Tag: NOAA Corps

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Jacqueline Omania: Guadalupe Fur Seals and the Lasker’s Dream Team, July 22, 2025

Jacqueline, wearing her Teacher at Sea shirt and hat, poses in a line with four female NOAA Corps officers in blue uniforms against a rail of the flying bridge. the sky is cloudy and the sea is calm and blue-gray.

NOAA Teacher at Sea

Jacqueline Omania

Aboard NOAA Ship Reuben Lasker

July 14- July 24, 2025

Mission: Oceanographic and Biological Monitoring of Davidson Seamount

Geographic Area: Davidson Seamount/Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary

Date: July 22, 2025

Weather Data from the Bridge

Latitude: 35° 45.51’ N

Longitude: 122° 36.14’ W

Wind Speed: 18 knots

Wave Height: 3’

Air Temperature: 15.6°C/60°F

Sky: Overcast

Science and Technology Log: 

We have now finished our planned transects and are using our two additional days at sea to repeat two of the transect lines. This will allow us to see changes along the lines with observations 5 days apart. Our deep drops for eDNA (the genetic material shed by organisms in the water) will be at 2400m.

I have had a chance to help with the collection of samples of eDNA. The process begins right after the CTD rosette is lifted to the deck. Water is collected from the specific Niskin bottle that was filled at the various depths- either surface (0 m.), 500 m., 1000 m. or 2400 m. Next, the water samples are taken to the wet lab, where under laboratory conditions, they are filtered to collect eDNA which is then stored for future processing by MBARI.

I loved having a chance to participate in collecting the sample. Working with the equipment reminded me a lot of the joy I had in my college chemistry classes and it felt amazing to be making a contribution to science that will help understand this very special environment of Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary. 

Jacqueline, wearing a Teacher at Sea beanie, life vest, and blue latex gloves, smiles for the camera as she bends to hold a plastic sample bottle containing a plastic bag at the spigot of one of the water sampling bottles on the rosette
Collecting water for eDNA sampling from the CTD rosette
Jacqueline, wearing a Teacher at Sea beanie, life vest, and blue latex gloves, smiles as she holds up a collected water sample in its container. we can see gray sky and gray seas behind her, with the faint suggestion of mountains at the horizon
Completed water collection
Jacqueline, wearing her Teacher at Sea beanie and shirt, stands at a workbench with a man in a plaid shirt and blue gloves. Jacqueline grasps a handful of tubing or pipettes - it is hard to see - and Chad may be reaching to take one from her hand.
Setting up filtration with Chad King
Jacqueline, wearing a Teacher at Sea beanie and t-shirt and blue latex gloves, uses two hands to attach a filter to a thin tube connected to a device on the metal table in front of her.
Attaching filter to collect eDNA
Jacqueline, wearing a Teacher at Sea t shirt and latex gloves, stands at a workbench in the wet lab. She holds a small sample vial in her left and uses her right to pipette a sample. She takes a break from her efforts to smile for the camera.
Preserving eDNA
close up view of racks of sample bottles of two different sizes (the larger ones are 50 millileters) on a work surface.
eDNA ready for testing by MBARI

I have also been learning more about the ocean by looking at the CTD (water conductivity (salinity), temperature, and depth) profiles with the Reuben Lasker survey technicians, CC and Jaclyn. The survey technicians observe and record the data as the rosette descends. They also monitor how deep the rosette descends based on what they see on the sonar data, which is showing the overall distance to seamount. At the targeted depths and with a press of a mouse button, they close the Niskin bottle caps to capture water for eDNA sampling.

photo of a computer screen depicting a graph with multiple lines. Depth is shown on the y-axis. Multiple x-axes correspond to Flourescence (green line), temperature (red line), oxygen (blue line.) beneath the computer monitor are decorated foam shapes. there is a NOAA sticker on the top left of the monitor.
CTD Data Monitoring

The data screens in the lab show how oxygen, temperature, salinity and chlorophyll change as we descend. At the surface the water temperature is 15°C (59°F) while at 1000m it is 3.5°C (38.3°F) and at 2400m it is 1.9°C (35.4 °F). Salinity at the surface is 33.25ppt, at 1000m it is 34.4ppt and at 2400m it is 34.65 ppt. Oxygen is 0.6 ml/L at the surface and is at its lowest 0.2 ml/L between 600 – 800m. The oxygen rises again as you go deeper than 800m and at 2400 it’s more than 2.0 ml/L. Chlorophyll is at its maximum at 43 m and is an indicator of the amount of phytoplankton in the upper layer of the ocean. Phytoplankton (microscopic algae) is the base of most food webs in the ocean. Thus, this data helps us better understand the ecosystem of the deep ocean.

portrait photo of a woman in a gray t-shirt, holding up a foam circle colored to look like the NOAA Logo
Survey Technician Jaclyn Mazzella
portrait photo of a woman in a black sweatshirt with a NOAA logo on it and a radio intercom. she holds up a foam mannequin head, decorated to have a face and the words Davidson Seamount.
Survey Technician Cassandra Dahl

Our seabird and marine mammal counts are going well, though we had the slowest day on Monday with only 47 animal sightings (11 mammals and 36 birds). Yet, all together for the week (with the 994 sightings shared in the last post), we had a total of 1,041 animal sightings for the 500 miles of survey.

As we repeated the survey line (16W) today (Tuesday), we had an exciting sighting of a pod of seven orcas! I have never seen orcas in California. I’ve also become far more skilled at sighting whale blows on the horizon and spotting sharks from the two black triangles peeking out of the water as they glide by. The various types of seabirds – like Leach’s Storm Petrels and Red-necked Phalaropes- are now second nature to me. Some of the most exciting moments have been finding the waving flippers of Guadalupe fur seals as they drift by clinging to a branch of kelp.

So far, I have probably put in 50 hours of observation time and I have been delighted in every moment of it. It is a bit like an easter egg hunt in the ocean. I have learned so much thanks to the support of the scientists who always think of me when any special sighting arises. Everyone makes the extra effort to make sure I have a chance to see it too. 

the back of a fin whale - including its tiny dorsal fin - is visible above the otherwise calm surface of a gray ocean
Fin Whale Sighting! Photo Credit: Jim Tietz

Personal Log

I have been savoring the days at sea and the ever changing colors of the ocean from the deepest blue to silvery greys. I spend most of my days outdoors on the flying bridge perfecting my observation skills. Our shifts are complemented with delicious meals, after dinner card games and evenings in the gym. Life couldn’t be better and it is a real privilege to be part of this experience. Beside participating in science, I have been very busy interviewing people to better understand how everyone works together to make the mission successful. I’d like to share the stories of some of the people I have met.

NOAA Corps and the Crew: The Team at Sea that Makes Science Possible

Besides the 11 of us on the science team, we have the team that runs the ship composed of seven NOAA Corps officers and 18 crew. The crew includes survey technicians, electronics technicians, engineers, deckhands and stewards. NOAA Corps is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. They are commissioned officers who support NOAA’s scientific and navigational missions by operating NOAA ships and aircraft. The Commanding Officer of the Lasker, CDR Aaron Maggied, shared that some NOAA Corps officers fly planes as hurricane hunters to collect data for forecasting hurricanes. Others, like himself, sail ships to make sure our ocean and its inhabitants are studied so that we can better understand and responsibly manage our natural resources, like our current sanctuary project. He also mentioned that early in his career he was called on to help in the Deepwater Horizon oil spill response effort in 2010. The officers have all been very supportive of having a teacher on board and readily answer any questions about their work.

a group photo of seven NOAA Corps officers (four women, three men) in blue uniforms along a railing on the flying bridge. the sky is cloudy and the ocean is calm, blue gray.
NOAA Corps
Jacqueline, wearing her Teacher at Sea shirt and hat, poses in a line with four female NOAA Corps officers in blue uniforms against a rail of the flying bridge. the sky is cloudy and the sea is calm and blue-gray.
Women of NOAA Corps

Lt Cdr. Kelli-Ann Bliss Interview

portrait photo of a woman in a blue NOAA Corps uniform on the flying bridge, with the ocean visible in the background
LCDR Kelli-Ann Bliss

Kell was the first officer I met on the ship. She welcomed me at the entrance to Coast Guard Island in Alameda and escorted me to the ship, kindly carrying my heavy duffle on her shoulders. 

What is your job?

On Reuben Lasker, I am the XO, which stands for Executive Officer, and second in command. I have a background in science, like all NOAA Corps officers, and I support the scientists on the ship during sea assignments, and in different capacities when on land assignments. I work on the bridge and sail the ship safely to help the scientists get the data they need. This work is important because we need to understand how our planet works so we can survive as a species. I also mentor the Junior Officers (JOOD) as they work toward being Officers of the Deck (OOD). I also manage the crew details (payroll, vacation, staffing, approving  purchasing, etc.) like an administrative assistant.

How did you come to NOAA?

I grew up in Rhode Island and spent summers sailing with my family all over New England. I went to Maine Maritime Academy and earned a degree in marine science. I worked in a lab on Cape Cod doing water testing after college. My college classmates encouraged me to apply for NOAA.

I have been in the NOAA Corps for 16 years and have been on 8 different NOAA ships. I have also served on various land assignments — including in Antarctica for 13 months. In Antarctica, I was half of a team with a NOAA technician. We were running experiments and collecting samples on behalf of scientists in their home locations. While staying over the winter, I enjoyed the gorgeous auroras (natural light displays in the sky) and the flat, snowy landscape of Antarctica. Currently I am stationed in Louisiana and awaiting the completion of the newest NOAA ship to the fleet, the NOAA Ship Oceanographer, where I will also serve as XO. My tasks will be much the same as here on Reuben Lasker, but additionally, I will hire the new crew and be part of the team that gets her ready for scientific missions. 

What do you love about your job?

I love being at sea. You are in a new place every day and it is gorgeous. There is always something new to learn either through presentations, different weather conditions, or a new tool or technology on the ship.

What is your greatest challenge?

As you go up in the ranks, there is a lot of paperwork, which tends to mean a lot of sitting – but there’s always the ability to go up and stand a watch on the bridge to break it up. I also work to keep harmony and help to set a positive culture with the team which starts at the top.

When did you know you wanted to have an ocean focused career?

In middle school in Coventry, Rhode Island, I joined the shell club and learned all about shells and their history. For example, the ancient Romans boiled the murex shell and infused the purple color into fabric. Once a month, the club would travel to Boston and connect with the Malacological Club at Harvard and I would be exposed to even more people who were passionate about shells. I knew that I wanted to study science. For college, my family wanted me close by so I chose Maine Maritime Academy, this allowed me to merge my interests in science and being on the water.

What do you recommend to students who are interested in an ocean focused career?

Stay curious and ask questions. There are many ways to get into the field and people will share their knowledge. Always keep learning.

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Interview of JOOD Camille Cube (Junior Officer of the Deck)

I met Camille Cube on my first visit to the bridge. I was so impressed by the calm and confident way she was steering the ship. In conversation, we were happy to discover that we both had Filipino roots. Camille kindly agreed to be interviewed.

portrait photo of a woman in a blue NOAA Corps uniform standing on the bridge
ENS Camille Cube

What is your job/position?

I am the newest officer. My rank is Ensign and my position is called JOOD (Junior Officer of the Deck). I am learning to safely drive the ship and ensure everyone’s safety onboard. To steer the ship, I use navigational charts, radar, look out the windows, and other tools.

How did you come to NOAA? 

I grew up in Northern Virginia. Then, I went to the University of Washington and majored in Environmental Science. I love the environment of both land and sea. During college, I did many internships. Two were with NOAA Fisheries. I also studied at Friday Harbor Labs on San Juan Island; in this 11 week residential program, I learned marine biology, went tidepooling and saw orcas. I also spent three months as an intern in Cambridge, England with the International Whaling Commission. After graduating from college, I worked for NOAA Fisheries in Sacramento (CA) as a natural resource and management specialist. I joined the NOAA Corps for a more hands-on experience. I love how the NOAA Corps changes jobs every few years. I will be on Reuben Lasker for two years; three months have passed so far.

How does the NOAA Corps work?

To apply, you fill out an application online, go to an interview and pass medical processing. If you are chosen, you begin three months of training at the US Coast Guard Academy in New London, Connecticut, alongside US Coast Guard officer candidates. This training has hands-on learning about navigation, the parts of a ship, safety, CPR, and fire fighting alongside classroom learning. I learned leadership and public speaking skills in my training and the experience has built my self-confidence. You begin your service as a junior officer and after 120 days of sailing, completing a workbook and proving that you can safely drive the ship, you become OOD (Officer of the Deck) qualified, which means you can drive the ship without supervision.

What is your work day like?

My watch, which is when I am driving the ship, begins at 11:15 p.m. and goes to 3:30 a.m. From 3:30 to 7:00 a.m., I do administrative work and eat breakfast. Sometimes, I exercise in the ship’s gym; our requirement is to work out 180 minutes a week. My second watch is from 7:15 to 11:30 a.m. After that, I am off duty, and I read, sleep or crochet. Right now I am making a purse that looks like a sheep.

What do you love about your job?

I love helping make science happen. NOAA’s work in science is really important. Often we work on research on fish populations and fish are very important for the economy and ecosystem. Collecting weather data is also important for weather forecasters. I love being able to do cool things on the ocean that I was never able to do in the office like steer the ship and see lots of wildlife. I also love the community in NOAA; we support each other, especially the other officers and the crew because we live and work so close together. A shout out to the stewards (ship’s cooks) for making Filipino food that reminds me of my family.

What is your greatest challenge?

Being away from home for long periods of time is a challenge. I live in San Diego now. Even though my husband visits me when we are in port, I have only been able to see my cat Mio once this year.

What was your favorite book in elementary school?

I was obsessed with Percy Jackson and wanted to be a demigod of Poseidon. I wished for water powers!

What do you recommend to students who are interested in an ocean focused career?

If you are near the ocean, get out and explore it in a hands-on way like tidepooling. If you are not near the ocean, watch documentaries and keep learning about the ocean. If you can, join a marine biology club.

I am excited to share information about career opportunities with NOAA with my students and family. I had never heard of this service before and now after experiencing the work of the NOAA Corps, I believe it is a wonderful opportunity. I also learned about another new to me career-the careers of wage mariners. It takes many essential skilled workers to sail these ships that make science happen.

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Interview of Nick Sampson (Oiler)

I had a chance to interview Nick Sampson. He is a mariner and specifically works as an Oiler. We met in the mess hall (dining room) as he is outgoing and very curious about all the science we are doing on our mission. He also kindly took us on a tour of the engine room with fellow mariner Joe Johnston.

portrait photo of a man in a red shirt and a beanie, smiling.
Oiler Nick Sampson

Nick Sampson is from Jacksonville Florida. He has a 5 year old daughter and his wife is expecting another child soon.

What is your job?

I am an Oiler on the ship which means I check the temperature gauges and maintain the ship. I keep the ship running, secure and dependable. 

What do you love about your job?

I love that I am doing something positive. I enjoy people–I am a people person and I love to learn from others. You can see the world with this job, make good money and learn a lot. I have been to Hawaii, Guam, Saipan, Japan, South Korea, Germany and recently I spent 43 days in Alaska.

What is a challenge in your job?

Learning more about the machinery is a challenge but I am eager to learn. The job is good if you are single, but if you have kids it is difficult to be away. It is still a good job for supporting a family.

How did you know you wanted an ocean focused career?

My older brother is a mariner so I decided to do the same. I graduated from Blue Water Maritime School in Florida and have been working on ships for the last 7 years.

What are your words of advice?

Give it a try! Invest in yourself and you can learn a lot.

The Most Essential Crew: The Stewards

A final shout out- as Camille says- has to go to the stewards. From the first day, the food has been AMAZING!!! The smells of the cooking waft all the way up to the flying bridge. Our meals are at 7 am, 11 am, and 5 pm. Since the crew and scientist work a range of shifts, including the night shift, there is always a wide array of assorted snacks as well as easy to prepare meals like fancy ramen bowls. There are lots of organic choices, a fruit salad bar at breakfast, and a green salad bar at lunch. I have been enjoying the organic grassfed milk in my tea every morning.

The stewards, Arnold Dones and Judeni De Los Reyes, create food with great care and an element of magic. Since both have Filipino roots, they love to make some of the traditional foods like adobo and pancit (my favorite Filipino food). But they also love to test out new recipes. I am still thinking about the cabbage rolls from the first day. They tasted like a special grandmother’s recipe; Arnold shares that he researches recipes and gives them a try. Before working for NOAA, he was a cook for the Navy for 10 years.

Arnold loves his job on Lasker and takes great pride in carefully planning the menu even up to a year in advance. This way he can plan to have the right equipment and the right cooking time. Arnold “loves to cook everything” and likes to explore new foods. “Good food makes everyone function well both in terms of energy and morale. It makes people happy and I love to make everyone happy by giving them the best quality food and snacks.” 

portrait photo of two men in the galley (kitchen); both wear baseball caps; the man on the right wears an apron
Arnold Dones (Chief Steward) and Judeni Delos Reyes (Steward)
a spread of food on a table: toasts, radishes, tomatoes, basil, cilantro, avocados, eggs, meat, hummus
Breakfast: Avocado Toast Bar
view of a food service bar with three dishes - stuffed tomatoes, vegetables, some sort of vegetable soup
Lunch: Couscous Stuffed Tomatoes
salad bar with many fixings
Salad Bar
close-up view of a plate of food, including short thin noodles
Dinner with Pancit (Filipino Noodles)
six sheets of paper (breakfast, lunch, and dinner for two days) each hanging from a clip on a magnet board. the menus contain nutritional info for the selections.
Menus
view of the inside of a refrigerator: milk, yogurt, fruit, etc.
Well Stocked Fridge
view down into a chest freezer that contains many selections of individual serving sized ice cream treats
Ice Cream Anytime

Did You Know? 

a fur seal's head and tail flipper are visible above the waters surface; it is surrounded by bull kelp floating or poking up from underneath
Guadalupe Fur Seal Sighting. Photo Credit: Jim Tietz

Guadalupe Fur seals are members of the “eared fur seal” family. They breed on Guadalupe Island (off the coast of Mexico) and on the Channel Islands. They have been making a comeback since they were once hunted to near extinction in the 1700’s and 1800’s. They are now considered “threatened” on the Endangered Species list and research and conservation is helping their recovery. They feed on squid and small fish mostly at night. They dive from an average of 65’ to a maximum of 250’. They rest with their heads under water and their flippers poking out above water as pictured below. On this mission, we have been seeing both Northern Fur Seals and Guadalupe Fur Seals.

illustration of a Guadalupe fur seal
Guadalupe fur seal. Image credit: NOAA Fisheries

Please stay tuned for my final blog from shore…

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Jojo Chang: NOAA Corps – Making “Mission: Impossible” Possible, July 6, 2025

NOAA Teacher at Sea

Jojo Chang

Aboard NOAA Ship Bell M. Shimada

June 30 – July 15, 2025

Mission: Integrated West Coast Pelagics Survey (Leg 2)

Geographic Area of Cruise: Pacific Ocean, California Coast

Date: July 6, 2025

Weather Data from the Bridge

At 4:00 p.m., the temperature was 57.2°F (14°C). Our boat position was 35/17.2 North Latitude and 121/30.2 West Longitude. The sky was OVC 8 oktas, which indicates that all eight sections of the sky were filled with clouds.

Career Log: NOAA stands for National Oceanic and Atmospheric  Administration

Onboard NOAA Ship Bell M. Shimada are nine officers serving in the NOAA corps.  This is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States government. NOAA Corps is a non-military branch that works to assist with ocean and atmospheric research.  There is an application process to join NOAA Corps, and once selected, training is facilitated at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy in New London, Connecticut. According to the Commanding Officer Jeff Pereira, NOAA Corps’ job on this mission is to keep the crew and ship safe on the open waters at sea and to navigate the boat, ensuring success in both research and operations. 

portrait photo of a woman wearing a navy blue NOAA Corps t-shirt (over a black long-sleeved shirt) and sunglasses, standing on the aft deck of the ship. Words superimposed on the photo read: Sanam / Ensign / NOAA Corps
Sanam, NOAA Corps Ensign
portrait photo of a man wearing a navy blue sweater, standing on deck. Words superimposed on the photo read: Aras / NOAA Corps / Senior Watch Officer
Aras, Senior Watch Officer
portrait photo of a woman wearing a navy blue NOAA Corps uniform, standing on deck.Words superimposed on the photo read: Megan / Ensign / NOAA Corps
Megan, NOAA Corps Ensign

Additionally, onboard there are many amazing deckhands who help with the challenging and somewhat dangerous operation of bringing the fishing nets in and out of the ocean.

portrait photo of a man wearing an orange t-shirt and a baseball cap, standing in the mess hall. Words superimposed over the photo read: Randy / Acting Chief Bosun
portrait of a man wearing a balck jacket and black overalls standing in a hallway, holding a cup of coffee and pointing upward slightly to acknowledge the photographer; words superimposed on the photo read Jimmy / Assistant Bosun
portrait photo of a man wearing a gray hoodie sweatshirt. it is hard to make out the background, but he stands on deck in front of gray skies and gray sea. words superimposed on the photo read: Shawn / Fisherman
portrait photo of a man in a beige t-shirt, standing in a hallway of the ship. words superimposed on photo read: Roy / Vessel Assistant


One particularly notable (and somewhat cinematic) event during our time at sea was the mid-cruise transfer of an additional crew member by small boat. Due to an unexpected medical emergency, one of the originally scheduled crew members critical to deck operations was unable to join the expedition, leaving the ship shorthanded for round-the-clock fishing and research duties. 

view over the railing of an upper deck of a small vessel approaching the larger ship. we can see land not far away. the water is teal blue and the sky is mostly clear.
view over the railing from an upper deck at a small boat pulled alongside the larger ship. crewmembers on the vessel wear bright orange float coats.


To remedy this, a coordinated transfer was executed involving a small Coast Guard vessel and the NOAA Ship Bell M. Shimada. The NOAA Corps officers navigated the maneuver with impressive precision, transforming what could have been a logistical headache into what felt like a scene straight out of Mission: Impossible. The transfer was successful: the new crew member leaped—quite literally—onto the Shimada. With his arrival, we were once again fully staffed for 24/7 scientific operations.

Mammal Watch

The flying bridge is at the very top of the boat, so we get to see some interesting things up there. One fantastic and rare sighting happened when we spotted several humpback whales united in coming up to the surface to feed.  According to fish biologist Sabrina Beyer, whales will make a circle around the fish and then travel up through the circle for an awesome meal. 

This behavior is further explained by Augliere1:

      Around the world, humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) use bubble-nets to trap certain prey such as krill, herring, and young salmon, sometimes in coordinated groups and at times alone. The whales dive down below their prey and swim in circles while releasing bubbles from their blowholes to create a rising curtain. The curtain creates a visual barrier that tricks the prey into thinking there’s no escape. Once the prey is tightly corralled, the whales lunge through the bubble-net with open mouths to swallow their meal.

photo of three humback whales, mouths agape, breaking through the surface of aquamarine water. they are surrounded by feeding gulls.
Photo by Roland Schumann on Unsplash

Additionally, one important part of the scientist’s job is called “mammal watch.”  This is usually done from the bridge before fishing nets are placed into the water.  Watching the ocean helps reduce the chance that a mammal like a dolphin or a whale gets stuck in the fishing nets. Last night, we had many dolphin sightings and had to move the boat to another location.  This delayed fishing for several hours.  

Did You Know? 

Did you know that there are 15 NOAA ships in operation?  Being from Hawaii, I’m particularly interested in the vessels stationed there.  Hopefully, once back in Hawaii, I can arrange a tour for my students of the  NOAA Oscar Elton Sette. The ship’s home port is Honolulu, Hawaii.

Animals Seen Today:  Butterfish, Storm Petrel, Hake, Octopus, Market Squid, Anchovies. 

Today’s catch brought in a small batch of our target fish – hake – along with other ocean creatures, including the adorable butterfish.  But the real scene-stealer wasn’t a fish at all. A small storm petrel has unofficially joined the crew, making himself quite at home aboard NOAA ship Bell M. Shimada. With his sleek webbed feet built for water paddling, he’s more sea-worthy than the rest of us. We haven’t caught him in flight yet, but his dinner situation is well taken care of.

At mealtime, scientist, Amanda Vitale, casually announced, “I’ve got a squid in my pocket.”  This nice little gourmet offering was for Mr. Storm Petrel, named Jeff, after our Commanding Officer. Only an oceanographer would stroll into dinner toting a cephalopod takeout menu. How funny!

Jojo, wearing a Teacher at Sea beanie, overalls, and bright orange gloves, holds up a butterfish for a photo and smiles for the camera. she is in the wet lab.
a dark-colored bird stands o two outstretched hands; we see equipment in the background that is hard to make out

Works Cited:

  1. Augliere, Bethany. “How Humpback Whales Use Bubbles as a Tool.” National Geographic, 26 Aug. 2024, www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/article/humpback-whales-bubbles-tools. Accessed 9 July 2025. ↩︎

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Kiersten Newtoff: GO NOAA, BEAT ARMY, January 24, 2025

NOAA Teacher at Sea
Kiersten Newtoff
Aboard NOAA Ship Pisces
January 6 – January 29, 2025

Mission: Atlantic Marine Assessment Program for Protected Species (AMAPPS)
Geographic Area of Cruise: North Atlantic Coast
Date: January 24, 2025
Data from the Bridge: N38°17’0″, W70°54’0″. 19kn winds. It says it’s 38°F, but I’m pretty sure it has said that for every single post so I suspect the temperature probe isn’t working.

Did you know that the NOAA Corp is a uniformed service? There are 8 total uniformed services, and NOAA is the smallest (about 337 personnel) – even smaller than the Space Force! I also legit had no idea the Space Force was a real thing. Huh. The more you know.

The NOAA Corps supports missions in understanding our oceans and atmosphere and its impact on humans such as fisheries, hurricanes, flood prediction, and resource management.  The Corps is essentially the officers that drive the boat, manage the people, and support the science missions. To join you need to have a bachelor’s degree in a STEM field. If you’re interested in more research-based roles, the NOAA Corps may not be a good fit, but other NOAA offices are. If accepted, then you go through military medical screening, then officer training at the NOAA Corps Training Center at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy, and then lots of courses and trainings. From there you can pick one of two paths: maritime or aviation. Most Corps members go the maritime route; if you choose to go with aviation you’ll go through additional training. We’ll go through the different positions on the maritime side of things since that’s who I’ve been working with!

Excerpt: Into the Oceans and the Air (NOAA Corps Official Service Song)
Into storms we love to fly. Buckle in, we’ll reach the eye.
We survey the mountain tops, predicting floods and saving crops.
From the peaks to the coasts, we do soar.
We are the NOAA Corps!

Balancing Sea and Shore Assignments

In earlier posts, you learned how many of the crew positions have 60 days on ship and 30 days on shore schedules. The NOAA Corps officers do something similar, but just longer: they spend two years at sea and three years on land. Sometimes the shore assignment still includes some sea time, but for much shorter stints. This five-year cycle coincides nicely with the positions on board. After completing training, your first boat assignment will be as a Junior Officer where you learn the ropes of your boat and learn from the other officers on board. The next sea duty will be as an Operations Officer, then Executive Officer (XO), and finally as a Commanding Officer (CO). Going through all these positions would get you to 20 years, when you are eligible for a pension.

Commanding Officer (CO)

The head honcho on the Pisces is Commanding Officer Colin Kliewer (pronounced like ‘cleaver’). He makes the ultimate decision as to what the ship’s activities or plans are for any given day as well as overall operations. All operations on Pisces are ultimately his responsibility. His day-to-day is a combination of administrative and operational tasks. He works alongside the Executive Officer (XO) on administrative work and with the Chief Engineer on boat systems. He will also work with the Operations Officers and Chief Scientist to come up with the daily operational plan with regards to weather and other conditions.

Commander Kliewer smiling for the camera in the wet lab
Commander Kliewer in the wet lab.

Like many of the scientists on board, Commander Kliewer got his undergraduate degree in Marine Biology. He always saw himself in public service; he applied to NOAA because he was able to serve and explore the country and the world. He started his journey in the NOAA Corps over 18 years ago, and he’s about to finish his CO position with the Pisces before heading to his next shore duty. Although he will be eligible for his pension in 2 years, he plans on staying in the Corps because there is a lot more he wants to experience and do. Commander Kliewer shares that the most crucial soft skill needed for the Corps is communication. He is a self-identified introvert (this surprises no one on board), but he recognizes how crucial good communication is to help improve operations and being aware of what’s is going on.

As I was working on this blog post, a small group of North Atlantic Right Whales hung out by the ship. These animals are critically endangered, with only about 360 or so left in the world. This is roughly around how many NOAA Corps members there are. Therefore, if we expand the NOAA Corps, then we will also have more right whales, because corps-elation = causation!
I’ll see myself out.

Executive Officer

If Commander Kliewer is the president of the Pisces, then Executive Officer Steve Moulton is the vice president. If the CO goes down, Steve’s #1 job is to take over his role. He will make sure he gets us home safe and sound. But a typical day is usually not the worst case scenario, so otherwise he is helping the CO administratively. He is the go-to guy for all personnel administration and logistics. As you’ve learned, people are switching between shore and ship duty often and he works with shore support to make sure that the Pisces has the appropriate personnel every cruise. Shoreside recruitment will also identify potential hires for open positions on the ship and the XO will conduct virtual interviews to make sure they are the right fit for the Pisces. Steve shares that being trustworthy and good-natured are crucial characteristics for this career. If you can work well with others, everything else can be taught (and NOAA provides lots of training!). His goal is to bring on someone who is willing to learn and works well with others.

Getting the right people is paramount. When you have the wrong type of person on a ship with 30-35 people per leg, things can get really difficult, really fast.
Steve

Steve is sitting at his desk, looking at the computer. His desk is a hodge podge of pieces to make it larger.
Steve getting his administrative duties on. I specifically wanted a picture of his desk, because he has engineered it to give him almost double the space.

Steve used to serve in the Coast Guard, primarily in the reserves and worked in industrial hygiene and OSHA compliance on job sites. When the Deepwater Horizon disaster happened, he worked a temporary, full-time position with the Coast Guard. There, he met quite a few people from NOAA and a Chief coast guard encouraged him to join the NOAA Corps. It was a great fit for him because he enjoyed science and education more than law enforcement and war. Steve will pass his XO reigns at the end of July and will start his 3ish years on shore duty in the DC area at headquarters. Since I’m local to the area I asked him about his commute. He will be taking the train, twice a day, for nearly 4 hours. Maybe he is trying to simulate being underway??

Operations Officers (Ops)

Nick and Ryan are the two operations officers on board. Their main job is to be the liaison between the ship and the science party. Ops know the capabilities of the ship and communicate with the science party to work within those parameters. This can include logistics in mobilization and demobilization, daily planning, and working with all departments to make sure equipment is ready for the project. They are also responsible for berthing, watch bills, fueling, course planning, and general reporting.

Ryan smiles for the camera out on deck.
The best picture of Ryan that’s ever been taken (his words, kinda).

Before NOAA, Ryan served in the Air Force as a medic for 6 years. After his tour, he used his GI bill to get a degree in meteorology with the plan to go to Officer Training School. He was accepted, but it would be another 3-4 years before he could start due to a bottleneck of people joining. He really liked the job security, pay, camaraderie, training style, and rigid framework, but he didn’t want to wait years before starting OTS. He decided to join NOAA to maintain the structure he wanted but on a timeline that was more reasonable. Ryan shares that having high emotional intelligence to assess situations and interactions with others is important for the service. While there are ranks and hierarchy, it’s more important to understand and appreciate the experience people have and to build good relationships with everyone, no matter their position. Nick adds that having initiative is also important. You can’t just wait to be given a task; you need to recognize what needs to be done and be proactive in your response.

Nick started in the NOAA Corps in 2017, but he had a lot of interesting adventures before then. In college he focused on biomechanics and locomotion research, played professional soccer in Germany (check out his college stats), and taught 7, 8, and 11th grades. Then one day he was hiking in the woods and met a guy who was trying to make friends because he moved a lot because he was a NOAA Corps Officer. They got to talking and the rest is history. I asked what inspired a change in career, and his response:

I like being on boats.
Nick

Emerson and Nick behind the control panels on the bridge. Both are looking away from the camera but still smiling.
Emerson (left) and Nick (right) on the bridge. Credit: Commander Kliewer

Junior Officer

Fresh(ish) from training are Junior Officers Emerson and Christy. As Junior Officers, their primary responsibility is to navigate the ship and conduct underway watches on the bridge. Their collateral duties (as an aside – I’d never heard of the term ‘collateral duties’ and had no idea what it meant. Like, you have to offer up something you own for work?? But during the interview I never asked even though Emerson said it like 5 times because I didn’t want to interrupt, so I just sat there nodding. I’ve since googled it; it’s essentially duties that aren’t your primary duties. Why they aren’t called secondary duties…) include serving as damage control officers. They ensure that the ship complies with emergency policies that are in place and are responsible for planning drills, debriefing afterwards, and addressing any concerns to make improvements.

The things we get to do are pretty cool.
Emerson

Emerson also serves as the Medical Person in Charge to handle and treat common injuries on board and follow protocols for more serious injuries and communicating with shore. As he got closer to finishing his undergraduate degree in environmental service, he was considering joining a uniformed service. Emerson learned about the NOAA Corps through his good friend Google. It really appealed to him because he could serve and also apply his science background on missions. He thinks that being curious, and having the mentality for continuous learning, will make you successful in the NOAA Corps. Having a want to learn new things and develop new skillsets will get you far.  

Christy smiling for the camera on the deck.
Christy on deck.

Some of the collateral duties that Christy does are serving as a navigation officer, environmental compliance officer (ECO), dive officer, and the manager of FUN. Because why do one thing when you can do many things? Her most important role (in my opinion) is leading the Morale, Wellness, and Recreation committee – we all live and work together for long periods of time, so keeping morale up is mission critical. Christy has both a bachelor’s and master’s in marine biology, but research wasn’t really scratching that itch. She studied abroad and did outdoor recreation programs but same thing – none of these really felt like the right fit. But there was a common thread – being on boats. And she liked boats. And boats liked her. A couple twists and turns later, and Christy joined the NOAA Corps. Christy is the epitome of adaptability – assignments and duties are constantly in flux, and you really need to be able to adjust so that you can function. You also have to be able to adapt to life at sea and maneuver how you approach friendships and relationships.

Does the NOAA Corps sound like something you want to pursue? Get started here!

Bonus!

So the picture below was the original picture of Steve. Notice how the light is glaring from the window? I don’t really do photo editing, so I don’t really know how to fix it. I know that Photoshop has some AI tools, so I tried that. I highlighted over the window and the glare and prompted “Remove Glare”.

Original picture of Steve in his office, with a noticeable glare from his window.

And the results were definitely not what I was expecting…

Results of Steve's picture using AI to remove the glare. AI added interesting backgrounds and changed Steve to have different hair styles and glasses.
Results of Steve's picture using AI to remove the glare. AI added interesting backgrounds and changed Steve to have different hair styles and glasses.
Results of Steve's picture using AI to remove the glare. AI added interesting backgrounds and changed Steve to have different hair styles and glasses.
Results of Steve's picture using AI to remove the glare. AI added interesting backgrounds and changed Steve to have different hair styles and glasses.
Results of Steve's picture using AI to remove the glare. AI added interesting backgrounds and changed Steve to have different hair styles and glasses.

At least he has some ideas of what looks good as far as hairstyles and glasses go!

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Nick Lee: The Data, July 15, 2024

NOAA Teacher at Sea
Nick Lee
Aboard NOAA Ship Oscar Dyson
June 29 – July 20, 2024

Mission: Pollock Acoustic-Trawl Survey

Geographic Area of Cruise: Eastern Bering Sea

Date: July 15, 2024

Weather Data from the Bridge:

Latitude: 59° 51.9 N

Longitude: 173° 53.5 W

Wind Speed: 11 knots

Air Temperature: 6.1° Celsius (42.9° Fahrenheit)

Science and Technology Log:

On my cruise, scientists take acoustic measurements along the length of each transect. To ensure that they are accurately estimating the abundance of pollock, they take steps to separate out any backscatter that they believe didn’t come from pollock.

Scientists then apply algorithms to the data in order to estimate pollock abundance over the entire survey area. First, they break up the transect into 0.5 nautical mile (NM) sections and record the average backscatter for that section. Specifically, scientists are interested in the areal density – the amount of backscatter per square nautical mile (NM2).

This data can be challenging to interpret, so one way the scientists represent it visually is with a stick plot over the survey area:

Stick plot showing acoustic backscatter from the 2022 pollock survey. This is a simple map of the Bering Sea, where the land of Alaska appears in gray and the water is white with some bathymetric lines. The transect lines run straight, at a slight angle on this rotated map, across the waters. Yellow bars of different sizes stick up off the transect lines at an angle.
Acoustic backscatter from the 2022 pollock survey.

In this graphic, the transect lines are shown in black, and the density of acoustic backscatter for each 0.5 NM section is represented with a yellow stick. The longer the stick, the greater the density of backscatter at that location.

Scientists then use this data to perform calculations on the entire survey area, including the space in between transects. For each 0.5 NM section of transect, the acoustic density is extrapolated halfway to the next transect on either side.

Diagram showing transect lines, and how acoustic density is applied across the survey area. Three gray vertical lines, evenly spaced, are each labeled "transect line;" dotted lines mark the distance halfway between each transect line. A smaller portion of the middle transect line is colored red instead of gray. It's labeled with a parallel double-sided arrow marking out "0.5 nautical mile." A red box the height of that red section stretches as far to the left and right as the next dotted halfway line; one side is labeled "half distance to next transect."
In this diagram, the red line represents a 0.5 NM section of transect for which acoustic density is calculated. This acoustic density is then applied to the entire pink rectangle, which extends halfway to the next to the transect on either side.

By doing this process for every 0.5 NM section of transect studied, scientists are able to calculate values of acoustic density for the entire survey area.

Map of current survey area with transect lines and boxes showing the area over which transect data is extrapolated.
Map of current survey area and transect lines (black), with boxes (purple) indicating the area over which data from each transect is extrapolated.

Getting from acoustic density to pollock abundance takes another set of calculations, this time making use of trawl data. The pollock caught in each trawl can vary drastically in terms of size – some trawls are mostly juveniles, some trawls are mostly adults, and some are an even mix of both. For a given location, scientists use data from the nearest geographic trawl to estimate the distribution of fish in that area.

Distribution of pollock centered around 20-30 cm. This is a bar chart. The x-axis displays length in centimeters (0 to 80 cm) and the y-axis displays proportion of the catch (0 to 0.125). The majority of the bars are black, but a minor portion are colored partially red, indicating proportions of identified male pollock, or blue, indicating proportions of identified of female pollock.
In some trawls, the most fish were within 20-30 cm in length (above) while in others, most fish were over 40 cm in length (below).
Distribution of pollock centered around 40-50 cm. This is a bar chart. The x-axis displays length in centimeters (0 to 80 cm) and the y-axis displays proportion of the catch (0 to 0.125). The majority of the bars are black, but a minor portion are colored partially red, indicating proportions of identified male pollock, or blue, indicating proportions of identified of female pollock.

Having trawl data is necessary to convert the acoustic data into fish abundance because small and large pollock do not reflect backscatter equally. Scientists have studied this, and they have created a relationship for the different backscatter reflected by different length pollock. Using the distribution of pollock in the nearest trawl, scientists are able to proportionally allocate the observed backscatter to pollock of different lengths.

Graph showing that as pollock length increases, acoustic backscatter also increases. The x-axis shows pollock length in centimeters (0 to 80) and the y-axis shows acoustic size in "(TS, dB re 1 m2)", ranging from -50 to -30. A blue line curves gently from the lower right corner ("small fish, weak backscatter") to the upper right corner ("large fish, strong backscatter.")
As pollock length increases, backscatter also increases. 
(Equation from Lauffenburger et al., 2023. Mining previous acoustic surveys to improve walleye pollock (Gadus chalcogrammus) target strength estimates, ICES Journal of Marine Science, Volume 80, Issue 6, August 2023, Pages 1683–1696, https://doi.org/10.1093/icesjms/fsad094)

As an example, let’s simplify the two locations sampled in the graphs above. Suppose the first location had only 20 cm pollock, the second had only 40 cm pollock, and equal backscatter was observed at both sites. Scientists know that, all else being equal, 20 cm pollock produce less backscatter than 40 cm pollock. This means that in order to reflect the same backscatter, there must be a greater number of 20 cm pollock than 40 cm pollock.

By repeating a similar process for each geographic location, scientists are able to estimate the number of pollock in the entire survey area!

Personal Log

The sailing and many of the operations of NOAA Ship Oscar Dyson are done by NOAA Corps officers. I hadn’t heard of the NOAA Corps before sailing, but I’ve since learned that they play an important role in facilitating NOAA research.

To learn more about the experience of NOAA Corps officers, I interviewed Ensign Savi Morales.

Ensign Savi Morales working with John Swenson, a member of the deck crew. Engisn Morales wears the blue every day uniform of the NOAA Corps and stands at a bank of navigational computers on the bridge. Both men gaze down at a display screen.
Ensign Savi Morales (left) on the bridge collaborating with John Swenson, a member of the deck crew.

Why did you decide to become a NOAA Corps officer?

I’ve always wanted to support the protection of the environment and mitigating climate change. After college, I was trying to figure out where I would contribute the most. I really loved being out on the water, and I had sailed plenty but I wanted to find a way to combine my interests in an environment I contribute the most. The NOAA Corps felt like it was a combination of those things.

I also loved the idea of working with the crew, engineering department, and science. I really enjoy that mixture of groups we have aboard Dyson, which makes every trip’s dynamic different. There’s also a lot of hands-on experience on the bridge deck making our 12 days packed with projects I work on. The NOAA Corps embraces a diverse skill set in order to think and act like a Swiss army knife and be a jack of all trades.

What are your responsibilities on board the ship?

My responsibilities are two 4-hour bridge watches as a Junior Officer of the Deck as I work towards becoming a fully qualified Officer of the Deck. In between my watches I work on tasks related to my responsibilities as the Dyson’s damage control officer, assistant navigation officer, and assistant public affairs officer. I track the sea service hours for our augmenting and personal crew, which they can use to upgrade their license. I maintain flags, and I do monthly safety rounds, inspecting fire extinguishers and fire stations. 

What do you enjoy the most about your work?

I enjoy meeting the characters that come to the Dyson, definitely an eclectic but fun group. I also enjoy how much they’ve thrown me into the mix and had me figure things out. It’s a little bit of a trial by fire, but I learn really quick and I’d rather learn by doing.

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

Checking fire extinguishers, there’s about 100 on board and they all need to be checked monthly. It takes about 3-4 hours.

Here in the Bering Sea you hear about the big, massive waves, but it’s not always like that. The Aleutian Islands are gorgeous with lots of wildlife. I don’t think I’ve seen this many bald eagles, orcas, or puffins in my entire life. They always brighten my day.

What advice do you have for a young person interested in a career in the NOAA Corps?

NOAA Corps requires you to have a four-year college degree in order to apply. Other than that, I’d say find opportunities to go out on the water. There’s high school scholarships, there’s college scholarships. You can also volunteer if you have time. I volunteered at the UC Davis Bodega marine lab. I visited once a week just to hang out with the scientists, with the crew to see if this is what I liked. Be curious and experience things for yourself!

Did you know?

NOAA Corps is one of the country’s eight uniformed services, and its officers operate NOAA ships and aircraft around the country. After completing basic training at the US Coast Guard Academy, NOAA officers assist in fisheries research, seafloor mapping, monitoring atmospheric conditions, and may respond to natural disasters and extreme weather. Learn more at the NOAA Corps website here!

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Jenny Gapp: Let Them Eat Hake! August 14, 2023

NOAA Teacher at Sea

Jenny Gapp (she/her)

Aboard NOAA Ship Bell M. Shimada

July 23 – August 5, 2023 

Mission: Pacific hake (Merluccius productus) Survey (Leg 3 of 5)
Geographic Area of Cruise: Pacific Ocean off the Northern California Coast working north back toward coastal waters off Oregon.
Date: Monday, August 14, 2023

Weather Data from Portland, Oregon
Friday, August 11, 2023 (one week from our final trawl)
Sunrise 6:06am PDT | Sunset 8:24pm PDT
Current Time: 2:53pm PDT
Location: 45. 59578° N, 122.60917° W (Portland International Airport)
Visibility: 10 miles
Sky condition: A few clouds
Wind Speed: 6.8 mph
Wind Direction: NW
Barometer: 1016.80 mb
Air Temp: 82° F
Relative Humidity: 37%
Speed Over Ground (SOG): 0 knots as I sit on my front porch at home!
Willamette River water temperature: 74°F

Monday, August 14, 2023
Sunrise 6:10am PDT | Sunset 8:19pm PDT
Current Time: 2:53pm PDT
Location: 45. 59578° N, 122.60917° W
Visibility: 10 miles
Sky condition: Clear
Wind Speed: 10 mph
Wind Direction: WNW
Barometer: 1010.10 mb
Outdoor Air Temp: 105°F (record ended up at 108°F)
Relative Humidity: 21%
Indoor Air Temp: 78°F (our AC consists of several Doug Fir trees)
Speed Over Ground (SOG): 0 knots as I sit at my computer in my home office space. 
Willamette River water temperature: 75.02°F

Science and Technology Log
I’ll start my last blog post with some vocabulary… and a sports analogy. Apologies in advance, I’m testing out some sports jokes to appeal to my 5th-grade sports fans who are skeptical about science. My hope is that the vocabulary (at least) will aid in understanding the following narrative about NOAA Ship Bell M. Shimada’s Leg 3 centerboard retraction.

Don’t worry, it’s not too complicated. It isn’t that different from how rookie Trail Blazer Ibou Badji (Center) was removed for knee surgery at the end of last season… or how the other Center, Jusuf Nurkic, was ejected after an altercation with an opponent and then retracted for the remainder of the same season with plantar fasciitis… Where have all the Centers on the board gone? At least there is more certainty of Shimada’s centerboard returning than Nurkic (even though he has three years on his contract left)!

Vocabulary

Acoustics – In our case, acoustics refers to an entire branch of physics concerned with the properties of sound. Yes, acoustics can also refer to how your voice sounds when singing in the shower.

Sonar – A system for the detection of objects underwater by emitting sound pulses and detecting or measuring their return after being reflected by the objects. The vocabulary words that follow are all related to the sonar system on the Shimada.

Centerboard – A retractable hull appendage, similar to the keel on a sailboat.

Ping – To emit a signal and then listen for its echo in order to detect objects. Sean Connery may have introduced you to the concept. “Give me a ping, Vasili. One ping only, please.” (Captain Ramius, The Hunt for Red October, 1990)

Hertz – One hertz (Hz) is equal to one event per second. The unit’s most common usage is to describe periodic waveforms (as is used in acoustics) and in musical tones. Kilohertz (kHz) is equal to 103, megahertz (mHz) is equal to 106 .

a graphical representation of the spectrum of soundwaves. from left to right, a red line meanders up and down at increasing frequencies (2 Hz, 20 Hz, 200 Hz, 2 kHz, 20 kHz, 200 kHz, 2 MHz) and decreasing wavelengths (170 m, 17 m, 1.7 m, 17 cm, 17 mm, 1.7 mm, 172 um.) The labeled wavelengths are compared to images about the same size: a baseball field (170 m), a tractor trailer (17 m), two people holding hands (1.7 m), a sub sandwich (17 cm), a penny (17 mm), the width of a quarter (1.7 mm), and grains of salt (172 um). Ranges of frequencies are labeled "infrasound" (2 Hz to 20 Hz), "audible sound" (20 Hz to 20 kHz), and "ultrasound" (20 kHz to 2 MHz).
Spectrum of soundwaves illustration from BYU Acoustics Research Group

Transducer – A device that converts variations in a physical quantity, such as sound, into an electrical signal, or vice versa. On the Shimada, the transducer emits a ping.

Transceiver – A device that both transmits and receives communication. There are five transceivers on the Shimada, one for each frequency—measured in kHZ—that the scientists monitor. Walkie-talkies are one example of transceivers.

Note: I have a habit of calling things by their incorrect names, and had some confusion about how a “transponder” fits into these “trans” terms. A transponder is a blend between “transmitter” and “responder.” Essentially, a device that receives a radio signal and emits a different signal in response. They are used to detect and identify objects. If you have a car key fob that locks and unlocks your doors remotely (or starts your engine), then you are walking around with a transponder. Transponders are also commonly found in airplanes.

Echosounder – A type of sonar. The Shimada uses a wideband transceiver (WBT) scientific echosounder system for the hake survey.

Echogram – The visualization of sound once the transceiver “listens” to the acoustic return pinged off objects.

Cleaning up is often a sign of good things coming to an end. Whether it’s scraping glitter glue off the tables of my library, or fish scales off stainless steel in the Shimada, both signal the end of a productive work period. On Friday night, August 4th, the Wet Lab crew conducted a deep clean of the space after the last trawl. On Saturday, the net was streamed one last time (for Leg 3 anyway) on our way back to Newport, Oregon. Creatures like pyrosomes, flatfish, and young-of-the-year (YOY) hake that had been stuck in the net were flushed out after a period of time waving goodbye in surface waters. YOY is used interchangeably with the term “fingerlings” in the vocabulary of fish development.

Jenny, wearing overalls, rubber boots, rubber gloves, kneels on one knee to scrub an overturned plastic basket on the aft deck. there is a bucket of cleaning solution to her right and a stack of three more baskets to her left.
In which I get to “swab the deck”… or swab the baskets in this case.

Another event that occurred Saturday was the raising of the centerboard. The centerboard is always raised at sea and cleaned once in port. “Biofouling mitigation” is the fancy term for centerboard cleaning. This is to ensure sea life, such as barnacles, do not adhere themselves to the surface. A build-up of these stowaways could interfere with the sonar. Hmm, I sense potential here for another sports analogy… something about fouls.  

The Survey Crew coordinates with the bridge and the engineers to retract the centerboard. Transducers are mounted on the centerboard so they can be lower than the hull. This reduces bubbles and noise. In the Shimada’s case, bubbles are air pockets created by the movement of the ship’s bow. A centerboard extends the distance between sonar equipment and the activity of bubbles gathered near the hull. When seas are rough enough there can actually be a data dropout that appears as a white line on the echogram.  

Elysha stands at metal box, with indicator lights and switches, mounted on a wall. She holds a corded phone receiver up to her ear with her left hand. With her right hand she reaches toward a button or dial on the control panel.
Elysha Agne, at the centerboard control panel.

Fully extended, the centerboard is 3.4 m below the hull of the ship and 9.15 m below the baseline sea surface. There is a manual option for retracting the centerboard, but it is generally only used if there’s a problem. Automatic operations are the norm, and were used when I observed the procedure.

Officers on the bridge slow the ship to 0 knots. The bridge confirms with survey technicians which position the centerboard should be moved to. A control panel for the centerboard is located one deck below the acoustics lab. I stood with Senior Survey Technician, Elysha Agne, to observe the process for retraction. NOAA Corps crew actually push the button on the bridge for retraction, but Agne communicates over the phone with them to confirm what the centerboard control panel is indicating.

close up view of a metal panel - a red circle, surrounded by a yellow ring, on a red background. over the center of the circle, there's a beige-colored smear of what must be tiny barnacles.
Barnacles on a Shimada transducer after three legs of the 2023 hake survey. Photo taken by Elysha Agne.

Just down the passageway from the control panel are the double watertight doors that provide access to the instrument pod on the retracted centerboard. I include a picture of these doors in the Hook, Line, and Thinker section of blog post, “Let’s Get Specific in the Pacific.”

Once the button is pushed and the centerboard is ostensibly moved, Agne confirms the indicator lights on the control panel and looks through the porthole on the watertight doors nearby to confirm the white letter “R” (for “retracted) is visible on the appendage. Agne turns off the transducers (no pinging) before retraction starts in case the transducers accidentally go out of the water.

This is important because sound travels differently through air than in water. If the transducer were still pinging while a crewmember had their head through the open centerboard access doors—that wouldn’t be good for human ears. The transducer can actually be damaged beyond repair if it pings in the air. The centerboard actually has holes in it, so it fills with water when lowered, then drains as it is raised. I could hear the water draining during the retraction process. 

Career feature

CO Slater, wearing a blue NOAA Corps uniform, stands at a white metal post (housing what must be the gyro repeater) near a railing aboard NOAA Ship Bell M Shimada. He holds his right hand up, pointing out over the bright blue ocean, and looks in the direction he points.
CO Slater at one of Shimada’s gyro repeaters.
CO Slater, wearing a blue NOAA Corps uniform, sits in his Captain's Chair on the bridge. Facing away from us, he holds his binoculars up to his eyes to scan the horizon.
CO Slater sits in his Captain’s Chair and inspects the horizon.

Joshua Slater, CO (Commanding Officer)
Give us a brief job description of what you do on NOAA Ship Bell M. Shimada.

I’m responsible for the safety of the ship and its 41 crewmembers (depending on the voyage), including safe navigation, accomplishment of science missions, project management, budget, personnel, and training of the crew.

What’s your educational background?

I have a Bachelor’s in Marine Biology and a Master’s in Marine Sciences both from the University of North Carolina, Wilmington. I grew up in a Navy family, so we moved all around the world. I don’t consider one place home over another. After graduation, I wanted to go to either California or Hawaii. I got a job as a contractor with NOAA doing free-diving and scuba in Hawaii as a Marine Debris Technician. I removed derelict fishing gear and nets off the coral reefs of the northwestern islands. I joined NOAA Corps after that. I attended the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy in King’s Point, New York. In the Corps, there’s a 2:3 rotation ratio in years spent on assignments at sea and on land.

I started out on NOAA Ship McArthur II. We sailed from Seattle out to Hawaii, down to South America, Mexico, and up the West Coast of the U.S. to Canada. My assignment after that was emergency response for incidents at sea such as hurricanes and chemical spills. One of those projects was on the Deepwater Horizon oil spill response down in the Gulf of Mexico. My next ship was in South Carolina on NOAA Ship Nancy Foster, where I worked from Massachusetts to Key West, to Galveston, Texas. After that were land assignments in Washington DC, then Chief of Operations at NOAA’s Marine Operations Center for the Pacific (MOC-P) in Newport, Oregon. I’ve bounced between MOC-P and the Shimada in that land-to-sea ratio since then.

In the NOAA Corps, you start out as an Ensign (pronounced “en-sin”). Within 2-3 years you usually get promoted from ensign to Lieutenant junior grade. During your first sea tour, you need to learn how to drive the ship, keep everyone safe, and understand the basics of ship operations. During your second sea tour, you help coordinate logistics for operations. On the third sea tour you’re running all the administrative functions (hiring, firing, discipline), and on the fourth time out hopefully you are experienced enough to be considered for the ship’s Captain, overseeing the safety of the whole ship, and making sure operations are done efficiently. So, as you work your way through your career you also get promoted. Beyond the rank of Lieutenant junior grade, there’s Lieutenant, Lieutenant Commander, Commander, Captain, and then Admiral.

For civilians, Ship Captain and CO may be viewed as interchangeable. In NOAA Corps you can be a commanding officer and be any number of different ranks. In the civilian world, the ship’s boss is called “Captain” or “Master.” Since NOAA Corps stems from military origins, they use “Commanding Officer.”

What took you by surprise about sailing on the ocean?

What took me by surprise was the amount of operations we could do in less-than-ideal weather. You might have a calm day on shore, but at sea it’s usually windy and you have waves of some sort. We do the best we can given the situation.

Why are conditions rougher further out at sea?

A few things. Currents. Wind. Sometimes headlands protect you from wind when you’re closer to shore. How big the waves get is a combination of how strong the wind blows, how long it blows, and over what distance of water. That’s called the fetch. That gives the time needed for the swell to fully develop based on the wind. Wind at a short distance is a wave. Once you get beyond where the wind is that localized phenomenon, further away it’s the swell. While our wind may be calm here, we may still have a big swell because there’s a storm off Hawaii or Alaska. We’re not feeling the wind but we’re feeling the side effects. Or we could just be in the wind, it’s blowing 50, and not that bad right now, but give it 12 hours to develop, 24 hours, and it’s going to be a lot worse. You do what you can given what you have to work with. The ship is seaworthy and can handle a lot of different conditions. 

an illustration of the surface of the ocean, if it were contained in a square angled toward the viewer. an orange arrow entering the square from the left is labeled Wind; a blue arrow exiting the square to the right is labeled "direction of wind advance." near the arrow, small curved white lines indicate small waves emanating out in all directions, but in the direction of the arrow there are many more; farther to the right, they spread out some; all the way to the right, they are large waves. This progression is labeled "ripples to chop to wind waves," then "full developed seas," then "changing to swell." An oval with a point at the back describes the center of the image, where most of the waves are, and a nearby measurement bar marks the length of that shape as the length of fetch.
An illustration of fetch. Image origin.

What’s the biggest weather you’ve been in on the Shimada?

Probably 20-foot waves, although waves are not consistently one height, they’re a range. They may be normally 16-18 feet, but you might get a 22-foot wave come through. The ones I’ve been in consistently were about 20.

At what point is it not safe to conduct operations?

It depends what the wind is, what the swell is, whether they’re from the same direction or opposing directions, or 90 degrees off. Sometimes our whole project is in the trough, which means the waves are hitting us from the sides, so we’re rolling a lot. The way transects are laid out for trawling and sampling gets us rolling a lot. If it’s really bad we’ll angle our way from one location to another. We do have safety standards for operations. Once the wind is above a certain limit, or the waves above a certain range in height, we’ll reassess. Usually, we reassess the operation if wind is over 30 knots, but we’ve done ops in 40 knots before. We’ve also done ops in 16-foot waves. There are a lot of variables to be considered, including the type of operation we’re attempting to execute.

We’ll get people who have never been out here before, or we’ll get people that are so focused on the science, they don’t think about safety. My job is to make sure they don’t forget about safety! We have a daily safety meeting of department heads on the ship. There are weekly drills at sea. During monthly safety meetings, we go over accidents in the NOAA fleet. It’s a lot easier to learn from other people’s mistakes. We all want to come home with our fingers and toes!

What advice do you have for a young person interested in ocean-related careers?

Grow where you’re planted. In NOAA Corps, you don’t get to necessarily choose the jobs where you go next. A board of officers chooses for you, based on your skill set and the needs of the service at that time. For example, I can list my preferences, but there’s no guarantee I will get any of them. There have been many times where officers haven’t even received their second or third choice. My advice to everyone is, you may not want to go to a particular assignment or a particular part of the country, but you’re there, so make the most of it. Every place I have been assigned has good qualities, good things to offer. Those are what I choose to focus on. When I talk to some people, they never seem happy no matter where they are.  I think that is a mindset issue. One of my favorite quotes is, “Positivity is a superpower.” The term “Shimada-tude” got its start in the early days of the ship’s service to NOAA and is all about positivity. We want to like what we do and want people to like coming out to sea. We want them to have a good experience, and treat everyone with respect. 

Do you have a favorite book?

Growing up I often looked for the Newbery Prize Medal seal or the Newbery Honor seal on a book cover when I was walking through the library. I figured if somebody liked it I might as well try it. It’s hard to pick just one book. I tried a lot of the classics and have made my way through most of “The 100 Greatest Books Ever Written.” Some were enjoyed while others were not. I remember taking an interest in The Odyssey and The Iliad, by Homer; Robinson Crusoe, by Daniel Defoe; Shipwrecked, by Robert Louis Stevenson; The Phantom of the Opera, by Gaston Leroux; and Dracula, by Bram Stoker—to name a few. 

Lately, I’ve been reading more and more about financial education. One book I recommend is The Richest Man in Babylon, by George Samuel Clason. It uses fictitious ancient parables to give you sound monetary advice, and that is something that I don’t think is really taught anymore.

As for children’s literature, I’ve recently read a few of the Harry Potter books with my son. I remember reading and enjoying The Chronicles of Narnia series, by C.S. Lewis, Island of the Blue Dolphins, by Scott O’Dell; and Where the Red Fern Grows, by Wilson Rawls. 

NOAA Fishwatch logo, reading: FishWatch U.S. Seafood Facts, NOAA, www.FishWatch.gov


Floating (Food) Facts (& Opinions)

Here’s the part where we “Let them eat hake.” If you can get your hands on some hake through a company like Pacific Seafood (headquartered in Clackamas, Oregon), then you can decide for yourself whether all this fuss over hake is worth the hype.

Hake (Pacific Whiting) is the most abundant commercial stock on the Pacific Coast.

If you aren’t into hake but consume other seafood, use Fish Watch. NOAA Fisheries hosts sustainable seafood profiles with current information on marine fish harvested in the U. S.

The first couple of paragraphs on the Fish Watch site define “sustainable seafood:”

“Sustainable seafood is wild-caught or farmed seafood that is harvested or produced in ways that protect the long-term health of species populations and ecosystems. The United States is a global leader in sustainable seafood. U.S. fishermen and seafood farmers operate under some of the most robust and transparent environmental standards in the world. If the seafood you purchase is caught or farmed in the United States, you can feel confident you’re making a sustainable seafood choice. 

Marine wild-capture fisheries in the United States are scientifically monitored and regionally managed. They are enforced under 10 national standards of sustainability through the Magnuson-Stevens Act—exceeding the international standards for eco-labeling of seafood.”

You may have stood in front of the seafood counter and noticed those green (best choice) and yellow (good alternative) labels. I have yet to see red, which means avoid, which seems counter to the marketing impulse of grocery stores. These labels are based on the Monterey Bay Seafood Watch guidelines. Here’s a pocket guide for my West Coast friends. There are a handful of seafood guides you can consult, but not all are created equal. This article from 2017 captures the frustration consumers sometimes have about what fish to choose.

Part of my confusion is often based on the many names a single species has! For example, I just now learned (on the NOAA Fish Watch site) that Bocaccio are rockfish and are the Oregon Red Snapper I recall from shopping trips and meals as a kid. For me, the thing that makes NOAA’s Fish Watch site superior to the rest is the comprehensive overview of each species profiled. You get detailed sections on Population Status, Appearance, Biology, Where They Live, Fishery Management, and Harvest all in one place. Bon appetit!

photograph of a hake, cutout and superimposed on a stylized background. text reads: Wild Pacific Hake (Whiting). A North Pacific Speciality. Wild Pacific Hake (Whiting) is unique to the waters off the coast of Oregon and Washington. But chefs worldwide like this sustainable fish for its rich, white flesh, flaky texture, and mild and slightly sweet flavor. Calories: 90 per serving. Protein: 18.31 g per serving. Fat: 1.31 g per serving. Omega-3: 260 mg per serving.
Image of a hake with nutritional information from American Seafoods.
Is Pacific Whiting Sustainable? U.S. wild-caught Pacific whiting is a smart seafood choice because it is sustainably managed and responsibly harvested under U.S. regulations. Environmental Impact Icon Availability Frozen whiting is available year-round. Feeds Icon Source U.S. wild-caught from Washington, Oregon, and California. Farming Methods Icon Taste Mild and slightly sweet. Human Health Icon Texture Soft and less flaky than other whitefish such as cod and pollock.  Human Health Icon Color Raw and cooked whiting ranges from pure white to off-white. Human Health Icon Health Benefits Whiting is a good source of selenium, vitamin B, magnesium, and protein. Nutrition Facts Servings: 1; Serving Weight: 100 g (raw); Calories: 90; Protein: 18.31 g; Total Fat: 1.31 g; Total Saturated Fatty Acids: 0.247 g; Carbohydrate: 0 g; Total Sugars: 0 g; Total Dietary Fiber: 0 g; Cholesterol: 67 mg; Selenium: 32.1 mcg; Sodium: 72 mg
A screenshot from NOAA’s sustainable seafood profile on Pacific whiting (hake).
image of plated Garlic Baked Whiting on a bed of rice, garnished with lemon and parsley. Garlic Baked Whiting Ingredients 4 whiting fillets Kosher salt Freshly ground black pepper 5 Tbsp butter, melted 2 cloves garlic, minced ¼ tsp red pepper flakes Juice and zest from 1/2 a lemon 1 lemon, sliced into rounds Parsley for garnish Directions Preheat oven to 400°. Season whiting with salt and pepper and place on a small baking sheet. Mix together butter, garlic, red pepper flakes, lemon juice, and zest then pour over whiting fillets. Place lemon rounds on top and around fillets. Bake whiting for 10-12 minutes or until fish is fork tender.
Hake recipe courtesy of Pacific Seafood.
Click to enlarge.
image of plated spicy baked whiting with sides of couscous and asparagus Spicy Baked Whiting Ingredients 4 Pacific whiting fillets 2 Tbsp olive oil Rub ingredients: 1 tsp garlic powder 1 tsp dried parsley 1 tsp onion powder 1 tsp red pepper flakes 1 tsp of lime juice 2 tsp of seasoned salt Directions Preheat oven to 400°F. Mix all rub ingredients together. In a baking pan, coat fish with olive oil. Then coat the fish in the spice mixture. Place the fish the oven and bake for 10-15 minutes until fish is flaky.
Hake recipe courtesy of Pacific Seafood.
Click to enlarge.


Personal Log

Fog persisted on our steam north back to Newport. Without the temptation of visibility on the flying deck, I took extra time vacuuming the stateroom… that’s a joke because vacuuming a 4-person stateroom takes all of 5 minutes. In truth, my roommate and I took care to leave our space Pine-Sol fresh for Leg 4. After packing away my gear I bounced around the ship like you might in a hotel room—surreptitiously checking drawers for items you may have forgotten. That last nautical mile seemed to take forever. I kept looking out of the portholes in the acoustics lab to see nothing but white. Excitement for home began to build once it was time to gather on the flying deck and peer through the misty water vapor. Yaquina Bay Bridge slowly materialized, an elevated street floating in the sky, weirdly disembodied from the solid ground that usually frames it. As we went under the bridge the fog disappeared. Beyond, an 80° Oregon summer in the Willamette Valley beckoned. The Wet Lab Crew ate dinner together while the crew of the Shimada safely docked and worked with the port crew to reattach the gangplank. After hugs and handshakes all around it was time to part. My drive home was uneventful save a dramatic sky. 

A HUGE thank you to the Shimada crew aboard Leg 3! You welcomed me, answered my questions, allowed me to look over your shoulder, tolerated me taking photographs of you, and clarified things I didn’t understand. You all are amazing. I appreciate your labor and am thrilled to have witnessed you all working in sync to do science! My students at Peninsula thank you as well—even if they don’t know it yet. Your time and attention will enhance not just one, but many ocean-related lessons I share with them in the forthcoming year. A special thanks to my blog editors: Chief Scientist Steve de Blois and XO CDR Laura Gibson. Your feedback polished these meanderings and gave me confidence that I correctly represented NOAA and the hake. 

You Might Be Wondering…

What Next?

To complete my commitment to NOAA as a Teacher at Sea I agree to blog, write one science-related lesson, one career-related lesson, and either present at a conference or publish an article about my experience. I’m back in my school building this week and will soon be working on lessons. At least part of the science lesson will follow the path of hake otoliths (ear bones) from the ocean to the lab back on land. Many thanks to Liz Ortiz, Fisheries Technician, for helping me connect the dots on how the otolith contributes to our understanding of Pacific whiting (hake) life cycles. I’ve decided to publish an article, although I will likely also present at a conference in years to come. I have reviewed children’s books for the national journal, School Library Connection, since 2011, and will start my query for publication there.

view over the aft deck (probably from the flying deck) of NOAA Ship Bell M. Shimada back at Yaquina Bay, and the Yaquina Bay Bridge. In this photo, the sky is bright blue and clear, and the water is calm and bright blue as well.
The sky was blue when we left Yaquina Bay on Day 1, not so on Day 14.
A brief video reflection of Leg 3.

Hook, Line, and Thinker

Do you eat or consume products harvested from the ocean? Where do those products come from?

If the country of origin for products consumed isn’t the U.S. does that country have an equivalent of NOAA that gathers data and prioritizes sustainability in its policies? For context, consider this recent article from NPR: Demand for cheap shrimp is driving U.S. shrimpers out of business. I’m doing a homemade pad thai recipe this week and reading this motivated me to pay attention to where my shrimp came from. All the shrimp choices at Fred Meyer (Kroger) were imported so I went elsewhere (paid more) and found some from the Gulf of Mexico, harvested in U. S. waters. 

While you’re eating your own pad thai with U. S. shrimp, or Pacific whiting mac ‘n cheese, consider NOAA Fisheries first-ever National Seafood Strategy, just released on August 9th, 2023.

A Bobbing Bibliography: Reflections of a Librarian at Sea

Additions to the Science Crew’s Reading Recommendations:

Chris Hoefer, OSU marine mammal & seabird project – The Three-Body Problem, science fiction by Liu Cixin (Scientific American article about the concept behind the name.)

Samantha Engster, eDNA Scientist – The Shell Collector, short stories by Anthony Doerr

***

Parting thoughts from your Teacher-Librarian at Sea as inspired by quotes from a few children’s literature classics.

“Look at that sea, girls—all silver and shadow and vision of things not seen. We couldn’t enjoy its loveliness any more if we had millions of dollars and ropes of diamonds.”
― Lucy Maud Montgomery, Anne of Green Gables

In my current reading of this quote, I can’t help but immediately extract the tension between commerce and being. It seems to be a theme I have returned to again and again throughout my blog posts. To be, to exist on our planet, is dependent on a healthy ecosystem, and a healthy ocean. NOAA Fisheries leans on the scientific method to tackle a barrage of pressures: consumer demand, climate change, economic prosperity, pollution.

We would do well to remember that NOAA is made up of ordinary people. The government, by the people and for the people. Many of these you have met in my interviews. I was at a dinner party recently (since I’ve returned to land) and there’s always someone in the crowd who makes half-joking remarks about “the government.” What? You killed fish in the name of science? What? Do the fisherman have the same opportunity to trawl? C’mon. Who do you think “the government” is made up of? Your uncle with a Ph.D. in physics. Your daughter with a passion for birds. “Things not seen,” are confusing, intimidating, sometimes scary. NOAA is utterly transparent. The amount of unfettered data available for citizen scientists to freely examine on the internet is mind-boggling. Keep asking questions, then ask more questions! Then do some research—ask a librarian for help!

“The sea, the sea, the sea. It rolled and rolled and called to me. Come in, it said, come in.”
― Sharon Creech, The Wanderer

It said “Come in” the loudest when smooth and glassy. While there were no swimming opportunities on board the Shimada, I have since returned to swimming at my local health club. While doing laps and staring at the dirt, hair bands, and Band-Aids at the bottom of the pool I thought about the chemicals, hair bands, and Band-Aids at the bottom of the ocean. This is not what the sea meant when she said, “Come in.” NOAA Fisheries is an integral part of the solution to the problems that face us as a species. Homo sapiens is only one of many species that have a right to thrive—both for our benefit and their own.

sparkles of bioluminescence on the ocean surface in the daytime
setting sun, about halfway under the horizon, dark blue waves
puffy white clouds against blue sky, above blue water
last light at sunset, just visible under dramatic gray clouds; gray waves reflect just the edges of the yellow light
mostly-set sun creating a line of orange in between dramatic gray clouds and glassy gray seas
view down at blue ocean water
gray seas, blue sky, sun; might be foggy or blurry
turquoise-blue water; blue sky, line of mountainous coastline in the far distance
glassy seas reflect blue and white sky
fog; g


“The castle of Cair Paravel on its little hill towered up above them; before them were the sands, with rocks and little pools of salt water, and seaweed, and the smell of the sea and long miles of bluish-green waves breaking for ever and ever on the beach. And oh, the cry of the seagulls! Have you ever heard it? Can you remember?”
― C.S. Lewis, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe

While perusing a glossary of nautical terms in the downtime after a marine mammal watch, I discovered “caravel” a small, highly maneuverable sailing ship used by the Portuguese in the 15th and 16th centuries. The Niña and the Pinta, of 1492 notoriety, were caravels. I wondered whether this term had inspired C. S. Lewis’ naming of Cair Paravel. I will not remember the cry of seagulls so much as I will the cat-like meow of the common murre, at least that’s what they sounded like to me at the time. I’m a compulsive Googler, so that’s how I came upon this Minecraft version of Cair Paravel.

It made me think of my students and how NOAA scientists are the stars of real-world exploration and discovery. Scientists are also world-builders of a sort—reports on their findings influence policy-makers, lawmakers. As science moves forward, it continuously corrects itself as new things are discovered. Listening to the latest science can make or break the world.  

And oh, the cry of the scientists! Have you ever heard it? Can you remember? 

screenshot from a video game showing a castle near the ocean
A Minecraft version of Cair Paravel.
photo of a hatchetfish and a lanternfish on a metal table, facing one another. Jenny has added speech bubbles so that the hatchetfish says: "So, what did you think of the Teacher at Sea experience on the Shimada?" and the lanternfish replies: "It was illuminating - and that's not just my photophores talking!"
A hatchetfish and a lanternfish reflect on the Teacher at Sea experience.