nooa ship oscar dyson – NOAA Teacher at Sea Blog

July 8, 2007April 1, 2021

Rebecca Himschoot, July 8, 2007

NOAA Teacher at Sea
Rebecca Himschoot
Onboard NOAA Ship Oscar Dyson
June 21 – July 10, 2007

Mission: Summer Pollock Survey
Geographical Area: North Pacific Ocean, Unalaska
Date: July 8, 2007

Weather Data from Bridge
Visibility: 10 nm (nautical miles)
Wind direction: 346° (NNW)
Wind speed: light
Sea wave height: less than 1foot
Swell wave height: less than 1 foot
Seawater temperature: 8.8°C
Sea level pressure: 1019.4 mb (millibars)
Cloud cover: stratus

Science and Technology Log: Who was Oscar Dyson?

The 206-foot OSCAR DYSON is one of the newest ships in NOAA’s fleet, and was commissioned in 2005. The OSCAR DYSON is home ported in Kodiak, Alaska, and sails primarily in the Gulf of Alaska, the Aleutian Islands, and the Bering Sea, researching fish stocks, marine mammals, and seabirds, observing weather, sea and environmental conditions, and conducting habitat assessments.

The ship is a stern trawler, and is outfitted with two trawl nets, among others, to support the annual fish surveys and biological assessments that are conducted in support of commercial fisheries, primarily pollock. The OSCAR DYSON is outfitted with a Scientific Sonar System, which can accurately measure the biomass of fish in the survey area. Trawling is used to collect specific biological data, such as length, weight, and gender of the sample. Weather, sea and environmental data are also collected continuously using hundreds of sensors on board, such as the Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler (ADCP), which measures ocean currents. The OSCAR DYSON can also assist in maintaining and deploying stationary buoys to collect similar information for a specific area at depth over time.

In support of the science mission of the OSCAR DYSON, the ship has been built to minimize sound. By decreasing the hull noise, scientists are better able to observe fish without disturbing their natural behavior. Another special feature of the OSCAR DYSON is a retractable centerboard that carries many of the sensors used in scientific studies. By lowering the sensors over 10 feet below the hull, the acoustic data collected by the scientists is less affected by the ship’s noise. When retracted, the scientists and crew aboard the OSCAR DYSON are able to access the sensors for maintenance and replacement as needed.

The ship’s namesake, Oscar Dyson, was an innovative leader in fisheries in Kodiak. He came to Alaska in 1940, where he worked for the Army Corps of Engineers to build infrastructure in Southwest Alaska. Immediately after the war he began fishing out of Kodiak. He fished crab and shrimp, and was a leader in the development of the pollock fishery. Dyson also was a founding partner in All Alaskan Seafoods, the first company controlled by fishermen who owned both the vessels and the processing plants. Oscar Dyson served on the North Pacific Fisheries Management Council for nine years, and fished until his untimely death in 1995. In an interview with the Kodiak Daily Mirror in 1981, Dyson commented, “You’ve got to love the water first, or you’ll never make it.”

Personal Log

My leg of the summer Pollock survey is drawing to a close, and we have ended with some different kinds of trawls. We’ve collected jellyfish and plankton, and we’re still hoping to trawl using a special net that opens and closes, enabling the scientists to target multiple sets of fish at multiple depths in one cast. We’re ending with much improved weather, which has been a welcome change for everyone.

The crew of the OSCAR DYSON has made this experience particularly memorable, with scientists explaining their work in detail and crewmembers sharing their knowledge willingly. I’ve toured the engine room, spent time on the bridge, eaten once-in-a-lifetime meals, talked commercial fishing with the deckhands and even learned to tie some knots and splice lines with their help. It has been an amazing learning experience!

July 4, 2007April 1, 2021

Rebecca Himschoot, July 4, 2007

NOAA Teacher at Sea
Rebecca Himschoot
Onboard NOAA Ship Oscar Dyson
June 21 – July 10, 2007

Mission: Summer Pollock Survey
Geographical Area: North Pacific Ocean, Unalaska
Date: July 4, 2007

Weather Data from Bridge
Visibility: less than 1 nm (nautical miles)
Wind direction: variable
Wind speed: light
Sea wave height: 4 feet
Swell wave height: 2-3 feet
Seawater temperature: 7.6°C
Sea level pressure: 1020.4 mb (millibars)
Cloud cover: stratus

US Fish and Wildlife Service seabird observer, Tamara Mills

Science and Technology Log: Special Studies

Bird observer Tamara Mills has to keep track of many things. From her post on the bridge of the OSCAR DYSON, Tamara locates and identifies multiple species of seabirds around the ship, and then records the information to be entered in the North Pacific Pelagic Seabird Database (NPPSD). She identifies and counts the many fulmars, murres, kittiwakes and other seabirds that are within 300 meters of the ship, often using binoculars to help correctly identify each bird before she records it. As the data are entered into the database, the computer automatically records the GPS location of the ship.

Tamara is a biologist with the US Fish and Wildlife Service, but she’s sailing on the NOAA research vessel OSCAR DYSON in order to add data to the NPPSD. Seabird observations are frequently done in the nesting colonies, but the colonies are where the birds spend the least of their time. In fact, roughly half of all seabirds may not be nesting in a given year, so that they would never be seen or counted in a land-based survey. USFWS has therefore collaborated with other agencies to place observers, like Tamara, on “vessels of opportunity,” or research vessels where seabirds can be monitored and counted. USFWS seabird observers can be found on Coast Guard vessels, on NOAA ships, and on the Fish and Wildlife Service’s own research vessel.

A northern fulmar photographed by Tamara on board the OSCAR DYSON

Along with counting seabirds, Tamara is also logging marine mammal sightings. In 2006 USFWS seabird observers spent 168 days at sea and completed 14, 263 km of survey transects in the Bering Sea, some areas of the Gulf of Alaska, and the Aleutian Islands. In all this work they spotted 69 species of seabirds and 16 species of marine mammals. Until this recent work, no information had been added to the NPPSD since the 1970’s and 1980’s.

“We want to get an up-to-date picture of what’s really out there,” Tamara said. “These data could be useful in studying climate change or in the event of an oil spill. It may also be possible to link what we’re finding in the bird surveys to the acoustic fish information that’s being collected, and we might then be able to correlate the types of birds we see and their densities when certain kinds of fish are present.”

Personal Log

The Bering Sea was calm today!! We actually had some sun and were able to trawl and process without hanging on to railings and tables and such. Tomorrow we should head for our final transect, and we have nearly collected the minimum number of otoliths we set out to, so the cruise is beginning to wind down. We have plans for an Independence Day barbecue if the weather cooperates later in the day.

Question of the Day

Answer to yesterday’s question (What is conductivity?): Conductivity is the measure of the ability of a solution to carry an electrical current, and is used to measure salinity.

July 2, 2007April 1, 2021

Rebecca Himschoot, July 2, 2007

NOAA Teacher at Sea
Rebecca Himschoot
Onboard NOAA Ship Oscar Dyson
June 21 – July 10, 2007

Mission: Summer Pollock Survey
Geographical Area: North Pacific Ocean, Unalaska
Date: July 2, 2007

Weather Data from Bridge
Visibility: 4 nm (nautical miles)
Wind direction: 185° (SSW)
Wind speed: 6 knots
Sea wave height: 1 foot
Swell wave height: 2 feet
Seawater temperature: 6.2°C
Sea level pressure: 1007.0 mb (millibars)
Cloud cover: stratus

Senior Survey Technician Colleen Peters and crewmember Dennis Boggs recover the CTD equipment.

Science and Technology Log: What Does the Survey Technician Do?

Among the crew of each NOAA research vessel are typically one or more survey technicians. On each cruise a team of scientists come on board to do research; the survey technicians are the onboard scientists who provide continuity in data collection during all operations, as well as maintaining a number of onboard laboratories. The survey technicians are responsible to ensure all the scientific equipment is running and is accurate, as well as assisting the science team with their research. One task that falls to the survey technician is to collect data as needed using the Conductivity, Temperature and Depth (CTD) sensor. The CTD equipment is mounted on a frame called the “rosette,” and is deployed over the side of the ship at the request of the science team. The survey technician coordinates between the science team, the bridge and the deck crew to successfully complete these casts.

The science team can indicate the position at which the data are to be collected, and the officer on the bridge holds the ship in position and on station. The deck crew then assists the survey tech in lowering the delicate rosette into the water. Once the pumps are running, the rosette is lowered to the required depth. Information from the sensors is relayed back to the ship through the cable, and if needed a water sample can be collected from any point in the water column. After the CTD is brought back on board, the survey tech processes the data and relays it to the science team.

Senior Survey Technician Colleen processing CTD data

On the OSCAR DYSON, Sr. Survey Technician Colleen Peters must also maintain several labs: the dry lab, chemistry lab, hydrographic lab (nicknamed “the garage” by the crew), and the fish processing, or wet, lab. The Survey Techs also participate in shooting and hauling the trawl nets by setting up and retrieving sensors on the nets. When the catch is brought on board, they work alongside the scientists to process the sample. There are several other systems to be maintained such as the Scientific Computer System (SCS), which continuously collects data from hundreds of sensors mounted all around the ship, the scientific seawater system, which measures sea surface temperature and salinity, and the Continuous Underwater Fish Egg Sampler (CUFES), whish filters the surface water for plankton and fish eggs for analysis. Colleen is a graduate of Maine Maritime Academy, where she obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in Marine Science. “I chose marine science because I knew I wanted to be at sea and I like doing science in the field,” she commented.

Personal Log

The late shift has become easier, though I still struggle between 1-4:00 a.m. if we’re not processing fish. We passed very near St. Matthew Island yesterday, but the infernal fog prevented us seeing it or many of the seabirds that are surely nesting there. Each time we reach the northern end of a transect the water temperatures are too cold for pollock, and our sampling slows down considerably. We have done some jellyfish and euphausid samples, and we’re back in an area with plenty of fish, so plenty of sampling, too!

Question of the Day

The answer to yesterday’s question (What is an “otolith” and why is it important?): In fish, the otolith is a calcareous “bone” that plays a role in hearing and balance; it is often referred to as a fish’s “ear bone.” Otoliths are used by scientists studying many types of fish to learn the age of the fish. As the fish grows, two rings are visible in the otolith: one for winter, and one for summer. The two rings together can be counted as a year in the life of the fish, and thus scientists are able to find the age of most fish by harvesting the otolith, cutting it in half, and counting the rings.

Today’s question

What is conductivity?

June 29, 2007April 1, 2021

Rebecca Himschoot, June 29, 2007

NOAA Teacher at Sea
Rebecca Himschoot
Onboard NOAA Ship Oscar Dyson
June 21 – July 10, 2007

Mission: Summer Pollock Survey
Geographical Area: North Pacific Ocean, Unalaska
Date: June 29, 2007

Weather Data from Bridge
Visibility: 10 nm (nautical miles)
Wind direction: 307° (NW)
Wind speed: 23 knots
Sea wave height: 5 foot
Swell wave height: 1 feet
Seawater temperature: 5.6°C
Sea level pressure: 1014.7 mb (millibars)
Cloud cover: stratus

Science and Technology Log: Survey Techniques and Data

When the science team on the summer pollock survey “see” enough fish to warrant trawling, a net is cast and a sample is collected. The deck crew on the OSCAR DYSON fish the same way commercial fishermen do, just in smaller quantities. The net is placed in the water, and the front end is attached to a “door” on the port and starboard sides. These doors are released into the water and help to open the net. The net is lowered to the depth where the scientists are “seeing” the most fish. After the net has been dragged long enough it is brought back on board and the sample is processed. Once the net is on board, the fish are placed in a bin.

The fishing and deck crew of the OSCAR DYSON release the net for a trawl sample.

The bin can be slowly emptied onto a conveyor belt, where the science team culls out the bycatch and sorts it by species. Each species is documented and weighed, then returned to the sea. Some of these bycatch fish will survive, most will not due to the trauma of the net and being moved so quickly from depth to the surface. Some common bycatch in the summer pollock survey are various flatfish, starfish, come cod and some crabs. The pollock are then also weighed and sorted by gender. Data are collected on gender and length for a large sample, and on a smaller sample more detailed information is collected, such as age. To weigh the fish, a large scale is used for the tubs of pollock, and a net weight can be obtained from the fishing crew. Individual fish are weighed on smaller scales. To know the gender of the fish, a slit is cut in the gut in order to see the gonads. For scientists to know the age of the fish, otolith, or ear bone, samples are taken for later analysis. Each bit of data is collected in the processing area using watertight touch screen computer equipment and scales. Rather than hand writing each fish weight, length and gender, the scientists use a barcode scanner to read each of these data points.

Scientist Sarah Stienessen weighs a sample.

Personal Log

We have settled into a routine, and the night shift is getting easier. The trawl samples are still unpredictable, but we’re doing more of them. Yesterday was a long shift in the lab, but it’s more interesting to see what we catch than to sit around waiting to fish. There were some storm petrels today, as well, to add to my Bering Sea bird list. The seas are getting calmer again, and I’m hoping for a good night’s sleep tonight!

Question of the Day

Answer to the last question: (Scientists use Latin names for each animal or plant they find even though Latin is no longer a living language. How do scientific (Latin) names get selected and why are they important?)

The scientific name for each organism is derived from two Latin names. The first name is the genus the organism belongs to, and the second is its species; these are the narrowest branches of scientific classification (kingdom, phylum, class, order, family, genus, species). In the case of the walleye pollock, it belongs to the genus Theragra, and within that genus it is the chalcogramma species. There could be many other fishes in the Theragra genus, but only one is the species chalcogramma.

Senior Survey Technician Colleen Peters measures a sample.

A scientific name can be descriptive, or it may indicate a geographical location, or it may even be named for the individual who discovered the species. In the case of the walleye pollock, Theragra is from the Greek roots ther (beast) and agra (food – of fur seals) and chalcos (brass) and gramma (mark). The first word in the Latin name is capitalized, the second begins with lower case, and the whole thing is always written in italics.

The scientific name of an organism is important because it is distinctive, so that each organism has only one name (usually). This way a scientist from Russia can communicate clearly with a scientist from Alaska and know that they are speaking about the same organism. Common names can be confusing, and there can be many different names for the same organism (for example, there are many kinds of “salmon,” but only the Oncorhynchus tshawytscha is the king, or chinook salmon). It is important to be aware that scientific names undergo changes as discoveries are made and classifications are refined.

Today’s question: What is an “otolith” and why is it important?

June 26, 2007April 1, 2021

Rebecca Himschoot, June 26, 2007

NOAA Teacher at Sea
Rebecca Himschoot
Onboard NOAA Ship Oscar Dyson
June 21 – July 10, 2007

Mission: Summer Pollock Survey
Geographical Area: North Pacific Ocean, Unalaska
Date: June 26, 2007

Weather Data from Bridge
Visibility: .5 nm (nautical miles)
Wind direction: 80° (ENE)
Wind speed: 10 knots
Sea wave height: 1 foot
Swell wave height: 1 feet
Seawater temperature: 4.4°C
Sea level pressure: 1018.8 mb (millibars)
Cloud cover: stratus

Deck crew of the OSCAR DYSON retrieving sensors from a buoy.

Science and Technology Log: Data buoy retrieval and replacement

Luckily we had calm weather today to retrieve two data buoys that were deployed in 2006, and replace them. These buoys contained an Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler, a marine mammal voice recorder, and sensors for other data such as water temperature, nitrates, and salinity. Because the sensors are on a stationary buoy, the information is collected at depth (much of this same information is collected on board the OSCAR DYSON continuously, but at the surface), and over a long period of time.

Life Cycle of the Walleye Pollock
(Interview with Dr. Mikhail Stepanenko, scientist from TINRO)

Dr. Mikhail Stepanenko is assisting in the summer pollock survey from his home institution, the Pacific Research Fisheries Center (TINRO), which is located in Vladivostok, Russia. Dr. Stepanenko graduated with a degree in fish biology in 1968, the year before an agreement was signed for scientists in the Soviet Union and the United States to cooperate to help manage international fisheries. Dr. Stepanenko took some time to share what he knows about the life history of the walleye pollock. According to Dr. Stepanenko, walleye pollock are found throughout the Bering Sea, and south into the Gulf of Alaska. Their range extends as far west as Russian and Japanese waters, and east to the Eastern Aleutians. These fish can live up to 25 years, however the average age of a walleye pollock is 10-12 years. Pollock are related to the cod family.

Scientist Bill Floering with some of the new sensors deployed today from the OSCAR DYSON. — Scientist Bill Floering with some of the new sensors deployed today

Pollock begin spawning around age 4, although the most productive spawning years for both males and females is between 5-8 years of age. Dr. Stepanenko has observed pollock spawning in an aquarium setting. The male will swim next to a female to show his interest. If she is also interested in that male, the female will swim next to him with sudden, short bursts of speed for several hours before they spawn. If she is not interested, she will continue to swim normally until the male gets the message.

Mature pollock spawn annually in nearshore areas, mostly in the Bering Sea and Gulf of Alaska (98% of pollock spawn in US coastal waters). Although the females will spawn only once annually and then move to the edge of the spawning area to feed, the males will spawn 4-5 times during the annual spawning season.

The eggs will hatch about 25 days later, or longer if the water temperatures are colder. The annual survival rate of the eggs and larvae is highly dependent on the sea conditions and salinity. At the correct salinity, the eggs sink and then are suspended at a certain depth due to a thermocline at that depth. Poor sea conditions or a dramatic shift in salinity can result in higher mortality for the eggs or the larvae. They must also survive predators such as jellyfish and other small fish.

Dr. Mikhail Stepanenko processes walleyed Pollock — Dr. Mikhail Stepanenko processes walleye Pollock

Directly after hatching the pollock larvae have enough yolk reserve to survive a few days, but they must find food within the first three days of hatching if they are to survive. The larvae are approximately 3.5 mm long when they hatch, and with enough food will grow several centimeters in the first year of life. Only two of the 30-40 types of plankton in the Bering Sea are small enough to serve as prey for these tiny fish. Harsh sea conditions, salinity changes, and scarce food resources in the first year contribute to a survival rate of only about .1% of pollock eggs. Adult pollock eat euphausids, as well as smaller fish such as capelin or smelt. In times of scarcity, pollock are given to cannibalism.

The international pollock fishery targets four-year-old fish, and the total Bering Sea harvest of pollock is around two million metric tons annually. Pollock is used in frozen seafood products, such as fish sticks, and as a central ingredient in surimi.

Personal Log

We have been in an area where there are very few fish, so much of my time has been spent learning about pollock and the work that is done here on board. The sea has been pretty rough at times, and I have continued to take some seasickness medication. We’re getting back into places with fish, so soon we’ll be collecting more data.

Question of the Day

Answer to the last question about the controlled variables in the summer pollock survey: (The scientific method includes controlling the variables in an experiment. What are some examples of variables the science team from the AFSC is controlling in the summer pollock survey?)

One example is the calibration of the acoustic equipment at the beginning of each leg of the survey. Another example is that the OSCAR DYSON cruises the same area of the Bering Sea during each summer pollock survey on transects of the same basic lengths and directions. The survey is conducted at the same time every year, as well.

Today’s question: Scientists use Latin names for each animal or plant they find, even though Latin is no longer a living language. How do scientific (Latin) names get selected and why are they important?

June 24, 2007April 1, 2021

Rebecca Himschoot, June 24, 2007

NOAA Teacher at Sea
Rebecca Himschoot
Onboard NOAA Ship Oscar Dyson
June 21 – July 10, 2007

Mission: Summer Pollock Survey
Geographical Area: North Pacific Ocean, Unalaska
Date: June 24, 2007

Weather Data from Bridge
Visibility: less than .5 nm (nautical miles)
Wind direction: 260° (SW)
Wind speed: 18 knots
Sea wave height: 4-6 foot
Swell wave height: 0 feet
Seawater temperature: 2.9°C
Sea level pressure: 1006.0 mb (millibars)
Cloud cover: fog

Science and Technology Log: What Is the Summer Pollock Survey?

The Alaska Fisheries Science Center (AFSC) is one of six regional centers charged with monitoring commercial fish stocks in the United States. The AFSC is located in Seattle, Washington, however the data the scientists from the Center collect is gathered from coastal areas across the state of Alaska. For over 20 years the AFSC has been surveying Pollock stocks in the Bering Sea of northwestern Alaska in the summer months. More recently they have also been surveying stocks in the Gulf of Alaska during the same season. During the Pollock spawning months of February-March surveys are also conducted in known spawning areas. The AFSC scientists’ data are one part of the fishery management triangle: The summer Pollock survey on the OSCAR DYSON will take place in three sessions of three weeks each. The first day of each leg is spent calibrating the acoustic equipment to make sure it is accurate for the rest of the research in the next three weeks. Once the OSCAR DYSON reaches the Bering Sea, the navigation team locates the transects that have been surveyed in years past. The science team begins collecting acoustic data, and fishing intermittently to collect more data about the fish, such as exact lengths, gender and age information.

The acoustic data are collected every second. Sound waves are emitted from a transducer affixed to the hull of the ship; when these sound waves strike a surface, they return to the transducer. By calculating the time the sound waves traveled it is possible to “see” where the objects are the sound waves bounced off of. The bottom of the ocean shows up as a very strong, solid line, whereas fish in groups show up as “clusters” in the water column (the sound waves bounce off the air-filled swim bladders of the fish). By using different frequencies, the scientists are able to determine if the clusters are larger or smaller fish, including plankton-sized euphausids (i.e., krill). This amazing system for “seeing” fish using sound waves is modeled on the feeding strategies of some of the oldest and best-adapted fishers, the toothed cetaceans such as dolphins and sperm whales.

Personal Log

Luckily the crew of the OSCAR DYSON were able to give me some very good advice about seasickness medication. We entered some moderate seas our first day out, but I’m slowly getting my sea legs. The Bering Sea is a very shallow body of water, less than a hundred meters deep in many places, so that it has a great deal of wave action in any kind of windy weather. Today we passed the Pribilof Islands, but it was too foggy to see them.

Question of the Day

Answer to Day 1 question about solstice: The word “solstice” comes from the Latin words “sol,” which means sun, and “sistere,” which means to rest or relax. The solstice occurs twice each year, when the Sun is at its northern- or southernmost point from the equator. The solstice is the turning point at which we experience either increasing or decreasing increments of daylight (paraphrased from the Encyclopedia Britannica online).

Today’s Question: The scientific method includes controlling the variables in an experiment. What are some examples of variables the science team from the AFSC is controlling in the summer Pollock survey?

June 21, 2007April 1, 2021

Rebecca Himschoot, June 21, 2007

NOAA Teacher at Sea
Rebecca Himschoot
Onboard NOAA Ship Oscar Dyson
June 21 – July 10, 2007

Mission: Summer Pollock Survey
Geographical Area: North Pacific Ocean, Unalaska
Date: June 21, 2007

Weather Data from Bridge
Visibility: 10 nm (nautical miles)
Wind direction: 195° (SW)
Wind speed: 11 knots
Sea wave height: 1 foot
Swell wave height: 0 feet
Seawater temperature: 8.1°C
Sea level pressure: 1025.0 mb (millibars)
Cloud cover: high overcast with breaks

Dutch Harbor/Unalaska is located on an island in the Aleutian Islands of western Alaska. It is a major fishing port, and its human history stretches back more than 9,000 years.

Science and Technology Log

After leaving the dock the OSCAR DYSON is now anchored in calm waters where the science team is working to calibrate the acoustic equipment. At the beginning of each leg of the survey, this equipment is checked to ensure accuracy in the data collected at sea. After completing this task the ship will make way for the Bering Sea. Dutch Harbor/Unalaska is gearing up for the height of the summer fishing season, when the year-round population (4500) of this remote community can more than double with the arrival of fisherpeople and processors. The winter fishing season is said to be just as busy, and is becoming well-known for the television show “Deadliest Catch.” The departing science crew tell me summer in the Bering Sea is nothing like what they show on TV, and my fingers are crossed they are correct about this. Just in case, I’m prepared with anti-seasickness medication.

Although the OSCAR DYSON is home ported in Kodiak, the summer Pollock survey takes place out of Dutch Harbor/Unalaska. Unalaska is the name of the community, and Dutch Harbor is the industrial section of the town, which includes the airport. Unalaska’s prehistory dates to at least 9,000 years ago, and the Unangan (formerly called “Aleut”) people are known as seafarers. Today the processors employ workers from all over the globe, including Asia, North and South America, and Africa. Who would have guessed tiny, remote Dutch Harbor/Unalaska would be such a melting pot? A brief tour of the OSCAR DYSON has revealed a spacious bridge area with all the modern navigational equipment, several labs that include a chemistry lab, a wet lab, and an acoustics lab, and my favorite spot so far, the galley. The cabins are comfortable, with two bunks and a bathroom in each room.

Personal Log

Before leaving the dock this morning I enjoyed a hike up a local hillside with views of Unalaska and numerous wildflowers. The crew and science team have been very patiently explaining my duties and telling me about what they do. I am eager to begin fishing tomorrow, although I will be on the “night shift,” which runs 1600 (4 p.m.) until 0400 (4 a.m.). I’ll be helping out a little with identifying birds during the fishing segments of the trip, and am looking forward to spending more time with the US Fish and Wildlife Service bird observers who are on board with us.

Question of the Day

Today is the summer solstice. What does “solstice” mean, and what is special about today?