plankton – Page 28 – NOAA Teacher at Sea Blog

May 10, 2006March 18, 2021

Kazu Kauinana, May 10, 2006

NOAA Teacher at Sea
Kazu Kauinana
Onboard NOAA Ship Oscar Elton Sette
May 9 – 23, 2006

Mission: Fisheries Survey
Geographical Area: Hawaiian Islands
Date: May 10, 2006

Weather Data from Bridge
Latitude: 23-28.0 N
Longitude: 165-45.0 N
Visibility: 10 nm
Wind direction: 078
Wind speed: 22 kts
Sea wave heights: 2-3′
Swell wave heights: 5-6′
Seawater temperature: 25.2 c
Sea level pressure: 1020.6
Cloud cover: 1/8, altostratus, cumulus

Science and Technology Log

Today was a repeat of the last two days: CTD sampling and cetacean watch or marine mammal search. There were no sightings today because of the choppy water conditions until we got closer to the French Frigate Shoals. As we approached the atoll the bird sightings increased and surface fish, like flying fish, became more abundant. A large Mahi-mahi was seen swimming on the surface next to the boat and added to the rising excitement. No land could be seen, but rolling surf over shallow reefs appeared and beautiful turquoise blue streaks interrupted the dark blueness of the ocean. We looked through the “Big Eye” binoculars at a line of surf surrounding what looked to be a sliver of sand and sure enough, it was a sand spit, and there were three Hawaiian Monk Seals basking in the sun. We were exhilarated!

We reached our destination for the day, which is in a protected area just south of the French Frigate Shoals. We will spend the night here and tomorrow morning I will help transport the research team to Tern Island. This will be our first drop off. The researchers are excited and to top it off, it is almost a full moon.

We arrived at our destination a couple of hours before sunset so the ship maneuvered over a seamount where the depth was about 600 feet and the fishing crew did some bottom fishing. They used Hydraulic fishing reels with a 1000-foot line capacity, 3 to 4 hooks per line, 8-pound lead weights, and squid for bait. Very efficient! They landed eight Onaga, the largest about 5lbs.

Personal Log

I attended a meeting this morning for the Mammal Watch team. An interesting issue was raised concerning the declining Hawaiian Monk Seal population, numbering now at only about 1000, and the relationship to shark predation. For some unknown reason, male seals were killing pups and the carcasses were attracting sharks. Sharks are now stalking new areas where pups are more vulnerable and may be affecting the population. What species of sharks, how many, and what to do about them are questions that must be resolved. Enter in the Hawaiian Shark Aumakua cultural factor and the issue becomes even more complex. Some Hawaiians believe that sharks are ancestral guardian spirits and should not be destroyed, but that may lead to the end of the seals. And even if conservationists are allowed to kill sharks to protect the seals, the Question is “should we really be interfering in the balance of nature and would it work?” I was surprised to hear that the seal population is reducing at an alarming rate; I thought it was increasing. Anyway, these are just some more world problems to keep you up at night.

May 9, 2006March 18, 2021

Kazu Kauinana, May 9, 2006

NOAA Teacher at Sea
Kazu Kauinana
Onboard NOAA Ship Oscar Elton Sette
May 9 – 23, 2006

Mission: Fisheries Survey
Geographical Area: Hawaiian Islands
Date: May 9, 2006

Weather Data from Bridge
Latitude: 22, 33.4n
Longitude: 162, 06.2W
Visibility: 10
Wind direction: 070
Wind speed: 21 kts.
Sea wave heights: 2-4
Swell heights: 4-6
Seawater temperature: 24.8
Sea level pressure: 1020.4
Cloud cover: 4/8 Cumulus, Altocumulus

Science and Technology Log

Yesterday was primarily orientation and familiarizing myself with the ship, staff, and scientists. It was so interesting to talk to the scientists and discover that the main motivation for their chosen profession was the same as that of artists: Passion! Most of them had an early interest in animals or plants and were now fulfilling a life-long dream. In spite of all of the sacrifices (money, family, material possessions) they love what they do and consider themselves lucky to be doing it.

Part of the day was spent on a cetacean watch, or marine mammal search, from the flying bridge. We used two Fujinan, 25×150, 4-mile range, light gathering, “Big-Eye” binoculars to methodically scan 180 degrees in front of the ship. Ironically, a mother and baby calf Humpback whale surfaced almost directly in front of the ship. That was the only sighting, mostly due to choppy wave conditions. I have to tell you that methodically scanning the ocean all day on a boat that is pitching and rolling can be very tedious, but very ZEN.

I also witnessed an XBT (Expendable Bathymetry Thermalgraph), a foot-long torpedo attached directly to the ship’s computer by a thin, hardly visible copper wire, dropped 460 meters. It sends back the temperature data to the ship’s computer and then is released, thus the name, “expendable.” I asked the scientist conducting the test if there had been any significant temperature changes during the past 10 years but that information was not available to her.

Today was a repeat of yesterday’s data gathering except for a CDT (conductivity, depth, temperature and oxygen) cast. The “fish” CTD, or data sampling device, is hoisted with a crane over the side of the ship and submerged to a depth of 500 meters. I found that the most interesting information taken was the chlorophyll count. There was a dramatic increase spike at 100-200 meters, and then a dramatic drop to about zero. Chlorophyll is the beginning of the food chain.

Personal Log

A large part of the day on a research vessel like this deals with the practical everyday functioning of the voyage. Today we had a fire drill, which was very straightforward and required that we all meet on the escape boat deck. We also had an abandon ship exercise, and we all gathered on the same deck next to our prospective escape boats with our life vests and immersion suits. We tried on our one-piece, head-to-toe, neoprene suits and got a good laugh because we looked like bright orange GUMBYS. Actually, we felt a sense of relief mixed with anxiety that if we had to use them that we would be prepared.

August 4, 2005March 18, 2021

John Sammons, August 4, 2005

NOAA Teacher at Sea
John Sammons
Onboard NOAA Ship Albatross IV
July 25 – August 4, 2005

Mission: Ecosystem Survey
Geographic Region: Northeast U.S.
Date: August 4, 2005

Weather Data from the bridge

Latitude: 42° 5’ N
Longitude: 67° 28’ W
Visibility: undetermined
Wind direction: E ( 107 degrees)
Wind speed: 12 knots
Sea wave height: 3’
Swell wave height: 0’
Sea water temperature: 14°C
Sea level pressure: 1022.2 millibars
Cloud cover: 30% Partly cloudy,cumulus

Question of the Day: Last day at sea

Yesterday’s Answer: Scallops are categorized as invertebrates. Scallops belong to the animal kingdom.

Science and Technology Log

On Thursday, we got word that our ship would be back in port by early Friday morning between 4 and 7 a.m. Once we complete the last 20 or so stations, it will be time to clean up and prepare the ship for docking. A large spider crab was brought in at station 454.

The chart below shows a selected number of species and the total and average catch weights from July 25–August 3.

LOGGED_SPECIES_NAME	TOTAL # CAUGHT	TOTAL MASS (grams)	AVERAGE MASS (grams)
HAGFISH ATLANTIC	41	3230	79
SPINY DOGFISH	1	1560	1560
BARNDOOR SKATE	31	35342	1140
WINTER SKATE	183	196116	1072
LITTLE SKATE	1,628	638483	392
SMOOTH SKATE	19	9517	501
THORNY SKATE	32	7739	242
ATLANTIC HERRING	3	402	134
SILVER HAKE	1,018	117103	115
COD	32	11498	359
HADDOCK	348	64742	186
WHITE HAKE	9	8180	909
RED HAKE	2,941	407185	138
SPOTTED HAKE	2	310	155
FOURBEARD ROCKLING	23	296	13
AMERICAN PLAICE	102	30261	297
FLUKE	18	28240	1569
FOURSPOT FLOUNDER	798	126633	159
YT FLOUNDER	463	111390	241
WINTER FLOUNDER	61	48560	796
WITCH FLOUNDER	47	18300	389
WINDOWPANE FLOUNDER	126	27576	219
GULF STREAM FLOUNDER	344	9189	27
BLACKBELLY ROSEFISH	1	8	8
SCULPIN UNCL	6	18	3
MOUSTACHE SCULPIN	31	33	1
LH SCULPIN	571	88391	155
SEA RAVEN	29	21468	740
ALLIGATORFISH	4	2	1
NORTHERN SEAROBIN	1	47	47
CUNNER	2	493	247
ROCK GUNNEL	18	75	4
NORTHERN SAND LANCE	26	37	1
OCEAN POUT	290	71883	248
FAWN CUSKEEL	11	382	35
GOOSEFISH	389	1046990	?
AMERICAN LOBSTER	22	34552	1571
CANCER CRAB UNCL UNSEXED	1,138	123203	108
STARFISH UNCL	78,925	161850	2
ASTERIAS BOREAL	36,851	243218	7
ASTROPECTEN SP	2,833	15623	6
ICELAND SCALLOP LIVE	18	447	25
SCALLOP ICELAND CLAPPER	3	56	19
CONGER EEL UNCL	1	200	200
SEA SCALLOP CLAPPER	1,980	227126	115
SEA SCALLOP LIVE	114,868	20960122	?
SNAKE EEL UNCL	5	59	12
ILLEX SQUID	12	1442	120
LOLIGO SQUID	3	186	62
SPOONARM OCTOPUS	8	201	25
SCORPIONFISH AND ROCKFISH	1	4	4

1) Use a calculator to find the average masses of the goosefish and sea scallops. You can find these averages by dividing the total mass by the total number caught.
2) Which species had the most average mass?
3) Which species had the least average mass?
4) Which two or three species have about the same mass?
5) Complete the last column in the table by finding everyday objects that have similar masses. Choose at least ten.
6) Select the top ten heaviest species and create a bar graph comparing their masses.

Personal Log

A Fond Farewell

The time has come to say goodbye to all our friends for now,
The night watch worked from 12 til six, it’s time to take a bow.
Larry crunched the numbers and helped it make more sense,
Vic was the head scientist who made things seem less tense.
KB shared her knowledge in a very caring way,
While Lara measured up the scallops quickly every day.
Erin took the sign and camera to the pile to pose,
It was Kris who was in charge and kept us on our toes.
Nikolai had a funny way of helping us all learn,
And with that said I, John, must conclude, it’s over, let’s adjourn!

Ode to the ALBATROSS IV

By John Sammons

Arrived on early Sunday eve to find the ship was docked,
Passing through the metal gate that I only thought was locked.
Resting from her recent trip, she makes a humming sound,
Waiting for her crew to board and get a look around.
The sun reflects and sparkles in the ever choppy sea,
I wonder what this exciting adventure will bring to me.

The waves come toward the ALBATROSS and into the lengthy side,
Feel the rocking back and forth, so hold on for the bumpy ride.
Prepare the dredge and send it forth to bring up another load,
Bring out the baskets and buckets and pads to get in a sorting mode.
Place the containers on the scale then measure the scallop’s shell,
Soon the shift will come to an end with only stories left to tell.

Steaming forward to the station that is just right up ahead,
Six hours is up, and our shift will end, so it’s time to go to bed.
Before I rest and take a nap, some chow I would like to eat,
It will be good to rest a little while and get off from my feet.
The food is great, so many choices that we are able to choose,
Just fill ‘er up and head to bed and settle for a snooze.

Time to muster and be alert for another shift begins,
Shells and starfish wait for us, along with things with fins.
Pull up a bucket and a pad to sample and to sort,
It’s been three days since ALBATROSS steamed from the distant port.
Ouch! I bellowed as a scallop clamped onto my finger,
Upon the deck you sort and scoop, but dare not stand and linger.

Let me stop and ponder now about the time I’ve spent,
It seems like days and nights have passed, they’ve come, they’ve gone, they went!
Zigging left and zigging right, we have sailed right out to sea,
It seems so wide and open, such an awesome sight for me.
There’s so much to learn from everyone who works upon this ship,
It’s hard to think that soon we’ll be halfway through our trip.

Stand in awe as the sun begins to finally set,
Awash in orange and red and yellow, it is hard to forget.
What a lasting beauty as the sky begins to glow,
Its splendor in the many colors that it will show.
Waiting for its lasting blaze of light to end the day,
Now I lay me down to sleep, I ask of Him, I pray

The heavy dredge is ready for another timely tow,
Expect to catch the scallops, to the surface they will go.
Dropping to the bottom where its 80 meters deep,
Spending fifteen minutes dragging and bringing in the keep.
Then they’re sorted on the surface while hiding in their shell,
The aging/growth ridges on their outside’s what they tell.

Working two shifts makes it hard to fully stay awake,
But ignoring the wakeup call could be a big mistake.
So much to choose from when it’s finally time for us to eat,
Better be there when it is your time to get a decent seat.
Take a minute or two to rest while the ship is on a steam,
When it’s time to go to bed, enjoy that time to dream.

Ten minutes to go before it’s time for another CTD,
When the crew will set and drop it down into the sea.
It only takes a moment for the thing to take a dash,
To the bottom it will go, watch that it doesn’t crash.
Then it’s time to drop the dredge and ready for the tow,
Soon you’ll hear them haul it in, and it’ll be time to go.

With just a few days left before we enter the home port,
We still continue to collect and sample and we sort.
The number of each species catch continues to go up,
We even brought a dogfish in that was only just a “pup”.
What more can we expect to find within the capture net,
From this station to the next one, we’ll take what we can get.

August 3, 2005March 18, 2021

John Sammons, August 3, 2005

NOAA Teacher at Sea
John Sammons
Onboard NOAA Ship Albatross IV
July 25 – August 4, 2005

Mission: Ecosystem Survey
Geographic Region: Northeast U.S.
Date: August 3, 2005

Weather Data from the Bridge

Questions of the Day: In what group is the scallop categorized – vertebrates or invertebrates? What kingdom does the scallop belong – monerans, protests, fungi, plants, or animals?

(You may need to use a dictionary to look up these words before deciding the correct answer.)

Yesterday’s Answer: If the sea scallop population were to change drastically, then the population of starfish and crabs might change, too. Other organisms that are in the same community as the scallop are little skate, red hake, yellow tail flounder, and goosefish.

Science and Technology Log:

On Wednesday, the ALBATROSS IV began surveying the western edge of Georges Bank. Typically dense fog, cool temperatures, low visibility dominate the scene. We are currently about 55 miles offshore as we continue to meander between stations and conduct a sampling of the various strata. This morning we caught a dogfish shark in the dredge and took a photo opportunity. It is exciting when a new species (one we have not seen yet on this survey) appears in the dredge. The biggest excitement came when hagfish started to appear in the dredge. These snake-like fish tried to squirm their way off the deck. Several adjustments were made in the trackline (or stations we will visit) to account for time and problems with the tow.

The chart below shows a selected number of species and the total catch weights from July 25 – August 2.

Species Names	Catch Weight (grams)
HAGFISH ATLANTIC	3,230
SPINY DOGFISH	1,560
BARNDOOR SKATE	33,462
WINTER SKATE	152,976
LITTLE SKATE	608,663
SMOOTH SKATE	5,303
THORNY SKATE	6,199
ATLANTIC HERRING	402
SILVER HAKE	116,339
COD	11,498
HADDOCK	59,354
WHITE HAKE	7,140
RED HAKE	399,512
SPOTTED HAKE	310
FOURBEARD ROCKLING	191
AMERICAN PLAICE	30,250
FLUKE	27,660
FOURSPOT FLOUNDER	124,973
YT FLOUNDER	108,054
WINTER FLOUNDER	46,980
WITCH FLOUNDER	15,660
WINDOWPANE FLOUNDER	27,576
GULF STREAM FLOUNDER	9,189
BLACKBELLY ROSEFISH	8
SCULPIN UNCL	18
MOUSTACHE SCULPIN	33
LH SCULPIN	80,691
SEA RAVEN	21,468
ALLIGATORFISH	2
NORTHERN SEAROBIN	47
CUNNER	493
ROCK GUNNEL	75
NORTHERN SAND LANCE	40
OCEAN POUT	68
FAWN CUSKEEL	382
GOOSEFISH	933,330
AMERICAN LOBSTER MALE	34,550
CANCER CRAB UNCL UNSEXED	122,684
STARFISH UNCL	161,477
ASTERIAS BOREAL	242,902
ASTROPECTEN SP	15,623
ICELAND SCALLOP LIVE	450
SCALLOP ICELAND CLAPPER	56
CONGER EEL UNCL	200
SEA SCALLOP CLAPPER	222,600
SEA SCALLOP LIVE	19,863,690
SNAKE EEL UNCL	59
ILLEX SQUID	1,313
OCTOPUS SPOONARM	109
SPOONARM OCTOPUS	200
SCORPIONFISH AND ROCKFISH UNCL	4
UNKNOWN 01	19

1) Order the 10 highest amounts from greatest to least.
2) Order the 10 lowest amounts from least to greatest.
3) Which species has a total with a 9 in the millions place?
4) Which species has a total with a 6 in the ten thousands place?
5) Which species has a total with a 9 in the hundred thousands place?
6) Choose a species to research. Why do you think their numbers are higher or lower than the others are?

Personal Log

A Few Days Left

August 2, 2005March 18, 2021

John Sammons, August 2, 2005

NOAA Teacher at Sea
John Sammons
Onboard NOAA Ship Albatross IV
July 25 – August 4, 2005

Mission: Ecosystem Survey
Geographic Region: Northeast U.S.
Date: August 2, 2005

Weather Data from the bridge

Questions of the Day: Explain what might happen if the sea scallop population were to change drastically. What other organisms are in the same community as the scallop?

(You may want to look at the Day 8 food web and the graph below.)

Yesterday’s Answer:

Scallops are predators because they eat something else, that is phytoplankton and zooplankton. They are primarily herbivores. Scallops are mostly prey to, or eaten by, sea stars and crabs.

Science and Technology Log

*CTD = Conductivity, Temperature, Depth instrument is used to measure salinity, temperature, and depth at selected stations. This is important because different species of marine animals (including the sea scallop) have tolerances for certain temperatures and depths.

On Tuesday, the ALBATROSS IV continued surveying the northern edge of Georges Bank as it makes its way west toward Woods Hole. The weather has been very cooperative with a ridge of high pressure overhead, despite the routine early dense fog. Scallop counts are very low while other newer species are being observed, including various species of sea stars and the hagfish. The chart below shows a selected number of species and the stations in which they were found.

Sea Scallop Survey Leg II: Stations Where Species Were Found

Questions:

1) Which of these species was caught at the most stations?

2) Which of these species was caught at the least number of stations?

3) At how many more stations were the sea scallops caught than the red hake?

4) What might explain why sea scallops were found at the most number of stations on this survey?

5) What is the difference between the number of stations that the yellow tail flounder were located and the sea scallop?

Personal Log

Measuring Up

Ten minutes to go before it’s time for another CTD,
When the crew will set and drop it down into the waiting sea.
It only takes a moment for the thing to take a dash,
To the bottom it will go, but watch that it don’t crash.
Then it’s time to drop the dredge and ready for the tow,
Soon you’ll hear them haul it in, and it’ll be time to go.