Tag: NOAA Teacher at Sea

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Jenny Gapp: An Ode to Big Blue, July 29, 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: July 29, 2023

Weather Data from the Bridge

Sunrise 0616 | Sunset 2037
Current Time:  1500 (3pm Pacific Daylight Time)
Lat 41 06.7 N, Lon 124 37.6 W
Visibility:  10 nm (nautical miles)
Sky condition: A few clouds
Wind Speed:  13 knots
Wind Direction: 334°
Barometer:  1019.7 mb
Sea Wave height: 2-3 ft | Swell: 330°, 3-4 ft
Sea temp: 14.1°C | Air Temp: 17.6°C

Science and Technology Log

Hake are not the only thing being studied during this mission. In the Chemistry Lab, there are a variety of ongoing tests. Every few transects, seawater is collected and tested for Harmful Algal Bloom (HABs). A vacuum pump sucks the sample through a 0.45um filter, which is then removed and placed into a test tube for microscopic study. The Southern California coast is currently dealing with a bloom toxic to animals. Scientists want to know if the bloom is drifting north. Blooms are a natural phenomenon, but human activity cannot be ruled out from having an impact.

water filtration equipment, and a datasheet on a clipboard, on a metal table
HAB test in the Chem Lab

A seawater pump connects to a software program that allows you to see images of phytoplankton being photographed in real time as they are sucked past the camera. Phytoplankton forms the base of the aquatic food web. They provide food for huge whales, small fish, invertebrates, and zooplankton. Plankton makes up 95% of life in the ocean, they generate half of our oxygen and absorb carbon. A sudden removal of phytoplankton would result in a collapse of aquatic ecosystems, and would accelerate climate change further.

The phytoplankton images are taken using a robotic microscope automating identification. The name of the artificial intelligence is Imaging Flow CytoBot (IFCB). Flow cytometry uses lasers to create both scattered and fluorescent light signals. These signals are read by photosensitive diodes and tubes, and then those signals can be converted electronically to be read by a computer. The data gathered enables ecosystem modeling, and can act as an early warning to toxic blooms. 

photo of a computer screen displaying data and a black and white image of a magnified phytoplankton
Image of phytoplankton captured by the IFCB
equipment - looks like a large black tube with wires sticking out of it, clamped to the side of a metal sink
The Chem Lab’s seawater pump.

Career feature

Steve stands at a line of computer screens and keyboards on the bridge. Through the bridge windows, we can make out blue water. Steve holds what might be an electronic pad in his left hand and a stylus in his right hand. He looks down, focused on his work.
Chief Scientist, Steve de Blois, on the bridge during a trawl.

Steve de Blois, Chief Scientist

Steve’s favorite thing about his job is getting out in nature, seeing, and photographing marine mammals. Even though the hours are long, the commute is short when you’re at sea! His educational background includes an undergraduate degree in biology from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor; and a Master’s from Humboldt State University (now called Cal Poly Humboldt) in marine mammals. It was tough finding work after graduate school since working with marine mammals generally holds more appeal than fish, and thus more people are competing for a finite number of jobs. Once Steve secured a job at one of NOAA’s regional offices, he found out about other opportunities and ended up on a walleye pollock acoustic trawl survey in Alaska. This is where he had one of those National Geographic moments where the scenery is so stunning it touches you at your core. He has been with NOAA since 1990—the same year the Teacher at Sea Program began. 

Steve’s advice for young people interested in ocean-related careers is to focus on getting your education. He states that getting a graduate degree (PhD and/or Master’s) will make you more competitive in the scientific community. However, he also advises, “get experience.” Nothing can compare to first-hand experience and there are many opportunities for volunteering in the field, in marine labs, and on ships.

During his leisure time, Steve prefers to fly his home-built plane (A Zenith CH 650), go scuba diving, and enjoy photography. When it comes to reading he prefers nonfiction. He has German heritage on his mother’s side and shared some personal history of family members surviving both World War One and World War Two. This part of his family tree has increased his interest in true tales about World War Two German fighter pilots. In his youth, he absorbed science fiction novels by Arthur C. Clarke and recalls enjoying Dune, by Frank Herbert. Recently, he read Rachel Carson’s classic The Sea Around Us and was impressed by its lyrical prose.

Steve has patiently taught me about how to detect hake sign on an echogram. Acoustically speaking, hake have a unique characteristic. The visualized pings usually show hake near the slope of the continental shelf, and they appear as a diffuse cloud of colored pixels, or as a “hakey snakey” line gently curving up and down.  A calculation called NASC, Nautical Area Scattering Coefficient, makes an estimate of individuals in that defined area drawn by scientists.

The acoustic echogram has a color key representing the strength of return on what the sound waves bounce off. The color scale looks something like you’d see in an art room class teaching color theory. The weakest return is signified by a pale grey to dark, then a light blue shade into dark, the blue turns teal as it morphs into greens, then when yellow appears the scientists start getting excited. After yellow is orange, pink, then many shades of red ending with a deep magenta. The ocean floor appears as deep magenta. On Leg 2 the Shimada saw several very dense balls of fish; these fish are likely herring or sardines, species smaller than hake.  The acoustic return from these very dense balls of fish is extremely high—their color in the acoustic software is easily deep red, almost brown.

a screenshot likely of a powerpoint slide combining several graphs. most are grids with thousands of colored dots on them, representing acoustic signatures. diagonal, jagged lines of darker colors mark the seafloor. this slide is labeled AWT 27, Transect 38, July 27, 2023. 40 degrees 36.67'N, 124 degrees 31.82'W. 15:05 PDT (22:05 GMT), 20.7 min. TD 210 m/bottom depth 550 m.
The thicker reddish brown line you see is the continental shelf/ocean floor. The greenish-yellow cloud represents an acoustic signature historically found to be hake. The thin red lines in the echograms on the right represent the head rope from imaging by the SBE (Sea-Bird Electronics) camera, aka “the turtle.”

Taxonomy of Sights

Day 5. Bycatch highlights: Intact squid, Chinook salmon (also known as King salmon), and excited albatross following a record haul.

Day 6. More salmon, two kinds of rockfish, a Thetys vagina salp (more on the awkward name here), and a marine hatchetfish so small my camera found it difficult to focus on. Ethan Beyer, Wet Lab Lead, shared a trick to determine the difference between a yellowtail rockfish and widow rockfish (they look similar). The difference? Widow rockfish have a “widdle” mouth. Meaning, the mouth is smaller than the yellowtail’s (ha, ha). The two types of rockfish we caught were the widow and the shortbelly (Ethan says they make great tacos!) Speaking of tacos, the widow rockfish are due to make an appearance on our mess deck menu soon. 

Day 7. Not much…

You Might Be Wondering…

What is the furthest you’ve been from shore?
To date (July 28th), an extension of transect 39 took us a total of 62 nautical miles from shore, which beat our extension record on Wednesday, July 26th. Leg 3 has extended more transects than Leg 2. The reason for extending a transect is to go where the fish sign is. The NOAA Fisheries protocol is to discover what the western extent is for schools of hake on that transect. So, they wait for at least one mile without seeing hake before ending the transect.

What is the deepest trawl you’ve made?
So far on Leg 3 we’ve gone 400 meters (about a quarter of a mile) to reach a target depth. Simply put, target depth is where the fish are estimated to be.

Floating Facts

Vocabulary

Bycatch – Some dictionaries call them unwanted creatures caught in the pursuit of a different species. NOAA however, thinks it worthwhile to catalog the biomass of these tag-alongs.

Biomass – The total weight (sometimes quantity) of a species in a given area or given volume.

One of these things is not like the others
Tow, Haul, and Trawl are used interchangeably in reference to fishing.
“Catch” is what we’ve caught in the net.

Survey Permits

You know how you ask permission at school and at home to do a thing? The hake survey requires a number of permits to conduct its research. A permit is an official document saying you have asked for and been granted permission. 

NOAA’s Western Region office issues “Authorizations and Permits for Protected Species.” The protected species are salmon and eulachon, a thin silvery thing about the size of a herring. The permit dictates what you can (measure and weigh it) and can’t do (eat it) with protected species.

A state’s jurisdiction over ocean waters only extends three nautical miles from shore. The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife wants to know the number of all species caught off its coast. California’s Department of Fish and Wildlife issues a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) along with a permit. The MOU calls out particular species they are interested in: longfin smelt, coho and chinook salmon. 

Jenny stands in the wet lab holding a sizable salmon with two hands. She wears black gloves, black overalls, and a Teacher at Sea beanie.
I should be frowning – we don’t intend to be pulling salmon out of the water. However, their appearance does contribute to data about the health of their populations.

While fishing rarely ever happens in Alaskan waters during the hake survey, the Department of Fish and Game issues a permit that is shared with Canadian colleagues who may pursue hake further north. Waters defined by NOAA’s National Marine Sanctuaries have their own monitoring system and permit issuance. The hake survey passes through three sanctuaries in California waters and one in Washington (the Olympic Coast). Finally, the West Coast Region of NMFS (National Marine Fisheries Service) issues a permit and requires a record of all species caught in U.S. waters, so a grand total of sorts for all states involved. 

Personal Log

Thursday was a huge improvement over the icky Wednesday ride. We made two successful trawls, and two trawls on Friday. Wet Lab Lead, Ethan Beyer, commented during fish processing on Friday, “I feel like I’m the world’s foremost expert on the visual maturity of hake. I look at a lot of hake gonads.” This was memorable.

Saturday dawned with too much fishing line in the water to do anything so we waited until we moved past it before dipping the net in. We did squeeze in a catch before lunch, but it produced exactly one hake among the usual lanternfish and pyrosomes. Disappointing for the science crew.

Note: In an earlier post I referred to lanternfish as “lampfish,” which is incorrect. I’ve also been calling Dramamine “dopamine” for some reason. I’ll blame it on the mild disorientation that is caused by floating around on the ocean.

My Daily Routine

I wake around 0600 and sometimes make it up to the flying bridge to see the sunrise, but usually go up regardless before breakfast to view the morning light. I stop in at the acoustics lab to sit at my workstation, blog a bit, and see what hake sign there is on the echogram (software visualization of what lies beneath us). Breakfast is served at 0700, then I return to acoustics to stay up to date on when we’re going fishing.

When you hear, “Fishing, fishing, fishing,” on the radio you know it’s almost time for the marine mammal watch. Marine mammal watch happens on the bridge, and I continue watching for a while even after the watch ends. I’ll stay up there for most of the trawl until I hear, ”Doors at the surface.” (More on the stages of a trawl next time.)

Next, I’ll go to the “ready room” in the wet lab where boots and fishy rubber overalls are stored. Blog post three walked you through what we do in the Wet Lab once the catch has been dumped in the crate. Processing species takes us into lunch hour at 1100.

A second trawl after lunch, and assuming the catch is decent, processing will take us to dinner. I have down time after dinner, watch the evening light if the weather is amenable, then return to acoustics for more blog time. I’m in bed somewhere between 2030 and 2230.

While there is a general routine, no day is exactly alike. On Saturday I assisted Ethan with collecting sea water from a vertical net dipped by a crane to 100 meters. Scientists will look at the plankton, krill, and other small species to determine stratification and measure abundance.

three crewmembers, wearing hard hats and life vests, guide the narrow end of a suspended vertical net down toward the deck for emptying. it's a clear day and the water is fairly calm.
Deck and Survey Crews work with Ethan to collect samples from the vertical net.
two crewmembers wearing hard hats and life vests work to unhook a large weight from the base of a net suspended high above them. The image focuses on Ethan, in the foreground, while the second crewmember's face is largely obscured by the net's codend.
Wet Lab Lead, Ethan Beyer, removing a weight on the vert net.
close up view of a glass jar of cloudy water, with a white screw-top lid, sitting on a table.
Plankton floating at the top of a sample.

Librarian at Sea

“It is a curious situation that the sea, from which life first arose should now be threatened by the activities of one form of that life. But the sea, though changed in a sinister way, will continue to exist; the threat is rather to life itself.”― Rachel Carson, The Sea Around Us

The cover of Rachel Carson’s book, The Sea Around Us, appears on the wall of the dining room at Sylvia Beach Hotel where I stayed prior to the departure of leg three. Her poetic approach to scientific insight continues to inspire readers. The book I brought with me on the ship does something similar. In How Far the Light Reaches, author Sabrina Imbler blends personal memoir with profiles of ten sea creatures. Imbler attempts to keep metaphors and personal (human) parallels at a distance from the scientific integrity of species. Both titles are recommended reading.

image of the cover of How Far the Light Reaches: A Life in Ten Sea Creatures by Sabrina Imbler.
How Far the Light Reaches: A Life in Ten Sea Creatures by Sabrina Imbler
photo of an old copy of The Sea Around Us by Rachel Carson mounted to a red wall
The Sea Around Us by Rachel L. Carson

Hook, Line, and Thinker

When I was a kid, my Dad sometimes sang Gordon Lightfoot’s ‘Ode to Big Blue’ as a lullaby before bed. It’s one of the only songs I know all the lyrics to, although sometimes I scramble the verses up. I think it was my first exposure to the tension between commerce and the sustainability of natural resources. The sixth verse says,

Now the gray whale is run and the sperm is almost done
The finbacks and the Greenland rights have all passed and gone
They’ve been taken by the men for the money they could spend
And the killing never ends it just goes on

Herein lies another ethical debate on balancing preservation, economics, and the needs and wants of Homo sapiens. The song celebrates the natural wonder of whales alongside the biting reality of human enterprise.

In April 2023 NOAA released a 2022 Status of Stocks report. Data displayed overfishing status of 490+ stocks managed by NOAA. 

a NOAA Fisheries infographic showing two pie graphs in the shape of fish silhouettes. the first is labeled 355 Stocks with Known Overfishing Status. This graph shows that 93% are not subject to overfishing (331 stocks) while 7% (just the tip of the tail of this snapper-shaped fish) are subject to overfishing (24 stocks). The other graph is labeled 249 Stocks with Known Overfishing Status. It shows that 81% are not overfished (201 stocks) while 19% (a little more than the tail of this tuna-shaped fish) are overfished (48 stocks).



NOAA Fisheries assistant administrator, Janet Coit, said in the Status of Stocks news release, “Managing fisheries sustainably is an adaptive process, relying on sound science and innovation to conserve species and habitat, and meet the challenge of increasing our nation’s seafood supply in the face of climate change.” NOAA Fisheries priorities for fiscal year 2023 are full of words like: sustainability, resilience, mitigate, adapt, diversify, ensure equity, safeguard, propel recovery, conservation, protect, and restore. NOAA continuously strives to balance the scales between conservation and consumption.

What are the ethical concerns that should guide economics?
Is it possible to view the ocean other than as a natural resource?
Is that view in fact imperative to the sustainability of life on Earth?

A Bobbing Bibliography

If you keep your eye out for books, you will find them. Tucked away on the bridge is a shelf containing…

photo of books on a shelf. we see: Marine Weather, Cold Weather Handbook... , Dutton's Nautical Navigation, Solas, American Merchant Seaman's Manual sixth edition, Shiphandling with Tugs second edition, Watch Officer's Guide fifteenth edition, Stability and Trim for the Ship's Officer fourth edition, Naval Ceremonies, Customs, and Traditions sixth edition, The Bluejacket's Manual, Nautical Almanac 2023, Nautical Almanac 1981
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Jenny Gapp: Aboard a Floating Library of Data, July 27, 2023

NOAA Teacher at Sea

Jenny Gapp (she/her)

Aboard NOAA Ship Bell M. Shimada

July 23, 2023 – 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: July 26, 2023

Weather Data from the Bridge

Sunrise 6:31am | Sunset 8:46pm
Current Time:  0700 (7:00am Pacific Daylight Time)
Lat 40 16.7 N, Lon 124 33.6 W
Visibility: 10 nm (nautical miles)
Sky condition: broken cloud cover, aka partly sunny
Wind Speed: 25 knots
Wind Direction: 355°
Barometer: 1014.3 mb
Sea Wave height: 4-5 ft | Swell: 340°, 6-8 ft
Sea temp: 9.8°C | Air Temp: 12.6°C

Science and Technology Log

The Wet Lab:

In addition to interviewing members of the crew, working on my blog, and doing a bit of independent research, I am here to help in the wet lab. What does this entail? It begins with waiting. First, there is a marine mammal watch that lasts for 10 minutes. If an animal is within 500 meters we wait until it moves off. Then a second 10-minute watch is started. We continue monitoring mammal activity even after the net is deployed. Sometimes the navigation crew scouts the transect first to make sure the ocean floor won’t cause issues with the net when it is deployed. 

Deploying the net is a team effort among deck crew, navigation officers, and scientists. Once the net is off the reel and in the water, the crew disconnects the wire line to the reel and it is transferred to the doors. Winches connected to the trawl doors take the weight of the load. Depending on fish sign, the net is payed out according to depths the acousticians wish to fish at.

The length of time the net is streamed is also determined by the scientists. They monitor how many fish are going into the net via an FS70 third-wire trawl sonar which has a similar function to Doppler radar. Nicknamed “the turtle,” it is attached to the head rope. Sometimes there’s a “thunderstorm” of fish, and sometimes a “drizzle.” Once the acousticians have determined how much to punish the wet lab (joke), the lead scientist calls, “haul back.” The average fishing time is around 20 minutes, although it can be as little as a half minute in a fish thunderstorm or as long as 40 minutes in a fish drizzle. A sensor attached to the net records temperature and depth.

Once the net is back on board and we get a look at the catch size, a decision is made where to dump the haul. Under 100kg (220lbs), the catch goes in a black crate; over 100 kg, it goes into a hopper that leads to a conveyor belt inside the wet lab. The hopper door is opened a little at a time to avoid a fishy waterfall over the sides. Dominant species—hake in this case—go down the belt, and all other species are pulled out and sorted. 

a photo of a shark (only the front half, the head to the pectoral fins, is visible) on a metal table.
Brown cat shark
three crewmembers, wearing hard hats and life vests, bend down to work on a bright orange net
Removing the video camera
two small fish on a white background; they are narrow with very large eyes
Blue lantern fish
six plastic white bins or baskets containing different organisms (perhaps fish, squid, krill); two orange gloved hands reach into view
Sorting the species
a view mostly of the head of a viperfish on a metal table; its mouth is open wide to show its deep jaw and frightening teeth of different lengths
Viperfish


All our hauls to date have been on the smaller side, and so the net is hoisted and dumped into the black crate containing three smaller baskets. The deck crew slides this through double doors leading into the wet lab and we begin sorting species. Crew members often linger to see what cool things have been hauled aboard, and when they are impressive enough—like medium-sized squid and King-of-the-Salmon almost as long as you are tall—we take photos of each other, shaking our heads at the marvel of it. Ethan weighs the biomass of creatures that are not hake, then they go down the chute back to the ocean and return to the food chain. 

Jenny, wearing black overalls, rubber boots, gloves, and a Teacher at Sea hat, stands in the wet lab surrounded by plastic sorting bins. With her right hand, she hoists up a very large fish by its gills. it is pinkish in color, with a large head and a body that tapers all the way from a large round eye to the tail. the top of its open mouth is about in line with Jenny's hat, and the tip of its tail rests on her boot.
A King-of-the-Salmon almost as long as me!


The goal is 400 hake per haul, and to date we’ve counted 282 as the biggest catch. A handful of other species are measured, usually others that are commercially fished.

Depending on the number of hake collected, 50 have otoliths (ear bones) removed for aging and a random 10 of these have their stomachs examined. Krill and Blue lampfish appear to be favorite foods. A measuring device for the stomachs provides us with a number for the volume of food in their stomach.

If the ideal haul is taken, 350 hake are sexed and measured. The sexes are sorted into baskets of different colors: green (“little green men”) for the males and white (“snow white”) for the females. A set number of females have their liver and gonads taken for examination. I have yet to find out why just the females have this done.

After we’ve processed everything we clean the lab after each haul. If you don’t, the fishy aspect can get out of control quickly. Allegedly herrings are the smelliest. 

two scientists work at adjacent tables in the wet lab; Ethan in foreground, and Liz in the background. each wears navy blue shirts, orange overalls, orange gloves, and hats. they are working up fish on electronic boards connected to computer screens mounted above the tables. With his left hand, Ethan holds a sliced-open fish (probably a hake) steady; with his right, he reaches with tweezers to remove a part of the fish.
Ethan Beyer, Wet Lab Lead
Liz Ortiz, Fisheries Technician

Taxonomy of Sights

Day 3. Multiple whale spouts throughout the day. Species that appeared in our hauls: King- of-the-Salmon, Pyrosomes, Spiny dogfish, Brown cat shark, Glass shrimp, Jewel squid, and a viperfish that looked like the stuff of nightmares! A couple of albatross cruised behind us during one of the trawls, hoping for some fishy treats.

Day 4. One Jack mackerel mixed in with hake, a monitored species, so we took its measurements. One partial squid tangled in the trawl net.

You Might Be Wondering…

Do you have to wear a life jacket the whole time?

Life jackets and hard hats are required on the aft deck when there is an operation in progress. The safety mantra is, “If you don’t need to be on the deck, don’t go on the deck.” Each of us carries a PLB, or personal locator beacon, in the event of a worst-case scenario. Life jackets, along with immersion suits, are located in staterooms as well as the wet lab. No, I do not wear a life jacket while sleeping, showering, and spending time on the interior of the ship. Safety equipment is never far away. Emergency egress arrows show you a way out, and there are three emergency shower and eye wash stations on the ship. There are also devices called EEBD (Emergency Escape Breathing Device) that contain 15 minutes of oxygen. 

If you have questions you are curious about, please leave them in the comments section!

Floating Facts

Nautical Terms
Aft is the back of the boat where the trawling happens. The bow, or forward, is the front of the ship. Port is left, which you can distinguish from starboard because port and left have the same number of letters. Starboard is right. Stairs are referred to as “ladders,” walls are “bulkheads,” not to be confused with “bulwark,” which are the sides of the vessel above the main deck.

New Blue Economy
The “blue economy” is a new term for me. According to Dr. Richard Spinrad, Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere & NOAA Administrator, it’s “a knowledge-based economy, looking to the sea not just for extraction of material goods, but for data and information to address societal challenges and inspire their solutions.”

40% of the U.S. population lives in or near coastal communities. A NOAA article on the blue economy states, “If American coastal counties were an individual country, they would rank third in the world in gross domestic product, surpassed only by the United States and China.” I assume this means as compared to the remainder of the United States that do not qualify as a “coastal community.”

The demands of climate change only hasten the need for information about our oceans and coastal regions. NOAA serves as a foundation for the blue economy, providing free, open source data–temperature, water level, hydrography, fisheries health, pH, salinity, and surface currents to name a few. The shipping challenges that the recent global pandemic posed have increased the need for U.S. seaports to add terminals and piers. Maritime commerce is expected to triple by 2030. (source: New Blue Economy, NOAA)

Educator Resources
If you are an educator and have not been to the Oregon Coast STEM hub website, it is highly recommended. It is managed by Oregon State University’s Hatfield Marine Science Center. There’s something for everyone, even if you and your students aren’t located in Oregon.

While aboard I learned that the University of Oregon—my alma mater—also has a Marine Biology program. In fact, U of O’s Oregon Institute of Marine Biology (OIMB), located in Charleston, Oregon near Coos Bay, is a field institute like the Hatfield Marine Science Center. OIMB also has a section on its website for educators including lessons and resources. There is some crossover with the STEM hub, but both sites are valuable and worth examining. Note that at the time of my visit to the OIMB site there were some broken links on the resources page. 

watercolor illustration of a Pacific giant octopus. handwritten words at the top read: HATFIELD MARINE SCIENCE CENTER Oregon State University.
A watercolor and pen drawing from a previous visit to HMSC.

Personal Log

The NOAA Ship Bell M. Shimada has seven levels: (from top to bottom) flying bridge–where our marine mammal and bird observers spend much of their time; bridge–where officers spend much of their time, where navigation happens, where a marine mammal watch happens before a trawl, where the boatswain, also known as a bosun, (deck boss) has a view of the nets going in and out, operates the net reel and communicates between nav crew and deck crew; officers berth–along with the hospital and quarters for the Chief Engineer; science berth–including lounge and offices; labs, mess deck, and access to the aft deck where the net is pulled in and the catch is transferred to the wet lab; deck crew berth–along with gym, winch and trawl rooms, centerboard access; and finally additional machinery rooms–including one for the bow thruster. I have been promised a tour of the engine room toward the end of our cruise, so I am looking forward to that!

photo of an open metal locker with space for hanging clothes and smaller shelves for shoes, etc.
Stateroom locker
view of bunk beds (berths), with a metal ladder up to the top level. the upper one appears to be used for storage right now, filled with what might be survival suits in their bags. the lower berth has a reading light and a curtain.
Stateroom bunk
a crocheted seagull wearing a little red knit hat, perched on a bunk
The third bunkmate in our stateroom



Monday and Tuesday were great days, particularly Tuesday. I felt good, held all my meals, talked with a variety of crew members about their work, and got my hands dirty for the first time in the wet lab. Julia Clemons said of Tuesday, “It was a great day for science!” We made a record number of trawls—three—for the 2023 survey thus far.

sun rising over a mountain range beyond blue waters
Sunrise on Tuesday.
sun setting over the horizon
Sunset on Tuesday.
a gloved hand holds a fish (possibly a hake) straight toward the camera so we can see down its open mouth to its gill rakers
Oh, the horror of being seasick!


Highlights of Wednesday’s trawl were part of a squid tangled in the net (much larger than the jewel squid), and some baby hake. I got into a rhythm assisting Ethan with entering data. He measured, weighed, sexed, examined stomach contents of some, and removed otoliths. I supported by entering the barcodes from the otolith collection vials manually (nothing new for a librarian who has her own trouble with temperamental barcode scanners from time to time), entered sex and maturity level, entered data on stomach contents (primarily blue lanternfish, and euphausiids, aka krill).

a small squid on a metal table
Jewel squid
just the tentacles of another squid
Squid remnants
a fish on a white surface
Jack mackerel
a pile of seven small hake, about 10 cm long, rests at one end of the measuring board. this close-up photo shows the printed measuring lines and the board's name - Ichthystick - and logo, a stylized picture of a fish
Baby hake, known as fingerlings once scales and working fins are developed.

Librarian at Sea

“The world turns and the world spins, the tide runs in and the tide runs out, and there is nothing in the world more beautiful and more wonderful in all its evolved forms than two souls who look at each other straight on.” ~Gary D. Schmidt, Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy

In this middle-grade novel, a friendship is formed between Turner Buckminster, son of a preacher, and Lizzie Bright Griffin, a resident of Malaga Island. Malaga is located off the coast of Maine and was founded by people who were formerly enslaved. The quote above refers to a moment when the two young people are in a boat and Turner comes eye to eye with a whale five times the size of the dory they are traveling in. It reminds me a little of looking into the eyes of the creatures who come aboard in our net. I wonder if some are still capable of seeing… 

Hook, Line, and Thinker

The NOAA Teacher at Sea program requires fortitude, flexibility, and following orders.
On Monday the crew followed orders for our first safety drills. These include special signals indicating fire, abandon ship, and man overboard. The science crew (which includes me) musters in the wet lab for fire, where the Chief Scientist reports muster to the bridge. “Muster” means that all are assembled who should be there. During an abandon-ship drill, the crew is split up between six life rafts, three on each side of the ship. New members of the crew try on their immersion suit, a bulky get-up that guards against hypothermia and increases flotation. I tried on two different sizes, and while neither was quite right we concluded bulkier was better than too small. As the XO put it, “It will save your life. Throw in your shoes and a loaf of bread and you’re good to go!” The man overboard drill requires the science crew to muster on the flying bridge where we locate the individual in trouble (in the case of a drill, a couple of buoys tied together) and point.

Can you think of an example in which following orders may save your life?

A Bobbing Bibliography

On the bridge you will find binoculars on the sill of many windows. You will also find whale and dolphin identification guides, as well as one for birds. Some of the binoculars are “reticulated.” When you look into the eyepieces of these you see a series of fine lines (reticules) to determine distance between marine mammals and the vessel. Line up the top line to the horizon and you have the distance between objects and the ship.

There are many great spots along the Oregon Coast for whale watching that don’t require going out on the ocean. Oregon State Parks has a whale watching site with more information. 

The book Whales and Other Marine Mammals of Washington and Oregon, by Tamara Eder and illustrated by Ian Sheldon, is propped up against a window. Through the window we can see a deck of the ship, the ocean, sea spray.
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Jenny Gapp: Reporting to 551.46 (Oceanography), July 19, 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 4)
Geographic Area of Cruise: Pacific Ocean off the coast of Newport, Oregon
Date: July 19, 2023 (pre-cruise)

Weather Data from Newport, Oregon
NOAA Weather Service forecast for Wednesday, July 19th as of 7/17/23 6:35pm:
Mostly sunny, then sunny and breezy, with a high of 61 degrees. Wednesday night’s low around 55 degrees.

“Weather” is what it’s doing today. “Climate” is what it did today in 1942. Climate equates to the prevailing weather trends for a particular region. Having been born and raised in Oregon I know that you always dress in layers when going to the Oregon Coast. I know that sunburn is possible in March (anytime really) and balmy 60-degree weather is possible in February. Historically, the average temperature for the month of July in Lincoln County has remained between 60 and 63 degrees with a slight trend upward. I imagine it is a bit chillier out on the Pacific. I have packed accordingly!

A week from departure (July 16th) I was looking south from the cliffs on Cape Lookout near Tillamook, Oregon. The breeze was visible in shimmering white flashes across the surface of the ocean even as the tidal swells plowed steadily into shore beneath the gusts. The infamous summer fog shrouded much of the cape’s seaward view due to temperature and pressure differences between the coast and inland.

view of Cape Lookout from the cliffs. Beyond dirt cliffside and conifer trees, we can see the water is a vivid blue-teal color. A mountain range marks the far side of the cape. The sky is blue, but fog rises off the water.

As air heats up it ascends (rises), leading to low pressure at the earth’s surface. As air cools down it descends (sinks), leading to high pressure at the surface. Hot summer air rises inland and creates low pressure. Since the temperature of the ocean is much colder, high atmospheric pressure is formed. Higher-pressure air tends to move into lower-pressure regions, so the moist marine layer (caused by evaporation) gets pulled off the top layer of the water and moves inland. All that moisture creates low-flying clouds, known as “fog” when it touches the ground. Marine fog moves eastward (inland) and usually clings to the shoreline. Sometimes it moves further depending on the topography of the coast range. Summer winds on the Oregon Coast are caused by temperature-driven atmospheric pressure disturbances where the two pressure systems collide.

a diagram in three panels. each panel includes an illustration, in cross section, of a hilly coastline rising above the ocean. icons shaped like thermometers show temperature readings right near the shoreline, at the seaward base of the mountain, and at the far side of the mountain. Top panel: Early Morning, cloudy, temps of 60, 65, 75 degrees. Middle: Late morning, fog, temps of 60, 70, and 85 degrees. Bottom: Afternoon, sea breeze, temps of 70, 85, and 105 degrees.
https://www.seasonsinthesea.com/may/phys.shtml
diagram depicting cold air as straight black arrows flowing to the right, wind as a curvey blue triangle, and warm air as wavy orange lines rising diagonally
Why does wind blow? NOAA SciJinks | https://scijinks.gov/wind/

Listening to the weather forecast was something of a ritual in my childhood home. Mom would tune in to WKL96 at 162.475 and we’d dutifully hush up when the familiar “ding!” occurred to signal the top of the broadcast. To this day she still writes down the short-term forecast and puts it on the fridge. (Mom is an old-fashioned gal and doesn’t use the internet.) Find your local station here.

I got to tour my local National Weather Service office –home of the “ding!”– in Portland, Oregon during a DataStreme Climate class I took in 2016. Sponsored by the American Meteorological Society, I also took their DataStreme Oceans course. I highly recommend these classes to educators.

I’m a bit of a NOAA snob when it comes to the forecast. My old Subaru had a channel entirely devoted to NOAA Weather Radio. My new (used) one doesn’t, and I miss it! Friends and family look at a variety of weather apps, but I will always check their predictions against what NOAA says. When you visit National Park Visitor Centers around the country it’s usually the short-term NOAA forecast that is posted on visitor information boards. It is possible to access NOAA Weather from your phone. Go to the following website to learn how to add a bookmark to your phone’s home screen.

the cover of the book A Crack in the Sea by H. M. Bouwman.

Librarian at Sea

“Traditionally, a few people from Raftworld would decide to stay on the island; and a few from the Islands would elect to join Raftworld. These were volunteers, and they were celebrated for their choosing, for some people were simply happier living on land, and others happier at sea.” 
~H. M. Bouwman, A Crack in the Sea
(G.P. Putnam, 2017)

A Crack in the Sea is a middle-grade novel that blends fantasy with historical fiction, including characters who flee a slave ship, and those fleeing post-war Vietnam. One character also has a special skill: talking to fish. My special skill is talking to children about books…but I do much more than that. 

Introduction & Background

I have reported to 551.46 many times over my 18 years as a school librarian, but this will be my first reporting to its physical manifestation. Despite growing up near the coast I have never been out on the open ocean in a boat. I have visited the nonfiction shelves (organized by Melvil Dewey) countless times. You’ll find oceanography topics at 551.46. You’ll find my school, Peninsula Elementary, on an earthen finger of Portland, Oregon bordered by the Willamette River to the west and the mighty Columbia River to the north. Peninsula has been my anchor as an educator for the past 12 years. I call myself a “teacher librarian” in order to emphasize that my priority is to design and deliver lessons to students on top of managing a small library. My profession has state and national standards that cover information literacy, reading engagement, and social responsibility. One of the things I love most about being a school librarian is the academic freedom that I have. I can teach my standards by using the story of the haenyo mermaids of Korea, by analyzing infographics of the water cycle, and by playing truth or lie with shark facts. Cross-curricular approaches to learning are what get me excited about teaching. Science in particular is a subject I have long gravitated towards. 

My career in a, er, clamshell: As an undergraduate with a BA in Comparative Literature I said, what next? I promptly got a seasonal job as a Ranger Aide for Silver Falls State Park. What next? I applied to permanent ranger jobs…and my old school district (where I graduated high school) was looking for a school librarian. My alma mater hired me with zero experience on a restricted transitional license–which means I promised to go back to school and get certified. So, I got my teaching license, then a Master’s in Library Science–two distinct programs. While in graduate school I began branding myself as a “Ranger Librarian.” While working for the same junior high I once attended, I had the odd experience of working with colleagues who were formerly my teachers. A beloved high school social studies teacher still worked next door on our shared campus. He encouraged me to seek out opportunities for educators that provided residencies, travel opportunities, and hands-on learning. So, when I saw a brochure in the staff lounge for an Outward Bound course designed just for teachers I applied. What next? I applied for a Cultural Resources Internship at Grand Teton National Park where, among other things, I created an information package for prospective researchers to help them navigate the application process and eliminate research redundancy. I learned, for example, there is such a thing as collecting too many voles. I applied for a “Teacher Ranger Teacher” position at Grand Canyon National Park. I applied to be a seasonal ranger again, this time in the Columbia River Gorge. I applied for a Comparative Mountain Geography Institute with the Center for Geography Education in Oregon. I did all those things in the margins of my life as a teacher librarian. What next? I applied to be a NOAA Teacher at Sea! 

As the others in NOAA TAS Class of 2022 and 2023 will confirm, I then played the pandemic waiting game while the world figured out how to function with COVID. TAS candidates have to pass a medical clearance within a year of sailing so I even gave blood not once, but twice, while time and tide marched on. I have yet to sweat, and yet to cry, but the salt swims at the ready.   

we see only Jenny's and her husband's bare feet on the sand. The beach stretches well ahead of their feet to the ocean, a dark teal green lined with whitecaps where the waves are breaking. a vessel is only just visible on the horizon.
Getting a sunburn in March 2023 near Manzanita, Oregon with my husband. You can see a fishing boat in the distance.

Science, Technology & Career Log
You can track the location of NOAA Ship Bell M. Shimada as well as other vessels here.  Alternatively, you can try this tracker.  Marine traffic includes all ships at sea such as tankers, military vessels, passenger ships, and fishing boats. An automatic identification system, or AIS technology, is used to follow traffic locations. The International Maritime Organization (a branch of the United Nations) launched the development of AIS as a collision avoidance tool for large vessels at sea that were not within range of tracking systems based on shore.

The IMO decided that all vessels over 300 gross tonnages on international voyages must have AIS aboard. A gross tonnage is calculated by measuring a ship’s volume. AIS allows ships to “see” each other and improves situational awareness before visual contact is possible. AIS is considered by some to be the most significant improvement to navigational safety since the development of radar. However, AIS is considered an enhancement and not a replacement for radar and other traffic services. Using a broadcast transponder system, AIS operates in the VHF (very high frequency) radio waves mobile maritime band. A complete system includes a transmitter and a receiver with data displayed on a screen (revealing the bearing and distance of nearby vessels). Originally, AIS made broadcasts from ships to land and had a capacity of 20 miles or so. Today, satellite-detected AIS allows us to “see” ships no matter how far away.

screenshot from Marine Traffic website marking the position of NOAA Ship Bell M Shimada with a tiny aqua-blue triangle just west of San Francisco. many other markers of different colors and shapes mark the positions of other vessels or buoys.
Position of NOAA Ship Bell M. Shimada not long after the departure of Leg 2. Destination: Newport, Oregon
another screenshot from Marine Traffic, with a large arrow pointing offscreen to Bell M Shimada's marker off the coast of Oregon. an inset popup window shows a photo of the ship and shares its navigation status, speed/course, and draught.
Location as of 7/17/23 just coming into view at the bottom of the screen and headed for smiling Newport. Cruising Earth ship tracker.

Radio waves are one type of electromagnetic radiation–in the same family as X-rays, visible light, microwaves, infrared, and ultraviolet. Naturally occurring radio waves include lightning and objects in space including Jupiter and The Sun. It is possible to turn information like text, sound, and images into electrical signals. These signals are combined with radio waves–energy that moves–to send information across long distances. High-frequency waves have a shorter wavelength and send more wavelengths per second than low-frequency waves. In general, higher frequencies do not travel as far, which is why satellites have proven so useful to AIS. (Further reading)

physics diagram comparing high frequency waves (with short wavelengths) to low frequency waves (with long wavelengths)
Electromagnetic Spectrum: Radio Waves (BestOfScience)

Career feature

I am excited to meet all the people behind the research and ship operations. Prior to sailing, I checked out the professional mariner hiring portal facilitated by NOAA’s Office of Marine and Aviation Operations.  Current fleet vacancies included able seaman, oiler, and first assistant engineer. Reading the job descriptions brought to mind two things. One is my maternal grandfather. He was a World War Two Navy Veteran who worked as a motor machinist and drove a Higgins Boat on D-Day during the invasion of Normandy. He did not die in the war, but lived to age 89 and passed away in 2012. Among the family archives are records of his completion of a diesel mechanics course. This association made me think about encouraging students to make personal connections to whatever we are learning about.  After reminiscing about Grandpa, my train of thought spitballed keywords like boat, engine, ship, sailor, mechanic, and Titanic–which served as a bridge to thought number two. The fleet vacancies prompted a daydream about the next time I am helping a student interested in library books on one of these tangential ocean topics. In addition to a forthcoming lesson on NOAA careers, I should remember to mention a related career during book shopping and plant a seed. “Hey Johnny, I see you are interested in ships. Did you know that being a sailor is an actual job that you could do one day?”

a WWII-era headshot of a sailor in uniform
My maternal grandfather, Leroy Bowers. WWII Navy Veteran.

NOAA Fisheries has its own job opening portal. Openings at the time of my website visit included a statistician, IT Specialist (systems administrators are needed everywhere!), fish biologist, physical science technician, grants management specialist, budget analyst, enforcement technician, and acquisition management specialist. Fish biologist was an obvious choice but I had to click on enforcement technician to find out more. It appears to be an entry-level position related to NOAA’s Office of Law Enforcement (see video insert).  

Holy mackerel, this initial career investigation blew my mind with how many employment opportunities there are within NOAA. I think my students will be impressed with the broad scope of career choices as well. 

Floating Facts

NOAA Ship Bell M. Shimada (in service since 2010) serves the entire West Coast and furthers the NOAA Fisheries mission to be “responsible for the stewardship of the nation’s ocean resources and their habitat.” The imperative of NOAA Fisheries is to maintain healthy ecosystems, safe sources of seafood, productive and sustainable fisheries, as well as the recovery and conservation of protected resources. NOAA’s parent agency is the U. S. Department of Commerce and so relates to economic growth and opportunity. Bell M. Shimada is known as a “quiet” ship, using technology to decrease its noise signature and increase scientists’ abilities to study fish without disturbing them. 

Bell M. Shimada, the man, was known for his studies of Pacific tuna stocks important to the development of commercial fisheries post-World War Two.  His name was chosen by a group of California high school students in a contest to name a new ship in the NOAA fleet. Born to Japanese immigrants in Seattle, Washington, he was imprisoned at Minidoka War Relocation Center in 1942 during the mass internment of Americans with Japanese ancestry. He was 20 years old at the time. He was able to leave the camp by enlisting in the U. S. Army. Shimada began as an infantryman, then an interpreter, translator, and radio traffic monitor, then compiled data on the impact of bombings in Japan. He ended up in Tokyo during its occupation and remained after the war in a civilian position where he analyzed the activities of Japanese fisheries. He returned stateside to finish a college degree that had been interrupted by internment. He went on to earn a Master’s and moved to Honolulu to work for the Fish and Wildlife Service. He worked with an influential fisheries scientist pioneering a holistic approach to fish management, blending fish biology with oceanography and meteorology. While in Honolulu he also began work on a Ph.D. The tuna research he is most well known for occurred when he was transferred to the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission in La Jolla, California. 
His scientific pursuits were cut short in a plane crash en route to Mexico City on a return trip from a scientific cruise to Clarion Island off the west coast of Mexico. Shimada was just 36 years old. Think of this remarkable scientist next time you open a can of tuna…

front of a collector's card of NOAA Ship Bell M. Shimada, fisheries survey vessel
ttext reads: Bell M. Shimada. This ship is used to study marine life, sea birds, and ocean conditions along the U.S. West Coast. Homeport: Newport, OR. Commission date: August 25, 2010. Length: 208.6 ft. Areas of operation: Pacific ocean. Fun Fact! This ship was designed to run queitly as not to disturb fish and marine mammals during research studies. www.noaa.gov/education. www.omao.noaa.gov/learn/marine-operations/ships
Bell Shimada sits, shirtless, on the deck of a vessel surrounded by coils of rope

Hook, Line, and Thinker

As a part of my interdisciplinary approach to learning in the library, I often use philosophical questioning in order to inspire dialogue among my students. Something to think about…Is taking a creature’s life justified when it benefits the greater good? Many hake have given their bodies to science in order to not only benefit human activity but their own species as well.

Hmm, I made a Freudian slip just now. I originally wrote, “when it benefits the greater food.” I guess I’ve outed myself as a meat eater and a utilitarian when it comes to the sacrifice of creaturely bodies–within reason (remember the voles)–in the name of science. 

A Bobbing Bibliography

Books I currently use in the classroom to further ocean literacy with elementary students.

Books I use with grades K-2:

  • Inky’s Amazing Escape: How a very smart octopus made his way home, by Sy Montgomery (Simon & Schuster, 2018)
  • Inky the Octopus, by Erin Guendelsberger (Sourcebooks Wonderland, 2020)
  • Octopuses One to Ten, by Ellen Jackson (Beach Lane Books, 2016)
  • Whale in a fishbowl, by Troy Howell & Richard Jones (Schwartz & Wade, 2018)
  • Deep in the Ocean, by Lucie Brunelliere (Abrams Appleseed, 2019)
  • In the Sea, by David Elliott and Holly Meade (Candlewick, 2012)
  • Alien Ocean Animals, by Rosie Colosi (National Geographic Kids, 2020)
  • Ocean! Waves for All, by Stacy McAnulty (Henry Holt and Co., 2020)

Books I use with grades 3-5:

  • The Brilliant Deep: Rebuilding the World’s Coral Reefs: The Story of Ken Nedimyer and the Coral Restoration Foundation, by Kate Messner (Chronicle Books, 2018)
  • Science Comics: Coral Reefs: Cities of the ocean, by Maris Wicks (First Second 2016)
  • Otis & Will Discover the Deep: The record-setting dive of the bathysphere, by Barb Rosentock (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, 2018)
  • The Mess That We Made, by Michelle Lord (Flashlight Press, 2020)
  • The Ocean Calls: A Haenyeo Mermaid Story, by Tina Cho (Kokila, 2020)
  • Manfish: Jacques Cousteau, by Jennifer Berne (Chronicle Books, 2008)
  • Ocean Speaks: How Marie Tharp revealed the ocean’s biggest secret, by Jess Keating
  • Shark Lady: The True Story of How Eugenie Clark Became the Ocean’s Most Fearless Scientist (Sourcebooks Explore, 2017)
  • Marine Science for Kids: Exploring and Protecting Our Watery World, by Josh & Bethanie Hestermann (Chicago Review Press, 2017)

During the three years I was sailing through the rough waters of the pandemic I took a hard look at the ocean-themed books in our school library collection. Library acquisition budgets are always tight, so I wrote a Donors Choose grant to purchase about 50 new titles. Since this occurred while I taught remote classes, my thank you package was also virtual. Students did a lovely job documenting their thanks using the tools they had available to them. I believe my NOAA experience will help me further promote the content of 551.46!

collage of digital children's artwork, and photos of children holding up handdrawn artwork, saying "Thank you donors, we love our new ocean books!" The children's faces are covered for privacy.
collage of digital children's artwork, and photos of children holding up handdrawn artwork, saying "Thank you donors, we love our new ocean books!" The children's faces are covered for privacy.
collage of digital children's artwork, and photos of children holding up handdrawn artwork, saying "Thank you donors, we love our new ocean books!" The children's faces are covered for privacy.
book shelf displaying ocean-themed kids' titles, including Field Trip to the Ocean Deep, Maps of the World's Oceans, Inky the Octopus, Alien Deep, Down Down Down, the Ocean Book, W is for Waves, Citizens of the Sea, Whales, The Mess That We Made, Ocean! Waves for All, The Ocean Calls, and others that are not as easy to ready.
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Laura Guertin: Personal Log for Acoustic-Trawl Survey, June 22, 2023

NOAA Teacher at Sea

Laura Guertin

Aboard NOAA Ship Oscar Dyson

June 10 – June 22, 2023


Mission: 2023 Summer Acoustic-Trawl Survey of Walleye Pollock in the Gulf of Alaska

Geographic Area of Cruise: Islands of Four Mountains area, to Shumagin Islands area
Location (in port, Kodiak Island): 57o 47.0200′ N, 152o 25.5543′ W

Date: June 22, 2023

Laura, wearing a heavy orange rain coat and large yellow gloves, holds a pollock (fish) up for a photo. She is also wearing a blue Teacher at Sea beanie. She's standing in the wet lab, where plastic green sorting baskets are stacked behind her on a long metal table.
TAS Laura Guertin and a pollock!

I’m wrapping up my time on NOAA Ship Oscar Dyson. There was so much that went in to getting out to sea for this expedition, and so many people that did so much work pulling for me and coordinating all the logistics before I joined Dyson (starting in 2020!), during my time at sea, and I’m sure after I leave the ship. Thank you to the wonderful people in the NOAA Teacher At Sea Office (Jennifer, Emily, Britta) and for giving me an opportunity to sail as a Teacher At Sea Alumna in 2023.

While waiting to board Oscar Dyson in 2022 during my first trip to Alaska, I prepared several blog posts that provided a background to NOAA, NOAA Fisheries, fisheries surveys, etc. With my undergraduate students in mind as my audience, I wanted to start the posts at the broadest scale and have the content easily utilized in multiple courses that I teach. As I authored these posts from Alaskan hotel rooms in 2022 and in 2023 and not while on the ship, they do not contain personal logs. Again, I thank the Teacher At Sea Program for giving me this flexibility in having one post that captures my personal log from the shortened expedition and keeping the “academic” focus for the prior content.

I’m trained as a geoscientist. During and after my studies in marine geology and geophysics, I’ve had the opportunity to participate in fieldwork in expeditions that have lasted hours to days to weeks to months. Although I think I know what it takes to live/work at sea, I’m reminded of new challenges on new ships in new ocean basins. It is so important as an educator that I take advantage of opportunities to get out to sea for my own professional development and to remind myself of what to share with students and community members when I present the story of what we did during our time at sea. I know I sound like a broken record – I’ve written these same words before. But that doesn’t mean these points are less important!

First topic of reflection – the people

This expedition had 32 people on board, which included the science party, bridge crew, stewards, engineering, deck, electronics technicians, and survey. The people on Oscar Dyson were born/raised and live in parts across the United States. Some people were sailing on a NOAA ship for the first time, and a few people were working for their first time on the ocean! We all have different backgrounds and training and personalities. In a way, I feel like stepping on to Oscar Dyson was like joining a game of Yahtzee – put all of these people together, shake us up (by sending us out to sea), and see what rolls out. Fortunately, during this “game”, everybody was a winner. On this 208.6-foot long ship, everyone has a purpose and function, and we must all work together to accomplish our research goals and the mission of the expedition. And to be successful, this group was supportive, understanding, respectful, took the time to listen, and made sure to laugh and smile through everything we faced.

Person standing on a ship on the ocean with clouds and an island in the background
Departing Kodiak aboard NOAA Ship Oscar Dyson

Next topic – the work

The schedule is very different than one I keep as an instructor. At home, I know the days/times I’m teaching, and I have a calendar to organize meetings and personal appointments. I’m pretty much in charge and in control of my own schedule. At sea, it’s not “me” but “we” when it comes to all day, each and every day. There are no weekends or holidays off. We work 12-hour shifts (mine was 4AM to 4PM) during the entire expedition. Once you leave your room at the start of your shift, you can’t go back to your room until your shift is over (you are sharing a room with someone that works a different shift than you, so the room is theirs during your work time).

But you are plenty busy during your 12 hours! There can be downtime as the ship transits to a site to begin data collection, and the weather can cause a change of plans for where you are headed and what work you can do. High winds, rainstorms, cold air temperatures, the ship rolling and heaving… we faced it all during our 13 days at sea.

And this work is hard! It is a balance of the physical demands faced by the deck crew setting the trawl net, and those working in the fish lab to furiously and accurately process the catch brought on board, and everyone ensuring that safety is a top priority at all times. The Chief Scientist working in the ship’s acoustics laboratory and all the NOAA Corps Officers working on the bridge must balance the scientific mission with the realities of our present situation – is there too much ship traffic to “go fishing” and set out the trawl net? Are there whales or other marine mammals in the vicinity? Is the wind speed too high for us to operate safely?

Everything on Oscar Dyson operates at a different pace and schedule from back home. Fortunately, we are able to balance out our time in the laboratories with taking short breaks to view beautiful sunrises and do some whale watching. Again, it is the amazing group of people on this ship, from the seasoned sailors to those doing fisheries work for the first time, that come together to mentor and support one another. They all make the work not seem like “work” but instead a really enjoyable and exciting time, knowing our efforts are making a difference for sustainable fisheries.

person standing on a ship with a volcanic mountain in the background
TAS Laura Guertin in the Gulf of Alaska

Final topic – what comes next

My time on Oscar Dyson has provided me an amazing opportunity and wealth of information about a field where I have had no training. Now that Leg 1 of the 2023 Summer Survey has wrapped up, I’m reminded of a popular saying from one of my graduate school faculty members – “so what?”

“So what?” stands for a family of questions or an attitude that leads to consideration of the broader significance of specific studies. These kinds of questions are particularly useful in descriptive research because, often, one can get so absorbed in collecting, organizing, and analyzing observations one forgets to consider the implications of the results.  —  Ginsburg (1982), Seeking Answers; suggestions for students

This “so what” piece is something I will spend even more time in the future thinking about. The “so what” of the survey is clear – NOAA does an excellent job explaining what sustainable fisheries are and why it matters (see my previous blog posts). But I still need to do a better job of figuring out how to connect the dots – the endpoints being what we do on the water (and the data we collect) to the production of the annual Status of Stocks and other products NOAA uses to inform the ecosystem management. The Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act, the primary law that governs marine fisheries management in federal waters, is also something I want to get up to speed on.

In addition, I need to think about defining the “so what” for the various audiences I will be sharing my at-sea experience. I have more NOAA resources to explore, such as The NOAA Fisheries Distribution Mapping and Analysis Portal (DisMAP) and The Fisheries One Stop Shop (FOSS) Public Data Portal. I will certainly be looking for other resources to pull in to my materials for students and presentations to the public, ranging from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) to episodes of The Fisheries Podcast. I also look forward to exploring more resources on diversity and representation in fisheries science, with articles catching my eye: Women Leaders Are Essential for Tackling Ocean Sustainability Challenges (Fisheries Magazine, 2023) and Examining Diversity Inequities in Fisheries Science: A Call to Action (BioScience, 2016).

So my learning is not done! The sharing of my adventure and new knowledge is only beginning, and I look forward to sharing my pollock survey stories to not only positively impact the ocean literacy of my audiences, but to show how NOAA’s fishery work helps us address the Ocean Decade Challenges (part of the United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development).

ship on the sea during sunrise
Sunrise view from Oscar Dyson (June 2023)
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Laura Guertin: Ending with a Sea Shanty for Acoustic-Trawling for Walleye Pollock, June 22, 2023

NOAA Teacher at Sea

Laura Guertin

Aboard NOAA Ship Oscar Dyson

June 10 – June 22, 2023


Mission: 2023 Summer Acoustic-Trawl Survey of Walleye Pollock in the Gulf of Alaska

Geographic Area of Cruise: Islands of Four Mountains area, to Shumagin Islands area
Location (in port, Kodiak Island): 57o 47.0200′ N, 152o 25.5543′ W

Date: June 22, 2023

Person wearing blue hat on the back of a ship on the ocean
TAS Laura Guertin shows off her Teacher at Sea beanie aboard NOAA Ship Oscar Dyson

As we return to Kodiak, Alaska, for Leg 1 to wrap up and Leg 2 to begin of the 2023 Summer Survey, it’s exciting to know that even during our shortened expedition time at sea, we’ve collected data that is going to inform Alaska walleye pollock stock assessment models and catch allocation. Any/all data are good data to have! I have thoroughly enjoyed my time on Oscar Dyson and met some incredibly smart, passionate, kind, creative, and innovative people. The NOAA community is filled with amazing individuals that are not only dedicated to the NOAA science mission but then sharing that new knowledge with others. I’ve played a small part in this NOAA community during the expedition (while wearing my NOAA hat!), but I hope my future teaching and outreach efforts will shine an even brighter spotlight on the essential work carried out by NOAA Fisheries and the agency as a whole.

Prior to joining the ship, this past academic year was filled with some highs and lows in teaching and student learning. There’s one topic that I’m not quite sure how to classify – and that’s the emergence of Chat GPT, and how AI is being used in higher education. I was joking with the Instructional Designer at my campus (Penn State Brandywine) that I was going to write a sea shanty about this expedition. Turns out, he was able to get AI (Bing, specifically) to write one for me! So as I wrap up my time as a Teacher At Sea Alumna, I leave you with these versus to sing to your favorite shanty rhythm.

A Song of Pollock and Trawls

Oh we are the surveyors of the Gulf so vast and wide
We sail the seas with acoustic gear to find the pollock hide
We use sound waves to scan the depths and mark what we have found
We measure their abundance and their biomass by the pound

(Chorus)

Yo ho ho as we sing this song
On Leg 2 we’ll bring the DriX along
Yo ho ho as we sing this song
We love our job and we love our fish
We love our job and we love our fish

We work in shifts around the clock to cover all the grounds
We set the course and speed and time to trawl a certain length
We haul the net and sort the catch and check their age and health
We record all the data and we share it with the world

(Chorus)

We do this work for science and for management as well
We help to keep the fishery sustainable and well
We study the pollock’s life history, ecology, and stock
We are proud to be part of this crew and this important work

(Chorus)

Oh we are the surveyors of the Gulf so vast and wide
We sail the seas with acoustic gear to find the pollock hide
We love our job and we love our fish
We love our job and we love our fish

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Laura Guertin: Collecting Data: Icthysticks and Otoliths, June 21, 2023

dead fish laying on measurement board

NOAA Teacher at Sea

Laura Guertin

Aboard NOAA Ship Oscar Dyson

June 10 – June 22, 2023


Mission: 2023 Summer Acoustic-Trawl Survey of Walleye Pollock in the Gulf of Alaska

Geographic Area of Cruise: Islands of Four Mountains area, to Shumagin Islands area
Location (10:45AM (Alaska Time), June 21): 55o 29.7525′ N, 156o 44.7276′ W

Data from 10:45AM (Alaska Time), June 21, 2023
Air Temperature: 8.4 oC
Water Temperature (mid-hull): 8.2oC
Wind Speed: 8 knots
Wind Direction: 20 degrees
Course Over Ground (COG): 76 degrees
Speed Over Ground (SOG): 11 knots

Date: June 21, 2023

Once the echo sounder has shown us the position of an aggregation of Alaska walleye pollock (we hope they are pollock and not some other fish species), we lower the trawl net and see what we can catch. This is where the trawl sonar and CamTrawl (see previous blog post) come in handy to give us an idea of what is going into the net. It’s an amazing coordination of effort between the acoustics lab (who decides where to trawl), the bridge for navigation, and the deck crew for setting/retrieving the haul.

We aim for trawling at the mid-water level, where the pollock are typically found. Pacific Ocean perch (POP, or rockfish) can also be found in the mid-water level in the Gulf of Alaska, especially just off the shelf break. Bottom trawls can yield pollock and other fish (e.g., POP and other rockfish species, various species of flatfish).

Once the trawl net has been brought back on board, the catch is emptied into a bin called a table. There is a door on the side of the table that opens into the fish lab. Once the table door opens, the fish spill into the laboratory where they travel down a conveyor belt for the initial sorting. Our target species is the pollock. We weigh everything that ends up onto the sorting table, either in bulk (by species) or individually.

  • pollock moving along belt
    Pollock moving along the sorting belt
  • pile of dead rockfish
    Pile of Pacific Ocean perch (rockfish) after being hauled on the ship
  • dead squid on the deck of a ship
    Small squid that fell out of the trawl net on deck.

A subset of around 250 pollock are set aside to collect length data. The length of these of each individual pollock are measured on an Ichthystick. This is another invention by Rick Towler and Kresimir Williams (remember the CamTrawl? (see previous blog post)). As described in their article An inexpensive millimeter-accuracy electronic length measuring board, these NOAA scientists describe using magnetic measuring technology that, to millimeter resolution, takes a measurement when you placed a magnet on a sensor that runs the length of the board. For our pollock measurements, we were looking to record the fork length, and a quick placement of the red magnet along the fish tail sends the data to a computer program called CLAMS (Catch Logger for Acoustic Midwater Surveys).

  • green plastic bins containing dead pollock (fish)
    Bins of pollock waiting to be measured on the Ichthystick
  • A close-up view of the end of the measuring board shows the larger sizes on the scale (marked 75, 80, 85). The board's logo reads "Ichthystick" and includes a stylized illustration of a pollock.
    Ichthystick logo with a pollock sketch
  • computer screen with long measuring board
    Computer end of Ichthystick, which digitally shows the value of fish length and is written to CLAMS
  • illustration of a fish with lines showing the various lengths of measurement. Title: "Measuring Fish Length." labels: "Maximum Standard Length," "Fork Length," and "Maximum Total Length."
    Sketch showing what is measured for the fork length of a fish. From Corvallis Forestry Research Community.
  • dead fish laying on measurement board
    Pollock lying on Ichthystick getting its fork length being measured
  • two people in rain gear in a laboratory taking measurements of fish
    Two scientists measuring pollock fork length on Ichthystick

Another subset of approximately 50 pollock are set aside for additional data collection on individual specimens – length, weight, sex, maturity, and age. Otoliths (e.g., ear bones) are removed, and sometimes organs are removed and measured (ovaries for maturity development analyses, liver).

a black and white image showing pairs of otoliths from different fish species. Each otolith is white and gray in contrast with the solid black background; lighting reveals the ringed growth pattern
Otolith pairs (two per individual fish) from an assortment of Bering Sea fish species. Walleye pollock is located in the top left. Note: otolith sizes are not on a relative scale. Photo: NOAA Fisheries.

What are otoliths, and why remove them? Otoliths are ear stones, or ear bones, found in fish. To give you an idea of why we remove ear bones, let’s start by thinking about trees and corals… trees grow a new ring on their structure each year, and corals have differences in their skeletal density between the seasons (both trees and corals are also used to reconstruct past climate conditions (proxy data for paleoclimatology)). By counting the rings on trees and coral, we can calculate the age of that specimen. It turns out that fish also have a way to record their annual growth – and it occurs in their ear through Fish Otolith Chronologies.

Scientists are very interested in studying otoliths. When otolith data are combined with data on fish size, scientists are able to determine the growth rates of fish, which then combined with the survey work, helps inform annual fish stock assessment reports. We don’t do any of the otolith analyses on the ship, but we do collect the samples with a detailed label and all the corresponding data (fish length, sex, weight, location) that is sent back to the NOAA Fisheries Alaska Fisheries Science Center for analyses and entered into their Fish Otolith Collection Database.

  • Two otoliths in a person's hand
    Rockfish otoliths
  • close-up view of two otoliths in a person's hand; the growth rings are visible
    Zoom of rockfish otoliths
  • two gloved hands hold up a fish cut open to reveal the otoliths inside the head
    Otoliths still inside a pollock
  • person holding tweezers and placing object in glass vial
    Placing an otolith cleaned in freshwater into a vial for storage and shipment for analysis

Did you know… More than 30,000 otoliths are read annually by NOAA Fisheries Alaska Fisheries Science Center scientists. So far, the Science Center has collected more than 1.1 million fish otoliths for ageing. (from NOAA Fisheries)

To learn more about the fascinating studies of otoliths and what NOAA Fisheries is doing, check out these websites:

NOAA Fisheries Age and Growth – NOAA Fisheries scientists assess the age and growth rates of fish species and populations to better monitor, assess, and manage stocks. There is also a separate site for Age and Growth Research in Alaska.

NOAA Fisheries Age and Growth Homework: Determining How Old Fish Are

NOAA Fisheries Near-Infrared Technology Identifies Fish Species From Otoliths – NOAA Fisheries scientists are developing ways to use near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) analysis of otoliths (fish ear stones) to provide accurate information for sustainable fisheries management faster.

If you are really curious to explore some fish otolith data, check out the Alaska Age And Growth Data Map, an interactive map displays collected specimen information from recent age and growth studies from Alaska Fisheries Science Center.

Screenshot from the Alaska Age and Growth Data Map website. On the left is a map of Alaska with lots of orange, blue, and green circles marking sampling locations. To the right are two graphs plotting lengths (y-axis) against ages (x-axis) for walleye pollock sampled in 2021. Blue circles (or box-and-whisker plots) represent samples from the Western Bering Sea and green circles represent samples from the Eastern Bering Sea.
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Laura Guertin: Collecting data: Trawl Sonar and CamTrawl, June 20, 2023

rectangular frame with four orange round balls on top and two eyes on a metal cylinder in the middle

NOAA Teacher at Sea

Laura Guertin

Aboard NOAA Ship Oscar Dyson

June 10 – June 22, 2023


Mission: 2023 Summer Acoustic-Trawl Survey of Walleye Pollock in the Gulf of Alaska

Geographic Area of Cruise: Islands of Four Mountains area, to Shumagin Islands area
Location (2PM (Alaska Time), June 19): 55o 30.9384′ N, 159o 47.6478′ W

Data from 2PM (Alaska Time), June 19, 2023
Air Temperature: 8.2 oC
Water Temperature (mid-hull): 6.8oC
Wind Speed: 18 knots
Wind Direction: 62 degrees
Course Over Ground (COG): 30 degrees
Speed Over Ground (SOG): 11 knots

Date: June 20, 2023

To conduct a fisheries survey or any oceanographic research expedition, there’s an enormous checklist of items you need on a ship. Jokingly, those on board will tell you that food and internet access are at the top of the list. But there’s no doubt that technology and its function, application, durability, etc., are critical during the time at sea. For example, see NOAA’s explainers for Ocean Exploration Technology: How Robots Are Uncovering the Mysteries of the Deep and Collecting and Visualizing Deep-Sea Data. For a broader look at the technologies NOAA uses to explore the ocean (vessels and submersibles, observing systems and sensors, communication technologies, and diving technologies), see Exploration Tools.

Leg 2 of this Summer Survey will be bringing on board the DriX, an uncrewed surface vehicle (USV), to see if this technology can improve the efficiency of collecting acoustic and biological data to estimate pollock abundance when working alongside Oscar Dyson. To read more/see a video, check out NOAA’s article, Uncrewed Surface Vehicles Complement NOAA Vessels for More Efficient Fisheries Surveys.

Trawl Sonar

A sonar device (housed in a yellow hard plastic casing marked SIMRAD) sits on deck on a pile of coiled ropes
The Simrad FS70 on the back deck of Oscar Dyson (June 2023)

Trawl sonar units are used to provide a rough estimate of how many fish are going into the trawl net. The device (which we’ve been using on our expedition, a Simrad FS70 nicknamed “the turtle”) is a third wire system that in real time establishes communication between the submerged sonar head and the bridge. On this cruise, the trawl sonar unit is placed on the headrope of the trawl net (i.e., on the top of the mouth of the net). It communicates its depth back to the ship. It also scans the mouth of the net and relays any acoustic images of things going into the net back to the ship. These data allow the scientists and crew to adjust the depth of the net and length of time the trawl net remains in the water to collect samples. Our goal is to collect enough fish (approximately one ton) to have a representative sample of the various species and lengths of fishes in the water column.

Screenshot of the display returned by the FS70 during a trawl. The display is broken into three columns. The rightmost column is a list of settings.
Screenshot of the display returned by the FS70 during a trawl. The pink/yellow/blue line in the left column is where you see the bottom of the net. This is also represented in the middle column by the multi-colored horizontal line you see in the third circle from the center. (Screenshot from Leg 1 provided by Rick Towler).

The Simrad FS70 makes an appearance in the NOAA video Alaska’s Pollock Fishery: A Model of Sustainability. NOAA Ship Bell M. Shimada uses this FS70 trawl sonar unit for Pacific hake acoustic trawl surveys (see article).

CamTrawl

CamTrawl sits on the deck of NOAA Ship Oscar Dyson next to a blue trawl net that hangs down from a huge suspended spool. The CamTrawl consists of a metal frame housing cameras (not very visible) and buoys (more visible).

One fascinating piece of technology we’re using on this pollock survey is the CamTrawl. This article I found will give you everything you would want to know about CamTrawl in a non-technical summary:

–> Developing 3D Stereo Camera Technology to Support Sustainable Fisheries (from NOAA)

Introduced in 2012, the CamTrawl is a stereo camera system when attached to a trawl net, can provide data about fish without ever touching a fish. This 3D imagery records fish passing by the camera towards the codend (the closed end of the trawl net), which provides species and size composition data as well as how fish behave in the trawl net to be collected from within a midwater survey trawl. CamTrawl is used to verify the trawl catch and specimen data, and in some cases, can be used to determine where in the water column the species entered the net. These data help inform ecosystem-based fisheries management.

  • rectangular frame with four orange round balls on top and two eyes on a metal cylinder in the middle
    The CamTrawl on Oscar Dyson for 2023 Summer Survey. The orange balls are flotation devices, the two “eyes” in the middle are the stereo camera and computer system, with the battery power across/under the eyes. The four round devices in the corner are lights used during the image recording.
  • trapezoid frame with four orange balls across the top
    Top-down view of the CamTrawl. The front of the camera set-up is the wider side of the trapezoidal frame (top of image) which is then attached to the trawl net.
  • two sketches and a photo of the CamTrawl setup
    Figure 1 from Williams et al. (2016). CamTrawl system description.
  • CamTrawl device attached to a trawl net on the deck of a ship
    CamTrawl attached to trawl net about to be set off the back of Oscar Dyson.

The CamTrawl has uses and applications beyond our walleye pollock survey. It can go to depths of the ocean where it is not possible to lower a trawl net and capture data on other fish species like the bottom-dwelling rockfish. CamTrawl can explore and map deep-sea corals, and there is potential for collaborative research with the fishing industry.

Some CamTrawl footage from Leg 1 of 2023 Summer Survey.

The CamTrawl was developed by NOAA scientists  Kresimir Williams and Rick Towler (both of whom I’m sailing with on Oscar Dyson for Leg 1). I feel incredibly fortunate to have sailed with these two scientists and to hear how NOAA encourages their researchers to be creative and experiment with developing technologies to advance NOAA’s overall mission and expedition objectives.

people around a net removing equipment, while standing on the back of a ship at sea
CamTrawl being detached from a trawl net after a mid-water trawl (June 16, 2023, on Oscar Dyson)

Curious to see more? Check out this Salmon shark caught on CamTrawl underwater camera. Below is a picture of a salmon shark from the Shumagin Islands, Alaska area in February 2017 (photo provided by Sarah Stienessen).

shark seen by an underwater camera

Additional sources for exploration:

Using AI and 3D stereo cameras to support fisheries (National Fisherman, March 12, 2023)

Boldt et al. (2018). Development of stereo camera methodologies to improve pelagic fish biomass estimates and inform ecosystem management in marine waters. Fisheries Research, 198. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fishres.2017.10.013

Williams et al. (2018). A method for computing volumetric fish density using stereo cameras. Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology, 508. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jembe.2018.08.001

Williams et al. (2016). Automated measurements of fish within a trawl using stereo images from a Camera-Trawl device (CamTrawl). Methods in Oceanography, 17. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mio.2016.09.008

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Laura Guertin: Stitch the Sky at Sea, June 14, 2023

NOAA Teacher at Sea

Laura Guertin

Aboard NOAA Ship Oscar Dyson

June 10 – June 22, 2023


Mission: 2023 Summer Acoustic-Trawl Survey of Walleye Pollock in the Gulf of Alaska

Geographic Area of Cruise: Islands of Four Mountains area, Western Gulf of Alaska
Location (2PM (Alaska Time), June 13): 54o 19.3929′ N, 161o 35.5129′ W

Data from 2PM (Alaska Time), June 13, 2023
Air Temperature: 7.2 oC
Water Temperature (mid-hull): 6.5oC
Wind Speed: 9.25 knots
Wind Direction: 144.73 degrees
Course Over Ground (COG): 254.48 degrees
Speed Over Ground (SOG): 11.34 knots

Date: June 14, 2023

As a trained scientist and educator who is passionate about communicating science, I’m always thinking of different ways we can tell stories and share our data with non-scientists and students. I have been crocheting temperature data since 2017 and sharing my temperature scarves that record daily maximum temperature values for a location. In 2018, I began a journey of quilting science stories (see my blog post on the Teacher At Sea Alumni Association (TASAA) blog, Sharing Stories of the Louisiana Coast Through Quilts). While I’m on Oscar Dyson, I’m going to be creating another type of story/data visualization, based upon the observations I make looking up at the sky – and I hope you will join me!

A full description of my Stitch the Sky At Sea project is available on the TASAA blog. But note that you can do any variation, use any colors, select any style of stitching… the project is yours to create! I started the project with my visual observations back home (Philadelphia, PA) on June 1, before I flew to Alaska. This is the color scale I’m using and selecting which yarn matches what I’m seeing in the sky. It has been overcast my entire time in Kodiak (AK) so far – you can see the jump in color!

A close-up view of a left hand holding a crochet hook and several rows of stitches in gray yarn. This image has text overlain that reads: Stitch the Sky At Sea Project
A collage of three images: the top two are images of blue skies at locations in Pennsylvania (labeled PA) and Washington (labeled WA). The bottom image shows a row of stitches and bold blue yarn.
A collage of two images: the top is an image of gray skies over Kodiak (labeled AK). The bottom image shows several rows of stitches in darker blue yarn.
A gallery of four images. The three across the top have images of blue and gray yarn and sky images. The bottom large image has five balls of yarn in bright blue, light blue, cream/white, light gray, dark gray.

Photos: Announcing the Stitch The Sky At Sea Project (top left); Photos of blue skies at my home (Philadelphia) and where I had a one-night layover during travel (Seattle) with rows stitched onto the beginning edge (top middle); Photo of what the sky has looked like every day I was in Kodiak before sailing – completely clouded over (top right); The five colors of yarn I’m using for the five shades of the sky I’m observing the same time each day (bottom center). The yarn is from The Tempestry Project and in the colors of Aurora (top left), Downpour (top right), Cumulus (middle), Nimbus (lower left), Nebula (lower right).

This table will include my recorded observations. Again, you can stitch what I’m seeing, stitch what you are seeing in your location on the same date – or stitch both data for comparison! I’ll continue stitching through the end of the month to see what I can learn from my observations between these locations.

JuneLocationSky color observed
(by myself)		NOAA’s sky
cover value		Notes
1PHLbright blue0.1At home, waiting to depart
2PHLbright blue0.2
3SEAbright blue0.1Flew out of Philly early AM, day in Seattle
4Kodiakdark gray1.0Arrived in Kodiak, stay in hotel
5Kodiakdark gray1.0
6Kodiakdark gray1.0
7Kodiakdark gray1.0
8Kodiakdark gray1.0
9Kodiakdark gray1.0
10transitwhite0.9Departed Kodiak, day of transit
11transit/
shelter		light gray0.9transit/sheltering in Larsen Bay
12transitwhite0.3restart transit at 5AM
13transitlight gray0.9 *starting this date, sky cover value as reported in Cold Bay
14transitdark gray1.0Arrival at first transect site, survey begins
15transectsdark gray0.9
16transectslight blue1.0
17transectsbright blue0.4
18transectslight gray0.7
19transectsdark gray0.9
20transectsdark gray0.8
21transitdark gray1.0*sky cover value as reported in Kodiak
22dock in Kodiak!dark gray1.0Left Kodia at 4PM (AK Time), flew to Anchorage, then Seattle
23SEAlight blue0.3Travel day, Seattle to Philadelphia
– sky cover for Seattle
24PHLdark gray0.9*sky cover for Philadelphia
25PHLwhite0.6
26PHLlight gray0.9
27PHLwhite0.9
28PHLlight blue0.6
29PHLlight gray0.6[Canadian wildfire smoke covering the region today 🙁 ]
30PHLlight gray0.6

I will be taking photos of the sky and plotting them along with the ship location in this Google Earth file (just the days we are at sea – not the days on land).

I’m excited to be able to wear so many hats while at sea – scientist, educator, communicator, and crafter! If you decide to stitch along, please share your work!

Short crocheted piece in a rectangular shape in colors of blue, white, and dark blue/gray
Completed stitching, as of June 13. The top two rows are in a non-project color to mark the beginning. Each row is a double-crochet in the color I’m observing as I look to the sky each day at approximately the same time (~10:30AM Alaska Time).
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Laura Guertin: NOAA and NOAA Fisheries, June 12, 2023

NOAA Teacher at Sea

Laura Guertin

Aboard NOAA Ship Oscar Dyson

June 10 – June 22, 2023


Mission: 2023 Summer Acoustic-Trawl Survey of Walleye Pollock in the Gulf of Alaska

Geographic Area of Cruise: Islands of Four Mountains area, Western Gulf of Alaska
Location (site of calibration, June 11): 57o 32.6154′ N, 153o 55.8318′ W

Data from 2PM (Alaska Time), June 11, 2023
Air Temperature: 8.29 oC
Water Temperature (mid-hull): 6.3oC
Wind Speed: 10.35 knots
Wind Direction: 166.14 degrees
Course Over Ground (COG): 222.34 degrees
Speed Over Ground (SOG): 0.13 knots

COG = The direction the ship is heading relative to land. Over Ground means in relation to the Earth, so COG means the true direction free from the effects of sea currents.
SOG = Speed, real progress with respect to Earth. SOG means the true speed free from the effects of sea currents.

Date: June 12, 2023

I am pretty sure that, on a daily basis, I mention NOAA in my classroom, during public outreach events, and in conversations with colleagues and neighbors. But too often, individuals are not aware of this government agency and the critical role NOAA plays in our lives, even for those that are not scientists. So this blog post is for everyone not familiar with the services NOAA provides us all, along with a focus on NOAA’s National Marine Fisheries Service (aka “NOAA Fisheries”).

NOAA is an agency that enriches life through science. Our reach goes from the surface of the sun to the depths of the ocean floor as we work to keep the public informed of the changing environment around them. — from About our agency

The letters N-O-A-A stand for National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, an agency in the U.S. Department of Commerce. NOAA has a fascinating history, going back to 1807 and President Thomas Jefferson founding America’s first physical science agency, the Survey of the Coast. Fast-forward to 1870, when the Weather Bureau was establshed as the first agency dedicated to the atmospheric sciences. In 1871, the first conservation agency, the U.S. Commission of Fish and Fisheries, was in place. All three of these agencies were brought together in 1970 with the formation of NOAA. (*yes, NOAA recently celebrated its 50th anniversary! See this playlist of videos to learn even more about its history and the people of NOAA from over the years. There is an additional video that goes back to the original agency and mission of 1807.)

NOAA mission: To understand and predict changes in climate, weather, ocean, and coasts, to share that knowledge and information with others, and to conserve and manage coastal and marine ecosystems and resources. — from Our mission and vision

View this video for an overview of NOAA “meeting the moment.”

When I think of and hear “NOAA”, there are several terms/phrases that pop into my mind – science research, atmosphere, hydrosphere, weather and climate, health and safety, economy, conservation, sustainability, and so many more. The educational resources provided by NOAA are also valuable for additional background reading, citizen science opportunities, and multimedia materials (including podcasts!).

Quilt hanging on a wall with NOAA across the top and images that represent NOAA's areas of work

A STEAM Moment

I mentioned in my first blog post how I have a passion for and explore the integration of science and creative arts, specifically crafting via crocheting and quilting. To help others learn about the mission of NOAA and its key focus areas, I created a quilt to showcase NOAA’s work in research, weather, climate,  ocean & coasts, fisheries, charting, satellites,  marine & aviation, sanctuaries, and education. This quilt is just another tool in my education/outreach toolkit! To learn more about this quilt and to view a video, see this post.

NOAA Fisheries

NOAA Fisheries provides science-based conservation and management for sustainable fisheries and aquaculture, marine mammals, endangered species and their habitats. — from Fisheries

NOAA Fisheries, also known as the National Marine Fisheries Service, is a NOAA office composed of five regional offices, six science centers, and more than 20 laboratories around the United States and U.S. territories. Working with additional partners, NOAA Fisheries achieves its two core mandates: (1) to ensure the productivity and sustainability of fisheries and fishing communities through science-based decision-making and compliance with regulations; and (2) to recover and conserve protected resources including whales, turtles, and salmon.

There are several NOAA websites and videos that showcase the history and work of this office. I recommend the NOAA Fisheries About Us page, History page, YouTube playlist of NOAA Fisheries videos, and especially this overview video:

The main Fisheries page on NOAA’s website has fascinating facts you can scroll through. For example, I did not know that the total area NOAA Fisheries is responsible for monitoring and enforcing regulations for marine fisheries is 4.4 million square miles! This area is the largest Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) in the world! And the Fisheries News & Announcements page is a wealth of articles, press releases, multimedia material and more that will soon become required reading for students in my courses, adding to the materials I already tap into on NOAA’s Climate.gov and NOAA’s Ocean Facts!

#TheMoreYouNOAA

NOAA has an incredible range of resources and materials that are constantly being updated and expanded upon. There is something for everyone! (*including on Twitter, where you will find individuals and organizations highlighting NOAA’s work with the hashtag #TheMoreYouNOAA)

I’ll end this post with one of the fun audio narratives from the NOAA Ocean podcast series, which details phrases we use today that came from the Age of Sail (the period of time between the 16th and 19th centuries, transcript available).

NOAA Ocean Podcast: Episode 29 – The Nautical Origins of 10 Popular Phrases

The Challenger mission – so much more than fish

The mission of H.M.S. Challenger 150+ years ago was not as developed as the statements for NOAA and NOAA Fisheries – terms such as ‘conservation’, ‘management’, and ‘sustainability’ were not part of the expedition. Challenger was all about collecting samples, whether those samples be seafloor mud, manganese modules, corals, crabs, and plant and animal life from the islands they visited over their 3-year journey. The six Challenger scientists were not concerned about aquatic systems or human/environment interactions – this really was a journey of discovery and documenting what exists in these unexplored areas. It took 50 volumes of the Challenger Report to describe what was seen and collected – including roughly 4,700 new plant and animal species!

For the fish samples collected at that time, the “Challenger fishes” were incorporated into the British Museum (of Natural History) collection. There were 688 specimens of shallow water, shore and miscellaneous estuarine and freshwater fishes; 261 deep-sea fishes; and 125 pelagic fishes. Some of the fish were then sent over to the National Museum of Ireland in 1899, including type specimens of sixteen species (*data on the Challenger fishes from Wheeler and O’Riordan, 1969).

Sketch of a deep-sea eel, a figure from the Challenger publication
A deep-sea eel, one of the many sketches from samples collected on the H.M.S. Challenger (image in the public domain, part of the Freshwater and Marine Image Bank)
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Maronda Hastie: Time to Meet My Shipmates, August 30, 2022

NOAA Teacher at Sea

Maronda Hastie

Aboard NOAA Ship Oregon II

August 28 – September 14, 2022

Date: Monday August 29, 2022 & Tuesday, August 30, 2022

Mission: Shark/Red Snapper Bottom Longline Survey

Geographic Area of Cruise: Gulf of Mexico

Weather Data:

Lows/Highs = 75 degrees – 88 degrees Fahrenheit
Wave Height = 1’6″ – 1’8″ Northeast
Wind Speed = 3 – 14 mph
Humidity = 71%
Barometric Pressure = 29.97″ HG
Sky = Sunny

Science Log

On Monday, August 30, 2022, I met my shipmates in Cape Canaveral in front of the ship. We all had to take a self-administered Covid-19 test and wait 30 minutes for the results to appear on the sensor. I was so nervous staring at the apparatus every 5 seconds waiting for the light to brighten on a negative result. That was too much stress! What if it said positive? Would I have to head back to Atlanta or wait a few days? Once the ship leaves the dock, then it does not disembark until the end of the research project. That would have been a disaster! Luckily my results were negative! I was able to board the 170 feet ship NOAA Oregon II, locate my room and take a quick tour.

This ship’s homeport is Pascagoula, Mississippi and conducts a variety of research surveys in the Gulf of Mexico, Caribbean Sea, and Atlantic Ocean. The surveys focus on fisheries, marine mammals, and plankton. Commanding Officer Eric Johnson can lead his staff for up to 33 days at a time. The following are the maximum numbers for the staff.

Commissioned Officers/Mates = 5, Licensed Engineers = 3, Unlicensed Engineers = 2, Deck = 6, Stewards = 2, Electronic Technician = 1, Total Crew = 19, Scientists = 12. Up to 12 people can sit in the dining area at one time with 6 people spread amongst 2 tables.

The ship is equipped with a 275 square feet wet lab, 210 square feet hydro lab, 100 square feet bio lab, 75 square feet computer lab, 4 dive team equipment, 2 cranes, a cradle, trawl nets, hydraulics, ropes, long line fishing gear, a medical treatment room, a laundry room, and a rescue boat that can hold 6 people.

We had to wait for 17,000 gallons of diesel fuel to fill the ship, stock the kitchen, and get other necessary supplies. Can you calculate how much this gas costs in your city? There are a lot of factors that affect the outcome of our journey as we crisscross around the Gulf of Mexico. Luckily, we have trained professionals doing their job!

a collage of four photos. Top left: view of the bow of NOAA Ship Oregon II in port. We can see the NOAA logo and the ship's hull number, R 332. Top right: a view of a table surrounded by six chairs attached on swivel posts to the floor. There's a television on the wall at one end of the table and a porthole window. Bottom left: a scientist sits at one of several computers set up on a long wooden desk. additional monitors are mounted on the wall. Bottom right: a view of a desk and computer monitors in front of the row of windows in the ship's bridge.
Top Left: Front of Ship (Bow), Top Right: Dining Area, Bottom Left: Computer Lab, Bottom Right: Bridge, Captain’s Area

Personal Log

I appreciate my Uncle Bill who made sure I arrived in Cape Canaveral safely. It was good to see him with his gracious welcome to Orlando, Florida. Now that I completed the initial paperwork & received a negative Covid result, I am happy to meet my shipmates! My work schedule will be from 12pm to 12am with breaks in between. I’m the only Teacher at Sea on this ship along with 2 college interns and a volunteer. We are all excited about the upcoming experience. There’s a lot of information to learn in a short period of time, but I think I can manage. My state room has a full bathroom, lots of storage space & twin bunkbeds with curtains. I chose the top bunk. I met with Mr. Collin Lynch, Chief Electronics Technician as soon as I got settled into my room. He made sure my computer & cell phone are connected to the Wi-Fi system. I really appreciate him because I still need to connect with my students, plan lessons & make sure they get assistance as needed during my breaks.

While my shipmates & I waited for the supplies to come in, we had dinner at the local restaurants along the waterfront. I learned how to keep score in a darts game and still lost. I had hoped to see a rocket launch, but the mission was cancelled/postponed. The disappointed people were in traffic starting at 3am in the morning to get a good spot. Oh well, maybe next time.

Top left: Maronda poses for a photo with her uncle outside. Top right: Maronda stands next to a dartboard. Bottom left: a man holds a dart up in his right hand, aiming at a dartboard out of frame. Bottom right: Maronda prepares to throw another dart.
Top Left: My Uncle Bill, Top Right: Me with no luck at darts, Bottom Left: Lead Fisherman, Chuck Godwin, Bottom Right: Me still trying to earn points

I enjoyed listening to the stories, having great meals & asking a few questions. I found out that some of them conduct surveys for up to 45 days before they go home. Some are married with kids while others are single, or kids are grown now. Either way, they adjust to life at sea. Check out a few pictures from my flight to time in Cape Canaveral.

  • Maronda poses with her Uncle Bill outside in Orlando.
    My Uncle Bill lives in Orlando & made sure I arrived to Cape Canaveral safely.
  • A view of the stern of NOAA Ship Oregon II in port. It's a sunny day with blue skies and white clouds. A bright orange fast rescue boat mounted on a davit on an upper deck catches the eye.
    NOAA Ship Oregon II in port
  • A view of toward the bow of NOAA Ship Oregon II in port. It's a sunny day with blue skies and white clouds. We can see the wooden sign board that reads OREGON II. Two people stand on the lower deck and look over the taffrail.
    NOAA Ship Oregon II in port
  • A selfie view of Maronda in front of NOAA Ship Oregon II in port. We can see the back half of the ship, the fast rescue boat, and the American flag ensign flying from the fantail.
    Arrived safely!
  • A close-up selfie of Maronda in front of NOAA Ship Oregon II in port. We can see the NOAA logo and read, in reverse, NOAA R 332.
    NOAA Ship Oregon II, R 332
  • A metal plaque that reads: "R.V. OREGON II, designed by R. H. MACY for U.S. DEPARTMENT OF INTERIOR BUREAU OF COMMERCIAL FISHERIES built by THE INGALLS SHIPBUILDING CORP., a division of LITTON INDUSTRIES, Pascagoula, Mississippi, 1967
    NOAA Ship Oregon II was built in Pascagoula in 1967.
  • Maronda reclines in a lawn chair on the deck of NOAA Ship Oregon II, beneath the metal ship information plaque.
    Relaxing on deck
  • a close-up view of navigational instruments on the bridge
    Instruments on the bridge
  • a close-up view of a plate of sushi at a restaurant.
    A beautiful plate of sushi
  • four people along one side of a table at a restuarant, eating sushi
    Getting to know shipmates at the restuarant
  • five people along one side of a long table at a restuarant, eating sushi
    Getting to know shipmates at the restuarant
  • Maronda and four other people at a long table in a restuarant, eating sushi
    Getting to know shipmates at the restuarant