Welcome to the Seablog! This is where I’ll be posting about my adventures aboard the NOAA Ship Oscar Dyson, as we study the fisheries off the coast of Alaska.
Introductions!
First allow me to introduce myself. My name is Gregory Cook, and I am, as far as I can tell, in the running for Luckiest Guy on the Planet! I teach middle school science and math at the East Somerville Community School to some of the coolest kids I know, and work with some of the best teachers in the country. Go Phoenix!
Me and a Humming Bird in Costa Rica
On top of that, I received acceptance this year with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Teacher at Sea program! NOAA is part of the Department of Commerce, and does research on everything from fish and whale populations to climate change to mapping the ocean floor and coastline!
In their Teacher at Sea program, I get to work with world class scientists, be a part of real-world research, learn about amazing careers, and share that knowledge with my students. In a small way, I get to share with you the exploration and study of this great planet. What else do you want out of life? A pony? I think not, good sir!
NOAA Ship Oscar Dyson (Photo from http://www.moc.noaa.gov/od/)
The Oscar Dyson is a ship built by the U.S. Government (Your tax dollars doing great work!) to study the Earth’s oceans. It’s over two-thirds of a football field long and almost fifty feet wide. It can deploy (or send out) over five kilometers (more than three miles!) of cable, It has two massive winches for launching scientific study packages. It can use something akin to Doppler Radar to tell you about what’s in the water beneath us and what the sea floor beneath THAT looks like.
Wanna see how they built it? Of course you do!
See Video Credits for Source Material
Alaska
The first thing you need to know about Alaska is its name. It comes from the Aleutian word Alakshak, which means Great Lands or Peninsula… the entire state, in the end, seems to be named after the great Alaskan Peninsula that juts out into the Pacific Ocean.
If you’re one of my students, you’re probably asking “How…?”
Well, The Alaskan Peninsula forms in a Subduction Zone. That means that the Pacific Plate is diving underneath the North American Plate. This creates some beautiful upthrusts that you and I know as mountains… or, in the case of the Aleutians,… Islands! Geologists think The Aleutians are about 37 Million Years Old, formed by volcanic activity.
As a matter of fact, the Island I’ll be sailing from, Unalaska, was created this very way. You might remember (from 6th grade if you’re a Somerville kid!) Oceanic crustal plates are more dense than crustal plates, so they dive under them, pushing the mountains and islands up.
When I first heard I was sailing out of Unalaska, I wondered what was so “Unalaska” about it… like… were they Yankees fans or something?
It turns out that in the Aleutian language (the language of the Aleuts… the native people of the area) placing “Un-” in front of a word means “near.” So Unalaska means “Near the Peninsula.” You could say that I live “Undunkindonuts.” (Though, yeah, I’m a Starbucks guy).
OK, back to Geology…
So it turns out that a great deal of the Bering Sea is over the continental shelf of North America. What that means is that the sea is more shallow than the Pacific.
Much of the Eastern Bering Sea is shallow. This helps create a thriving ecosystem!
What THAT means is that all the good nutrients that run off of the land… from the rains and rivers… can support a huge amount of sea life. The Bering sea is one of the most productive fisheries in the world… It is teeming with life!
If you’ve ever had Fish Sticks or McDonald’s Fillet o’ Fish, you’ve probably had some form of Pollock. They grow quickly, they die young, and have a lot of offspring. They also represent almost 2/3 of all the groundfish (fish that live near the bottom of the sea) caught in Alaska 2012.
So to say Pollock are important is kind of like saying bread is important… They have a huge impact on our lives here in the United States. So it’s important we look in on them every now and then, and make sure they’re doing ok… So we can eat them. 😀
That’s what I’ll be doing up there in Alaska. Exploring the Bering Sea, and looking in on our good friend, Mr. Pollock. I hope you can come along for the ride. 😀
Geographical Area of Cruise: Bering Sea South of Russia
Date: July 15, 2014
Weather Data from the Bridge
Wind Speed: 10.84 kt
Air Temperature: 10.2 degrees Celsius
Barometric Pressure: 1023.0
Latitude: 5822.3417 N
Longitude: 17253.5563 W
I’m standing outside on the deck.
Science and Technology Log:
Deploying a CTD
Alyssa is holding an Chum SalmonBill working on deck
I learn new operations each day I am aboard the Oscar Dyson. There are numerous people aboard the ship that make the whole operation of working on a research vessel possible. Survey technicians, Alyssa Pourmonir and Walter (Bill) Potts, help the scientists with the survey process and communicate between the bridge, deck crew, and the science team during a trawl. Each day, sometimes twice daily, the survey techs, will deploy a CTD (conductivity temperature depth) device to the bottom of the ocean floor. The device measures salinity (how much salt is in the water), temperature, fluorescence (chlorophyll content of plankton), oxygen, and turbidity (how clear or murky the water is) of the ocean water. The CTD sends this information electronically to a computer program which then displays the data and graph for scientists to evaluate.
CTD Graphic Data DisplayPrepping the CTD for deployment into the sea
As with trawling for fish, this process requires collaboration among crew members. The NOAA Corps Officers control the position of the ship from the bridge, and members of the Deck Department control the winch that lifts the CTD device off the deck and into the sea. It takes two deck hands to help the survey tech navigate the device attached to the winch (the two deck hands are firmly attached to the boat by a rope attached to a belt) off the side of the boat and into the sea, and one deckhand to run the winch from the deck above.
Once the device has been deployed into the sea, the survey tech, using a computer program, will record the data as the CTD is lowered and raised. When the device surfaces and is returned to the side deck of the ship, the survey tech takes a sample of the water, which is collected in one of the bottles attached to the CTD device. This water is then sealed and brought back to the lab in Seattle, Washington for further testing. Although the device reports the salinity of the water while deployed in the ocean, the scientists want to calibrate the salinity of the water sample to check for accuracy. They can perform more detailed tests on the water in their labs.
The CTD is entering the water
So why does NOAA want to collect this data? Analyzing and comparing the data against previous year’s data will assist in checking the health and welfare of the ocean. It also helps scientists discover more information about the different layers (depths) of the oceans. It lets us know how the ocean is changing over time and gives us more information about how our climate changing.
Scientists’ Journal
How do scientists organize their data?
You probably deduce that scientists mainly use a computer to organize their data and you would be correct. However, they also record data in a journal. Journals are extremely essential and include appropriate headings, such as what the scientists are working on, the date and the time. Time and dates are imperative to keeping accurate records and some scientists draw pictures with labels to help describe their findings. This journal does not leave the Acoustics Lab during time at sea. My experience, working with the scientists, aboard the Oscar Dyson, allows me to easily relate “real world applications” into my daily curriculum and lesson planning. I have my students journal in both their math and science classes. And now I can show my students, proof that scientists actually do the same thing. Thanks NOAA and the crew of Oscar Dyson!
Personal Log:
Sunrise on the Bering SeaBeautiful View
I finally experienced a day with little cloud coverage. The sunrise is breathtaking. It has been rising around 6:40 am each morning. The crew does not see the sun very much on the Bering Sea as it is mostly cloudy in this area. The sea has been relatively calm. Thankfully, I have not felt any signs of sea sickness. The boat has a gentle rocking motion that, if I sit still long enough, can lull me to sleep. I miss my family, friends, and my dog, however, I know I will be home soon. I empathize with the crew whom work on the boat full-time and seldom see their loved ones. Three weeks is plenty of time for me, although this is truly a voyage of a lifetime. Twelve hour shifts are not bad as long as I keep busy. After my shift is over, I have been playing cards or Farkel with some of the science crew, mostly Nate, Emily, and Alyssa. I even learned how to play Cribbage. Dinner is at 5:00 pm and then I will watch a movie, visit the bridge, or work on my next blog. My self-appointed bed time is 7:30 pm, as the morning comes quickly.
Selfie of the science girls: Emily, Carwyn, and me
Each day while at sea, the ship continues to trawl the Bering Sea, as the scientists search for pollock using the sonar screens. Trawling is like mowing the yard; we cover the ocean in the same manner, moving north and south covering a large expanse of the Bering Sea starting at Dutch Harbor and by the end of the third leg, possibly ending in Russia territory. When the ship trawls north, I cannot access the internet due to the position of the receiver on top of the ship. When the ship trawls south, the internet is available. The crew, myself included, looks forward to southbound trawling across the Bering Sea. Internet access opens up communication with both family and friends, not to mention the World Cup standings. Maybe next time, USA!
Each day, “News for the day” is posted in the hallway on the galley level. It includes weather, happenings aboard the ship, and usually a funny cartoon or riddle. The following is a riddle I thought you would enjoy:
Each morning I appear to lie at your feet. All day I follow no matter how fast you run. Yet I nearly perish in the midday sun. What am I?
Scroll to the bottom of my blog for the answer!
Getting to know the Crew:
Over the past week and a half, I had the opportunity to talk to several crew members aboard the Oscar Dyson, including the NOAA Corps Officers. Recently, I talked with the Commanding Officer and the Chief Bosun .
Commanding Officer (CO), CDR Arthur Stark
The Commanding Officer (CO), CDR Arthur Stark, is in charge of everyone and everything on the boat. He and his family currently live in Port Angeles, Washington. During college he worked on the Coho Ferry, which ferries from Port Angeles, WA to Victoria, Canada, a 22 mile trip each way. A year after graduating from college, with a degree in Fish and Wildlife Management, he secured a job as a deck hand aboard the NOAA Rainier. While working at sea, he learned about the NOAA Corps, and their officer training program. He applied, was accepted, and completed the 90 day program. He started out as a junior officer and worked his way up to the Commanding Officer position. He has been with NOAA for over 17 years. All NOAA Corps Officers rotate two years at sea and three years on land. He had the opportunity to help with the aftermath of the Deep Water Horizon incident, which occurred in 2010, in the Gulf of Mexico. He remembers that day, since it was the same day his daughter was born. He offered some good advice to students that want to pursue a career with the NOAA Corps or ocean related careers; look for volunteer opportunities and summer camps that deal with marine life. He said to make sure to spend time outdoors and be involved.
RockfishI’m holding the RockfishKirk is filleting the RockfishI’m eating the Rockfish, freshly fried from the Galley.
The Chief Bosun or head fisherman is Kirk Perry. He lives in California and has been with NOAA for over ten years. Before his work with NOAA, he worked on fishing boats, with the fire department, and worked in construction. He has a lot of interesting stories about his adventures at sea. If you need help on deck, he is the man to ask. Recently, we caught about three dozen Pacific Ocean Perch otherwise known as Rockfish. Kirk entered the wet lab, while we where processing the catch, took out a large cutting board and his personal, very sharp, filet knife, and started filleting the rockfish like a professional. He told me he has been fishing and filleting fish since he was 10 years-old. When finished, Kirk delivered the rockfish filets to the head galley chef, Kimrie Zentemeyer, to use for dinner. She is going to make fish and chips. Scrumptious, fresh fish, from the sea—to my table!
Head Chef, KimrieAssistant Chef, Adam, cooking up some french toast
More to come, in my next blog, about other crew members and NOAA Corps Officers I spoke with during my journey aboard the Oscar Dyson. Thank you for following me!
Meet the Scientist: Nate Lauffenburger
Nate working in the Chem Lab
Title: Scientist III—Contracted by Ocean Associates (working with NOAA)
Job Responsibilities: Help develop software to automatically process images from Cam-Trawl, a camera that gets hooked to the trawl net and takes pictures of fish as they are being caught. Completes acoustic analysis of fish near bottom of the sea and participates in fishing surveys.
Education: Bachelor’s Degree in Math & Physics, State University of New York (SUNY) at Geneseo; Master’s Degree in Oceanography, University of Washington
Hometown: Buffalo, New York
Current Residence: Seattle, Washington
Why pursue this career? Math and science always came easy to him; he participated in an internship at the University of Rhode Island in oceanography and thoroughly enjoyed the experience and wanted to continue on that path.
Long term goals: He is 27 years-old and is just starting his career. He wants to continue to learn his trade and work in the field of ocean and fisheries.
Did you know?
Did you know the Smooth Lumpsucker is a different family from the Pufferfish but uses a similar defense mechanism?It fills itself up with water so that it cannot be easily swallowed by a predator.
Slimy, but very adorable Lumpsucker
Did you know that the Pacific Ocean Perch is not a perch? Perch are freshwater fish. The Pacific Ocean Perch is a type of Rockfish.
Ship Vocabulary:
Stern-back of the boat
Bow-front of the boat
Port-left of the boat (red light flashing)
Starboard-right of boat (green light flashing)
Galley-kitchen
Mess Hall- Eating area for crew
Head-bathroom
Bridge-control room where NOAA Corps Officers navigate the ship
Line– rope
I am watching the sunrise.Atka MackerelBaby SquidShrimpA type of jellyfishChum SalmonLarge Hermit CrabSorting krill and baby pollock (age 0)Age 0, PollockPacific HerringMy fancy cup holderKrill
Greetings! My name is Frank Hubacz, and I teach General Chemistry and Environmental Chemistry at Franklin Pierce University where we are celebrating our 50th Anniversary. Our main campus is located in Rindge, New Hampshire near the base of Mount Monadnock; this 3,165-ft. mountain summit is the most frequently climbed mountain in North America. At Franklin Pierce, we encourage our student body of approximately 1400 students to embrace their education and to achieve academic success through the integration of liberal arts and our various professional programs.
I first started teaching biology in 1976; however my interests soon migrated into the study and teaching of chemistry. I have been teaching general chemistry at Franklin Pierce University since 1992. While attending the 2006 National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) Annual Convention in Anaheim, CA I had the good fortune to attend the headline presentation given by Jean-Michele Cousteau. His presentation, entitled “Responsible Living…Because Everything is Connected”, considered the vital relationship between the health of our planet, as monitored by way of the health of the Ocean, and our actions as residents of the Earth. Cousteau offered that, “When we think about our actions as teachers, students, tourists, parents, builders, farmers or name a profession, we must recognize all of our actions have environmental consequences…Because our health depends on the health of the planet, being aware of these connections can help us live responsibly” (NSTA Convention Program Itinerary, 2006). During his appearance, Cousteau impressed upon his audience the importance of understanding how the Ocean can help us to monitor the health of our Earth. Please note that I purposely use the term “Ocean” as opposed to “oceans” to emphasize the interconnectedness of this large body of water that covers over 70% of the Earth’s surface. I then began to reflect upon the fact that I did very little relative to incorporating ocean systems in our study of general chemistry. At this same conference, I was also introduced to the NOAA Teacher at Sea Program (TAS) and decided to apply during my next sabbatical leave in order to experience ongoing Ocean research with the hope of bringing this experience back into the classroom.
My goal as a TAS participant is to use this experience to help me explicitly incorporate Ocean related phenomena into the study of general chemistry topics such as density, conductivity, gas behavior, acid/base chemistry, solubility equilibrium, and kinetics. Additionally, I hope to develop new laboratory exercises that are Ocean related as well as to help students to realize the wealth of live NOAA data available to help them better understand the complexity of the Ocean. As a result I hope that students will gain a better understanding of “ocean chemistry” as well as to develop an appreciation of the interconnectedness among their actions, the health of our planet, and the health of the Ocean. Additionally, by actively participating in an ongoing ocean research project, I will develop a deeper understanding of the various career and research opportunities available for my students to pursue. I hope to convey to them the excitement of discovery as it relates to the Ocean thereby causing them to give serious consideration to following this line of study upon graduation.
A little bit about me…
I live with my wife of 38 years, Joan, in a rural community in central Massachusetts. Our daughter Jessica lives in Vermont and has provided us with three beautiful grandchildren. She currently leads their family’s home-school program and is expecting a new baby in June.
Jess, Josh, and family sledding with Grampie
Our son Daniel is currently pursuing his Ph.D. program in Geology at the University of Delaware having completed his Master’s degree at this same institution. His studies focus on fluvial geomorphology.
Maggie, Dan, and JoanKayaking at Race Point in Provincetown
Whenever possible my wife and I “escape to the Cape” to enjoy all that Outer Cape Cod has to offer. Our favorite activities include kayaking, freshwater, as well as saltwater fishing, dune riding, shell fishing, collecting mushrooms, collecting sea glass on long walks, and the peaceful views of the ocean beaches.
Joan and I enjoying the beach!
We also have a marine reef aquarium in our home, maintained steadfastly by my wife. The aquarium currently contains many varieties of soft corals that we are learning to propagate along with several types of reef “critters”.
During the winter months I enjoy downhill skiing and am a night-league NASTAR (NAtional STAndard Race) racer on a team known as the Sled Dogs. Our team’s motto, “strive for mediocrity” ensures that we focus on having fun and enjoying a winter’s evening of skiing at our local mountain.
In summary, I am eagerly looking forward to participating in the Teacher at Sea Program aboard the Oscar Dyson and all that this adventure has to offer! I will use this experience to help my students to better understand “ocean chemistry” as well as to develop an appreciation of the interconnectedness among their actions, the health of our planet, and the health of the Ocean.
Solar Knight III racing at the Texas Motor Speedway
At South Plantation High, I am the sponsor of our Solar Knights Racing Team that has won 1st place in the nation twice in the past six years at the high school level Solar Car Challenge (see video below)! We have been building and racing solar cars at the high school level for six years! Two of the races we have competed in were cross-country, the latest of which went from Fort Worth, Texas to Boulder, Colorado over 7 days in July 2010. Last year’s race was a track race at the Texas Motor Speedway.
Here I am with students helping deploy reef balls in south Florida.
I also sponsored our school’s Project ORB (Operation Reef Ball) and deployed thirty 500-1,500 lb concrete reef balls off the coast of
South Florida to encourage coral colonization and propagation to offset some of the damage done to our beautiful South Florida coral reefs. Recently, I had the privilege of presenting a poster session about our Project ORB at the European Geophysical Union conference in Vienna, Austria!
One of my students, Carson Byers, takes the solar kayak out for a test drive.
One of my favorite senior projects was a solar-powered kayak, which would improve accessibility to the Florida Everglades as well as other coastal environments for persons with disabilities. I really enjoyed this project as it blended my passion for alternative energy with my love for getting out on the water. This project won the WOW Award at the Florida Solar Energy Center’s Energy Whiz Olympics!
Now, I am incredibly excited about the opportunity to sail aboard the NOAA Ship Oscar Dyson out of Dutch Harbor, Alaska! This will officially be the furthest north I have ever traveled! As we experience climate change, particularly in areas near the poles where the effects of climate change are more dramatic, it is important to study these changes and how they affect economically important species such as the Alaskan or Walleye Pollock (Theragra chalcogramma). Walleye Pollock is said to be the largest remaining supply of edible fish in the world, and is the fish used in high quality breaded and battered fish products, fish sticks, and surimi(also known as “imitation crabmeat”). Many fast food restaurants commonly use Walleye Pollock in their fish sandwiches. It is important that this fishery be monitored and maintained so that harvest remains sustainable. I hope that I may enlighten my students about their impacts on the environment when they decide what they will eat so they may become more conscientious consumers.
What’s Next?
I am getting ready to head out to sea and am really looking forward to working with the scientists on board the NOAA Ship Oscar Dyson! While my blog will be geared towards my AP Environmental Science students, I hope that people of all ages will follow me along my journey as I learn about the science behind maintaining a sustainable fishery. I also hope to inspire my own students, and others, about the career opportunities in STEM associated with NOAA. Stay tuned!
NOAA Teacher at Sea
Lindsay Knippenberg
Aboard NOAA Ship Oscar Dyson
September 4 – 16, 2011
Mission: Bering-Aleutian Salmon International Survey (BASIS) Geographical Area: Bering Sea Date: September 4, 2011
Weather Data from the Bridge
Latitude: 54.13
Longitude: -166.41
Wind Speed: 24.10kts
Wave Height: 4-6 ft
Surface Water Temperature: 9.0°C
Air Temperature: 8.8°C
Science and Technology Log
The station grid for all of the proposed sampling sites.
Yeah! Today we left Dutch Harbor and began the second leg of the Bering-Aleutian Salmon International Survey (BASIS). The purpose of the BASIS Study is to assess the status of marine species in the Eastern Bering Sea and support the decision making process for commercially important fisheries. The scientists on my team are accomplishing this goal by combining their knowledge of fisheries, oceanography, and acoustics. While I am onboard I will be helping out the scientists in all these different areas to get a broad view of all the science going on during our cruise.
There are specific sampling locations called stations that we will be going to throughout the Eastern Bering Sea. The map on the left shows the locations of these stations. The green dots are the stations that we are sampling during leg 1 and leg 2 of the BASIS survey. Leg 1 is already complete and they sampled at all the stations east of Unalaska. We will be picking up where they left off and sampling at all of the remaining green stations. The black dots are stations that will be sampled by another vessel named the Bristol Explorer.
The trawl net being let out behind the ship.
For the first station I got to help out the fisheries team in the fish lab. We did a surface trawl by letting out a large net out the back of the boat with floats on it to keep it at the surface. By adjusting the floats and weights on the trawl, the fishermen can choose what depth they fish at. While the net is out, the OOD (Officer of the Deck) slowly motors the ship for about 30 minutes and the net catches the fish that are swimming in that area and depth. For this station we want to see the fish that are swimming within the top 30 meters of our sampling area. At later stations we might also do a mid level or deep trawl to see the fish that live at those depths.
We found some Salmon!
After the 30 minutes were up, the fishermen slowly brought in the net and we immediately saw salmon caught in the net. Yeah! We caught something! As more and more net was brought in the fish began to pile up on our sorting table. There were a lot more fish than I had expected and the majority of them were salmon. It was now our job to sort the fish by species and I will admit that I am pretty slow at identifying the species. They may all look like fish, but they each have identifiable features like the color of their gums (black for Chinook Salmon), type of gill rakers, or color patterns on their body or tails. At this station we were lucky enough to pull in four out of the five salmon species in Alaska. We caught Chinook, Sockeye, Chum, and Pink Salmon. We also caught several different species of jellyfish and some squid.
That is a lot of salmon to sort.
After we caught the fish, we had to process them. In order to learn about the fish and the health of their population, we took samples and collected data from the fish we caught. Here is a description of the data we collected and what the scientists can learn from that data.
Weight and Length – Weight and length are an index of fitness for the fish. The scientists multiply how fat the fish is by how long it is to determine its lipid (fat) content. In cold waters the fish tend to have a higher lipid content than in warmer waters where the fish have to use more energy to metabolize. Additionally, if a fish has a higher lipid content, it might also mean that it is healthy and finding prey easily.
Gill rakers (white hairs on top of the red gills) from two different salmon. Can you see the difference?
Axillary Process – We cut the axillary process off the fish we caught for genetic studies. The scientists know the baseline genetic sequence for the salmon that come from different regions of the world. By looking at the genetics of the fish we caught, we can tell where the fish came from and reconstruct their migration and distribution. For instance, the scientists have used the genetics from the axillary processes to determine that a large percentage of chum salmon caught in the Eastern Bering Sea are from Japan.
Sexual Maturity – By looking at the testes and ovaries of the fish, the scientists can determine if the fish were immature or mature and when they were going to spawn. Using this information along with the results from the axillary process genetics, the scientists can determine migration patterns and growth rates.
Determining the sex, stomach contents, and sexual maturity of the fish we caught.
Male vs. Female – The scientists also use the testes and ovaries to determine if the fish was a female or male. This is helpful in looking at the ratio of males to females in their population.
Stomach Contents – By removing the stomach of the fish and analyzing its stomach contents, the scientists can determine what the fish was eating. This is can be very helpful when comparing warm years to cold years and the effect that climate change can have on prey sources and the nutrition of the fish.
All of this information can then be extremely useful to fisheries managers who are assessing the stock of the fish that are important to commercial fishermen. One of the species that we hope to collect as we sample at other stations is Pollock. Pollock is the largest US fishery by volume. Each year around 2.9 Billion pounds of Pollock are harvested. To learn more about the Pollock fishery check out this link to NOAA FishWatch. The scientists on my team are assessing the health of the Pollock fishery by looking at the total lipid content of Age 0 Pollock in late summer. Their lipid content is important at this time of year because winter in coming and they will need lipids to survive the cold winter. By looking at the lipid content of the Age 0 Pollock that we collect, the scientists can predict how many Age 0 Pollock will survive to become Age 1 Pollock and eventually mature to become Age 3 or 4 Pollock that can be harvested.
Personal Log
The fluke of a whale as it dives.
Whales! I was hanging out on the bridge getting my last look at land for a couple of weeks when I thought I saw a whale out of the corner of my eye. I couple of minutes later a huge Humpback Whale breached right next to the ship. I have seen whales before, but it was just their dorsal fin of flukes. This was crazy. An entire whale was out of the water and it kept on breaching over and over again like it was playing. I wanted to take a picture, but I was too mesmerized to even take my eyes away from it for a moment. Then as I started to look farther out to sea, I saw even more whales. There were about a dozen whales flapping their tails and rolling on to their sides. It looked like they were having a good time playing on a beautiful day.
The weather forecast for September 4 - 6. It doesn't look good...
That beautiful day, however, did not last very long. We managed to sample at two different stations when the wind started to pick up and the waves began to get a little larger. The forecast was calling for a Gale Warning with gusts of up to 50kts and 20-24 ft seas. Those conditions are far too dangerous to fish in, so we turned around and headed back to Dutch Harbor. Hopefully the storm will pass quickly and we will only have to hide out a couple of days until it is safe to fish again.
