the galley for some coffee. I pour a cup and take a gulp. This is soooooo bad. This is ever stronger than Mr. D’Agostino’s coffee. I make a new pot and sit down to work on my blog.
We have not had internet access since we departed yesterday and it looks like we won’t have it until noon tomorrow. Oh, life at sea. I also found out that we have another day at sea before we get to our fishing spot.
With a controlled experiment you need to have everything the same. So the spots we will be fishing in will be the same spots that they have done for the last 20 years. Our assignment is the coast of Mexico to Galveston Texas.
In my quest to stay awake for shift I went to bed at noon. At 12:30 the abandon ship drill was sounded, a difficult challenge, wake up, get down from the upper bunk, grab my survival suit and get to muster station. Once checked for roll call I got opportunity to don my survival suit. I have included some great pictures so everyone can have a good laugh.
NOAA Teacher at Sea Peggy Deichstetter Aboard Oregon II August 29 – September 10, 2012
Mission: Longline Shark and Red Snapper Survey Geographical area of cruise: Gulf of Mexico Day 1 August 30
Stateroom
I met my roommate, Claudia, this morning. She was on this cruise last year. Basically we catch, tag and release sharks and any other fish we may catch. I walked into town to pick up things I forgot. Ashley, Guy and I run into town for our last meal on land, a Subway. During the excitement of casting off, I’m informed that I have the night shift. Me, the goddess of the morning. they must be kidding. As we reach open water the sea is really rough.
At dinner I’m advised to go to bed right after dinner and get up at 2:00am to acclimate my body to the night shift. So right after (6:30pm) dinner I head off to bed. My roommate is already there, she is green. She tells me she doesn’t feel well and needs to lie down. There is no way I can fall asleep. I lie there, waiting to fall asleep. Finally, I’ve been lying there so long, it most be time to get up. I look at my watch… its only 9:00. I finally fall asleep.
NOAA Teacher at Sea: Annmarie Babicki
NOAA Ship Name: Oregon II
Mission: Bottom Longline Survey 2010
Geographical area of cruise: Gulf of Mexico
Date: August 27, 2010
Before I left for this cruise, I believed this would be a once in a lifetime experience. This trip exceeded all of my expectations and was due to everyone on board the Oregon II. I am forever grateful for all that I learned from all of you. I left the Gulf not just with knowledge about species of sharks, but also about what and how scientists collect data. There’s a great deal of responsibility in knowing that the data you collect, will be used to determine policy, which will impact the lives of so many people who live in the Gulf.
Your admiration, respect and compassion for sharks was evident in so many ways. You introduced me to some of the most beautiful and powerful creatures on this earth and I thank you for that. I am so very grateful to Trey for being open to having me as part of his team. He listened to and answered my many questions and was indeed very patient with me. I will bring back to my young students not only what I have been taught, but also the passion, I too, now feel for these animals. My hope is that it will inspire some of them to think about becoming scientists.
Rainbow from the Oregon II
To NOAA’s Captain Dave and his very capable and wonderful crew, I would like you to know how much I appreciate you sharing your lives and expertise with me. I know that for much of the year, the Oregon II is your home and I am grateful that you were willing to share it with me. You are all so knowledgeable in what you do and I felt very safe on board your ship. The teamwork that I witnessed was impressive and you made running and driving the ship seem so easy. I will certainly convey to my students the role that your teamwork played in making our trip a successful and productive one. One of my goals upon returning to school will be to share your stories and the work you do. I want my students to know about the many career opportunities that are available to them if they have a love for the ocean. It could be that your story will be their inspiration.
I am very grateful to all of you for this incredible journey. I feel blessed to have so many memories that will last a lifetime. Safe Travel.
NOAA Teacher at Sea: Annmarie Babicki NOAA Ship Name: Oregon II Mission: Bottom Longline Survey 2010 Geographical area of cruise: Gulf of Mexico Date August 20, 2010
Weather Data from the Bridge
Latitude: 28.52 degrees North
Longitude: 85.52 degrees West
Clouds: partly cloudy
Winds: 10.37 kts.
Waves: 2-3 Feet
Air Temperature: 31.3 degrees C or 88 degrees F
Water Temperature: 29.7 degrees C or 85 degrees F
Barometric Pressure: 1014.28
Bull shark in the cradle
Science and Technology:
There have been a couple of times when we have worked through a station and have not caught a fish. That has been very discouraging and rather boring. However, we had several stations that made up on it and we could barely keep up with bringing in the catch. One catch, we caught seven sharks that needed to be put in the cradle because they were so large.
Underside of a bull shark
Bull sharks can be dangerous in the Gulf area because they swim in shallow waters where recreational activities take place. They are one of the most abundant species of sharks, so you do have to be watchful of them. It is fairly easy to recognize them because of the width of their midsection is and by their rounded nose. The bull shark was a big male weighing 130 lb. The black lines you can see just behind his head are the gills slits. It’s amazing to think that he was enticed with a three inch piece of mackerel. This was only second bull shark we have caught on our trip thus far. The night shift also caught one and they were as excited as we were.
We also caught three sandbar sharks, which is the most common large shark we are catching out here. They ranged in weight from 82 lb. to 136 lb. Their colors vary from being a light sandy color to a grayish brown. We had one fighter that thrashed around in the cradle. The scientists was able to calm it down, so that it did not hurt itself. I made a video of one of the catches and it took the scientist and his assistants three min. to weigh, measure, tag and get the hook out of that shark. I did tag a sandbar shark, but generally do not handle the really big ones. This expert shark scientist is so skilled at handling sharks and the collecting of data he needs without stressing the sharks. I am in awe of his work and I very much admire the work he is doing to protect the shark populations in the Gulf.
We have caught several little sharks from the dogfish family that are not easily identifiable just by observing them. In order to identify them, the scientist takes a biopsy punch, which takes a small piece (approx. .8 cm.) of skin just below the dorsal fin. It doesn’t hurt the shark and does not go deep into the muscle tissue. When the DNA testing is completed, the scientist will have the correct genus and species of the shark, which they can then enter into their data base. Having accurate data is a must. Without valid data, the shark populations will not be managed properly, which impacts sharks and fisheries.
Two embryos from a sharpnose shark
Another small shark that we caught was the sharpnose shark, which we dissected a few days ago. Once again it was dissected and the data was collected on the female and her embryos. They were measured and were old enough that the sex could be determined. That was amazing to me as they were so small and translucent. I will be bringing two of the embryos home with me. I am sure my students will be excited them because you really can see their shark features.
In addition to the scientists on board, we have two contracted bird watchers, who have come to observe birds in the Gulf. What has brought them here is in part the impact of the oil spill on the birds in open waters. The other reason is that there have been few studies of Gulf birds, so at the very least they have begun to set a baseline for the species and populations. Early on in our trip, we saw a very small bird called a cliff swallow that was migrating south to Argentina, which is its home. It was fun to watch how they glided as they circled the ship. It was aerodynamics at its best. I was told that in February or earlier, it flies to North America where is mates and bears its young. These birds travel this distance every year, which may account for why they live only 2 or 3 years.
A cliff swallow
Personal Log
I have interviewed many of the officers and members of the science team since I arrived. They come from diverse backgrounds and their journeys coming on the Oregon II are also very different. Everyone has been very helpful and kind, even though I have so many questions that are both personal and professional in nature. I look forward to sharing their stories with my students.
Sleeping has been a little more difficult for the past couple days. I think it is the constant running of the engines. I have not experience any soundless time, which I often have at home. It will be nice to get home where it is quiet. The crew has informed me that the lack of noise may bother me because it does them whenever they return from a trip. They also stated that I will need a couple of days to adjust to land life. I hope not since I start school on Thursday!
I will complete one more blog
“Animals Seen Today” blacktip shark tiger shark, sharpnose. yellow wedge grouper, golden tile fish, king snake eel.
“Did You Know” that if a hook is left in a shark’s mouth, it will rust out and the shark will expel what is left.
It was afternoon when we caught a sharpnose shark, a silky shark and 6 blacknose sharks. This was very exciting because the blacknose shark is the chief scientist’s project out here in the Gulf. In order for him to make observations of age, maturity and reproduction, he has to dissect the shark. Three of the blacknose were put back in the ocean after they were weighed, measured and tagged. The other three waited for dissection. I watched as the three sharks were dissected and the only part that cause me to look away was cutting off the head. Some of my team members were so excited because they could keep the head and later remove the jaw. That is a lot of work, which I do not have the patience for, so I will not be bringing home a shark’s jaw and teeth. If there is time, one of the observers said she would prepare a jaw for me. Even if I do not get the jaw, I will be bringing back a shark fin, shark blood and several shark embryos. The shark fin is currently drying out and the embryo is being stored in ethanol, which is used for all specimens. I won’t go into all the gory details, but the scientist removed the entire reproductive system. He was looking to see if the shark had given birth and he can tell this by the color of the uterine tissue. The sharks collected, had produced 4-5 embryos each. The yellow yolk is a soup like fluid that the embryo feeds on the nutrients from its mother. There is a thin mucus that covers both the embryo and the yolk. It reminds me of a chicken’s egg. Each shark embryo was measured and cataloged. The data will be used when the scientist writes his paper on the reproduction of sharks, which will then be published.
This evening there was a good deal of excitement on board. We were hauling back our catch when the line broke. The thought was that it could be caught on something on the ocean floor or a small reef. It also could be that the line snapped because there was a large shark on it. This is not a common occurrence, but it has happened before. When this happens the ship sails to the last hi-flyer and we work our way backwards. In the end, everything was accounted for.
This really was no ordinary night. We were about 40 miles off shore from Cedar Keys, FL, at about 11 P.M., when we saw a small boat drifting about 3/4 mile from us with no lights on. The officers on the bridge saw a red flare shoot into the air, so they knew the boat could be in distress. Our ship got close enough so that they could shine a light onto it and kept track of them as it drifted. The NOAA officers talked to the boaters via radio and discovered that they had left port at 7 A.M. and that the motor on the boat kicked out about 2 P.M. They had been floating for nine hours and in a boat they could not repair. We were so far off shore, it was certainly understandable that they were very relieved to see us and get the help they needed.
Along the coast there is a company called “Sea Tow”. Their job is to haul in boats that are unable to get to land by themselves. You do have to pay for this service and it is like having car insurance, but costs a whole lot more money. Luckily this boat had that insurance, so Sea Tow immediately started out to get them. In the meantime our ship monitored them. They said they were OK and didn’t need any supplies, they just wanted to get on land. Sea Tow reached them about 4 A.M. and the Captain thinks they probably docked about 10 A.M. Thank goodness the Oregon II was out there, because they would have floated out there for many more hours before being seen by another ship. I asked the Captain what would happen if the boaters did not have Sea Tow and he said they would have called the Coast Guard, who in turn would come out to rescue them. This is like a story you hear on the news. This officers and crew feel they were just doing their job. They are very humble indeed.
Personal Log
Speaking of dress, I thought you would like to know what I am wearing while I am here. It is so warm here that shorts are in order. Sometimes I wear sleeveless shirts, but most time I wear short sleeve shirts. I am wearing sneakers, but wish I had rubber boots. My sneakers are soaked just about everyday. Luckily the engine room is hot so I can put my sneakers there to dry. Rubber gloves that are heavy and have a very thick layer of weaved cotton one one side are always worn when we are catching sharks and fish. They really don’t protect you so much from bites, but rather from the scales of these animals, which are like little knives. Whenever you are catching fish, you have to wear either sunglasses or safety glasses. Hard hats are required anytime machinery is being used, which is when we put sharks in the cradle. Finally and most important is a PFD. They are not too heavy and come equipped with flashlights in case of an emergency. My challenge is to make sure I have everything when I need it. We put out lines on the stern of the boat, but catch them on the bow, so we are not always working in the same place. It sounds simple, you just have to get into the routine, which I almost have down.
We are starting to move more quickly up the coast of Florida and continuing to complete stations as we go. We will be back in port on Sunday. The ship can sail at about nine or ten miles per hour, so it will take us awhile to get back to Pascagoula at that rate. The time on this ship is going by so fast, it’s hard to believe I have been on this ship for over a week!Answer to question of the day: There are many, many ways that the officers and captain can communicate with ships. One way is GMDSS,which stands for Global Maritime Distress Safety System. This system has many components, some of which are overlapping and the expectation is that boaters will have some of them on their boats, whether they are commercial or recreational. There are computer systems, whistles, flags, and a lighting system that uses the Morse Code. As you can see this is very complicated. There are courses that captains and officers have to take in order to understand how the communicate and keep a boat or ship safe.
Kristen and 2 red snapper
“Animals Seen Today” sharpnose shark, blacktip shark, red groupers, red snappers, nurse shark, blacknose shark. A sandbar shark that was much darker that the one we saw a few days ago. A few days ago we caught a great hammerhead, which is a light gray color and different from the scalloped hammerhead.
