At Lisianski Island, NOAA Teacher at Sea Chris Monsour gives the camera his best Hawaiian hello.
Final Log
At 11:19 a.m. today, Jonathan, the Lead Fishermen, yelled out “last trap” and hauled the last trap aboard the ship for this lobster cruise. I would be lying if I said I did not feel relieved, because I was. The general consensus among the other scientists is that it is time to get back to our “other” lives. Ones that are not regulated by wind speed, waves, medical emergencies, and the cutting of mackerel.
Today did not see the monster haul of lobster that we would have liked to have seen. We did get a very large Ridgeback lobster and a large sea star, but not many of the spiny and slipper lobsters that I have learned to identify, determine the sex of, and appreciate. I understand now why in the past, cruises would start at Necker then go to Maro Reef. Necker is training for Maro Reef. We did have some lobster, and that is all that matters.
Before this trip I had never been in the Pacific Ocean. When I was in Chile, I saw the Pacific, but not quite like this. In the course of the month as Teacher at Sea I have learned a lot about the Pacific. I learned that it could be a lonely place. Especially on the nights when I would stand on the observation deck and look out and see water and stars, nothing else. I learned that it has a lot of secrets to keep and that we as scientists will never know all of them, but we must pursue them. I learned how to tie knots, clean squid, handle sharks, eat fish heads, and bottom fish. I learned that dental floss is a great substitute for thread when a button breaks and that eating fish for breakfast is not such a strange thing to do. I learned to relax and appreciate a sunset. I learned that it is important to make decisions based on good science and that even though people have good intentions, what seems right at the time, may not be in the future. Finally, I know I will pass onto my students my adventure and hopefully they will be able to get in them, some of the enthusiasm and sense of wonder that I did.
NOAA Teacher at Sea
Maggie Flanagan
Onboard NOAA Ship Oscar Elton Sette June 12 – July 12, 2007
Mission: Lobster Survey Geographical Area: Pacific Ocean; Necker Island Date: July 10, 2007
Maggie Flanagan measures a lobster carapace.
Science and Technology Log – Lobster Lessons
We’ve hauled back our last string of traps and have begun the transit back to Pearl Harbor. Our Northwestern Hawaiian Island (NWHI) lobster survey has provided the 2007 data for a record that goes back 30 years. Our Chief Scientist, Bob Moffitt, is a biologist with the National Marine Fisheries Service within NOAA. Bob completed his first lobster survey in 1977, and has been continually involved with the project. The model we still use was established in 1985-86, and there has been survey data nearly every year since then. The two sites we monitor are Necker Island (Mokumanamana, in Hawaiian) and Maro Reef (Nalukakala, in Hawaiian). Necker Island is closer to the Main Hawaiian Islands, 430 miles from Honolulu. Maro Reef is farther out the NWHI, 850 miles from Honolulu. Target species are spiny lobsters (Panulirus marginatus) and slipper lobsters (Scyllarides squammosus).
Initial analysis of the data includes computing our catch per unit effort (CPUE), which is the total number of lobsters in traps divided by the number of traps. The data are separated by site, by species – spiny or slipper lobster, and by number of traps in the string, – 8 or 20. (Strings of 20 are often set in deeper water.) The mean for all strings of a type in a year is used for comparisons. Bob works up the numbers each evening to keep us posted.
You can’t draw conclusions from just a few numbers, but a sample of CPUE information is below.
In 2007, Necker Island sampling was suspended for several days and the data may be biased towards historically less productive quadrants.
Graphing the entire data set reveals that Necker Island experienced a sharp decline in the presence of both types of lobsters during the mid to late 1990’s, and the numbers have remained low. Graphs of Maro Reef data show a more complex story. There, spiny lobsters dropped dramatically in 1989. Spiny lobster numbers remained low, as slipper lobster numbers increased. It’s proposed that as spiny lobsters were decreasing, slipper lobsters could access more resources, such as food and habitat, which expanded their numbers. The spiny lobster has had more commercial value because it looks prettier, and so was probably targeted more by fisherman.
Maggie Flanagan holds spiny lobsters while “cracking” – recovering lobsters from traps.
Commercial fishing for lobsters in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands began with multi-purpose vessels which would keep the lobsters live for market. About 1981, fisherman started landing only the lobster tail, which was frozen at sea. This greatly increased the capacity for the taking of lobsters. Data showed decline, fisheries scientists became concerned, and the fishery was closed in 1993, then opened with very low quotas. By 1997, research data still showed decline and the NWHI commercial lobster fishery was closed again in 2000. Models at that time showed that NWHI lobster overfishing (meaning the size and take of the fleet) wasn’t problematic and research that focused on the lobsters themselves would be needed.
When lobsters are tiny, in the phylosome stage, they are transported by currents. Spiny lobsters spend 12 months in this stage and have been caught in plankton tows 60 miles out at sea. So, lobsters can settle in sites far away from their parents. This recruitment may or may not influence the population numbers of lobsters in the NWHI, but as a real possibility, is a topic for research. Bob Moffitt’s data, with that of other NWHI scientists, could contribute to a metapopulation model that could estimate the density of lobsters throughout all the NWHI over time. This could be designed to scientifically predict the affects of fishing and recruitment. DNA analysis could also reveal information on the transportation of lobsters when juvenile.
In 2006, all the NWHI were included in the creation of the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument, which will be closed to all fishing. The Monument is the largest marine protected area in the U.S., but the research questions on what will help Hawaiian lobster populations still remain to be answered. Ocean currents in the area generally run to the west and south, and if juvenile lobsters are transported, they would be traveling those currents. But the marine protected area is already west of the Main Hawaiian Islands, so recruitment out to restore other areas seems unlikely, though not yet tested. There is reason to celebrate our new Marine National Monument, but there is no conclusive scientific evidence that it will help lobster populations recover.
A slipper lobster as compared to a pencil.
Personal Log
With all fisheries closed in the NWHI, what will happen to the fisheries research that has contributed much to the understanding of marine populations? Will scientists be allowed to continue pursuing research questions, or will they be considered irrelevant? Approval for access to the NWHI under the Monument status now involves an arduous permit process, even for scientists. Bob Moffitt’s work has provided an extensive time series of data, and is considered worth continuing as ecosystem monitoring. Hopefully in the future, scientific work will continue and guide policy making for protected areas.
NOAA Teacher at Sea
Maggie Flanagan
Onboard NOAA Ship Oscar Elton Sette June 12 – July 12, 2007
Mission: Lobster Survey Geographical Area: Pacific Ocean; Necker Island Date: July 9, 2007
Meaghan Darcy with a 70.2cm opakapaka (Pristopimoides filamentosus).
Science and Technology Log – Interview with Meaghan Darcy, scientist
Meaghan Darcy, from Rhode Island, is a research technician for our lobster survey. We spend our days helping with lobster traps, but in the evenings our science work includes sampling the many species of bottomfish in the Hawaiian Islands. Meaghan is a Ph.D. candidate working with the Fisheries Center and Department of Zoology at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada, specializing in Hawaiian bottomfish. Meaghan has always been interested in biology, but a semester of study in the Caribbean included research with fisherman and inspired her to pursue the science of fisheries.
What is the focus of your current research?
Meaghan is working on a management strategy evaluation for the Hawaiian bottomfish fishery. The bottomfish fishery targets about 13 different species across 3 designated zones, which are fished at depths of 50 to 600+ feet using hydraulic hand lines with up to 10 hooks per line. The targeted bottomfish include several snappers (ehu, opakapaka, onaga, kalekale, gindai, and lehi), grouper (hapu`upu`u), and jacks (kahala, butaguchi, and ulua). One reason bottomfish are popular as a commercial product is that they don’t feed much on reefs, and so are less likely to carry ciguatera poisoning, however, kahala has been associated with ciguatera and is no longer highly sought after. The first step in evaluation is to use a simulation model to simulate the data gathering process (i.e., simulate catch and effort data that would be similarly collected for the commercial fishery). Meaghan will then use an estimation model to estimate bottomfish abundance relative to a target abundance using the simulated catch and effort data. Based on the results from the assessment model, a management policy is set and applied to the simulation and estimation models to determine the policies impact. Using this approach, the potential success of a variety of different possible fishery management strategies can be evaluated. Meaghan will also apply this approach using the Hawaiian bottomfish commercial fishery data and her conclusions will offer insight on best management practices for the Hawaiian bottomfish fishery.
Teacher at Sea Maggie Flanagan with a 71.2cm hapu`upu`u (Epinephelus quernus)
What are the challenges in your research?
The Hawaiian bottomfish is a multi-species fishery, where several different species may come up on the same line. This simultaneous capture makes scientific evaluation of the fishery more difficult. The reported catch per unit effort (CPUE) data is not species specific, and this grouping ignores differences in the life histories and catchabilities of different species. Different habitats preferred by juveniles and different ages of maturity and breeding lumped together in management may influence decline of one bottomfish species, while not another.
Some of the management strategies have drawbacks along with potential benefits. Currently in the Main Hawaiian Islands, the bottomfish fishery is being managed under a seasonal closure policy during peak spawning periods (May 15, 2007 – October 1, 2007) to maximize the number of fish breeding. Over the next couple of years Hawaii is moving towards a quota system where a total allowable catch (TAC) will be set. Under a quota system when the TAC is reached, the fishery is closed for the remainder of the year. In practice, TAC can produce a “race for the fish” which encourages competition at the expense of conservation while fishing. Quotas can be effective, but require the infrastructure for widespread monitoring in real time and making annual assessments. Size limits are another possible strategy, which could be complicated by the multi-species nature of the fishery.
Another possible strategy would be to establish marine protected areas,where commercial fishing isn’t allowed. This may lead to increased pressure on other marine areas, if fishing effort isn’t reduced, but just forced to relocate. Now that the North West Hawaiian Islands have become part of the Marine National Monument, commercial fishing is being phased out of those waters and the management strategies evaluated in Meaghan’s thesis will be mainly relevant to the Main Hawaiian Islands, which already suffer from overfishing. Through acknowledging these challenges in her research, Meaghan is developing novel approaches to management strategy evaluation. Her objectives include modeling the fishermen’s behavior to better understand how they will respond to different management strategies, and identifying effective management tactics for the multi-species nature of this fishery.
What inspires you about your work?
Meaghan is excited to be working on real issues in fisheries, where her efforts are applied to real situations. She’s interested in quantitative expertise and population dynamics as tools for her work. Hawaii has recently begun expanding management of the bottomfish fishery, and recommendations through Meaghan’s evaluation will be very relevant for developing policy.
Personal Log
Besides teaching me about the Hawaiian bottomfish fishery, Meaghan also taught me how to work the fishing gear. She is a wonderful role model for women in science, and a great crewmate!
Chris Monsour demonstrates the proper technique for holding and releasing Grey Tipped Reef Sharks
Science and Technology Log
Today we finally got to get back to what brought us here, the lobster trapping. As mentioned several times before, the lobster population at Necker Island seems to be smaller than Maro Reef. Today this was evident when at one point we had pulled up more Grey Tipped Reef Sharks than lobsters. It was neck and neck with 20 apiece. I think at the end of the day we had more sharks. (As I am writing this the lab is finishing up the data). Some of the area where we were sampling is a sand bottom which is not the best habitat for the lobsters, so we pulled mostly hermit crabs and sharks out of the traps. That is not to say we did not catch any lobster. We caught a few Chinese slipper and a few spiny. The spiny that we did catch were large adults, with no juveniles. There were several times that we would have an entire string of traps without any lobsters.
The number of sharks did surprise me and at first I was hesitant to handle the sharks, but the other cracker, Matt, showed me the proper way to get a shark out of the trap. I had to first grab the shark behind the head, near the gills and then grab near the tail. One has to grab the head first because a shark does not like to be grabbed as one could imagine and if the head is not grabbed first, it will bite you. After I fumbled the first two, I had enough courage and the ability to take sharks out of the traps on my own. At one point when I was taking a shark out I was called the “Shark Whisperer”. By my estimate, I pulled 12 sharks out of the traps and tossed them overboard. There were a few times when we would have 2 very large sharks in a trap. I have to wonder what would drive such a large animal into such a small space, for so little food. Is the natural drive for food so strong in sharks that they would squeeze themselves into such a small space?
Many grey tipped sharks were brought aboard during the lobster trapping.
There were also a few eels, Conger eels to be exact and these eels do not have the teeth or the mean disposition of the moray eels. I did not know this at first, so the first time Matt tried to pick up a Conger eel and it slid out of his hands and ended up coming right at me! I was standing on the table in about 2 seconds, I didn’t know it wasn’t going to bite me. The crew got a good laugh at me standing on the table. Eventually, I had the nerve to pick up the eels and was able to remove the last eel of the day and toss it over the side of the ship safely.
We have only 5 days left, 3 of these will be trapping. I am glad to be back to work. The six days we were down were fun at first, but by Thursday I was getting cabin fever or boat fever. I am looking forward to the 3 days of work. I will be a cracker again tomorrow, runner, and my last day I will be a stacker.
NOAA Teacher at Sea
Maggie Flanagan
Onboard NOAA Ship Oscar Elton Sette June 12 – July 12, 2007
Mission: Lobster Survey Geographical Area: Pacific Ocean; Necker Island Date: July 7, 2007
A turkeyfish and white spotted toby found in lobster traps.
Science and Technology Log – Bycatch
Though spiny and slipper lobsters are our target species for sampling, many other interesting creatures are interested in our bait, and wind up in our traps. Some of the smaller creatures spend a little time in our on board aquarium for observation and acclimation. These fish are upside down because their swim bladders, which regulate buoyancy in the ocean, have not yet adjusted to the surface (barotrauma). They wouldn’t survive if they were immediately released. The turkeyfish, aka Hawaiian lionfish, Dendrochirus barberi, is red/orange with large fins. It has venomous spines in its dorsal (back) fin, and will lunge pointing them at a threat. We used a net instead of gloves to observe this one. This fish in known to enjoy a meaty diet, eating other smaller fish. The Hawaiian white spotted toby, Canthigaster jactator, is a sharp nose puffer, brown with white spots. This toby is endemic to Hawaii, found naturally only in Hawaii. These fish can make themselves swell in size to ward off predators by filling their stomachs with water. They carry a toxin in their skin, which can harm other aquarium creatures if released.
Swimming crab (Charybdis paucideutis) and hermit crab (Dardanus brachyops)
The red figure in the background of the above photo is a sea hare, Aplysioidea, aka sea slug. These invertebrates are hermaphroditic, carrying both male and female sex organs. We also encounter a variety of crabs with a variety of adaptations. Hermit Crabs, Dardanus, have been the most numerous in our traps, and there are reported to be up to 2000 species of hermit crabs world-wide. They take over the shells of marine snails and keep their soft abdomens tucked inside. Many of the hermit crabs we’ve found in the North West Hawaiian Islands take protection even one step further – they keep anemones on their shells. The anemones eject bubble-gum-pink stinging threads called acontia when threatened. We wear gloves when handling the crabs to protect ourselves. Scientists have discovered that the anemones don’t live on the shells when the snail is alive, and that hermit crabs will actually move their anemones from shell to shell as they move to new shell homes. They figure that the anemones benefit from mobility with the crab and from food particles spread by the hermit crabs as they rip and shred.
Swimming Crabs, Charybdis, are the most aggressive crab in the trap. In both body and behavior they’re similar to the blue claw crabs of my home waters, so I was prepared for their quick attempts to pinch and slice my fingers. Their last pair of legs is oval like a paddle – perfect for swimming. On board, we call the box crab, Calappa calappa, the Vader crab. Its claws fold perfectly into its oval body, making it look like the face mask of that notorious space villain. These crabs can be mean too; those wide claws are powerful and help the crab eat mollusks. Imagine how well camouflaged it is folded up down in the sand.
A box crab (Calappa calappa), a.k.a., the Vader crab
Personal Log
During our lobster survey work, we catalogue the other animals that also get in the traps, and release them as healthy as possible. The creatures that you catch unintentionally are generally called bycatch. A current issue in commercial fishing is animals killed and wasted because they’re caught as bycatch, and not sold or eaten. Many times they’re dumped back in the sea dead. It’s a complicated issue on a global scale considering the definitions of what makes bycatch, all the different kinds of fishing gear, the variety of marine ecosystems, applications of technology, and the multiple political and economic groups involved. There are many figures being reported, from 30% to over 50% of the take winding up as wasted bycatch, or perhaps 28 million metric tons world-wide. But, statistics on this topic are difficult to determine, which makes solving the problem even more difficult. Technology has innovated some fishing gear which particularly reduces the bycatch of sea turtles and marine mammals, and recent focus on bycatch by type of fish and type of gear may inspire more solutions to this serious problem.
The reflection of NOAA Teacher at Sea Chris Monsour can be seen in one of the monuments to The Battle of Midway.
Science and Technology Log
I have decided to just combine the logs because we have not had a chance to do any lobster trapping in the past seven days and really have not done a lot of science. I have seen a lot science and ecology in action, but I have not participated in doing any research, so no science log today. Last night at about 1:00 a.m., I watched as the air ambulance took off from Midway. I had the chance to ride in the ambulance to the airstrip and help with the final transport of the injured researcher. Watching the plane take off was the culmination of my unexpected visit to Midway Atoll. I must say, that I feel very fortunate to have had the opportunity to visit Midway and take in some of the history and nature of the island. I spent the two days here relaxing on the beach, observing several thousand Laysan albatross, and just exploring a remarkable island. So this log will focus on Midway. Most the information comes from the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands Multi-Agency Education project.
Midway Atoll is a circular-shaped atoll with three small islets (Sand, Eastern, and Spit) on the southern end of the lagoon. Midway is probably the best known location within the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. While the land area only covers about 1535 acres, the atoll has approximately 85,929 acres of reef.
NOAA Teacher at Sea Chris Monsour captured a Fairy Tern displaying its wings during his trip to Midway Atoll.
During World War II, Midway served as an important naval air station and submarine refit base. The atoll was attacked twice, first on December 7th 1941, and again during the pivotal Battle of Midway, June 4th-6th 1942. A successful American intelligence operation tipped the U.S. forces to the planned attack, and a small U.S. task force was able to surprise and defeat the Japanese invasion fleet bound for the atoll. Many interpret this battle as the watershed moment in the tide of the Pacific War. Though the major carrier-based actions took place to the north, a fierce air battle was waged above and on Sand and Eastern Islands. The atoll was designated as the National Memorial to the Battle of Midway in 2000. Nearly two million birds of 19 species nest at Midway. The atoll has the largest Laysan albatross (also called goonie birds) colony in the world. Other birds include black-footed albatross, red-tailed tropicbirds, white terns, black and brown noddies, shearwaters, and Bonin petrels. The waters abound with dolphins, monk seals, and green sea turtles. More than 250 species of fish live in its waters, including hapu`upu`u, ulua (jack), kumu (goatfish), and sharks. Beyond the reefs are pelagic fishes such as tuna and marlin.
Chris Monsour captured this photo of several Laysan Albatross resting on Sand Island at Midway Atoll.
In 1996 the once strategic naval base was turned over to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to be managed as Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge. A massive U.S. Navy clean up prior to their departure removed tons of debris, leaky fuel tanks, and lead paint, as well as rats. Today a fulltime Refuge staff administers a small visitor program, cares for its wildlife, restores native plant life, and protects historic resources.
It would be hard to not mention the Laysan Albatross when not mentioning Midway. Over seventy percent of the world’s population nests at Midway. In 1996, about 387,854 breeding pairs of Laysan Albatross nested on all three Albatross currently on the island, he stated around 400,000 breeding pairs. We just happened to be at Midway when the chicks were beginning to fledge. To get around on the island was at times difficult because the birds would not move when approached. At times the streets were full of adults and chicks and one had to zigzag through the sea of birds. As one passes by an albatross and gets to close, it will snap. It was nothing for me to be walking to the North Beach and have a hundred of these birds snapping at me. I have never seen the Alfred Hitchcock movie “The Birds”, but it was referenced several times as we made our way through the island. It was especially eerie at night because it gets very dark on Midway and I forgot to bring a flashlight with me on the second night. I walked along the beach back to the ship because I knew if I followed the roads back, I might step on an albatross.
Overall, I enjoyed the time at Midway Atoll. We are currently on course back to Necker Island. We’ll have four more days of trapping, and then we’ll depart for Pearl Harbor.
Aloha… Chris
NOAA Ship OSCAR ELTON SETTE is dwarfed by one of the huge fuel tanks on Sand Island at Midway Atoll.
Third week at sea and the course of the rest of the trip is still up in the air. We are currently on our way to Midway. As you may know, Midway was an important sea battle during WWII and an important victory for the Allies in the Pacific Theater (I know this is supposed to be a science log, but history is just as important). Yesterday we picked up two researchers from the island of Lisianski (see below). We traveled from Necker Island to Lisianski, then off to Midway. The Northwest Hawaiian Islands Education Project had some good information about Lasianski Island. Lisianski Island is 1.5 square kilometers (381 acres), about the size of Honolulu. Its highest point is a sand dune about 40 feet above sea level. Though the island is small, the reef area to the southeast, called Neva Shoals, is huge, covering 979 square kilometers (241,916 acres), an area nearly the size of O`ahu.
This map was part on an article found in the June 14th, 2006 edition of the New York Times.
A ship picking up survivors of a shipwreck introduced mice to the island in 1844. Rabbits were introduced later, and along with mice, they devastated the island’s ecology and are believed to have caused the demise of the Laysan rail. Feather collecting began on Lisianski about 1904. In response to public outcry about the feather trade, Theodore Roosevelt established the Hawaiian Island Bird Reservation, which included Lisianski, in 1909. An armed party landed on the island in 1910.
Chris Monsour takes in the sand and sun
They arrested feather poachers and confiscated and destroyed about 1.4 tons of feathers, representing 140,400 birds. Today, Hawaiian monk seals and green sea turtles are common visitors to Lisianski’s sandy white beaches. Migratory shorebirds seen on the island include the kolea (golden plover), ulili (wandering tattler), and kioea (bristle-thighed curlew). Nearly three-fourths of the Bonin petrels nesting in Hawai`i make this island their home. In some years, more than a million sooty terns visit Lisianski.
An Albatross preens its young. Lisianski Island is an important nesting area for the Albatross as well as other seabirds.
The Hawaiian Monk Seal is an endangered marine mammal that is endemic to the warm, clear waters of the Hawaiian Islands. `Ilioholo-i-ka-uaua is how it is known to the indigenous people of Hawaii. The Monk Seal gets its common name from its round head covered with short hairs, giving it the appearance of a medieval friar. The name may also reflect the fact that the Hawaiian Monk Seal lives a more solitary existence, in comparison with other seals that in places collect in large colonies.
Chris Monsour captures this mother Monk Seal with her cub during a visit to Lisianski Island.
Science and Technology Log – Setting and Hauling Traps
Maggie Flanagan, scientists, and ship’s crew work together to set lobster traps
We’ve worked a lot with lobster traps by now, and I’ve had the chance to try every part of the job. The science crew works closely with the experienced fisherman of the ship’s crew – it takes teamwork! We take turns preparing bait in the early morning. Thawed mackerel are sliced twice through the middle – be sure to expose the guts which release fluids and oils that are especially attractive to our targets. Later, the traps are set in strings of 8 or 20. Historic data is based on strings of 8, which is why they’re still used even though experience has shown labor is more effective with strings of 20. The traps are all clipped to a gangion, a short line that is spliced (woven) into the length of the ground line (main line of the string) at 20 fathoms (120 feet) apart. Buoys are clipped in at one end for strings of 8 and at both ends for strings of 20. A little entertainment comes from the fun names on our buoys which are called out over the radio – Big Momma, 8-ball, Spifferino, Easy Target. Sadly, we lost the 8-ball float, which is the only gear we’ve lost so far. Setting baited traps happens from the fantail, or aft working deck, of the ship. The stackers (scientists on trap duty) lift and shuffle the traps up to the diamond plate (steel non-slip) at the very stern of the ship. A large pallet tub of our line waits there, with eye splices (loops) for attaching gear carefully stacked on a small pipe, keeping the loops ready, in order, and clear from the many coils of line in the tub. The crew clips a buoy or a trap to a gangion and carefully sends it off the stern. After beginning the string, the traps slide off on their own with the momentum of the line paying out.
Hauling back lobster traps in the pit aboard OSCAR ELTON SETTE
Everyone has to be careful to not accidentally step in a loop of line and get dragged off too. While the traps are going over another crew member, the heaver, manages the tension on the line by guiding it off the stern with a stick in great sweeping arcs. All the while the Chief Bosun, or supervisor, is in radio communication with the bridge to ensure strings are set at the prescribed depth and location. For our data standards, the traps soak overnight. Hauling back the traps happens in the pit, the low open area along the port side of the ship. The officer at the sticks (steering) operates from a side wing of the bridge, and the Chief Bosun operates the pot hauler, a wheel at the top of a tall J frame that helps pull in the line. As the bridge maneuvers close up to the buoy, a crew member throws the messenger (a 4 pronged type hook) to catch the buoy warp (rope). Once the crew pulls in and unclips the buoy, the ground line is led through the pot hauler, and with a steady hiss the traps are brought up. The pot hauler pauses briefly for each trap to be unclipped, and they’re slid down a table to the crackers (members of the science party) to open. Pretty quickly you open, remove creatures to a bucket, remove old bait, fill new bait, and close the trap. Everything and everyone in the pit gets wet and splashed with mackerel juice. A bucketeer keeps order of the specimens collected and helps with sharks and eels. A runner brings the specimens and trap out of the pit. Traps are re-stacked on the fantail and specimens go to the Wet Lab, where the intermediary, assistant, and measurer (more members of the science party) work to catalog them. Overhead, the ground line runs through fair leads (hanging metal circles) back to the pallet tubs on the fantail, where another crew member coils the line back in and stacks the gangion eyes in order.
The lobsters can surprise you with powerful snaps of their tails. The assistant has to hold them firmly while the measurer uses a digital caliper to find the length of the carapace (back of the shell) in millimeters. On certain females, we also measure the exopod part of the first left pleopod (appendages under the tail), which can indicate level of maturity. Females with eggs, spongy masses of tiny round orange or brown specks under the tail, are said to be berried. We also check the lobsters for PIT tags by waving them in front of a scanner – like electronic checkout at the supermarket. These tags are the same type implanted in pets and if sensed, the scanner shows that lobster’s unique number. After all the specimens have been recorded, or when a tagged lobster needs to go back in the same quadrant, the intermediary does a dump, releasing them. Lobsters are dumped through a special cage lowered on the pot hauler, which is designed to deliver them back to the bottom without exposing them to sharks.
Personal Log
It’s hard to say which job in the lobster survey is my favorite. Cracking open the traps is certainly the center of the action, but quite a wet, messy job. Being the measurer makes you feel closely involved with the scientific process, but keeps you working inside. Stacking empty traps is not as interesting, but happens out in the sun while talking and listening to music. I guess I’m enjoying all the jobs, and certainly learning a lot. Since I began writing, we had to stop our lobster survey for a few days to offer medical assistance to another scientist camping on one of the islands. It wasn’t life threatening, thank goodness, and we’re back to work soon.
An eel that was captured during lobster trapping is held in a can until it can be released.
Science and Technology Log
My science logs will not have as much science for the next few days as there has been a change in plans. NOAA Ship OSCAR ELTON SETTE is currently responding to a medical emergency within the Monument, which may delay operations for six days. I am not sure what our course of action will be, but the circumstance has shown me just how vast these islands are and how I am essentially in a liquid desert. When I look at a map of all the Hawaiian Islands, it does not seem that big, but if placed over a map of the U.S. mainland, the island of Hawai’i would be in Georgia, along the coast, and Kure Atoll would be in the northeast corner of Utah.
I did some research and found that during the winter storms, which bring about quick currents and dangerous waves in shallow waters, juvenile spiny lobsters leave their shallow reef habitat and travel over 30 miles (19 km) to a deep reef habitat where they will live for their adult life. Spiny lobsters line up in single file when they migrate or move to another area, touching their antennae to the tail of the lobster in front of them. As many as 100,000 lobsters will get in this line, which is thought to look like one long eel or snake. If the lobsters are attacked, they gather in a circle with their tails pointing inward, displaying all of their spines outward. For the science part of this log I will highlight two of the juvenile spiny lobster predators. Essentially, everything is connected out here, and what happens to one eventually will happen to the other.
Hapu’u, a predator of the spiny lobster, caught during bottom fishing
One predator of juvenile spiny lobsters is the eel. The three species of eels that I have seen are the conger eel, lemonhead eel, and the steiny eel. Most often these eels have been in the traps and are regarded with much disdain when the traps are opened. The lemonhead and the steiny are moray eels while the conger is in its own group. Moray eels are numerous in Hawaii, found in holes and under large rocks during the day. They usually hunt in the open under cover of night but will during the day if the opportunity arises. Morays have thick leathery skin that envelops the continuous marginal fin and lack pectoral fins. Morays are rarely consumed by humans since they are likely to cause ciguatera poisoning, a serious neurological condition that can be contracted by eating certain kinds of reef fish.
The two Morays, the lemonhead and steiny attain about 3 feet. I have seen both species at varying lengths and they have an aggressive demeanor. Today one fell on deck as we were removing it from a trap and we were all glad to see it go over board on its own. The conger eels have smooth scaleless skin, large pectoral fins, and the continuous marginal fin rays are easily visible. They are much less common than moray eels in Hawaii. The generic Hawaiian name for eels is Puhi. Another predator of juvenile spiny lobster is the hapu’u, also called the Hawaiian grouper. Groupers are bottom fish, lying in wait near the ocean floor to ambush passing fish or invertebrates. When a likely meal gets close, the grouper opens its expandable mouth and inhales, sucking in both water and prey. As you might suspect, this action takes place with lightning-strike efficiency.
Chris Monsour captured this image: Galapagos shark during a feeding frenzy. These followers of the ship are one of the reasons that swimming is not permitted.
Personal Log
As mentioned earlier with the change in plans, I will have a lot more time on my hands and will have to find other activities on the ship until we resume operations. We’ll return to Necker Island as soon as we can and begin setting traps. We did not put fresh bait in the traps and we secured all of our equipment on deck. For the next few days I will have time to review some of the data with the scientists, research the other animals we’ve collected, read more books and watch some movies. I have read five books so far and in reality, what else would I be doing? I just wish we could get in the water, but there is this little problem, sharks. The sharks follow the ship at times and I am sure they would love to snack on human if given the chance.
Did You Know?
1. Lobsters can cast off a leg if a predator bites it. This strategy helps to prevent the lobster from getting an infection in a bite wound and it is better to lose a leg than a life.
2. Spiny lobsters produce noises to warn other lobsters to stay out of their territory. They rub the hard area at the bottom of their antennae against ridges on their head. It makes a grating noise that warns others to stay away.
Bluestriped snapper that was caught off of Necker Island. This species has become a nuisance since introduced to the Hawaiian Islands.
Science and Technology Log
Today we hauled our first set of lobster traps at Necker Island. I must say the Chief Scientist was right when he said there would be less lobster here. I think we may have caught 25 lobsters out of 160 traps. Very disappointing numbers, less than one lobster per trap. It is possible that the traps were in too deep of water and the substrate being sand made conditions unfavorable. We will be here for 13 more days or for 13 more sets, depending on how you want to look at it. A majority of what we caught today were different types of crustaceans and bluestriped snapper.
The bluestriped snapper is a non-native species that was brought to Hawaii from French Polynesia in the 1950’s. The fish’s native distribution is the Indo-Pacific from east Africa – Tuamotus; north to southern Japan; south to New Caledonia. The fish was brought to Hawaii to fill a vacant niche in the reef community, a shallow water snapper. The bluestriped snapper does not have a good reputation. In Hawaii, the bluestriped snapper share the same habitat with native fishes and this may result in competition for habitat use and food sources. Evidence has been documented which suggests that bluestriped snapper may displace native fish from important refuge habitat. However this remains a controversial topic and more research investigating the ecological niche of L. kasmira is needed. From what I saw today though, the most common fish brought up from the traps was the bluestriped snapper.
Chris Monsour holds up an example of a sponge crab that was captured off Necker Island.
When I searched the internet for “bluestriped snapper” and “Hawaii”, I found that many of the links discussed the fish as being a great aquarium fish and really no other use. Yes, I will admit the fish are great to look at, but what will be the future impact? The discussion of the bluestriped snapper led into the problems which exists in Lake Erie with the invasive round gobi, zebra mussel, and purple loosestrife. The main difference here in Hawaii is that this species was introduced intentionally and the impact is yet to be seen. Granted, it has been over 50 years since the bluestriped snapper was introduced, but most of the people I have talked to on the ship see it as a nuisance and not a threat.
Today, as mentioned earlier, I saw more species of crustaceans, especially crabs. There were two groups that I have been seeing quite a bit and that is hermit crab and sponge crab. Anyone who has explored a tide pool is familiar with the hermit crab. Although an external skeleton like other crabs covers their front parts, their long soft tails are not protected. Hence, they use empty snail shells for protection and are very difficult to remove.
One of the many hermit crabs that was caught during the cruise poses for a picture.
The other species that has really caught my attention is the sleepy sponge crab. The sleepy sponge crab is considered to be the most evolutionary primitive of the true crabs. As I found out, they are very slowing moving and nocturnal. They use their hindmost legs to carry a piece of sponge over its back. The crab uses the sponge for camouflage and within the sponge is living a whole myriad of other organisms like sea stars and forminifera (algae). Unfortunately as I found out, when the sponge comes off the back of the crab, you can’t put it back on.
Personal Log
I was posed this question by the CO (commanding officer) of the ship: What does a Teacher at Sea do on a transit day after a hard week of lobstering at Maro Reef?
Transit days are spent catching up on reading, laundry and rest. I finished up one book and read the first half on another. On Sunday at twilight we had a pyrotechnic display on the fantail of the ship. Essentially we had to get rid of the expired flares, so we had a good time setting them off. Then on Monday before we set the gear, we had four sets of drills which included a quarters escape drill. Right now though, I am glad to see Necker Island, the first land I have seen in a long time (it resembles Abe Lincoln’s profile). So with this I will be posting another log in a few days.
Questions of the Day
1. What type of relationship exists between the sponge crab, the sponge on it’s back , and anything living in the sponge? Commensalism, mutualism, or parasitism?
NOAA Teacher at Sea
Maggie Flanagan
Onboard NOAA Ship Oscar Elton Sette June 12 – July 12, 2007
Mission: Lobster Survey Geographical Area: Pacific Ocean; Necker Island Date: June 26, 2007
NOAA Teacher at Sea, Maggie Flanagan, repairs a trap aboard NOAA Ship OSCAR ELTON SETTE.
Science and Technology Log
We just spent an exciting week setting lobster traps at Maro Reef. Sliced mackerel is our preferred bait, and we scrub the bloody patches that drip to deck every day. We hauled back many lobsters, as well as eels, crabs, urchins, and fish. Shark and Octopus can really break up the traps, and ocean conditions can be hard on the gear, so we make repairs as needed. I was proud to put my sailor skills to work helping to splice new bridles on traps. (Splicing is weaving a line back into itself to create a loop, which is used to attach the trap to a fishing line). In the past week our Commanding Officer, Karl F. Mangels, shared a little history on The Marine National Monument area created out of the Northwest Hawaiian Islands. This status is the most protected, but also complex to initiate. The US Fish and Wildlife Service, NOAA, and the State of Hawaii, among others, have targeted this area for preservation for many years. Recently President Bush moved quickly to legalize the Monument status, but it is taking time to work out the details of regulations and procedures, considering the multiple jurisdictions involved.
Regulations indicate all activities must be approved by permit, including scientific research, and all ships must have vessel monitoring systems. But, access for native Hawaiian cultural activities is preserved as several of the islands are ancient holy sites. Midway Atoll retains special status and will be open to more public visitation. All commercial fishing in the Monument waters will be phased out by 2011, and oil and gas exploration and extraction is prohibited. Having been part of a research crew in the Monument for a week now, I appreciate all these efforts at conservation. There is little dry land surfacing out of the Pacific here, but the bird life and sea life are precious, including rare seals, sea turtles, and albatrosses.
Watch out when there’s an eel in your trap! Most of the local species have sharp teeth, and are quick and eager to use them to gain their freedom.
Personal Log
Working at sea makes me think often of the legacy of sailors before me. Though he was a global voyager, Captain James Cook’s influence is heavily felt in the Pacific. He honed his seamanship skills in the coasting collier (coal cargo) trade in Britain and honed his surveying skills in Canada, helping the British Navy fight the French. He charted the St. Lawrence River and the coast of Newfoundland, but was a surprise choice among his contemporaries for the Pacific voyages due to his lack of noble title and lack of Royal Navy training. His first command aboard Endeavour in 1768 was to observe the transit of Venus viewable from Tahiti. A replica of Endeavour now sails out of Australia, and for $1,000 Aussie you can too! The mission of Cook’s second voyage to the Pacific in 1772 was to “complete the discovery of the Southern Hemisphere.” He took command of Resolution and penetrated the Antarctic circle several times.
Both Endeavour and Resolution were converted North Sea colliers, sturdy vessels familiar to Cook from his merchant marine experience. For the third voyage, Resolution also carried the latest equipment, including a Gregory Azimuth Compass, apparatus for distilling fresh water from seawater, and a new five inch marine chronometer, the K1, by Larcum Kendall. The chronometer provided for even better chart making as it was easier to use than lunar measurements and proved more accurate for finding longitude. In 1778, sailing to find a northwest passage between the Atlantic and Pacific, Cook encountered the Hawaiian Islands. Natives were friendly to the Captain and his crew, and when Resolution’s foremast cracked badly in February 1779, they returned to Kealakekua Bay on the big island of Hawaii to down rig the mast and float it to the beach for repairs. Misunderstandings developed as from both sides, resources were taken and tempers flared.
When Cook went ashore with marines to seek settlement, a crowd gathered and became aggressive. Cook shot a Hawaiian, and in the retreat to the bay, Cook was clubbed and stabbed from behind, dying in the surf. Two other important figures were also witnesses that day in Kealakekua Bay. William Bligh of Bounty infamy was one of the ship’s officers, and Kamehameha, who unified the islands to become the first King of Hawaii, was nobility of the village ashore. Cook left quite a legacy of knowledge with his charts and logs, and a legacy of British influence around the globe. He accomplished surveys of the Pacific from Australia to Alaska. Resolution’s officers demanded Cook’s body be returned, but it came back as pieces of bone and flesh, which were buried at sea. There is a monument to Captain Cook in the form of an obelisk on Kealakekua Bay, and it’s curious to think that perhaps missing parts of his remains are buried there. Interestingly, that little part of Hawaii is technically British soil even to this day. Now, Kealakekua Bay is also a Marine Life Conservation District filled with coral, schools of tropical fish, and even spinner dolphins – another legacy this historic site can offer for the future.
Chris Monsour is all smiles as he pulls up two Ehu during his first bottom fishing experience.
Science and Technology Log
Today was our last day at Maro Reef and now we are making the 36-hour trip to Necker Island 350 miles to the east southeast. We finished up trapping today early as the number of lobsters collected was greatly reduced by the time we got to the sets of 20’s. I had the job of assisting in the lab today. I would collect the lobsters from the buckets, identify the sex, and then hold in place so they could be measured. In the morning, we collected a lot of slipper lobsters, sometimes as many as 19 or 20 in a trap. There were some spiny, but not nearly as many as the slipper. After lunch we collected the sets of 20 and found quite a difference. Instead of lobsters, we were collecting hermit crabs, spider crabs, sea anemone, and other types of crabs. The differences may have to do with the sandy bottom or the greater deep of the traps. I have tomorrow off to do whatever, which may include finishing up the book I started 8 days ago.
In this log I am going to talk about bottom fishing, which is one of the activities we get to do during the evening. Bottom fishing is the name given to line-fishing with baited hooks on or very close to the sea bottom. This is a fishing method, which catches predatory fish that feed on bottom-living crustaceans, fish, etc. One or more hooks may be used. Deep-bottom fishing has been known for many years in the Pacific region, and has been practiced for generations in some of the remote island communities of the Pacific. In the old days fishing was carried out from paddling canoes using gear made from locally-available materials, and was a challenge to even the most experienced fisherman. We however have the luxury of modern bottom fishing gear such as a winch to help bring up our catch.
One of the reasons for the popularity in the fish that are caught by bottom fishing is the species caught never carry ciguatera fish poisoning. This is a type of natural toxicity, which originates from reef and lagoon fish that feed on toxic reef algae. Ciguatera fish poisoning causes illness and makes the affected person unable to eat seafood for a long time. The possible presence of ciguatera is a major cause of concern for many consumers of reef and lagoon fish. The fact that it never occurs in deepwater fish, due to their diet, makes these fish all the more valuable. Some of the fish we have caught include Ehu, Uku, Opakapaka, Kahala, Butaguchi and Gindai. (have fun pronouncing these).
Deep-bottom fishing gear can be made from a range of materials, but the basic structure is generally the same:
a mainline, several hundred meters long, to lower the hooks to the bottom.
a terminal rig, usually 2–5 m in length, with attachment points for the mainline, several hooks, and a sinker. The terminal rig can be made of nylon, or steel cable to resist cutting by the sharp teeth of fish or rough rocks and corals on the sea floor. The attachment points may be loops made on the ends of the terminal rig and at intervals along its length, or may be swivels knotted or crimped into the rig.
several hooks, each fixed to a short trace , which can be connected to or disconnected from the attachment points along the terminal rig. This allows the traces to be changed quickly and easily when damaged or when the size of the fish being caught calls for smaller or larger hooks.
a heavy sinker, 0.5–2 kg in weight depending on the strength of the current, to get the rig down to the bottom quickly. I do enjoy the bottom fishing and to date I have caught 3 bottom fish, 1 Kahala and 2 Ehu. In fact I have the record on the boat for the largest Ehu at 54.6 centimeters!
Chris Monsour holds up two fish caught during bottom fishing; Ehu (left) and Uku (right).
Personal Log
I am glad to have tomorrow off so to speak. It will be good to sleep in and catch up on all the e-mails I have gotten. As mentioned before, Necker Island in the past has been slow because of its proximity to the inhabited islands. The bottom fish we are collecting are being used to get an idea of the health of the reefs. During the processing of the fish, we collect weight, length, gonads, liver, fin, and bones from the skull. Ryan is collecting these for his research. It is a very interesting process and bloody one too.
Animals Seen Today
Spiny lobster, Slipper lobster, Ridgeback lobster (type of spiny), Sea anemone, Hermit Crab, and Spider Crab.
Questions of the Day
What can we learn from Hawaiian values and practices to guide our interactions with the land and sea today?
What can we do to help restore declining fish populations?
A juvenile spiny lobster is a welcome sign on the board OSCAR ELTON SETTE. This was the smallest spiny lobster caught to date.
Science and Technology Log
We have been trapping for 5 days now and I have been the cracker twice, runner, and setter twice. The days are going by very quick and I find it harder and harder to write because by the time I get done, I am exhausted and then it is time to bottom fish. We have been having good days in terms of the number of lobsters we are collecting and returning. Just by what I have seen, the slipper lobster is the most numerous and I really can’t seem to find the answer to why. I do know that I would rather tangle with a slipper lobster than a spiny. The focus of this log will be on the spiny lobster and what makes it such an interesting organism. As with most lobsters, the spiny lobster is important in the reef community. I have learned that the spiny lobsters are usually found under ledges or in caves with only their antennae sticking out. The term stridulation comes from the lobster’s ability to rub its antennae to warn other animals away. I finally understand why we are setting the traps at night. Lobsters remain in their shelters during the day and emerge at night to forage over the reef and in our case for mackerel within the traps.
Chris Monsour captured this image of spiny and slipper lobsters waiting to be processed. All of the lobsters were released near the spot where they were captured.
The spiny lobster does not have the large chelipeds that the Maine lobster has. The first thing I asked about was what do we do about the crusher and pincher (terms used to describe the front appendages of Maine lobster and crayfish). The spiny lobster does not have them; instead they have the spines that point forward that cover their antennae and dorsal surface. During the reproductive period, which occurs during summer, male lobsters seek out females. The males attach a sticky packet of sperm near the female’s reproductive opening and her eggs are fertilized as they leave her body. The female attaches the fertilized eggs to the delicate limbs on the underside of her abdomen. She aerates the developing embryos by fanning her abdominal limbs through the water. Females with eggs are called “berried” females because the eggs resemble tiny, reddish or blackish berries. The embryos hatch months later and take up life in the plankton as wafer-thin phyllosome larvae. The larvae spend up to 9 months in the plankton before settling out to begin life on the bottom.
As I have found through discussion with members of the crew, spiny lobsters are a popular food item in Hawaii. Just as we have been doing, the commercial fishermen catch them using baited wire traps set on the seafloor. Recreational fishermen, scuba divers, and snorkelers around the main Hawaiian Islands can only capture lobsters by hand (no nets or spears are allowed), and because of the long reproductive period, it is illegal to catch spiny lobsters during the summer months (May through August). Females with eggs are protected throughout the year.
Chris Monsour holds up a Grey Reef Shark that was caught during the lobster cruise. Stomach contents will be used to further understand what occurs on the Maro Reef. Two of Chris’ shipmates show their excitement over Chris’s first shark encounter.
Personal Log
As mentioned earlier I am worn out by the end of the day, but it is nice that I have gotten into a routine. We have 2 more days left here at Maro Reef then it is onto Necker Island for 2 weeks. I have been told that Necker Island is not as exciting because it was where more of the trapping occurred in the past and so the numbers are not as high. We will see what happens.
Teacher at Sea Chris Monsour, holds up one of the large Uku that was caught. The fish will be used for bottomfish studies.
Science and Technology Log
Yesterday and today were very busy days on board OSCAR ELTON SETTE as we set our first traps, cut bait and then pulled up traps and collected the lobsters, eels, sharks, and whatever else made it into the traps. Yesterday we set 160 traps off of Maro Reef. We set 10 lines of 8 traps and 4 lines of 20 traps. Each trap was assembled and 2 mackerel, which had been cut into thirds, was placed into the baiter. The baiter is a small container within the trap that holds the bait. The bait was cut earlier in the day. I volunteered to cut bait and I spent about an hour slicing and dicing the mackerel. Once the traps were baited we spent about an hour setting the traps. The traps were stacked into groups of fours and I would hand a trap to a fisherman who was standing on the stern and watch as the traps were pushed off into the water. I wish I could say my day was done but there was still a lot to do before tomorrow, including getting more bait.
Every night about 2100, the “crackers” for the next day go into a walk in freezer and pull out 13 boxes of frozen mackerel to thaw. (The term “cracker” comes from the job of opening up the traps when they are pulled out of the water, one has to crack open the lobster trap and pull out whatever is in side.) The next morning I got up at 0545 to cut the bait. The other cracker for the day was Matt and we spent a good hour cutting up the mackerel. I did learn that it is much easier to cut a half frozen mackerel as opposed to a thawed out mackerel. The knives were kind of dull and the mackerel were full of blood and eggs and there were a few times where the mackerel ended up on my shirt. No problems though.
Teacher at Sea Chris Monsour sorts through a trap that was brought up off the Maro Reef.
The processing of pulling up 160 lobster pots takes up the good portion of the day so I will keep it simple. Once the pots are pulled from the water and end up on the deck they first come to the crackers. The crackers open the pots and remove all organisms from inside. Today, this included slipper lobsters, spiny lobsters, eels, sharks, crabs, fish and one octopus. The most difficult had to be the octopus, it just refused to come put and its tentacles stuck to every surface. It took both Matt and me to pry the octopus from the trap. We both tried to avoid the mouth because they do have a beak like structure and neither of us wanted to see if it could remove a finger. The spiny lobsters were also difficult because one, they are covered with spines but are a lot stronger than one would think. They would kick back with their tail and one time my pinky got caught by tail and blood was drawn. The slipper lobsters are easier to handle and taking them out the trap was not a problem because their bodies lack the spines. Most of the lobsters that were pulled out were the slipper lobster, which are also the easiest to handle. The worst part of the job as cracker is constantly being wet and having to dunk my hands in the bait buckets which are full of mackerel blood and organs. The smell of the mackerel has found its way into my shoes, gloves, hair, and skin. I don’t think I will ever be able get rid of it. My job as cracker ended and tomorrow I start as a runner. Everyone who has done this cruise before says cracker is the best job. I guess I will soon find out.
Personal Log
I would be lying if I said I was not tired. The job of cracker is not the hardest job, but when one has his hand in a trap that has eels, sharks, and spiny lobsters in it, it can be stressful. On top of emptying the traps, the old bait has to be removed and new bait placed in, all the while, a new trap is making its way down the table. So after eating dinner at 1630, I am ready to call it a day. By keeping so busy I have not had as much time to sit on the observation deck and look for whales and dolphins, but I have come face to face with some really amazing animals. I am really fascinated by the eels. They are very aggressive and strong animals. I almost had one get real personal with me when I was emptying a lobster pot and the eel had managed to hide on the bottom. As I was picking up spiny lobster, this eel pops it head up by my hand and all I could say was EEL! EEL! Everyone had a good laugh. We ended the day with a feeding frenzy in which all of the old bait is dumped over the side and the Galapagos Shark’s come in. It is an amazing sight to see and to be that close to such a great animal. I am sure there will be many more moments like that to come.
Animals Seen Today
Spiny lobster
Crabs
Slipper lobster
Lemon Head Eel
Galapagos Shark
Uku
Reef Shark
Hermit Crab
Question of the Day
Looking at the food web of The Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument, what would happen if a large predator like the Galapagos Shark was removed? Would there be another animal that could replace it in the web?
Yesterday we entered The Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument (formerly the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands Marine National Monument). I found from talking to the crew it is the largest Marine Protected Area in the world. The new native Hawaiian name, Papahānaumokuākea reflects Hawaiian traditions relating to the birth of the Islands. Papahanaumoku is the goddess who birthed the islands.
I spent most of today on the observation deck above the bridge looking for birds and waiting for French Frigate Shoals to appear on the horizon. A part of our mission was to deliver supplies to Fish and Wildlife personal on Tern Island, which is part of the shoal. Tern Island was formed into a runway to serve as a refueling stop for planes enroute to Midway during World War II. Some of the buildings remain and could be seen with a pair of binoculars.
This image of La Pérouse Pinnacle was taken by Teacher at Sea Chris Monsour as OSCAR ELTON SETTE approached the French Frigate Shoals to deliver supplies.
I found through some investigating that French Frigate Shoals is an open atoll consisting of a large, crescent-shaped reef surrounding numerous small, sandy islets. The first object that stands out as soon as one reaches the shoal is the steep-sided pinnacle that sticks up out of the water. It is the first land I have seen in 3 days so it may not seem like much, but it was a welcome sight. The pinnacle is named “La Pérouse Pinnacle” after Compte de La Pérouse, who visited the atoll in 1786. As I did some research on the shoals I found that in the moonlight the pinnacle so resembled a full-rigged sailing ship that it lured more than one vessel to her doom on the shoals.
On deck we were preparing the tables and traps for tomorrow as we will set traps tomorrow at 1700 (or at 5:00 p.m.) I asked Garrett who has been on this trip 5 times if I could get bait duty first. This consists of taking a Mackerel and making three cuts so that the muscle is exposed to attract the lobsters and any other organism that may venture into the trap. We will then collect the traps at 0800 Sunday morning. We have set up an assembly line on the side of the ship, which consists of several tables end to end. As a trap comes up, the cracker will open up the trap and take out the organisms that made it in and the old bait. The trap is then rebaited and sent toward the back of the ship. The organisms that were collected will be placed in a bucket and sent to the wet lab to be measured and processed. All of the lobsters that are collected will be returned after data such as carapace length are recorded. The lobsters are not just tossed off the side of the boat, but are placed in a special cage and dropped to the bottom. This prevents any predators from eating the lobster before they make it back to the bottom.
Personal Log
The days have been going by pretty quickly. I am ready to do some work though. The major event of the past two days has been the meals and watching movies. The food is excellent so I m sure my plan of losing weight on the trip will not come to be. The good part now is that I have the chance to get to know the people I’m living with a lot better. My roommate Mike is a student at the University in Hawaii and knows a great deal about sharks and I learned quite a bit about the behavior of the shark and especially about some of the sharks we may see. I am learning to tie knots that will not come undone when we have large waves and I got to put on my survival suit for the first time during the abandon ship drill. I hope to have a picture to share of that.
It has become a common sight for Teacher at Sea Chris Monsour to see in the skies large, black birds, hovering lazily in place. This is the frigatebird. The name “frigatebird” calls to mind the sails of ships and, indeed, frigatebirds sail gracefully in the air currents overhead. Their wingspan is some 7.5 feet and their deeply forked scissor-like tails afford them ultimate maneuverability. Their other common name, however, the “man-o’-war” bird, reflects the way in which they use their flying and maneuvering skill. Frigatebirds are pirates who harass incoming birds until the victim is so upset that it disgorges its catch. The frigatebird then drops with amazing speed and plucks the bolus out of the water, or even catches it before it hits.
Animals Seen Today
Terns, Frigate birds, Shearwaters, and Dolphins.
Question of the Day
During World War II what impact might the battles (Midway) that were fought near these islands have had on the ecosystem? Could there still be impact today?
NOAA Teacher at Sea
Maggie Flanagan
Onboard NOAA Ship Oscar Elton Sette June 12 – July 12, 2007
Mission: Lobster Survey Geographical Area: Pacific Ocean; French Frigate Shoals Date: June 15, 2007
An anuenue (Hawaiian for rainbow) at sea
Project Log
NOAA Ship OSCAR ELTON SETTE Call Sign: WTEE
Length: 224 ft.; Beam (width): 43 ft.
Draft (hull depth beneath the water line): 15 ft.
Cruising speed: 10.5 kts.
Displacement tonnage: 2,301 tons
From the ship’s web site – “Dr. Oscar Elton Sette (is regarded) as the father of modern fisheries oceanography in the U.S. He formulated the concept that the “changing ocean” rather than “average ocean conditions” plays key roles in the natural fluctuations of fish stocks and their vulnerability to harvesting. He originated the importance of multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary approaches, including the interrelationships between fisheries, oceanography, and meteorology, to understanding and solving marine fisheries problems. Although he was a man with big ideas and many strengths and capabilities to implement them, Elton was a relatively small-built man who spoke softly. Whatever Elton sought out to do, he did so with vigor, dedication, and determination. Yet, he was notably inclusive, rather than exclusive, and was a firm believer of the power of teamwork to accomplish goals. Dr. Sette was a gifted oral and written communicator. He possessed the wonderful ability to explain complex ideas, concepts, and scientific findings in a pragmatic, concise, straightforward, understandable, and clear manner.”
What a great model for our work!
Our ship was originally designed for another kind of ocean monitoring. She was built for the Navy in Gulfport, MS as a submarine hunter and launched in 1987 as USNS ADVENTUROUS. In 2002 she was transferred to NOAA and commissioned as NOAA Ship OSCAR ELTON SETTE the following year. The vessel was recently homeported at historic Ford Island at the Pearl Harbor Naval Station.
Our mission – marine research by permit in one of our country’s newest preserves, the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument. This area incorporates the North West Hawaiian Islands (NWHI) sanctuary, and is a state/federal partnership. Our activities are part of a yearly effort by NOAA scientists and their University of Hawaii colleagues to record data on spiny and slipper lobster populations. These creatures don’t have the famous claws of the New England lobsters I’m used to, but I understand their tails make for great surf and turf. As other stocks dwindled, lobster taking in the NWHI increased. Around 1989 lobster populations collapsed, and despite restrictions on that fishery, have not recovered well. The scientists aboard are trying to understand and improve this situation.
We’re steaming northwest on our way to our first research area at Maro Reef. Coils of yellow line and stacks of black traps fill the fantail or aft deck. Inside the wet lab, a freezer full of whole mackerel wait to be prepared as bait. Original plans were to collect data from Necker Island first, but this changed as the crew is also delivering fuel and supplies to the Fish and Wildlife Service on Tern Island at French Frigate Shoals. When the time does come, it will be exciting to get the gear wet!
I have been in Hawaii for three days already to acclimate myself to the time change, learn about the job ahead of me, and to get to know the crew. There are 11 members of the scientific crew including myself, all of us with a background in biology formally or informally. Our adventure over the next 30 days will be to visit some of the islands that make up the Hawaiian Archipelago to see how the populations of two species of lobster have changed in the past year. The Northwestern Hawaiian Islands (NWHI) are an uninhabited archipelago that extends 1200 miles across the Central Pacific Ocean. The area supports many marine species including lobsters, bottomfish, and monk seals. The two species of lobster that we will be studying are the slipper lobster and the spiny lobster. Both species of lobster were fished for about 15 years in the waters of the NWHI Six years ago the lobster fishery was closed and data suggests that the populations have not recovered appreciably. The areas where the lobsters will be collected are Maro Reef and Necker Island. One of the interesting facts that I learned from the chief scientist is that the lobsters were not separated when they were collected; they were grouped together as lobster, even though there are major anatomical differences between the two. The data suggests that the slipper lobster population has done better in terms of increased population. I will be doing various jobs over the next four weeks such as baiting the traps, measuring the carapace of the lobsters, and collecting samples for DNA/ genetic research that one of the grad students is working on. Essentially, he will be doing a population genetics study. I have not asked what type of information he is looking for and should do that tomorrow.
Another area that we others in the group will be studying is the bottomfish fishery. Bottomfish are fish that are found at deeper depths and include pink snapper, flower snapper, red snapper, and the Hawaiian snapper. I am not sure how the bottomfish sampling will occur because there is a limit on the number of bottomfish that can be taken because the NWHI was declared a Marine National Monument in June of 2006. With this status new restrictions have now been placed on what can and cannot be done within the Monument. Another question I need to find the answer to is, “What is the difference between a monument and a sanctuary?”
Personal Log
I have spent most of the day getting use to the rocking of the boat and settling into my stateroom, which I am very happy with and should be quite comfortable for the next 30 days. If the beginning of the trip is any prelude to the rest, it will be an amazing experience. I am looking forward to getting to know the rest of the scientific crew and learning from them, just as I hope they learn from me.
Animals Seen Today
Terns, Shearwaters, and Hawaiian Spinner Dolphins.
Question of the Day
What type of interactions might be occurring between the spiny and slipper lobster that could explain the differences in their populations? Is one a generalist/specialist?
Aloha… Chris
A rainbow is seen over Pearl Harbor as the OSCAR ELTON SETTE sets sail for its 30 day mission to survey the lobster population of the NWHI.
NOAA Teacher at Sea
Chris Harvey
Onboard NOAA Ship Oscar Elton Sette June 5 – July 4, 2006
Mission: Lobster Survey Geographical Area: Central Pacific Ocean, Hawaii Date: June 16, 2006
Science and Technology Log
There is talk today that the President has made the Northwest Hawaiian Islands (NWHI) a national monument, whatever that means. Bob informed me this morning and I am inclined to think he is the resident expert on the matter since he has the most riding on the line (i.e., his job is on the line). From my understanding, the NWHI would become like Rocky Mountain National Park or Yosemite National Park, and would be completely off limits to commercial fishing. This would have a HUGE impact on the fishing industry out here, since many companies are awaiting Bob’s findings about whether or not the NWHI can sustain commercial lobster fishing or not.
Regardless of the rumor, we continued work today as normal. So did the trade winds. So too did the swells. I was in a great position as a stacker to watch my fellow scientists cracking the traps against the threat of one breaking wave after another. At one point I thought we would lose Aris, the little one, to a swell that must have been about 15-20 feet from trough to crest. I was relieved to see that he was still cracking away after the water had subsided, and could only laugh at the great luck I had not to be a cracker today! (That said, I think I can sense my waxen wings beginning to melt.)
We finished late again today. And other than fighting the rough seas, nothing much happened. I have taken to watching the swells- as my old man taught me- but from the surfer’s point of view instead of the scientist’s point of view. I anticipate great waves in the distance while everyone else is “ooo-ing” and “awww-ing” at the ones near the ship. And it is always these distant waves that turn out to be trouble. I see the swells in sets, unpredictable of when, except that I know that they will come. And when I see a large face of a wave, I think to myself, its time to start paddling or else I’m going to miss it. But I catch myself, sadly, when I remember that I am on a ship in the middle of the Pacific Ocean where I would not have a chance of catching a wave anyway–there is no bottom for the swells to catch. One hope for me is that someone will catch the waves, when they touch ground and build into beautiful things. Some surfer on the North Shore is doing exactly what I am doing, watching the set and waiting, because the swells I see today will be the surf he rides tomorrow.
Weather Data from the Bridge
Visibility: 10
Wind Direction:90
Wind Speed: 14 knots
Sea Wave Height: 2-4 feet
Swell Wave Height: 5-7 feet
Sea Level Pressure: 1018.8
Cloud Cover: 2/8 Cu, As, Si
Temperature outside: 24.4
Science and Technology Log
At 0500, surveying of the ocean floor was concluded and transit to Honolulu began. Scientists in the lab compiled more data and finished up the survey trip with a benthic habitat map of the French Frigate shoals. There are still a few bits of editing to do on the map and some borders need to be added to the final form, but overall it is complete. Scientist Joyce Miller showed me an overview of the completed work using Fladermouse, or a computer mouse, that gives an onlooker the view a bat would have flying over the map. It is a 3-D view of the map, giving its operator the ability to zoom in on underwater pinnacles, sand waves, and coral reefs from any direction. The contours of the ocean floor were very apparent and Joyce Miller commented that the AHI, new software, etc., enabled the scientists to create the final product much faster; this being the first time they had all the data compiled into map form before the end of a cruise. It was exciting to see all the surveying work put into one picture. With surveying complete for this cruise, and much of the editing done, scientists and crew spent the day doing laundry, finishing up tidbits of work, watching the sunset, etc. The HI’IALAKAI is expected to arrive in the University of Hawaii’s port by 0800, Saturday, April 23, 2005.
Personal Log
I spent the day answering the last of the emails from students, printing off previously completed emails and logs, and snapping pictures of the ship and persons aboard. Scientists showed me completed benthic maps in the lab and I began packing up my things. It has been a terrific experience and I was lucky to be onboard with such hospitable people. I have truly enjoyed my time aboard the HI’IALAKAI and I have learned so much about ships, coral ecosystems, the Hawaiian islands, scientific data collecting, and those people on board this cruise. I’m taking back to my classroom a wealth of resources like maps, charts, a binder of lessons, and many photographs and digital movies to weave into science lessons. But more importantly than those things, I will be bringing back to the classroom real-life enthusiasm for the application of science in the real world. I have experienced first hand, biological ecosystems, weather instruments and measurements, and map making, in a real life context. I want my students to know that life is not a collection of things, but a collection of experiences. I hope this trip (the resources and anecdotal stories I bring back to the classroom) encourages them to explore opportunities as they arise in their own lives. As a teacher, my underlying goal is to teach my students that learning should be a life long adventure! And isn’t that what this trip is really all about? Even with all the pictures I have taken and emails I have written, no one will ever have an experience like I have had on board the HI’IALAKAI. Thank you to NOAA, CO Kuester, Lead Scientist Scott Ferguson, and everyone else I have encountered on this trip!
QUESTION OF THE DAY: There are “rivers” of water in oceans that are called currents. What is name of the current that runs the entire length of the east coast? How does it affect people on the east coast?
ANSWER TO YESTERDAY’s Question: CO Kuester (commanding officer) has given commands for the ship to arrive at the entrance to Honolulu Harbor by 0700 on Saturday, April 23rd. The ship has 260 nautical miles to still cover, and we travel ten knots an hour. 1) How many hours will it take us to reach our destination? 26 hours 2) A nautical mile > a statute mile (mile on land) if…
1 nautical mile (1 knot) = 1.15 statute miles then… 260 knots = 299 statute miles
Weather Data from the Bridge
Visibility: 10
Wind Direction:90
Wind Speed: 14 knots
Sea Wave Height: 2-4 feet
Swell Wave Height: 5-7 feet
Sea Level Pressure: 1018.8
Cloud Cover: 2/8 Cu, As, Si
Temperature outside: 24.4
Science and Technology Log
The HI’IALAKAI continued running survey lines of the ocean floor near Nihoa. Scientists continued grouping together larger swaths of data in the drylab, like pieces of a puzzle emerging from the depths of the ocean. We cruised by Nihoa several times collecting benthic data.
Personal Log
I began the day answering emails from students and teachers. I edited a file of data in the drylab and flitted about taking pictures of people and places on board. The cruise is beginning to wind down, so there isn’t as much to do at this point and no boats are being deployed either. I must admit my stomach is a little upset from the rolling and pitching of the boat. I sleep terribly one night, then like a rock the next.
QUESTION OF THE DAY: CO Kuester (commanding officer) has given commands for the ship to arrive at the entrance to Honolulu Harbor by 0700 on Saturday, April 23rd. The ship has 260 nautical miles to still cover, and we travel ten knots an hour. 1) How many hours will it take us to reach our destination? __________________ 2) A nautical mile > a statute mile (mile on land) if…
(thanks to Lt. Wingate and ENS Jones for help with this question!)
ANSWER TO YESTERDAY’s Question: I have seen many sea creatures around the Northern Hawaiian Islands coral reef ecosystem. Animals such as the whitetip shark, sea turtles, and monk seals. These animals are all living things that eat other living things for energy. In a food web, they are called consumers.
Weather Data from the Bridge
Visibility: 10
Wind Direction:90
Wind Speed: 14 knots
Sea Wave Height: 2-4 feet
Swell Wave Height: 5-7 feet
Sea Level Pressure: 1018.8
Cloud Cover: 2/8 Cu, As, Si
Temperature outside: 24.4
Science and Technology Log
Early before daybreak we arrived at Nihoa island to conduct a CTD cast (conductivity, temperature, and depth measurements). By three o’clock a.m., the HI’IALAKAI began running north/south and east/west survey lines of the ocean floor. The ship continued throughout the day, surveying the ocean floor using the multibeam system for benthic habitat mapping.
Personal Log
The trip is winding down and as the end approaches, I am finishing my interviews with the crew of the HI’IALAKAI. I sent out word that I would take anything that anyone has to give away. Several of the officers and crew have been kind enough to give me CDs of past diving trips, maps, and photographs taken on board that I may have missed. I have been reading some of the weather and ocean resources aboard also. We did have an unexpected visitor aboard today. A four foot Wahu fish was caught on the chief steward’s fishing line and filleted for dinner. Its scales were a silvery blue/green color and it had rows of very sharp teeth. I’ve included pictures of it in this log. I also concluded some interviews with other members of the scientific team. Information on scientists Scott Ferguson, Kyle Hogrefe, Emily Lundblad, Jonathan Weiss, and Rob O’Connor are included in this log.
Lead Scientist Scott Ferguson works for the University of Hawaii and acts as a contract scientist for NOAA. He is originally from Colorado and Tennessee and went to college in Boston. While in high school, he remembers becoming interested in oceanography and also recalls opening a National Geographic Magazine as an adolescent, which contained hand drawn maps of the ocean and may have subsequently planted the seed for his current specialization in benthic habitat mapping. He obtained a degree in biology, specializing in genetics, while an undergraduate student in Boston. His current assignment is based on grant work submitted by a group of scientists to collect data, based on the most available science, about the sea floor in the Northwestern Hawaiian Island chain. The data collected from this trip, which in turn will be made into maps, will be made available to any managers of the various resource management groups (including the Fisheries Department, state agencies, agencies which protect sea turtles, monk seals, etc.). Nautical charts available at this time are inadequate for use for management of resources in the area, so the multibeam sonar and the scientists aboard have been collecting much more detailed data about the ocean floor for these agencies. The information gathered will determine fishing guidelines, etc., and will help determine boundaries for sanctuary designation of this ecological system. Mr. Ferguson finds this career interesting because it is not routine and provides opportunities for problem solving. The tool he uses most is the computer to collect data. He comments that someone interested in this field of science should build knowledge through mathematics courses, computer classes, and be able to express themselves well through written medium. Persons who consistently pay attention to detail and are inquisitive are well suited to this work, according to Mr. Ferguson. Mr. Ferguson and his wife, scientist Joyce Miller, will spend 3-4 months a year on assignment in the Pacific Ocean. As an added side note, he, his wife, and their cat take up permanent residence on a boat when not working in the office or out to sea!
Marine Ecosystem Specialist, Kyle Hogrefe, spoke to me in an earlier log about the Ghost Net Project and marine debris trips he has taken part in. I took the time today to interview him more thoroughly about the work he does. Mr. Hogrefe is originally from Medina, Ohio and obtained an undergraduate degree from the University of Colorado in environmental science. He has worked as a debris specialist, fisheries observer in Alaska, and taken jobs related to data management and mapping to increase his knowledge base. His duties on this cruise involve the deployment and retrieval of oceanographic data platforms. His job is important because these devices collect long term data about ocean currents, temperatures, etc. which may effect populations of aquatic species of plants and animals over time. Mr. Hogrefe comments that the best part of his job involves the sense of adventure, travel, and diving he gets to do. He comments images from childhood watching Jacques Cousteau may have led to his career choice. He will spend roughly 6 months at sea this year and the drawbacks of his career involve time away from friends and family. The tool he uses most often is his brain to make decisions and a physical piece of equipment he utilizes often is a lift bag. Patience and an ability to put personal differences aside while working with colleagues are attributes one should possess; according to Scientist Hogrefe.
GIS (Geography Information Systems) scientist Emily Lundblad is originally from the state of Texas and has a master’s degree in Marine Resource Management. Her interest in mapping was sparked from a guest speaker who spoke at her high school. It is a very math/science oriented field and the computer is her most important tool. She believes the best part of her job is the travel and the ability to see the application of her work. She enjoys going to sea to help collect the data, whereas she would normally just edit and process it. Miss Lundblad will take part in three cruises at sea this year to help collect mapping data. She mentions that her job on land requires normal eight hour days, but time at sea is different , requiring 12 hour shifts.
Sea floor mapping specialist Jonathan Weiss is a Northern Virginia native, originally from Alexandria, and a graduate of William and Mary. His undergraduate degree is in Geology and he received a graduate degree in Marine Geology from the University of Hawaii. He comments that he has always been curious about the earth and its structure and that research on plate tectonics has revolutionized this field of scientific research. His job requires him to work on backscatter to process the imagery data about the sea floor texture and his most important tool is the computer. He encourages anyone interested in this line of work to take lots of math courses and a broad overview of the sciences. He enjoys his first post graduate job because the hours are flexible enough for hobbies (like surfing), his bosses are encouraging, and he works with many people his own age. He will spend roughly four months at sea this year in the field.
Rob O’Connor, GIS specialist, originates from Texas but has spent most of his life in Maui, Hawaii. His educational background includes an undergraduate degree in Geography from the University of Hawaii. He comments that the computer is also his most important tool for his job and that he became interested in aspects of the earth after taking some introductory geography courses in college. His duties include data processing and cartography (map making). The travel is an added benefit for this line of work and Mr. O’Connor adds that a person should possess good interpersonal skills and computer knowledge to be successful in this occupation. This is his first cruise of the year as a GIS specialist.
QUESTION OF THE DAY: I have seen many sea creatures around the Northern Hawaiian Islands coral reef ecosystem. Animals such as the whitetip shark, sea turtles, and monk seals. These animals are all living things that eat other living things for energy. In a food web, they are called _______________________.
ANSWER TO YESTERDAY’s Question: Ms. Fye saw a humpback whale near the starboard side of the ship the other day. It was performing an adaptive behavior. Fill in the blank to find out what adaptation the whale was performing. The movement of an animal from one region to another and back again is called migration.
Weather Data from the Bridge
Visibility: 10
Wind Direction:90
Wind Speed: 14 knots
Sea Wave Height: 2-4 feet
Swell Wave Height: 5-7 feet
Sea Level Pressure: 1018.8
Cloud Cover: 2/8 Cu, As, Si
Temperature outside: 24.4
Ship safety drill
Science and Technology Log
The AHI was once again placed in the water with Joyce Miller and Jeremy Jones aboard to continue running benthic habitat lines around shallow areas in the area of French Frigate Shoals. A wire jumped out of a sheave (pulley) while trying to deploy the AHI. Boatswain O’Connor and other deckhands secured the line, deployed the boat, and went on to repair the sheave. The ship continued to run benthic habitat lines in the area while scientists edited swath data in the drylab. In the wheelhouse, NOAA corps officers continued to plot the ship’s position, using charts and GPS systems. GPS (Global Positioning System) are satellites positioned up in space which provides a map of any place on earth. The system sends out a signal that a receiver (like on top of the ship) captures. At least 3 satellites are used to obtain a map because of time delay and other extraneous factors needed to determine one’s position. The Nobel Tec software, used on the bridge, combines GPS systems with charting to provide a location. GPS alone cannot provide location coordinates, so additional technology is combined with it to provide exact positions on a chart. Fire and Abandon Ship drills were also performed prior lunchtime today. Everyone on board has certain positions to be at and jobs to do in case of emergency. Members of the fire team completely suit up, get out hoses and equipment, etc. The AHI was brought back on board in the late afternoon and TOAD operations continued into the evening.
Personal Log
Today consisted mostly of answering emails from students and interviewing more members of the HI’IALAKAI. The drills broke up the usual routines and the seas picked up towards the evening hours, making it more difficult to travel down the passageways and do simple tasks.
I interviewed some members of the ship on watch in the wheelhouse. They included Executive Officer John Caskey, GVA Jason Kehn, and deckhand/survey technician Jeremy Taylor. XO John Caskey has lived many places including Georgia, North Carolina, and California. He has many duties onboard including administrative tasks like hiring, firing, and paying people on the ship. He has been employed by NOAA for twelve years and after graduating from college with a degree in Marine Biology, traveled to Alaska, to be a Fisheries Observer on a NOAA ship. As a Fisheries Observer, people perform sampling techniques (tallying, tagging, counting) to measure the reproductive and population rates of fish. XO Caskey comments that he has known since he was seven years old that he wanted to have a job centered around marine life because his father was a diver and took him on expeditions under the water. NOAA provides the same pay, benefits, and sights to see as the Navy but caters more to scientific research; which attracted Mr. Caskey to the NOAA corp. The travel is a perk in the job but he says the drawbacks include sea sickness and time away from his growing family. Independence, patience, and good interpersonal skills are attributes a qualified applicant should possess for this type of job because XO Caskey comments that it isn’t an easy lifestyle. The Executive Officer will spend approximately 190 days at sea this year.
GVA Jason Kehn was also interviewed in the wheelhouse. He is originally from Santa Rosa, California but has spent most of his life moving from place to place. He has worked for NOAA for over 3 years on and off, and his title GVA, stands for General Vessel Assistant. His duties include anything associated with working the ship, to include steering the vessel, being a coxswain of the small boats, as well as operating cranes and machinery while aboard. He enjoys the travel associated with the job and has hobbies like recreational diving and photography (which are very compatible to this profession). He would like to learn more about the biological aspects of the work onboard the HI’IALAKAI and he comments that rope is the tool he uses most in his job. Compatibility is a character trait he believes a person needs to possess in order to function in close quarters. GVA Kehn will spend an average of 190 days at sea this year also.
Deckhand Jeremy Taylor is a wage mariner employed by NOAA. His duties include operating machinery on the ship, conducting CTD casts, but he additionally helps out as a survey tech in the drylab of the ship. Taylor has degrees in computer science as well as marine biology. His job is tied to the HI’IALAKAI and he enjoys the views, troubleshooting, and computer work he does out at sea. Mr. Taylor believes a person should be inquisitive and enjoy problem solving to do a job such as this one. The myriad of responsibilities he has everyday makes this job interesting in his opinion and the computer is his most used tool on this research trip.
QUESTION OF THE DAY for my fourth grade students: Using a reference source: 1) List the 3 types of coral reefs. 2) What type of reef is common in Hawaii (and parts of the Caribbean)? 3) What was your reference source?
ANSWER TO YESTERDAY’s Question: Find out more about the giant green sea turtle. List the answers to the sea turtle’s niche: Answers to yesterday’s question are provided by Sai, one of my 4th grade students at Ashburn Elementary. 1) Where does it live? They live mostly in warm and temperate water, also among sea grass. 2) How does it eat (what body parts does it have to aid in eating?) 4 flipper- like appendages with 2 tiny claws on each leg. They also have a hawk like beak. 3) What does it eat? Jellyfish, crabs, shrimp, snail, seaweed, small fish, mollusks, and algae. 4) How does it reproduce? They lay ping-pong sized eggs on land and bury the eggs in the sand. They return to the same beach where they hatched to reproduce again. 5) What resource did you use to find these answers? Enchanted Learning.com and Kids Planet.com
Weather Data from the Bridge
Visibility: 10
Wind Direction:90
Wind Speed: 14 knots
Sea Wave Height: 2-4 feet
Swell Wave Height: 5-7 feet
Sea Level Pressure: 1018.8
Cloud Cover: 2/8 Cu, As, Si
Temperature outside: 24.4
Sea turtles on the beach
Science and Technology Log
The AHI research vessel was launched just prior to eight a.m. this morning with Scientist Joyce Miller and Jeremy Jones aboard. The red and silver sonar boat would continue mapping shallow areas near 23 degrees North and 166 degrees West in the Northern Hawaiian Island chain. The ship resumed running benthic habitat mapping lines also, filling in gaps from previous surveys. Half past noon brought the deployment of several divers to the hull of the ship to determine the installation of the Trackpoint II testing. They dove in adorned with black suits, colorful air tanks, and metal weight belts. It turned out that the Trackpoint II wasn’t installed properly and was off by 15 degrees. That noted, changes were made to computer software to account for the degree change. Another boat trip was organized for the La Perouse Pinnacle area. Coxswain Merlyn Gordon led me, ENS Amy Cox, Scientists Rob O’Connor and Jonathan Weiss out to sea to snorkel the reef ecosystem. Upon approaching La Perouse, it was determined to be too dangerous, so we changed course and swam the reef area near East Island. We returned to the ship a few hours later and the AHI followed suit, and was hoisted out of the water once again. The HI’IALAKAI transited to deeper waters and ship based TOAD operations and Trackpoint II testing carried on once again. Ten p.m. brought about the reoccurrence of shipboard mapping around the outer circumference of French Frigate Shoals using the onboard multibeam sonar system.
Personal Log
I awoke and after the morning ritual of breakfast and shower, I answered emails from students in my fourth grade classroom in Ashburn, VA. I climbed the stairs and passageway to the drylab to check to see if I could be of some assistance editing data. The efficient scientists were caught up on the editing so my services were not needed. I soon found out about an impromptu snorkeling trip and clambered to get ready and join the expedition. The seas were the calmest I had seen yet, so the ride was very smooth across the Pacific towards Perouse Pinnacle (a volcanic rock out cropping that serves as a good landmark in this area). The ocean looked like glass and the sun rays flashed and hit the water like bright diamonds. There was an underlying surge though, which might indicate a coming storm in the next 48 hours (according to sailors onboard).
After nearing Perouse, we could see the waves crashing around the rock, and pressed on for a safer snorkeling environment where we wouldn’t be churned to bits! We approached East Island and could see dark figures grazing the beach. Upon closer inspection, we realized they were not monk seals, but giant green sea turtles basking in the sun. Mating season was upon us, and many of the sea turtles were populating this area to find mates. We snorkeled in four different areas of the reef, being careful not to get near the beach or disturb the coral reef ecosystem. Several sea turtles were curious and encircled our boat, whereas I snapped some good photos.
I finally saw my first Ulua fish, indigenous to this area. The fish had eluded me prior to today and I had been told stories of their aggressive biting behavior. Although quite large, about 3-4 feet, I was told it was small compared to most. It swam around us, but never ATTACKED! It wasn’t nearly as ferocious as the picture the crew on board had painted in my mind. It was a very flat, circular fish with a silver sheen. We saw many school of fish, one of which was bright yellow, and neon green coral. I learned from Coxswain Gordon that some of the clouds above the reef bore a greenish undercast or tint. The color was reflected from the coral below and was an aide in locating reef areas. We returned to the HI’IALAKAI later in the afternoon and I spent the evening conducting some more interviews (which will be included in future logs). The sun and exercise tired me out and I fell asleep as soon as I hit the pillow in my stateroom.
QUESTION OF THE DAY for my fourth grade students: A habitat is the place where an organism lives and grows. Examples include ponds, forests, and a coral reef. A niche is the role an organism plays in its surroundings. A niche includes an animal’s complete way of life–where it lives, how and what it eats, and how it produces. Find out more about the giant green sea turtle. Think about why the turtle is laying on the beach also. List the answer’s to the sea turtle’s niche: 1) Where does it live? 2) How does it eat (what body parts does it have to aid in eating?) 3) What does it eat? (don’t say it eats Ms. Fye:)!! Ugh! 4) How does it reproduce? (Does it give birth to live young, lay eggs, etc?) 5) What resource did you use to find these answers?
ANSWER TO YESTERDAY’s Question: The ocean floor is full of nutrients and food particles resulting from decaying matter settling on the bottom.
Weather Data from the Bridge
Visibility: 10
Wind Direction:90
Wind Speed: 14 knots
Sea Wave Height: 2-4 feet
Swell Wave Height: 5-7 feet
Sea Level Pressure: 1018.8
Cloud Cover: 2/8 Cu, As, Si
Temperature outside: 24.4
Science and Technology Log
Sunrise brought the morning launch of the AHI, Acoustic Habitat Investigator, once again. Scientist Joyce Miller and Jeremy Jones deployed the sonar research boat to 23 degrees 43.6′ N and 166 degrees 15.7′ West to map shallow areas of the ocean bottom. Throughout the morning and mid-afternoon, the ship, HI’IALAKAI, resumed running benthic habitat mapping lines; filling in gaps around the reef from previous runs. Scientists onboard continued editing swaths of sonar data in the computer lab (dry lab). By 1630, the AHI was recovered in the southern work area and lifted back onto the ship using the cranes. Ship based TOAD camera operations began at 1800 as the sun was setting. The TOAD was set down in the water off the aft deck. The camera recorded images as the ship drifted. Images of coral, sand beds, and small fish zipped by on the monitors. Scientist Chojnacki, commented he would email me some of the images at a later date, since we couldn’t capture them any other way at the time. By 2300, TOAD camera operations concluded and the ship resumed benthic mapping around the outer circumference of the French Frigate Shoals.
Personal Log
I awoke from a much calmer night at sea and felt refreshed! The day was spent on the ship, interviewing members of the NOAA corps and crew. I also helped edit pixels of data for the multibeam sonar mapping project ongoing in the dry lab. The following interviews were conducted aboard ship on the bridge:
The four to eight watch shift on the bridge is conducted on a daily basis by Operations Officer Lt. Matt Wingate, ENS Sarah Jones, and ABS Gaetano Maurizio. Lt. Wingate is originally from Connecticut and is the Operations Officer for the HI’IALAKAI. Besides having watch duties on the bridge, he is responsible for collaborating with the lead scientist and CO to act as a go between to establish the P.O.D. (plan of the day) for each day at sea. He posts the P.O.D. around the ship every morning to inform all hands of the day’s activities. His job involves some paperwork handling and coordinating details. He comments that the best part of his job is that it is different everyday, and every cruise has varied goals. He enjoys the variety on the job but does admit being far from friends and family can be a hindrance in this line of work.
Like many other people onboard the ship, the lieutenant has an alternative sleep schedule. He works from four p.m. to eight p.m. as well as four a.m. to eight a.m. everyday. This type of schedule forces a person to sleep during daylight hours in order to get sufficient rest. Mr. Wingate possesses a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering and advises anyone thinking of a career in the NOAA corps (officer division) to obtain a degree in science to meet the requirements. It is also helpful to not get seasick in this field of work! The resources he uses the most for his job are the lead scientist and the computer. He will spend an average or 190 days at sea this year, usually in intervals of 3 weeks at sea and 6 days on land in a one month period. He is the third highest ranking officer aboard the HI’IALAKAI.
Ensign Sarah Jones was also present on watch this afternoon. ENS Jones is originally from Kansas and joined the HI’IALAKAI officers in June of last year. Her undergraduate degree is in meteorology, a perfect fit for the extensive weather data being collected everyday aboard the ship and NOAA’s objectives. Upon entering the NOAA Corps (the nation’s smallest and most elite uniformed division) she was given a three month hands-on course on driving a ship, using radar, Nobel Tec, and other various equipment located on the helm. Her responsibilities while on watch include the equipment on the helm, observing the depth sounders, using paper charts and the Nobel Tec system to see the ship’s course across the Pacific Ocean. She works with the scientists in the survey room (using walkie-talkies) to keep the ship on course, following established survey lines to fill in benthic habitat data needed for the scientific work being conducted onboard. She commented that the perks of her job include the travel and dive training, and the worst part is the occasional sea sickness she suffers from. Patience, situational awareness, and the ability to multi-task are all traits ENS Jones believes someone should embody to perform well at this type of job. Her current assignment will be approximately two years at sea, then a three year land assignment. After accruing years with NOAA she can then decide to go back out to sea or apply for positions in the aviation sector of the organization.
Lastly, I interviewed ABS Gaetano Maurizio. ABS stands for Able Bodied Seaman, which encompasses a myriad of responsibilities. ABS Maurizio originates from Molokai, Hawaii and was in the U.S. Navy prior to his current position at NOAA. He has brought with him knowledge of maritime search and rescue and fire fighting from his previous training in the Navy. His current job encompasses being a coxswain (steering the ship or a Zodiac boat), a deck hand (involved in any aspect on deck, including crane systems), preservation of the ship in emergencies (like fire fighting), and he also occasionally helps the engineering department with tasks as they arise. He comments the pay he receives in this job is encouraging and he enjoys the travel. Drawbacks include being far from friends and family for long periods of time. ABS Gaetano Maurizio reflects on the fact that someone should be mechanically inclined and react quickly to stress or emergencies to perform well at this job.
The ongoing interviews I conduct are helping me to better understand the interdependence between the officers, crew, scientists, and engineers aboard the HI’IALAKAI!
QUESTION OF THE DAY for my fourth grade students: Multiple Choice! The ocean floor is full of nutrients and food particles resulting from___________________. a) tornadoes. b) water currents. c) salt water. d) decaying matter settling on the bottom.
ANSWER TO YESTERDAY’s Question: All living things in an area, together with their environment, is called an ecosystem.
Weather Data from the Bridge
Visibility: 10
Wind Direction:90
Wind Speed: 14 knots
Sea Wave Height: 2-4 feet
Swell Wave Height: 5-7 feet
Sea Level Pressure: 1018.8
Cloud Cover: 2/8 Cu, As, Si
Temperature outside: 24.4
Science and Technology Log
The AHI (Acoustic Habitat Investigator) research boat was once again launched from the decks of the HI’IALAKAI this morning with scientists Joyce Miller, Joe Chojnacki, and Jeremy Jones aboard. They set a course for 23*43.6’N and 166* 15.7’N. Their daily ritual involves mapping the sea floor using multibeam sonar technology (sound waves) in more shallow areas than the ship can pass over. While those persons were out to sea, editing of swath data continued in the onboard computer lab and the lead scientist worked out some data involving conductivity readings. After lunch, the HI#1 10m speedboat was launched from the HI’IALAKAI to shuttle another scientist out to the AHI in a swap. (The AHI is a small research boat and isn’t really suited for more than 3 people at a time). The CO, (Commanding Officer) and other members onboard accompanied scientist Kyle Hogrefe out to check on a buoy nearby and they then went scuba diving at La Perouse Pinnacle.
The ship resumed shipboard mapping throughout the afternoon. Around three o’clock PM, the AHI and HI#1 boats were recovered and brought back on board. Later that afternoon and into the evening, scientist Joe Chojnacki began Trackpoint II testing over the side of the ship. Finally, about seven o’clock p.m. the TOAD was fed on a cable line overboard for preliminary testing. TOAD stands for Towed Optical Assessment Device. Basically, it is two cameras and lights attached to a metal apparatus, which is used to ground proof the acoustic data that has been collected by the sonar systems. To break it down even more simply, the sonar system creates data in number form, about the ocean floor, which is then translated into colorful dots of data and made into a map. The sonar detects different heights of the sea floor, including atolls, pinnacles, and such.
The TOAD is a camera system which records pictures of the ocean floor to reinforce the data collected by the sonar system. The TOAD feeds real time images on film through its cables directly into monitors in the dry lab onboard the HI’IALAKAI. While testing proceeded last night, myself and a few others gathered around to see images on the monitors of the sea floor below us. We saw huge table coral and fish swimming below. Benthic habitat mapping proceeded throughout the night.
Personal Log
I spent most of the day recording weather readings, interviewing three more scientists on board, editing data, and watching video from the aforementioned TOAD system. It was exciting to see the ocean floor teeming with life right below our massive ship.
Joe Chojnacki was interviewed today. He is a graduate student at the University of Hawaii, studying geomorphology. Joe is originally from Wisconsin, but grew up living overseas, the son of two teachers who taught abroad. His main responsibility on this cruise at sea, is to deploy the TOAD (towed optical assessment device) and assist with any diving operations on board. His work is primarily filming underwater to substantiate data being collected by the multibeam systems. He has also done work towboarding, an operation in which two divers are pulled (towed) below the surface to scan the ocean floor for debris or bottom type, for further investigation. He enjoys his job and graduate school work because he gets to help solve the puzzle about underwater geography and he is also getting to learn about other facets of the work, like sonar mapping and data editing. The tools he uses most often are the computer, dive and TOAD equipment, as well GPS systems (global positioning systems). He will attend one cruise out at sea a year while taking classes. Mr. Chojnacki comments that a person well suited for this type of career needs to be willing to take risks and be well motivated because it is a difficult lifestyle and not very well paid. There are no well defined career paths, so one must be willing to take opportunities as they arise, to persevere, and be curious about the things around them.
Sea floor mapping specialist, Alyssa Aaby is also onboard for this cruise. She originates from Portland, Oregon and is enjoying her first post graduate job. Her duties involve editing data collected from the sonar and putting the information together into a map. Alyssa is also learning new tasks, like the onboard mapping involved on the AHI. She has been working in Hawaii since August for HMRG (Hawaii Mapping Research Group), which is supported through grant funding by the University of Hawaii. Ms. Aaby has an educational background in environmental science and a graduate degree in GIS through Oregon State. She believes the best part of her job is getting to learn new tasks, like coming out to sea to help collect data while traveling across the Hawaiian Island chain.
Because she spends a majority of her time in front of a computer, she believes the long stretches of nonhuman interaction in front of the screen can sometimes be a drawback in this type of career. She credits a college advisor for helping her narrow down her career path and she believes that anyone interested in this type of career needs to take the path of a computer programmer in their studies. An ability to take an image and rotate it in your mind is also important. Alyssa works 9-5 hours while in her office on land but will travel to sea 5-6 times this year to visit places like Fiji and Papa New Guinea.
My final interview of the day was with Coral Reef Ecosystems Specialist, Jeremy Jones. Mr. Jones is originally from Indiana but has spent the last four years here in Hawaii. Like Mr. Chojnacki, he has worked as a towboard specialist, and has had jobs working in aquariums, a vet technician, and marine debris specialist. He possesses a bachelor of science degree in marine science and credits a high school library advisor with helping him to narrow down his field for college studies. He believes the travel is the best part of the job, and even as a teenager, he enjoyed studying the stars up above and the ocean down below. He has many responsibilities on this cruise; to include the repair and maintenance of the AHI research vessel, assist in dive operations, as a coxswain (driver of the AHI boat), and he is learning more about the collection and editing of the sonar data. Mr. Jones admits that this type of job has a “hurry up, and wait” mentality about it. In other words, someone who is interested in this type of career needs to understand that you must be flexible, think quickly in times of emergency, have infinite patience, and be a people person. You need to be able to adapt to living in close quarters with other people. Mr. Jones will spend 5-6 months at sea this year.
The interviews I have conducted have made me realize the infinite number of occupations in this area of science and I am looking forward to my future interviews this week.
QUESTION OF THE DAY for my fourth grade students: Multiple choice question! All living things in an area, together with their environment, is called a (an) ________________________. a) marine habitat b) ecosystem c) continental shelf d) gulf stream
ANSWER TO YESTERDAY’s Question: 1)What is the name of the wettest place on earth? (Hint: it somewhere in Hawaii.) Mount Waialeale, Hawaii 2)List the name of the reference source you used (this includes websites remember!) Earth and Environmental Facts book 3)The annual average rainfall of this place is 661 inches a year. How many feet of water is that? about 55 feet How many yards? about 18 and 1/3 yards
Weather Data from the Bridge
Visibility: 10
Wind Direction:90
Wind Speed: 14 knots
Sea Wave Height: 2-4 feet
Swell Wave Height: 5-7 feet
Sea Level Pressure: 1018.8
Cloud Cover: 2/8 Cu, As, Si
Temperature outside: 24.4
Prepping the launch
Science and Technology Log
Today’s operations involved launching the AHI once again, with 3 scientists onboard, to do more benthic habitat mapping around the more shallow areas of the French Frigate Shoals. Mapping operations were cut short early today for a little rest and relaxation for the crew, scientists, and some NOAA corps members. Around two o’clock pm, the AHI was recovered and the ship launched speedboat HI#1 with 7 members of our ship to Tern Island for a barbeque. Tern Island, as mentioned in previous logs, is a bird sanctuary run by the Fisheries Service of the Department of Interior. In has anywhere from 6-14 personnel at a time counting, tagging, and collecting data on reproductive rates of bird species on the island. The scientists and volunteers on Tern Island invited the HI’IALAKAI for some rest and good food, in turn for a tour of the ship. After the first shuttle was launched, it brought back 4 members of Tern Island to take a tour of the ship, and it then turned around and took 10 more of the crew to the barbeque. The shuttle ran all day, some members of the HI’IALAKAI also went fishing instead of visiting Tern.
At Tern Island, a tour was lead by the manager of the sanctuary, and after a feast of hamburgers and hot dogs and the like, we were lead on a snorkeling trip on the north side of the island. We were careful not to disturb the birds, and entered the ocean to snorkel the underwater ecosystem. Other scientists, Corps officers, crew, engineers, and myself, dove below the surface to see several colorful fish, a small whitetip reef shark, sea slugs, sea turtle, and a submerged barge. It was very clear and the inhabitants of the reef ecosystem were easily seen. The last shuttle returned to the ship around 6:30 p.m., and data editing and sonar mapping resumed on board.
Personal Log
After breakfast this morning, I typed logs and answered email. By mid morning, I helped the chief engineer, below deck, do engine room check of all the machinery below. He showed me how to check the temperature readings and gages on the engines and systems. This type of check, is done three times a day to make sure all machinery is running smoothly. Where there were no gauges to be read, Lobo used a Raytek Thermal Sensor gun, to take readings through pipes. Next, I ate lunch and prepared for the trip to Tern Island. I borrowed snorkeling gear from several members of the ship and embarked on another great adventure. I never thought I would have had so many chances to see the underwater ecosystems of the Northern Hawaiian Islands while out to sea. It is wonderful to explore underwater, and it is new and different every time. The water was particularly clear near Tern and I took pictures of things like brain coral. Its name stems from the fact it looks like a brain and it was a bright green color. I also took pictures of the birds, like the albatross, concentrating this time on recording images of their adaptations (like beak shape and feet formation) to use in later lesson plans. It was a wonderful day and the snorkeling thoroughly wore me out by day’s end.
QUESTION OF THE DAY for my fourth grade students: Use a reference source. 1) What is the name of the wettest place on earth? (Hint: it somewhere in Hawaii.) 2)List the name of the reference source you used (this includes websites remember!) 3)The annual average rainfall of this place is 661 inches a year. How many feet of water is that?___ How many yards?____
ANSWER TO YESTERDAY’S Question: If the ship rolls 9 times in one minute in 1-2 foot seas, how many times will it roll in one hour? 9×60=540 times How many times will it roll in one 24 hour period? 24×540=12,960 times! Imagine how many times the ship rolls when there is a storm at sea!
PICTURES OF THE DAY: Ship HI’IALAKAI, Tern Island Bird Adaptations (many of the underwater pictures I am taking cannot be posted at this time because they are on film that hasn’t been processed (not digital)
Weather Data from the Bridge
Visibility: 10 Nautical Miles
Wind Direction:120
Wind Speed:14 knots
Sea Wave Height:1-2 feet
Swell Wave Height: 2-3 feet
Sea Level Pressure: 1017.6
Cloud Cover: 4/8 Cu Clouds
Temperature outside: 25.6 degrees Celsius
Data processing
Science and Technology Log
At approximately 7:45 this morning, the AHI (Acoustic Habitat Investigator), research boat was launched from the side of the ship using the crane system. Three scientists were onboard to continue mapping the ocean floor using the sonar system attached to the bottom of the AHI. This work would take them until four o’clock this afternoon. Meanwhile, back on the HI’IAKALAI, the NOAA officers on board led meetings on safety and concerns, etc. with the crew and department heads.
The meeting lasted over 2 hours and gave the officers, engineers, and crew a chance to discuss problems, vent frustrations, and get routine meetings finished. The scientists were not involved in those meetings so the dry lab was full of scientists processing data from the ship’s onboard sonar system. I helped edit data swaths (lines of data collected about the ocean floor) for several hours. It is interesting to note that the data that is collected from the multibeam sonar systems is information portrayed in number form. Those numbers are then represented on the computers screens as various degrees of color, depending on the depth of the ocean floor. Data is taken out that lies outside the path or swath ( it is as if the ship is “mowing” lines across the ocean to gather because data like noise pollution is sometimes recorded (noise pollution can involve school of fish, etc.).
This day involved many people just sitting in the computer lab using their laptops to combine data into tables and mapping pictures. As the afternoon progressed, the AHI came back to the ship and was hoisted aboard once more by the cranes. CTD (Conductivity, Temperature, and Depth) casts were made twice throughout the day. The ship stopped to put the CTD device in the water and measure for this information. The information was used by scientists to verify their sonar data. Conductivity refers to salinity of the ocean water. The ship continued to run benthic habitat mapping lines all day long.
Underwater pinnacles found by the underwater mapping system
Personal Log
I spent the day in the dry lab (computer lab) for the most part. I edited data for the scientists and interviewed three people on board. I interviewed Commanding Officer Scott Kuester, ENS Amy Cox, and GVA Greg Wells while on their watch on the bridge. Their watch schedule consists of four hour shifts on the bridge, watching the sea, recording weather data, and communicating with all hands about operations on the ship. Commanding Officer (CO) Kuester is originally from Michigan and has been sailing for twenty years. His background involves a degree in U.S. Merchant Marine and he told me if someone is interested in a career in the NOAA Corps, they need to possess a bachelor of science degree. Related fields in calculus and physics are also helpful. CO Keuster has sailed may places including the Indian Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico. All NOAA Corps employees have rotational land and sea assignments and there are 5 NOAA officers aboard this ship. Current assignments aboard this ship last for 2 years and then a land assignment will occur for a few years. The CO has had land assignments in Silver Spring, MD at NOAA headquarters. His overall responsibilities are to stand watch as needed, and he has the responsibility of insuring the safety of the ship and all those onboard, as well as working with the lead scientist to ensure the scientific mission is completed for each cruise. The ship also collects environmental data on the weather at sea, which is used by federal agencies.
Coral ecosystem
CO Keuster gave me an overview of many of intricate devices on the ship’s bridge, including the state of the art radar. I learned new terms like dead reckoning and nautical miles. Commanding Officer Scott Keuster recommended that anyone interested in a career in the NOAA Corps, should use their experience in college to gain more knowledge about computers. Diving knowledge is also helpful. In his opinion, a person for this job needs to adapt easily to stressful situations, know the meaning of teamwork, should be professional, and be able to live amongst others in close quarters.
I also interviewed ENS Amy Cox, the newest Corp officer to the ship, and GVA Greg Wells. ENS Cox is also originally from Michigan, and has training through the NOAA Corps as well as B.S. and B.A. degrees in Chemistry and Zoology. She has worked in Alaska aboard ships for the fisheries department; estimating catch of certain species, and population and reproduction rates of fish in that area. She enjoys her new sea assignment here in Hawaii and as an ESN she is responsible for using charts and GPS to map track lines, collecting weather data, maneuvering the ship, and for ship’s morale (by running the ship store, providing movie selections for broadcast at night, etc.)
GVA (General Vessel Assistant) Greg Wells also spoke to me while on watch. His permanent home is Myrtle Beach, South Carolina and has worked for NOAA for 4 years. His previous occupation was as an EMT in Seattle, Washington. NOAA has provided him with training like Bridge Resource Management and licensing courses. He will spend roughly 200 days at sea this year working for NOAA and while onboard, has responsibilities of driving the boat, operating cranes, machinery, and CTD operations.
It was exciting to stand on the bridge with them at night. The bridge was completely dark except for the glow of the red lights from radar and machinery. The ENS and GVA also went through a series of very ritualized, historic direction language as they maneuvered the ship into mapping lines. The bridge has to be kept dark so that watch standers can see out into the ocean for any changes or danger that lies ahead.
QUESTION OF THE DAY: My cruise along the HI’IAKALAI has been fairly smooth so far, but keep in mind that the ship rocks back and forth (called rolling) all the time. If the seas (waves) were to get rougher the ship would roll port to starboard (left to right) and it might also begin to move up and down, which is called pitching. If the ship rolls 9 times in one minute in 1-2 foot seas, how many times will it roll in one hour? How many times will it roll in one 24 hour period?
ANSWER TO YESTERDAY’s Question: using a reference source find out more about the whitetip reef shark 1) list 3 facts about this shark: usually 5 feet long, diet includes lobster, crab, eels, reef fish cave is used as a habitat 2) list the name of the reference source you used: Sharks of Hawaii by Leighton Taylor 3) draw a food chain for the shark like this example: white tipped reef shark—-(eats)-> eel(eats)—->reef fish
Weather Data from the Bridge
Visibility: 10
Wind Direction:90
Wind Speed: 14 knots
Sea Wave Height: 2-4 feet
Swell Wave Height: 5-7 feet
Sea Level Pressure: 1018.8
Cloud Cover: 2/8 Cu, As, Si
Temperature outside: 24.4
Buoy maintenance
Science and Technology Log
The ship arrived overnight near Tern Island in the Northern Hawaiian Island Chain. The AHI research boat was deployed early this morning again today to continue survey lines with its sonar equipment. Aboard the AHI were scientists Scott Ferguson, Joyce Miller, and Rob O’Connor. They returned to the HI’IAKALAI at approximately 1 PM to trade personnel, swapping Scott and Rob for Scientist Emily Lundblad and Jeremy Jones. The lead scientists are in the process of training the new scientists on how to use the sonar equipment aboard the AHI, and schedule people for half day trips at this time for training.
Meanwhile, back on board the ship, data from the multibeam sonar equipment continued to be edited in the computer lab. The edited swaths of data will then be compiled to form maps of the ocean floor. It’s an ongoing process that will continue until the end of the cruise and back at labs on dry land. Scientist Kyle Ferguson, Joe Chojnacki, Rob O’Connor and I then boarded the HI#1 10m Speedboat, with BGL Keith Lyons in control, to drive out to the CREWS (Coral Reef Early Warning System) buoy that was installed on the reef just east of Tern Island yesterday. The scientists finished anchoring it permanently, using wire cutters and other tools to secure it, then basic plastic ties were added to the top of the buoy, near the measurement equipment, placed sticking up, to keep birds from roosting and defecating all over the buoy, which could make it ineffective for transmitting data through satellite systems.
After completing the task at hand, we were given permission to explore the ecosystem under La Perouse Pinnacle nearby. We snorkeled to discover white tip reef sharks, giant green turtles, chum fish, and coral acropora (table coral) below the water’s surface at the rock outcropping. We returned to the ship some 15 minutes later without incident. While we were gone the ship continued survey lines NW and SE of the French Frigate Shoals and practiced the weekly fire and safety drills.
Exploring the reefs
Personal Log
After breakfast today, I was invited to attend a trip to the CREWs buoy installed yesterday by Scientist Kyle Hogrefe. Plans got changed and we were delayed, not leaving until 1:00. The seas were much calmer than my previous trip on Monday (seas were only 1-2 feet this day) and we boarded the speedboat. When we arrived at the buoy location, the 2 divers worked on securing the line while scientist Rob O’Connor and I looked on and snorkeled around them. The water there was not very deep (maybe 15 feet) but the current made it fairly cloudy, difficult to see through, and I was amazed and how strong the pressure was on your ears as soon as you dove down. You have to be careful when you dive or you can get a bloody nose from diving too deep. I got used to the snorkeling mask and at the end of the work we took turns getting on the CREWS buoy for pictures.
Once back on board the HI#1 speedboat, we were told over the radio that we could go snorkeling at La Perouse Pinnacle, only a couple miles away in the distance. What a great treat! We jumped in and immediately saw a thriving ecosystem below our feet. The underwater current wasn’t nearly as severe in this location and it was almost protected from the rock outcropping towering above. La Perouse Pinnacle is a volcanic rock about 122 feet high and 60 yards long that is used by sailors as a landmark around the atoll. It is nearly inaccessible because it is so steep and rugged and its guano-coated (bird poop coated) outline resembles an old brig ship with billowing sails from a distance.
Mrs. Fye snorkeling
As soon as we dove in we saw 2 white tip reef sharks about 15 feet below. After being reassured they wouldn’t bother us, I got comfortable and snorkeled around! The sharks were no more than about 6 feet in length and just swimming below. There was also a giant green sea turtle resting on the reef below and millions of fish and coral systems. Several rare table coral (coral acropara) were noticed and I took pictures of everything intermingling in this ecosystem. An underwater cave was the main habitat of the shark, and two of the scientists swam in and out to see it. Fish darted in and out and the colors of the coral here were brighter and easier to see because of the lack of strong current. It was a fantastic experience! An adventure I didn’t think I would ever get to do, and was pleasantly surprised! My students wanted to know if I was going to swim with the sharks while on this cruise and now I can tell them I sure did!
QUESTION OF THE DAY for my fourth grade students: The white tipped reef shark was one of the animals I discovered today in the coral reef ecosystem I was snorkeling in. Using a reference source: 1) list 3 facts about this shark 2) list the name of the reference source you used 3) draw a food chain for the shark like this example: white tipped reef shark—-(eats)-> __________–(eats)—->________
ANSWER TO YESTERDAY’S QUESTION (Log 8): A barometer measures sea level pressure. The barometer reading from that log was 1017.9 (high). High pressure brings good weather, low pressure usually indicates a storm. The barometer reading is one of the most important pieces of equipment on the ship’s bridge, and is checked every hour because if the measurements begin to indicate a change, the captain can prepare for a storm coming.
Weather Data from the Bridge
Visibility: 10
Wind Direction:90
Wind Speed: 14 knots
Sea Wave Height: 2-4 feet
Swell Wave Height: 5-7 feet
Sea Level Pressure: 1018.8
Cloud Cover: 2/8 Cu, As, Si
Temperature outside: 24.4
Science and Technology Log
Early before dawn the HI’IAKALAI departed Bank 66 and headed back toward the French Frigate Shoals. Upon reaching the French Frigate Shoals, the AHI research boat was launched. Lead scientist Scott Ferguson, surveyor Jeremy Miller, and scientist Jonathan Weiss clamored aboard the AHI for another day of survey with multibeam sonar equipment fixed to the bottom of the AHI. The AHI can get into the much shallower shoals and atolls to survey the ocean bottom. They surveyed until late in the afternoon near 23 degrees 49.6’North and 166 degrees 18.9′ West. Around 8:30 AM, a second boat, the HI#1 speedboat was deployed towing a CREWS buoy.
Lead scientists for this operation were Kyle Hogrefe and scientist Jeremy Jones, Executive Officer John Caskey, and Joe Chojnacki also accompanied him. This type of buoy is tall and slender and its acronym stands for Coral Reef Early Warning System. One system on board the buoy measures the amount of photosynthesis being made by organisms living in coral in that area of the water. It helps scientists determine if they reef is healthy or not. While on the dive to install the buoy, Jeremy Jones was underneath the buoy to tie it off and a strong current pushed him into the buoy anchor. He soon resurfaced and scrambled to get back in the water because a 9 foot Tiger Shark was seen nearby. He was brought back to the HI’IAKALAI and examined by the Medical Officer’s onboard. Because this work can be dangerous, the ship crew and scientists are always thinking about safety.
Hogrefe and the others returned to the dive operation site to complete the work and to tow in the old CREWS buoy. At 4:45, the AHI research boat returned to the ship and at 5:45 the HI#1 also returned for the night. They were both lifted up on board using a series of cranes. The HI’IAKALAI resumed running benthic habitat mapping lines across deeper parts of the ocean. I spent the day on a guided tour of the ship’s machinery in the engineering department below decks. Lobo Thomala, Chief Engineer, guided me through the masses of generators, compressors, ac units, fire fighting equipment, converters, propulsion units, etc. that make the ship sail. It was interesting to see the main control console, which contained old and new (computerized) versions of controlling the ship. There are several backup ways of steering the ship if the computer systems go down, which would be done manually by the chief engineer in the hull of the ship. The rudder could even be controlled by a system of chains if all else fails. The “brain” of the ship is integrated and controlled by computer systems, and actually some of the systems are DOS, which the chief engineer can read. GE still makes the parts to replace the DOS system so it will remain that way.
Personal Log
After eating breakfast this morning, I sent out my logs and emails to students and other interested parties. I attended a tour of the working parts of the ship, lead by Chief Engineer Lobo Thomala. I was shown the water making unit for our drinking water, air compressors, main control console, port power converter, main propulsion unit, etc. It is very tight quarters down below, which actually rides 16 feet below the water’s surface. For some areas you have to wear protective ear wear because the engine room is so loud. It is also very hot in some areas and very cool, air conditioned in the computer areas of the ship. There is fire fighting equipment in every area. The amount of detailed work and responsibility heaped on the engineers was impressive to see. The Chief Engineer basically controls whether or not the ship sails, and was part of the last graduating class of American Marine Academy in Louisiana. He acts almost as a trainer now, working on a ship, training the other engineers, and moving on to another ship in about a year’s time.
The engineer department on board is actually short handed right now, possessing only 4 engineers, rather than the normal six. They’ve commented that they are a “dying breed” and it is becoming increasingly difficult to fill positions. I also spent the rest of the evening editing swaths of data about the ocean floor bottom for the scientists and I took readings from the bridge and learned how to do the hourly bridge weather with the Operations Officer. Information on the cloud cover, temperature, sea heights, and pressure are measured (listed at the beginning of each log). The night brought on answering emails from students and a newspaper reporter.
QUESTION OF THE DAY for my fourth grade students: One important piece of weather equipment used on the bridge is a barometer and readings are taken from the barometer every hour. What does a barometer measure? From the information listed at the top of this log, does a barometer measure the a) temperature b) cloud cover c) sea level pressure What was the barometric reading for this log?____ What can the barometric pressure tell a sailor about the weather? Think back to low pressure and high pressure warnings…………
Weather Data from the Bridge
Visibility: 10
Wind Direction:90
Wind Speed: 14 knots
Sea Wave Height: 2-4 feet
Swell Wave Height: 5-7 feet
Sea Level Pressure: 1018.8
Cloud Cover: 2/8 Cu, As, Si
Temperature outside: 24.4
Dive expedition at Lincoln’s Head
Science and Technology Log
The plan of the day was to arrive back at Necker Island around 8:00 AM. (We were traveling back forth often between the middle of the island chain). Around 8:30 AM the AHI research boat was deployed to run survey lines around the more shallow areas. 9:00 AM brought the deployment of the HI #1 speed boat into the sea. The purpose of its voyage was to replace a SST buoy (Sea Surface Temperature buoy) and anchor an ODP (Ocean Data Platform) at Mokumanamana. I came along to photograph the work put in to these diving operations. The transport was rough as it was as warm as normal, and the seas were very choppy. We arrived at the rock outcropping, and using GPS navigational systems, located the coordinates for where the ODP was to be located on the sea floor. Divers prepared themselves (Scientist Jeremy Jones, Kyle Hogrefe, and Joe Chojnacki, along with ENS Sarah Jones) and all 4 descended about 75 feet under the water to find the device. After 30 minutes they resurfaced unable to find the ODP. They came aboard and regrouped.
A school of dolphins encircled our boat while tactics were being discussed. In effort to conserve air and because the current was strong and pulling them under the water, they decided to only send 2 divers to try to locate the ODP a second time. Joe Chojnacki and Jeremy Jones resurfaced again after the second try only to be frustrated. The pinger was losing and gaining pings erratically and was found to be useless.
In a last attempt the driver of our boat, Keith Lyons, decided to drive the boat over top of the boat’s GPS coordinates, instead f referring to the diver’s handheld GPS, and asked the divers to put the pinger right into the water to see of they picked up any signal. The pinger again was unreliable. Finally, Joe Chojnacki stuck his head over the boat, and looking through his snorkeling mask saw the ODP right below us! Kyle Horgrefe and ENS Sarah Jones scrambled to gear up and went below to tie off a buoy to the ODP so they could resurface and know its location. The last dive required 3 of the divers to replace the ODP with a new data platform. An ODP gathers information but that information can only be used once its been retrieved from the ocean’s bottom; unlike a Sea Surface Temperature Buoy which can relay information in real time because it stays on the surface and satellites receive the information all the time. The divers connected a bag, like balloon, to the new ODP to move it into place and reposition it over the former data platform. The dive was completed but air tanks were low so we drove back to the HI’IALAKAI and exchanged air tanks, dropped off ENS Sarah Jones, and myself. The 3 divers continued on to replace a SST buoy. I didn’t stay aboard for the remainder of the dive because of the rough seas and I was freezing because I didn’t have a wet suit.
Lincoln’s Head (volcanic rock) near dive site
Personal Log
I awoke and ate breakfast. I then began to prepare to go on a dive operation with 3 scientists and ENS Jones this morning. I slathered on SPF and a bathing suit, shorts, and a rash guard (thin shirt often worn by surfers as protection from salt water irritation). I donned a hard hat and life vest and borrowed a snorkel and fins from members onboard in case we were in shallow enough waters to snorkel and so I could see the divers working. We loaded the HI #1 speed boat with tons of equipment and were lowered to the ocean on a pulley system. The sea was extremely rough and the boat finally broke free from the ship to the rock outcropping where the dives were to be performed. The rock outcropping is nicknamed Lincoln’s Head because the side view looks like Lincoln’s profile. We arrived and performed the diving operations aforementioned in the science log. It was exciting to see the work being done and how precarious diving can be. It requires a lot of equipment and effort, especially when weather conditions are less than ideal.
Dolphins swam right up to the boat at one point and the divers saw sharks down below. They assured me they were just curious and not very big sharks! Other than that the divers said we were in too deep of water to snorkel and the water was churning because of underwater currents. I couldn’t dive so I sat onboard and photographed the trip and proceeded to get wet from sea spray. Tern birds flew overhead the entire time biting at the buoy, lines, antennae on the boat, and the air bubbles that surfaced from the divers. The birds mistake anything out of place for food. Because I wasn’t doing the dive work I got very cold and decided to return to the ship when we dropped off ENS Sarah Jones.
I didn’t get to snorkel this day but hopefully I’ll have another chance in the next 2 weeks. I spent the evening trying to warm myself and recover from the bumps and bruises incurred from getting on and off the HI#1. Everything is very slippery on those boats and it’s easy to lose you balance. Plus, every time we ride up next to the ship, we get doused with water coming out of the bottom of the ship.
QUESTION OF THE DAY for my fourth grade students: The 2 devices (the SST buoy and the ODP) are put in the ocean by divers so that scientists can gather information about the conditions in the ocean over a long period of time. By now, in class, you are beginning to learn about different ecosystems in science class. Cause and effect: What are some examples of conditions that could change in the ocean ecosystem that could be discovered from the data being collected by these buoys (name at least 3)? Try to think how weather or man can affect an ecosystem. Here is an example to get you started ……
ocean temperatures could gradually be getting warmer…….. killing the coral reef……..loss of habitat for fish
NOAA Teacher at Sea
Melissa Fye
Onboard NOAA Ship Hi’ialakai April 4 – 25, 2005
Mission: Coral Reef Ecosystem Survey Geographical Area: Northwest Hawaiian Island Date: April 9, 2005
Sonar computers
Location: Latitude: 28.5 N, Longitude: 49.3 W
Weather Data from the Bridge
Visibility: 10 nautical miles
Wind Direction: 42
Wind Speed: 16 kts
Sea Wave Height: 3 feet
Swell Wave Height: 3-4 feet
Sea Water Temperature: N/A
Sea Level Pressure: 1021 mb
Cloud Cover: 3/8 SC, AS, Ci
Science and Technology Log
As survey lines continued through the night, the Chief Scientist Scott Ferguson, Joyce Miller, and Jeremy Jones readied the AHI (Acoustic Habitat Investigator) research boat for deployment. Around 7:30 this morning, the 3 boarded the vessel and to engage in more sonar surveying. At noon a shuttle boat was launched with survey scientist Emily Lundblad aboard, to meet up with AHI so she could be trained in using the sonar system aboard the AHI. Scott Ferguson then returned to the HI’IALAKAI. The afternoon led the ship divers to take out another shuttle boat so that a proficiency dive could be conducted. Around 5:00 pm the AHI and shuttle boat were brought back into the ship and tied up for the night.
Personal Log
Much of this day was spent interviewing personnel while I began to edit data from the swaths taken by the ship’s multibeam sonar system. It can take an hour or more to edit at noise pollution from just one file of data. An exciting part of the day included seeing a humpback whale in the ocean. It came very close to the ship. About every 10 minutes its blowhole (spouting water) would appear at the surface along with its tail. It only surfaced three times until it was too far off to see anymore. I finished editing data until dinner time and then succumbed to doing laundry on the ship!
QUESTION OF THE DAY: Using your science book or another resource, find the definition of a mammal. Is a whale a mammal? Why do you think it comes to the surface every 10 minutes?
NOAA Teacher at Sea
Melissa Fye
Onboard NOAA Ship Hi’ialakai April 4 – 25, 2005
Mission: Coral Reef Ecosystem Survey Geographical Area: Northwest Hawaiian Island Date: April 8, 2005
Seabirds on Tern Island
Location: Latitude: 28.5 N, Longitude: 49.3 W
Weather Data from the Bridge
Visibility: 10 nautical miles
Wind Direction: 42
Wind Speed: 16 kts
Sea Wave Height: 3 feet
Swell Wave Height: 3-4 feet
Sea Water Temperature: N/A
Sea Level Pressure: 1021 mb
Cloud Cover: 3/8 SC, AS, Ci
Science and Technology Log
The HI’IALAKAI continued running survey lines laid out by scientists across the Pacific Ocean to add to data for the creation of benthic habitat maps. Approximately 10 AM this morning several scientists deployed the AHI research boat with 2 computer engineers aboard from our ship. The engineers were on board to get the new sonar system up and running and correct any glitches as they occurred. Their services did not require them to be on board for the whole cruise, so they went on the AHI this morning to Tern Island to rendezvous with a small plane to fly them back to Honolulu. I began interviewing Scientist Kyle Hogrefe in the dry lab and he showed me a slide show regarding the GhostNet project and the subtropical convergent zone. The projects concern the studies of winds and currents converging in the Pacific Ocean, sometimes coming together near the Hawaiian Islands, which entangles and clumps debris from humans (fishing nets, Bic liters, toothbrushes-things littered into the sea) and damages coral reefs and kills marine life, choking or strangling them.
Visiting the seabird sanctuary
Many dead sea animals have been found, the cause of death due to their bodies being full of garbage like lighters and plastics, which ends up getting entangled in their organs or choking them. Mr. Hogrefe works as a Marine Debris Specialist and often goes on diving trips which reclaim some of the pollution that endangers ocean ecosystems. An hour later I boarded a shuttle boat with the Commanding Officer (CO), a deck hand, and chief boatswain to also go to Tern Island and take a tour of the bird, monk seal, and turtle refuge, run by the Fisheries Dep’t (Dep’t of Interior)on the island. Jennifer, the manager of the sanctuary, led the CO and me on a tour of the half mile long island, which is nothing more than a few research barracks, a landing strip, and thousands of birds. The studies they are conducting for Hawaii’s bird population proved to be very interesting.
At this time, a manager and 3 volunteers are stationed on the island for a minimum of 4 months at a time to count bird eggs, tag chicks, and count the adult species. Tern Island bird sanctuary has the largest collection of data in the world on the species of birds which spend their lives flying over the ocean and which are indigenous to the Hawaiian Island Chain. The data has been collected for over 30 years, the reproductive rates of the birds are improving, and the work there will lead to the Albatross bird being put on the endangered species list. More than 90 percent of Hawaii’s bird population uses the island as a mating area. The birds which reproduce on Tern, once adult, may spend up to 4 years flying over the ocean without ever stopping and their bodies have a way for the bird to rest or sleep while in flight. We learned about adaptations, like a waterproofing gland at the base of the bird’s body to protect them from ocean water, and we also saw a monk seal, and 5 huge sea turtles. A binder was also given to me about a unit of lessons called “Navigating Change”, involving the Northwestern Hawaiian Island Chain that can be used to teach respect and understanding of the ocean and environment to 4th and 5th graders. It was an invaluable gift! We then boarded the shuttle back to ship for the 15 minute ride across the ocean. Returned to the HI’IALAKAI at approximately 4:30 PM. A CTD cast was made (Conductivity, Temperature, Depth measurement in the ocean) at approximately 6 pm. Deck hand/Surveyor Jeremy Taylor lead a group of new surveyors through the steps to conducting a cast and retrieving the data sent up through the cable. Survey lines continued to be performed by the ship at 7 knots.
Bird action!
Personal Log
I was very busy today and it was the most exciting day of the trip so far. I arose to eat breakfast and send out my computer logs, answer emails, and send pictures to my class via the internet. I soon interviewed scientist Kyle Hogrefe aboard the ship and learned a lot about marine debris, as mentioned in the science log above. I then boarded the shuttle boat to Tern Island, watched the computer engineers take off in their small Cessna plane and took a fantastic tour of the place. The bird sanctuary teemed with thousands of birds! As soon as you stepped foot on the island, you saw thousands of birds flying and roosting below. Literally thousands of birds blanketed the entire island except for the landing strip in the middle. The entire place is covered with bird feces and I was rightfully inducted as a visitor when a bird pooped on my leg! Ha Ha!
There are many interesting species of birds living on the island and the 4 people living there are tracking the reproductive rates of the birds. The sounds the birds make are actually the same sound bites used in the movie, “The Birds!” After a great tour of the place, I saw my first monk seals and gigantic sea turtles and took many pictures. After returning to the island I spent the afternoon learning how to edit data on the survey computers, so I could help the survey scientists, and I told many members of the crew about the trip to Tern Island since only 4 of us had permits to go. It was quite an informative and exciting day. It was energizing to ride across the ocean on a raft type engine boat and see the coral reef beneath!
QUESTION OF THE DAY for my fourth grade students: If a small plastic bag was found floating in the ocean, and a bird or shark went to eat it, what do you think that small bag looks like to the sea animal (what ocean animal)? After reading the information above, why is it important for humans to recycle?
NOAA Teacher at Sea
Melissa Fye
Onboard NOAA Ship Hi’ialakai April 4 – 25, 2005
Mission: Coral Reef Ecosystem Survey Geographical Area: Northwest Hawaiian Island Date: April 7, 2005
Location: Latitude:43.0 N, Longitude: 20.0 W
Weather Data from the Bridge
Visibility: 10 miles
Wind Direction: 120
Wind Speed: 12 kts
Sea Wave Height: 2-3 feet
Swell Wave Height: 3-5 feet
Sea Water Temperature: 23.5
Celsius Sea Level Pressure: 1022.0
Cloud Cover: 7/8 Cumulonimbus, Ac, Ci
Processing data at the computers
Science and Technology Log
Early this morning the HI’IALAKAI arrived at Shark Island to conduct a 500 m CTD, (Conductivity, Temperature, and Depth) measuring device, at a location of 50.2 N and 24.8W for about 1 hour. The ship then traveled on towards a launch site for the AHI research boat. In the afternoon the AHI research vessel was lowered into the water so that the chief scientist, Scott Ferguson, and other scientists could run engineering tests on it before using it for a sonar mission. By mid-afternoon the AHI, which stands for Acoustic Habitat Investigator, was once again lowered into the ocean to begin running survey lines closer into the more shallow, shoal areas surrounding the French Frigate Islands. The surveys were run at 7 knots. The AHI boat looks much like an orange lifeboat but has a metal cabin on top which houses a range of computer monitors and a sonar system to take in data about the ocean floor.
That data was then transported back onto the HI’IALAKAI to be processed. Inside the ship, GIS, or Geological Information Systems scientists, like Emily Lundblad, process saved data on the computers in the drylab on board. They take one swath of data at a time (think of a swath of data as a line of data -the ship basically runs lines across the ocean much like a lawnmower mows a lawn-trying not to leave any gaps) and edit it on their monitors. The scientists are looking for errors in data which show up as points or scatters of “dots” for lack of a better word, on the swath. The swath is 3 dimensional on the screen and the scientists put 4 different vantage points of the data on the monitor. Carefully, outliers of data, or tiny dots of color that lie outside of the more solid path, are deleted. The outliers, or errors, in this case are usually due to noise pollution. A school of fish, drilling, or a boat engine can cause extra noise which is picked up by the sonar system, and needs to be edited out of the data. The ship continued to run its own survey lines with its sonar system attached to the hull of the ship.
Personal Log
Today I awoke after a good night’s sleep. My stateroom is on the lowest level towards the back of the ship. It is the noisiest room because it is near the cranes that operate, the mess, and engines, but it rides the smoothest. This means that it rocks the least out of any of the rooms on board because of its location. Good news to me! The higher up and more forward you go on the ship, the more the boat sways. There are handrails in all the hallways, bathrooms, decks, etc. so you can hold on while walking on the ship. I spent the day interviewing more members of the ship, to include the Executive Officer, a deck hand, and a scientist. I stationed myself on the upper deck to watch the AHI research vessel being deployed into the ocean for tests, stood on the bridge for awhile and looked out at La Perouse Pinnacle (23 degrees 46’N, 166 degrees 16’W) a volcanic rock that rises out of the Pacific that is so steep and rugged that it is practically inaccessible. Later, I situated myself in the drylab to observe the scientists editing data.
Then, right before dinner, I gave a presentation to the officers, crew, and scientists in the forward mess about the Teacher At Sea Program and what it entails. I presented a picture of my class, which is posted on board the HI’IALAKAI, and received a lot of feedback. Finally, after dinner, I visited the ship’s store for the first time, run by ENS Amy Cox and spent the evening typing logs and watching video from a previous diving cruise, whereas the scientists were studying the ecosystem below the ocean.
QUESTION OF THE DAY for my fourth grade students: After reading the information under the science log, you need to better understand what an outlier is in data collection. Ask everyone in the class to write their age on the chalkboard. Also, include the teacher(s) age in the data, or information, collected on the chalkboard. Make a graph of the data (remember to include a title, x & y coordinates). When you are finished you should notice most of the data is close together but a few pieces of data are much different, or lie outside of most of the other ages. What data is the outlier(s) in the class graph of ages? How can outlier data affect an experiment?
PICTURES OF THE DAY: Scientists processing and editing data on a computer in the drylab/ Research vessel AHI
NOAA Teacher at Sea
Melissa Fye
Onboard NOAA Ship Hi’ialakai April 4 – 25, 2005
Mission: Coral Reef Ecosystem Survey Geographical Area: Northwest Hawaiian Island Date: April 6, 2005
Location: Latitude: 28.5 N, Longitude: 49.3 W
Weather Data from the Bridge
Visibility: 10 nautical miles
Wind Direction: 42
Wind Speed: 16 kts
Sea Wave Height: 3 feet
Swell Wave Height: 3-4 feet
Sea Water Temperature: N/A
Sea Level Pressure: 1021 mb
Cloud Cover: 3/8 SC, AS, Ci
Mapping the islands
Science and Technology Log
Today’s plan involved running sonar survey lines in a westerly direction en route to Necker Island (14.5 hours). Run at sea speed. CTD casts were conducted as needed, and I attended one at 1230. The senior surveyor informed me that CTDs are usually cast at least every 12 hours. I also spent the day interviewing various persons onboard to include the senior survey scientist, a deck hand/surveyor/, and the chief medical officer. At 1530, we arrived at our first point of reference, Necker Island, and the proceeded to continue survey lines westerly towards the French Frigate shoals for the next 9.5 hours.
The scientists on board are creating benthic habitat maps to support the Coral Reef Ecosystem Integrated Observing System under the direction of the Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center and the National Marine Fisheries Service. Basically, several different plans have been laid out to determine fishing and no fishing zones around the island chain. The additional data collected on this cruise will hope those organizations determine the best plan for unrestricted and restricted fishing areas. Mapping boundaries may help to decide what fathoms (depths) to fish at or a longitudinal system may be used. Currently, lobster fishing is not allowed at all because they were all but wiped out in the past. The area around Necker, Brooks Bank, the French Frigate Shoals may eventually be entirely closed to fishing because evidence collected leads scientists to believe that that area may be a genetic gateway for species to the south.
Personal Log
I woke up around 6:30 am and proceeded to eat breakfast and to establish some times to interview people for the day, in between observing CTD casts and popping into the dry lab. Soon after lunch I interviewed the Chief Medical Officer and got a tour of the on board hospital which is equipped to handle many kinds of emergencies. The chief medical officer is LTJG Mike Futch. While on board he is in charge of handling any emergencies that may occur. Most common emergencies include sea sickness and if someone needs treated for that he can prescribe medication, administer shots, and treat dehydration that may occur from people regurgitating. He likened sea sickness to the feeling you would get if you were stuck on an elevator going up and down continuously until you got sick. LTJG Futch is authorized to do any lifesaving technique, but he is also in charge of handling medical questionnaires for members of the ship, weekly sanitation and safety checks, and handling inventory in the medical lab. Proximity to a port determines if a ship is assigned a medical officer (if more than 2 days from a port, then a med. officer is assigned), otherwise other members of the ship are trained for medical emergencies as well.
Working in the lab
LTJG Futch recommends anyone who would like a job like his to major in chemistry or biology in college, attend physician’s assistant school, and specialize in emergency programs. He is an employee of the United States Public Health Service (the Surgeon General is the leader of this group) which deploys medical personnel to all federal agencies including NOAA, Coast Guard, prison system, Indian affairs, to just name a few. He will spend roughly 200 days at sea this year and he comments that the best part of his job is getting see parts of the world that many others don’t see, the pay is good, and you get to function almost like your own boss because there is usually only one or two at most medical officers assigned to a ship.
I then proceeded to the science lab to get a first hand look at the computer system where data is filtered into from the onboard sonar systems. The senior surveyor and another surveyor spoke to me about the details aforementioned. I next interviewed Joyce Miller, Senior Survey Scientist, about her background and duties. Her job is to plan surveys, train new surveyors, and process data. She is at sea for 60-150 days a year depending on the projects she is working on. She comments that her most important piece of equipment is the computer and that any students who might be interested in this type of career should study oceanography (physics, biology, chemistry, geology) and heavily concentrate in computers. She feels a surveyor should be flexible, because things often don’t go according to plan, and that this job offers a lot of challenges and movement.
Eventually I attended the launch of another CTD cast and ate lunch. The ship hasn’t stopped, except for the occasional CTD cast for 30-40 minutes, because our late start has put us behind and there are 2 contractors aboard who need to be dropped off by a certain date at one of the islands to catch a plane. The afternoon was spent writing logs and lesson plans. Finally, I will go up on the bridge to interview the Operations officer and other officers employed by NOAA so I can give my fourth grade students a sense of the various jobs and people needed aboard a research ship to make it run smoothly. I am happy to report I don’t seem to be sea sick at all, which makes me very happy, because many of the people on board are still trying to get their “sea legs!” To this point the seas have not been very rough though!
QUESTION OF THE DAY for my fourth grade students: The scientists on board are compiling data to create benthic habitat maps. What does the word benthic mean? What could maps like these be used for in the future?
NOAA Teacher at Sea
Melissa Fye
Onboard NOAA Ship Hi’ialakai April 4 – 25, 2005
Mission: Coral Reef Ecosystem Survey Geographical Area: Northwest Hawaiian Island Date: April 5, 2005
Retrieving the CTD
Location: Latitude: 28.5 N, Longitude: 49.3 W
Weather Data from the Bridge
Visibility: 10 nautical miles
Wind Direction: 42
Wind Speed: 16 kts
Sea Wave Height: 3 feet
Swell Wave Height: 3-4 feet
Sea Water Temperature: N/A
Sea Level Pressure: 1021 mb
Cloud Cover: 3/8 SC, AS, Ci
Science and Technology Log
Today’s scientific goals involve running survey lines at Nihoa. Survey lines will begin at the 12:00 position and run counterclockwise one and a quarter times at Nihoa. The ship will be using its multibeam sonar equipment to do this and it will in turn fill in missing data to complete benthic habitat maps of this area. A formal in-service was given by senior surveyor, Joyce Miller, on multibeam sonar equipment. Some of the interesting facts from that presentation are provided below. There are 3 multibeam sonar devices available for use on the HI’IALAKAI. Sonar concepts from the in-service: An echo sounder sends sound down to the sea floor and then back up. A single beam echo sounder sends a pulse out that comes back to 1 point on the ship. The center of the beam right under the ship, or swath, is termed nadir.
Nadir is the shortest distance between the sensor and the location of the beam. Ensonification is energy within the main part of the beam pattern which radiates toward the sea floor. Decibel is a unit used to measure the relative strength of a signal. Beam width is an angle that defines the main part of the energy that is radiated within a 3db solid angle. The footprint size beneath the sonar beam changes as the water gets deeper because it comes out of the ship at an angular direction. The deeper the water, the less accurate the information will be from the beam because the footprint pattern below the beam gets larger. A narrow beam echo sounder ensonifies a smaller area, so it gets more accurate information because of its narrower angle. A transducer is a device that converts electrical energy into sound energy and vice versa. The “ping” is the sound going down the beam. The frequency is the number of times per second that the same waves of sound repeat itself (vibrations per second). The pulse length, or duration of outgoing pulses of the sonar equipment, in part determines the system’s resolution.
Ready to dive!
The shorter the pulse length, the greater the resolution. Other facts: The transducer range, or how far the sound is effectively transmitting, is determined by a number of factors, including; frequency, transmit power, beam width, transmit pulse length, received bandwidth, absorption, ocean floor composition, and noise level (heavy rain). In summary, high frequency sonars with narrow beam widths provide the highest vertical resolution. If you need both range and resolution, pick a medium frequency sonar to do the job. What is being measured then? The 2-way travel time of a sound wave and this information is converted to distance. The speed of sound in water ranges from 1450 meters/sec to 1550 m/sec. CTDs, or Conductivity, Temperature/Depth devices are dropped at intervals off the side of the ship daily because the information they gather are the most accurate way to get sound velocity data and is needed when multibeam error sources are being defined. Multibeam concepts: Side scan sonars are sonars that are towed behind a boat. Backscatter is the term for when the sonar signal provides information about the character of the sea bottom (smoothness, roughness, etc). Multi-beam sonars were first designed to provide information on depths and they just happen to also give information on backscatter.
Benthic habitat maps are maps pf the sea floor, so backscatter information is extremely useful and the goal of this expedition. To get good backscatter data, many factors need to be kept constant. The ship should be driven in straight lines and kept at a constant speed. Some of the area around the Hawaiian Island chain has already been mapped using this technology but there are many gaps to be filled in. The cruise aims to fill in more of that missing information for the benthic habitat maps. Three multibeams are being utilized on this trip. Finally, it is important to understand sources of error in multibeam use. They consist of sound velocity or physical oceanographic parameters that influence the sound velocity structure. These include temperature, salinity, depth, and density, which are all recorded and gathered during CTD drops. Changes in these parameters affect the multibeam because they are used to create a sound velocity profile.
Personal Log
I awoke to the hustle and bustle of the ship, as my stateroom is located a few doors down from the mess. After eating (I eat better here than I do at home) I attended a formal inservice presentation by the senior surveyor, Joyce Miller, on Multibeam Training. I took notes during her PowerPoint slideshow, to try to better understand the type of sonar equipment they are using onboard. The transducer on the sonar equipment turns electrical energy into sound energy and is sent down to the ocean floor. It bounces and scatters and provides data which is used to create a map of the ocean floor (a benthic habitat map). I also learned some new vocabulary words like nadir, ensonification, and beam width. We broke for lunch and after lunch I attended my first CTD cast on the deck and took some pictures. After noon the scientists met back in the forward mess lounge to finish the multibeam training. The rest of the evening was just left to typing logs, watching a movie, and resting. I am not assigned a watch schedule so I have been sleeping normal hours of 10 to 6am.
QUESTION OF THE DAY for my fourth grade students: Locate the ship using the latitude and longitude coordinates above. Remember “latitude” lines are fat (horizontal) and longitude lines are long (vertical). What are the 5 major Islands of Hawaii? What does the word salinity mean? Would the Pacific Ocean or the Potomac River be measured for salinity, and why?
NOAA Teacher at Sea
Melissa Fye
Onboard NOAA Ship Hi’ialakai April 4 – 25, 2005
Mission: Coral Reef Ecosystem Survey Geographical Area: Northwest Hawaiian Island Date: April 4, 2005
Science and Technology Log
The HI’IALAKAI is equipped to perform many operations while sailing the area around the Northwest Hawaiian Island Chain. This mission will involve the use of multibeam sonar equipment to map the nature of the sea floor around the island chain, scuba divers will replace a buoy system which measures many things including the occurrence of photosynthesis in the water, and CTD drops will occur multiple times. A CTD, or Conductivity, Temperature, Depth device measures the depth, salinity, and temperature of ocean water. The boat is stopped in order to drop the device from a crane so it can measure the levels of these categories and that information is used to support multibeam sonar operations.
I will be observing scientists at work and interviewing members of the HI’IALAKAI throughout the next 3 weeks. I will be trying to relate the knowledge I gain to my students’ science and math standards in Virginia. The information I gather on board will be available to NOAA and my 4th grade students at Ashburn, Elementary in Ashburn, VA.
Personal Log
Sunday evening: I arrived at the HI’IALAKAI on Sunday late afternoon and met a few of the hands, including the Chief Engineer and Medical Officer. Next, I met the Executive Officer who helped assign me a room onboard. I simply unpacked and grabbed something to eat with the Medical Officer. Later that evening, I met the Chief Scientist on board and then I retired for the evening. I had a hard time sleeping, in anticipation of the next day’s events! It was soon dark so I planned on touring the vessel the next day in the daylight hours. It is much larger than I anticipated and a little daunting to someone who’s not familiar with ships.
Monday: Our departure was delayed (originally set for 9 AM) and pushed back to 4:30 PM due to problems with a boat generator needed for a small research vessel that is vital to the studies of the scientists. Throughout the day I helped the scientific crew pack equipment for the trip. We tied down computer equipment in the dry lab, packed foam pieces around monitors, and cut non slip mats to put under other equipment. Everything that is not bolted down to the ship needs tied down to brackets on the wall. The Executive Officer debriefed us on rules and drills for the cruise. Much of the day was just spent waiting for departure from Honolulu.
QUESTION OF THE DAY for my 4th grade students: What are the names of all the oceans on our planet and which ocean is the largest?
