Rhode Island – NOAA Teacher at Sea Blog

September 16, 2026September 21, 2026

Melina Vella: Let’s Rock and Roll!, September 10, 2026

NOAA Teacher at Sea

Melina Vella

Aboard NOAA Ship Henry B. Bigelow

Sept 10, 2026

Mission: Northeast Fisheries Science Center Bottom Trawl Survey – Leg 1

Geographic Area of Cruise: Northeast U.S. Atlantic Coast

Date: September 10, 2026

Science and Technology Log

In many ways, ships are like their own living organisms. From pontoons to sailboats, rowboats to mega-yachts, ships come in varieties just like plants and animals.

view of a line of small response vessels docked facing outward into very still, brown water; tree-lined hills in the background — Different types of ships used for emergency response in Kingston, New York on the Hudson River.

view from a beach over water: on the beach to the left is a pile of rowboats and kayaks, while out on the water we can see many sailboats at a distance — A view from the beach on Nantucket, Massachusetts of personal boats, including rowboats and sailboats.

Preparing for the trip, I tried to approach learning about NOAA Ship Henry B. Bigelow as a species to study just like any other fish or bird species. I find research very comforting, so I tried my best to learn about ships in general, and the features of Henry B. Bigelow. NOAA has some excellent resources that cover the history, construction, and scientific specifications of the vessel. The end of this blog post contains links so you can dive even deeper, but here are some of the highlights (including some of my observations from onboard).

Basic Anatomy: Important Parts of a Ship to Know

Also called a command deck, wheelhouse, or pilothouse, the bridge is like the brain of the ship. This is where much of the navigation and mission logistics happen. Those working on the bridge also must maintain constant communication with other teams aboard, such as the engineers, scientists, and other crew.

view of the bridge of NOAA Ship Henry B Bigelow: four men, two in NOAA Corps uniforms, stand or sit looking out the windows filled with fog — On the bridge of the NOAA Ship *Rainer* underway in the fog (Image credit: Jenny Thacker)

On Henry B. Bigelow the bridge is very spacious and well-equipped with technology used to ensure that factors like the direction and speed are maintained as the scientific operations are performed. The bridge is commanded by a team of officers from the NOAA Commissioned Officer Corps.

The engine room is the heart and lungs of the operation. Without the engine machinery to propel the ship, you’re not getting very far. I have yet to see Henry B. Bigelow‘s engine room; that is a sensitive area. I’m a little nervous to inquire further because I know one thing for sure: engine rooms are LOUD.

view of a man standing at the control panel in the engine room of a different NOAA vessel, NOAA Ship Pisces. He wears ear protection down around his neck. he stands with one hand reaching toward a lever, mid-explanation. — Engine control panel aboard NOAA Ship *Pisces* (Image Credit: Lieutenant Elizabeth Capo)

a black and white photo of an engine room; we can see many dials along the metal walls, metal floors, metal railings. — Engine room of the USC&GSS *Pathfinder*, circa 1955. The U.S. Coast & Geodetic Survey was one of NOAA’s predecessor agencies. Image from NOAA Photo Library.

What else could the mess and galley be other than the digestive system of a ship, of course? Food is stored and prepared in the galley and the crew aboard the vessel have their meals in the mess hall.

Also sometimes called cabins or berthings, staterooms for sleeping accommodations allow the hardworking crew aboard the ship to get some much-needed rest between watches. My room is a four-person room with two sets of bunk beds with a bathroom attached. There are also some rooms that are singles or doubles depending on the staffing needs of those onboard.

Life History

NOAA Ship Henry B. Bigelow is one of many within NOAA’s fleet of state-of-the-art research vessels. The construction of Henry B. Bigelow and other ships of the fleet were built with the intention of providing optimal facilities for NOAA’s scientists.

a view, head-on, of NOAA Ship Henry B. Bigelow at sea. the water is gray and fairly calm, and the bow of the ship is creating a sizeable splash. — NOAA Ship *Henry B. Bigelow* pushing water (NOAA Collections)

It was built in 2007 by VT Halter Marine Inc., in Moss Point, Mississippi. Because it was built for the purpose of being a fisheries survey ship, it has lots of unique characteristics not found in other vessels.

It has instruments used for recording crucial data for NOAA’s various projects. The ship is home ported in Newport, Rhode Island and its primary purpose is to perform fisheries stock research along the U.S. East Coast, including the Fall Bottom Trawl Survey that I am part of this year. Read even more about the other types of capabilities of Henry B. Bigelow here.

view into the empty wet lab: we are looking down the conveyor belt, but can also see multiple fish measuring boards and computer monitors — The wet lab is where the fish (and other critters) are sorted and processed.

It recently underwent mid-life maintenance and its sister ship, NOAA Ship Pisces conducted the Spring Bottom Trawl earlier this year.

Personal Log

All aboard! We’ve arrived, folks. I landed in Rhode Island and was able to explore Newport. Okay, okay, perhaps I overpacked, but listen – my father, a retired U.S. Coast Guard Captain, instilled the official “Semper paratus” motto meaning “always ready” deep within me. Who knows what I might need?? Trekking about 100 lbs of luggage through the airport was quite the journey. I chose to count that walk to my rental car as my workout for the day.

Melina smiles for the camera on a suburban street as she stands wearing one hiking backpack, holding another in her right hand, and gripping a duffle bag in her left. — Carrying all my belongings for the next few weeks.

a pile of luggage and miscellaneous items packed in black trash bags on a dock — A fraction of the baggage we transported via small boat.

After a lovely stay in Newport, I met up with the science team members that were also boarding the ship for the first leg of the bottom trawl survey. The large van transported us to the Navy pier where we then boarded a small boat to be transferred onto Henry B. Bigelow. Because we had about a dozen scientists with all their gear, we took multiple trips. I was on the last batch of folks transferred over so I boarded in the late afternoon. The evening included a whirlwind of orientation of the ship, safety trainings, and sneaking in a quick meal.

view of the stern of NOAA Ship Henry Bigelow as it faces the horizon. we can see the A-frame used in fishing operations. the water is blue and reflective. the sky is bright blue with lines of white clouds moving in multiple directions. — The view of *Henry B. Bigelow* from the small boat.

view of a plate of food - looks like rice, fried rice, dumplings, veggies, chicken - and a bottle of sweet chili sauce resting on a blue tablecloth. — My first onboard meal!

Now, time to get some much needed rest before the mission officially begins; can’t wait to start my first watch tonight!!!

Did You Know?

Something interesting I learned in my research was about some of the traditional terminology surrounding shipbuilding. Did you know that ships have specific stages of their construction? Laying the keel is the formal start of the ships construction.

Learn more about Henry B. Bigelow:

Ecosystems Surveys Volunteer Information: Preparing for a Cruise – what it actually looks like to work on NOAA Ship Henry B. Bigelow, R/V Hugh R.Sharp, R/V Gloria Michelle, and F/V E.S.S. Pursuit.

NOAA Ship Henry B. Bigelow Fact Sheet (PDF) – this archived page from 2009 contains an in-depth explanation of the ship from when it was commissioned.

NOAA Ship Henry B. Bigelow: About the Ship (Office of Marine and Aviation Operations)
– a quick read with the basic specifications and information about Henry B. Bigelow as well as contact information for getting in touch with the ship

June 3, 2026August 3, 2026

Amber LaMonte: Learning to Play the Bongos, June 2, 2026

two pairs of conical nets are suspended above the water at sunrise; the sun illuminates the nets as orange above the darker blue calm waters — Bongo set-up consisting of big and baby bongo sizes being deployed at sunrise

NOAA Teacher at Sea

Amber LaMonte

Aboard NOAA Ship Pisces

May 31 – June 10, 2026

Mission: Northeast Ecosystem Monitoring Survey (EcoMon)
Geographic Area of Cruise: Southern New England
Date: June 2, 2026

Data from the Bridge
Greenwich Mean Time (GMT): 9:23 AM
Latitude: 40° 18.872’ N
Longitude: 070° 30.000’ W
Doppler Wind Speed: 9.97 knots (kt)
True Wind Speed: 1.56 knots (kt)
Wave Height: 4’
Air Temperature: 11.11°C/52°F
Wet Bulb Temperature: 8.3°C/46.9°F
Bottom Depth: 98 m
Sky: Clear

view up through the mast and rigging at a column of nautical flags strung vertically down a line

screenshot from Marine Traffic website showing all of the ship traffic southeast of Massachussetts; Pisces is selected, and a sidebar off to the right displays basic info

NOAA Ship Pisces’ call sign
https://www.noaa.gov/organization/administration/nao-201-6-official-flags-of-noaa https://www.marinetraffic.com/

As we set sail, the NOAA Ship Pisces displays its unique combination of signal flags as the call sign. Remember, you can follow along in real time on the Marine Traffic site.

Science and Technology Log

Research

The data collected from the Ecosystem Monitoring (EcoMon) survey is used by numerous research facilities, as well as the scientists at NOAA. Since NOAA is a federal agency, the data they collect is publicly available. Additionally, many research facilities, such as Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute (WHOI), University of Rhode Island (URI) and the Northeast Fisheries Science Center, work collaboratively and will utilize ship time on the vessel when space is available. On this expedition, URI is on board, utilizing the chem lab to run an Imaging Flow Cytobot (IFCB).

The focus for the NOAA science team is on collecting and processing samples to monitor the ecosystem health of the Northeast Atlantic Ocean and ground truth to the imaging provided by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). The data includes plankton samples (both zooplankton and phytoplankton), inorganic carbon, nutrients, conductivity (salinity), temperature and depth (CTD).

The primary study organism for this survey, with set sampling goals, is the Atlantic Mackerel. Given the sampling equipment size & techniques, the goal is to collect Atlantic Mackerel larvae or eggs. Since this focus is on fish, the samples can be referred to as ichthyoplankton. These samples will be sent to Poland, where scientists with expertise in identifying fish larvae will process them and then share the data as part of an ongoing scientific collaboration.

close up view - through a microscope - of a larval fish in a gooey substrate. the fish has a striking light blue eye that stands out from the speckled tan surroundings of the plankton sample. — *A gadiform fish larva in a plankton sample*

Scientific Concepts

We use Bongo nets to monitor ecosystem health. By lowering them deep into the water column, we can sample organisms that migrate vertically, staying in the dark depths during the day and rising to feed at night. When we haul the nets up, we typically find zooplankton like krill, along with fish larvae and copepods. Analyzing these communities provides valuable insight into primary productivity at the base of the food web, helps identify spawning locations and estimate adult stock sizes, tracks the movement of larval fish to and from nursery habitats, and reveals patterns in ocean current transport.

Tracking the distribution and abundance of these tiny organisms gives us critical data on the base of the food web. This helps us gauge the overall health of the ecosystem and predict the survival of larger, dependent species like whales. Speaking of whales… I have been pulled away from writing this blog several times today to go running (ummm, I mean briskly walking) up four flights of stairs to catch glimpses! We spotted hundreds of Short-Beaked dolphins, Risso’s dolphins, a fin whale, and pilot whales. We have also seen numerous seabird species and several Mola Molas, aka Sunfish! I need a bumper sticker that says, “I break for marine wildlife”. Trying to take photos but with fast-moving organisms, slow-moving Mrs. LaMonte, and a large moving ship is a super challenge!

a black-and-white dolphin mid-leap above bright cerulean waters, followed by at least one other dolphin beneath the water's surface — View of *Short-Beaked Dolphins* off the bow of the ship from the flying deck

Methodology

a simple map of the northeastern United States showing proposed tracklines along the coast as far north as New Hampshire and as far south as Delaware. the x-axis ranges from 77 degrees West to 64 degrees West, while the y-axis ranges from about 35 degrees North to 45 degrees North. the track lines are dotted with occasional larger dots marking proposed sampling locations. — *Proposed cruise track for sampling*

Prior to the mission, the scientists propose a cruise track to stop at the optimal sampling locations, or stations, for their research focus. After setting up their experimental design, the science team submits the proposal to request ship time and resources to complete all planned sampling. Due to ship scheduling constraints, the team often needs to revise the plan to strategically collect data at sites where they can obtain the most valuable data. This survey track was adjusted to include key sites where Atlantic Mackerel are known to spawn. The blue dots represent standard bongo stations; the red dots are for water sampling only and red dots with a black circle indicate both water sampling and bongos. The green dots in Southern New England are bongo stations specifically within wind energy areas.

Looking at the map, you can see where NOAA scientists have divided the area by latitude, since this yields similarities in coastal temperatures. First, the region is divided into the subregions of the Gulf of Maine, Southern New England and Mid-Atlantic. Then those subregions are ordered by bathymetry (measurements of the seafloor). Upper, middle, and lower shelves have different zone characteristics, such as light and temperature. The shelf regions are then mathematically divided (thanks to geometry) to enable more uniform population calculations.

a man wearing a hard hat, life vest, and blue gloves stands on the deck of a ship near a railing, facing away from the camera. he reaches his hands up to hold a line extending out of the frame above his head. Two nets, metal rings a the top and long mesh socks extending down the length of the deck, lay on deck ready for deployment. — *AB (Able Seaman) Nick Granozio raises the bongo setup over the edge of the ship* during sunrise with moon still up

a view of two computer monitors, one mounted above the other, in a lab. the top monitor displays several video feeds, while the bottom monitor displays a nautical chart and baythmetry model — *Monitors with the track locations with parameters and video feed of the bongo deployments*

Within the site divisions, some locations are designated sites that each science team consistently samples for ecosystem health as ongoing reference points. Additionally, there are 3-5 sites within that strata that are then randomly sampled during each cruise. Samples at Station 23-SNE-5, with 23 representing the strata, SNE representing the geographic region and 5 representing the random sample site, are the ones being collected at this station.

The plankton samples are collected using bongos, a pulley system equipped with a cable that deploys the nets into the water column. Typically, at the codend (narrow end), a detachable collection bucket captures and retains the zooplankton sample, enabling efficient transport to the laboratory for further analysis.

For missions in the open waters of the North Atlantic Ocean, a modification has been made: folding the cod end and tightly securing it with nylon rope. This way prevents cracked sample bottles or striking hazards from rough seas and strong ocean currents.

Once the bongo has been raised back up by the AB (Able Body) deck crew, we then hose them down thoroughly with seawater, rinsing down any plankton stuck to the top of the net into the codend. Untie the rope, rinse through a sieve, and then store in either formalin or ethanol, depending on the study purpose. In addition to the main big bongos, a set of baby bongos are sent down. The nets for both the big and baby plankton tows come in various sizes and are changed out depending on the specifications for each sampling station.

Amber hoses down the bongo nets
Student plankton nets
Plankton in sieve
Emptying sieve
AB Todd Fatkin deploying the bongo nets

Playing (hosing) the big bongos. 2. A look back at our student-designed plankton tows last year. (Photo courtesy of York High School.) Little did I know that I needed to teach you all how to play the bongos! 3. & 4. Preserving plankton in formalin. 5. AB-F Deck Crew Todd Fatkin deploying bongos.

Careers

a woman in an orange life vests stands in the engine room of NOAA Ship Pisces, wearing a life vest. in front of her are a large cooler and a plastic bin with a fitted lid. she points to a hose attached to a large piece of equipment and watches another crewmember, the view of whom mostly obscured by the equipment. — *Watch Chief Amanda Jacobsen, a Biological Lab Technician with NOAA, troubleshoots a leak*

Amanda Jacobsen serves as a Watch Chief for this mission. Displaying excellent teamwork skills to repair a seawater hose leak that occurred as we initially set sail, she recognized there was no time to waste and located the leak and an alternate flow route prior to the ship’s engineering team arriving.

Based at the NOAA Fisheries laboratory in Rhode Island, Amanda regularly participates in NOAA research cruises like this one. She developed a strong interdisciplinary foundation with coursework spanning biology, chemistry, physics, environmental science and environmental law.

She is also currently pursuing her master’s degree in marine biology at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth. Her graduate research focuses on the energy content of plankton and its role within the marine food web. Understanding energy flow at the base of the food pyramid is essential for managing and sustaining all higher trophic levels. This background now informs a comprehensive understanding of marine ecosystems and the many factors that influence them.

Personal Log

portrait photo of a young woman standing at the railing of the ship and smiling for the camera. the water is calm blue-gray and the sky is filled with clouds. — *Ava Cieplinski, recent marine biology*
*graduate from Roger Williams University*

My shipmate Ava, a Rhode Island local, gave me a narrated tour of Narragansett Bay as the ship began its underway operations. She recently graduated with a B.S. in marine biology and has worked in various field study roles with the state in and around local waterways.

Narragansett Bay, situated along the northern edge of Rhode Island Sound, spans approximately 147 miles. It is the largest estuary in New England, serving as a vast natural harbor that supports both environmental diversity and maritime activity. The bay also encompasses a small archipelago formed by the melting of glaciers after the last ice age. As the ice sheet stalled and retreated, the region became ice-free about 14,000 years ago. A shifting mix of sea-level rise and land rebound alternately flooded and exposed the landscape. Rising seas eventually inundated the valley, permanently transforming it into an estuary.

selfie photo of Amber, wearing a green hard hat and orange life vest, standing at the railing of the ship at sunrise. the water is a beautiful aquamarine and the sunrise is orange-yellow, fading to blue. — Amber at sea

I think being at sea is absolutely magnificent! I am assigned to the 3 AM to 3 PM shift and getting up at 2 AM is not even suitable for early sea birds, but my commute to work is 60 seconds and I wouldn’t want to miss a single sunrise out on the North Atlantic Ocean! I boarded the ship with my sea legs all ready to go and we have had great weather with fair winds. The entire team has been so welcoming, both science and ship crew and I feel like a special guest. Look for the next post when I share about boat life and safety.

Did You Know?

The ichthyoplankton samples that are sent to Poland are part of a legacy project collaboration that has been ongoing for over 50 years. The project began when, after World War II, there were government funds remaining in Poland that held more value being used in Poland than converting back to U.S. dollars. Polish scientists had developed expertise in fish larval taxonomy as part of monitoring commercial and local fish populations. These scientists began training and collaborating with scientists in American waters, and the partnership between our governments remains to this day.

May 18, 2013August 11, 2021

Sue Cullumber: Can’t Wait to Head Out As a NOAA Teacher at Sea! May 21, 2013

NOAA Teacher at Sea
Sue Cullumber
(Soon to be) Onboard NOAA Ship Gordon Gunter
June 5– 24, 2013

Mission: Ecosystem Monitoring Survey
Date: 5/21/13
Geographical area of cruise: The continental shelf from north of Cape Hatteras, NC, including Georges Bank and the Gulf of Maine, to the Nova Scotia Shelf

hikein — My students on a field-trip to the desert.

endofday — Howard Gray School in Scottsdale, Arizona.

Personal Log:

Hi my name is Sue Cullumber and I am a science teacher at the Howard Gray School in Scottsdale, Arizona. Our school provides 1:1 instruction to students with special needs in grades 5-12 and I have been teaching there for over 22 years! In less than two weeks I will be heading out to the Atlantic coast as a NOAA Teacher at Sea. I am so excited to have this opportunity to work with the scientists aboard the NOAA ship Gordon Gunter.

I applied to the NOAA Teacher at Sea program for the following reasons:

First, I feel that directly experiencing “Science” is the best way for students to learn and make them excited about learning. To be able to work directly with NOAA scientists and bring this experience back to my classroom gives my students such an amazing opportunity to actually see how science is used in the “real world”.

GALAPAGOS, ECUADOR — Visit to Española Island – photo by Pete Oxford

Students holding “Piggy” and our other baby Sulcata tortoises.

Secondly, I love to learn myself, experience new things and bring these experiences back to my students. Over the past several years I have had the opportunity to participate in several teacher fellowships. I went to the Galapagos Islands with the Toyota International Teacher Program and worked with teachers from the Galapagos and U.S. on global environmental education. From this experience we built an outdoor habitat at Howard Gray that now houses four tortoises. Students have learned about their own fragile desert environment, animal behavior and scientific observations through access to our habitat and had the opportunity to share this with a school in the Galapagos. I worked with Earthwatch scientists on climate change in Nova Scotia and my students Skyped directly with the scientists to learn about the field research as it was happening. Last summer I went to Japan for the Japan-US Teacher Exchange Program for Education for Sustainable Development. My students participated in a peace project by folding 1000 origami cranes that we sent to Hiroshima High School to be placed in the Hiroshima Peace Park by their students. We also held a Peace and Friendship Festival for the community at Howard Gray.

cranesgroup-copy — Completion of the 1000 cranes before sending them to Hiroshima.

Japanese teachers learn about our King Snake, Elvis, from the students.

This year we had a group of Japanese teachers visit our school from this program and students taught them about many of the sustainable activities that we are working on at school. Each has brought new ideas and amazing activities for my students to experience in the classroom and about the world.

edgeofcanyon — Dusk at the south rim of the Grand Canyon.

Lastly, Arizona is a very special place with a wide variety of geographical environments from the Sonoran Desert (home of the Saguaro) to a Ponderosa Pine Forest in Flagstaff and of course the Grand Canyon! However, we do not have an ocean and many of my students have never been to an ocean, so I can’t wait to share this amazing, vast and extremely important part of our planet with them.

So now I have the chance of a lifetime to sail aboard the NOAA ship Gordon Gunter on an Ecosystem Monitoring Survey. We will be heading out from Newport, RI on June 5th and head up the east coast to the Gulf of Maine and then head back down to Norfolk, Virginia. Scientists have been visiting this same region since 1977 from as far south as Cape Hatteras, NC to the an area up north in the Bay of Fundy (Gulf of Maine between the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia). They complete six surveys a year to see if the distributions and abundance of organisms have changed over time. I feel very honored to be part of this research in 2013!

One of the activities I will be part of is launching a drifter buoy. So students are busy decorating stickers that I will be able to put on the buoy when I head out to sea. We will be able to track ocean currents, temperature and GPS location at Howard Gray over the next year from this buoy. Students will be studying the water currents and weather patterns and I plan to hold a contest at school to see who can determine where the buoy will be the following month from this information. While out at sea my students will be tracking the location of the Gordon Gunter through theNOAA Ship Tracker and placing my current location on a map that one of my students completed for my trip.

Spending time with my husband, Mike, and son, Kyle.

Outside of school, I love to spend most of my free time outdoors – usually hiking or exploring our beautiful state and always with my camera! Photography is what I often call “my full-time hobby”. Most of my photos are of our desert environment, so I look forward to all amazing things I will see in the ocean and be able to share with my husband and son, students and friends! One of my passions is to use my photography to provide an understanding about the natural world, so I am really looking forward to sharing this fantastic adventure with everyone through my blog and photos!

wellearnedrest3 — Enjoying the view during one of my hikes in the Sonoran Desert.

October 2, 2010April 22, 2021

Barbara Koch, October 2, 2010

NOAA Teacher at Sea Barbara Koch
NOAA Ship Henry B. Bigelow
September 20-October 5, 2010

Mission: Autumn Bottom Trawl Survey Leg II
Geographical area of cruise: Southern New England
Date: Tuesday, October 2, 2010

Weather Data from the Bridge
Latitude 41.31
Longitude -71.40
Speed 6.50 kts
Course 192.00
Wind Speed 11.29 kts
Wind Dir. 246.00 º
Surf. Water Temp. 18.81 ºC
Surf. Water Sal. 31.87 PSU
Air Temperature 15.90 ºC
Relative Humidity 57.00 %
Barometric Pres. 1014.52 mb
Water Depth 35.81 m
Cruise Start Date 10/2/2010

Science and Technology Log

Stacy Rowe, of the Northeast Fisheries Science Center, in Woods Hole, Massachusetts is the Chief Scientist for our cruise. I had a chance to talk with her about her background, experiences, and job while we were waiting to leave port today.

When working onshore, Rowe is responsible for pre-cruise preparations, such as ordering supplies for the trip and coordinating the collection of special samples for in-house and out-of-house scientists. She also works on testing a new version of FSCS (Fisheries Scientific Computer System), which is the system we are using to collect data about the fish populations.

During the cruise, when serving as Chief Scientist, Rowe shoulders a lot of responsibility. She schedules the watch teams, works with both watch teams, and acts as a liaison between the scientists and the ship’s personnel on the bridge (the room from which the boat is commanded). Although the sampling stations are randomly selected via computer before the cruise, Rowe works with the bridge to determine in which order stations will be sampled. On this cruise she has consulted with the bridge often because the weather has impacted our travel so much. Rowe relates that the job of chief scientist is mentally tiring because she is really on call the entire cruise. After the cruise, Rowe works with post-cruise management. She makes sure the samples collected are distributed to the scientists, and she audits data to make sure there were no errors in data collection.

Rowe grew up in Florida and attended the University of Florida where she earned a BS in Natural Resource Conservation with a minor in Wildlife Ecology. During her undergraduate program, she studied sampling, and uses this information extensively in her job now. After she graduated from college, Rowe joined the Peace Corps. She spent over one year working in Congo, Africa on a fresh water project. Then, she spent two years on Palau in Micronesia working in marine resource management. Rowe has been with NOAA for eight years, now. She goes on five to six research cruises a year, which adds up to about sixty days for the entire year. She serves as Chief Scientist on the majority of her cruises, but still enjoys the rare cruise when she works as a scientist processing catches.

Rowe has some advice for young people thinking they might like a career like hers. First, get a degree in any science area. A marine science degree isn’t really necessary. Work experience is the really important key. Second, volunteer as much as you can. Volunteering to work on research cruises not only builds a resume, but it allows students to try it out early on in their school career to see if they like it.

Stacy Rowe has strong interpersonal and organizational skills that are important for her leadership position, and I’ve enjoyed working as a volunteer scientist under her direction.

Personal Log

Newport, Rhode Island is a great place to visit. It was a center for shipbuilding and trade during colonial times, and is the birthplace of the U.S. Navy. Some of the United States’ wealthiest families built summer homes overlooking the bay, and these homes are open for tours today. I spent a nice afternoon on the “Cliff Walk” which is a trail that skirts around the edge of the estates just above the water. I had been there twenty five years ago, so it was fun to revisit the area.

After two days in port, we are heading back out to sea. It’s a beautiful day. The sun is shining, and the waters are pretty calm. It’s hard to believe that we will be in rough waters once we leave Narragansett Bay. I’m riding up on the weather deck as we leave the bay, and I see many sailboats, two commercial cruise liners, Fort Adams (which has guarded Narragansett Bay since Colonial Times), Clingstone (a famous house built on a rock in the water), and the Newport (Pell) Bridge. I’m definitely putting Newport on my list of places to revisit.

In the Wet Lab

We have processed Atlantic Spiny Dogfish in the lab this week. This fish isn’t very popular for food in the United States, but it is exported to Europe for “fish and chips.” In 1998, this species was overfished, therefore, there were limits placed on the numbers fisheries could catch. Since that time, catch levels have been rebuilt.

The Atlantic Spiny Dogfish lives a long time: females up to 40 years and males up to 35 years. Females are larger than males and give birth to between two and fifteen live pups. During gestation (18-24 months) the pups have a yellow sack at their necks called a “yolk.” The Spiny Dogfish, processed here by TK, was a female with six pups. You can see the yolk on the two pups in the picture at right.