Tag: shark

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Cheryl Milliken: Sharks off South Carolina, August 3, 2025

NOAA Teacher at Sea

Cheryl Milliken

Aboard NOAA Ship Oregon II

July 25 – August 10, 2025

Mission: Bottom Longline Survey, Leg 1

Geographic Area of Cruise: Atlantic Coast of Florida

Date: August 3, 2025

Weather Data from the Bridge (3:00 PM)

Latitude:     32° 54.4’ N

Longitude:  079° 00.3’ W

Wind speed:  18 kts.

Wave height:  1-2’

Air temp.: 28.1 C

Sky:   Clouds

Science and Technology Log

To date, we have caught, tagged, and fin-clipped silky, sharpnose, sandbar, tiger, great hammerhead, blacknose, nurse, and scalloped hammerhead sharks. We have also brought up red snappers, a pale spotted eel, and a blunt-nose lizardfish. I have never seen any of these fishes before, so it has opened a whole new world of sea creatures for me. I am grateful to have this opportunity to explore a region of the ocean with which I am unfamiliar. 

view of a scalloped hammerhead shark lying on it ventral side (belly) in a teal mesh shark cradle suspended over the water. a crewmember, mostly out of frame, reaches two arms over the ship's railing to steady the shark.
top-down view from an upper deck of crewmembers standing near the rail as a teal mesh shark cradle rises out of the water, holding a large tiger shark
a man wearing blue gloves, standing on deck and facing away from the camera, holds out a large red-orange fish by the operculum (opening behind the jaw)
straight on view of a hammerhead shark's head; the shark is suspended in the teal mesh cradle, and two gloved hands hold up its head to prepare to remove the hook
Cheryl, wearing a sunhat, a hard hat on top of the sunhat, and a life vest, kneels on deck. with two gloved hands, she holds up a small sharpnose shark and smiles for a photo.

Top row: Scallloped hammerhead shark in mesh cradle; Large tiger shark being hoisted by crane and cradle to be processed alongside the ship (photo courtesy NOAA Corps officer on the bridge); Field Party Chief and PI Trey Driggers lifting red snapper onto cutting table to remove otoliths and eye lenses. Bottom row: Face of scalloped hammerhead shark prior to removal of circle hook; I am holding a sharpnose shark after measuring and fin-clipping it. (Photo by Gretchen Kruizenga).

Personal Log

Living on a ship is much different than living on land. Obviously, we’re on a moving vessel, so the scenery and location are different every time we wake up. As soon as the mooring lines were cast off, we had no access to shopping for anything that we might have forgotten… 

One major change from when I was last aboard a ship 25 years ago is the internet. Thanks to a satellite connection through Starlink, I can now stream movies, call my husband, and scroll through Facebook — even miles from shore. It’s strange but comforting to feel connected to the outside world while being so physically remote.

Our living quarters are compact and communal. On the main deck where we fish, there’s a toilet and sink, while the lower deck — where we sleep — has two water closets with an adjacent sink. Each stateroom also has a small sink, which makes washing up and brushing teeth a bit easier. For showers, we have two shared ones for the entire crew, so we limit ourselves to ten-minute showers to make sure everyone gets a turn and can get to bed soon after their shift.

Before leaving port, the crew was split into two watches: day watch (12 noon to midnight) and night watch (midnight to noon). Most staterooms house two people on opposite watches, so the person off duty has the room to themselves while the other works. Unfortunately, our bunks are located just below the deck where the fishing line is hauled in, so it gets quite noisy. Sleep is something we grab when we can, knowing it may be disrupted by the sound of the winch or the motion of high seas. I’m on day watch, so my schedule feels more natural — but for those on night watch, sleeping during daylight and staying alert all night is a real challenge.

Yesterday we also launched the second drifter. This one had Falmouth High School stickers, of course, but also the crew of NOAA Ship Oregon II wrote their names, drew, or wrote favorite quotes. It was fun to get everyone on the ship involved in this project! The track of Drifter #1 appears to be keeping up with the ship!

close up view of the buoy, shaped like a large fiberglass beach ball. the bottom half is blue and the top half is white, and decorated. We see a sticker of a lobster (mvyradio.org), a school sticker (for Falmouth Clippers), and some handwritten quotes and signatures.
Drifter #2 with quotes from crew
close up view of the buoy, shaped like a large fiberglass beach ball. the bottom half is blue and the top half is white, and decorated. We see some school stickers (for Falmouth Clippers), and some handwritten quotes and signatures, and a drawing of a shark near the seabed.
Drifter #2 with quotes from crew
Cheryl, wearing her Teacher at Sea t shirt, a life vest, and sunglasses, poses for a photo on deck next to the drifting buoy, currently curled up and resting on a table surface.
I am preparing to launch Drifter #2 from fantail
map of sea surface temperature by geographic location as measured by the first drifting buoy. measurements are depicted as squares, color coded by temperature, ranging from 28 degrees Celsius (purple) to 32 degrees Celsius (red); most of the readings are green, which corresponds to 30 degrees C. the measurements start east of Florida and extend north along the Gulf Stream toward North Carolina.
track of Drifter #1 as of 8/3/25 at 2:06 PM









Interview with Trey Driggers

Trey, wearing a life vest and work gloves, stands on deck with his right hand on the rail of the ship and his left resting on a white barrel lined with circle hooks. Behind him, the sky is blue with many gray clouds, and the water is blue-gray with some chop.
Dr. Trey Driggers hauling in hooks during our longline survey.

Trey Driggers is the PI, or principal investigator, of the Southeast Fisheries Science Center Bottom Longline (BLL) Survey. He originally wanted to be a musician playing guitar, but his father said that if he went to military school first, he would pay for college. That seemed like a good deal, so he completed an associate’s degree at Valley Forge Military Academy in Wayne, PA, then continued for a BA in History from Clemson University. 

Trey imagined being a lawyer, but he was always interested in sharks. His fascination with large predators was driven after his childhood dog was eaten by an alligator in his grandparents’ yard in Florida. He was 8 years old when the movie Jaws came out, and although he was too young to see it, he was intrigued by all the shark-related merchandise that was on the shelves at that time. During his senior year in college, scientists from the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of Natural History released a book entitled, Sharks in Question: The Smithsonian Answer Book. The last section was entitled, “How Do I Become a Shark Specialist?” He read that and thought, “That’s a job?” His career goals dramatically changed; now he realized that he could be a shark biologist. After graduating from Clemson, he enrolled in the courses needed to earn another degree in Marine Science. Once Trey had this focus, he became a straight A student. He finished that program in two years.

After finishing his coursework in marine science, Trey applied for graduate school and was accepted into Dr. John Dean’s lab at the University of South Carolina. Dr. Dean was very supportive of his students and is considered one of the godfathers of otoliths, studying ear stones of finfish to determine their age. Trey’s master’s thesis was on the age and growth of yellowfin tuna. Dr. Dean convinced him to stay in that lab to complete his PhD, as well. Part of his research on blacknose sharks required him to collect fin clips from sharks for a genetic study which was done in part on the Southeast Fisheries Science Center’s Bottom Longline Survey, which solidified his desire to work for the National Marine Fisheries Service. He has been participating in this survey since 1999. The rest is history!

Tell me about your family:

“We live in Ocean Springs, MS. My wife is a biology teacher in middle school. We met at USC and are both Clemson Tigers. We’ve been married for 26 years and have three children: Amelia is a biomedical engineer; Boyd is a junior at Ole Miss; and Max is a senior in high school. We have a malinois dog named Lilah and a chihuahua named Oliver.”

How did you get your position at NOAA Fisheries?

“In 2002 I was still a post-doc, but I went to the Resource Surveys Branch Chief at the Pascagoula lab three separate times to ask for a job. I think I finally wore him down and was hired in 2003. In 2012, I became the Shark Unit Leader. Kristin Hannan is my right-hand partner, and Will Tilley complements us both to make a solid team.”

What is the most fun part of your job?

“There are many fun parts of my job. My coworkers and I are very close, and it’s great being around people who have the same interests. I get to see things very few people get to see and I feel very fortunate to have access to the resources that allow me to conduct broad scale research. When I retire, I will know I did exactly what I set out to do and will have achieved my professional goals.”

What is the most difficult part of your job?

“I miss important family events such as birthdays, first days of school, etc. The good definitely outweighs the bad, though. Our work helps conservation and fishermen. I feel it’s critical to have boots on the ground when conducting research and in my field there is only one place to do that and that is on the water.”

What part of your job with NOAA did you least expect to be doing?

“I least expected the Deepwater Horizon disaster. When that happened, we were told, ‘You’re now forensic biologists,’ and our jobs changed significantly for a time. It was a big adjustment, and a massive effort by many, many people.”

What would you be doing if you didn’t work for NOAA?

“I’ve thought about that a lot and don’t have a good answer. I do play my guitar 3-4 hours per day, though, and would try to do something with that.”

Did You Know?

Scientists have identified ten different species of hammerhead sharks. We are fortunate to have caught two different species so far!

New Animals Seen:

  • Scalloped hammerhead shark
  • Pale spotted eel
  • Decorator crab
  • Semipalmated plover
out of focus view of a small shorebird walking on a gray surface
Semipalmated plover
(courtesy of Lila Xenakis)
a decorated crab photographed splayed out against a blue surface; we can see some seaweed stuck to it
Decorator crab
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Cheryl Milliken: Fish On! August 1, 2025

NOAA Teacher at Sea

Cheryl Milliken

Aboard NOAA Ship Oregon II

July 25 – August 10, 2025

Mission: Bottom Longline Survey, Leg 1

Geographic Area of Cruise: Atlantic Coast of Florida

Date: August 1, 2025 (11:00 AM)

Weather Data from the Bridge

Latitude: 30° 30.1’N

Longitude: 081° 12.6′ W

Wind speed: 10 kts.

Wave height: 0-1 ft.

Air temp.: 31.5° C (89° F)

Sky: Clear

Science and Technology Log

“Fish on!” is what is called out whenever we have a fish on a hook. Everyone springs into action to collect data on the fish as efficiently as possible so it has a better chance of surviving. Their success is evidenced by the number of shark tags that have been returned after this release. Wednesday we caught a large female tiger shark that had been tagged by scientists out of the Apex Predators Program out of the NOAA Fisheries Narragansett lab. Here is a link to the work they conduct in that lab: https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/new-england-mid-atlantic/atlantic-highly-migratory-species/northeast-shark-research. We are awaiting information about the tagged individual (where and when it was tagged, how much it has grown since she was tagged) from scientists in Narragansett. 

NOAA Fisheries has been conducting the Southeast Bottom Longline Survey for 30 years! Scientists and crew participating in the survey have vital scientific data on sharks and finfish in U.S. waters from Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, to the Florida Keys and through the Gulf of America.

Each year, survey stations—randomly selected before each cruise—are sampled in both shallow and deep waters. Scientists and crew use standardized fishing protocols to collect data on abundance, distribution, size, sex, and maturity of captured species. For bony fish, they also remove otoliths—tiny calcareous structures in the ear—to count growth rings and estimate age, similar to how one might age a tree.

This long-term, standardized dataset is an invaluable resource. It provides critical baseline information about marine ecosystems, which is especially important when natural disasters strike. Managers can refer to this historical data to understand pre-disaster conditions and guide recovery efforts.

Best of all, the entire database is public. Researchers, policymakers, and curious minds alike can access this wealth of information to support science-based decision-making. Learn more about the Southeast fishery-independent surveys: NOAA Fisheries Southeast Surveys. 

Teamwork in Action: Skilled Crew and Augmenters Keep the Survey Moving

This leg of the Southeast Bottom Longline Survey includes several augmenters—crew members temporarily reassigned from other NOAA ships or roles to help out where they’re most needed. Their skills and experience are a welcome asset on board, especially during a time when a federal hiring freeze has led staff to pitch in across vessels.

Among the augmenters are NOAA Corps officers either in training or assisting with training, the ship’s chief steward, and members of the deck crew. Their flexibility and teamwork ensure the survey continues smoothly and safely.

a man stands on deck, feet spread apart for balance, holding up a large barracuda for a photo. we see blue skies with puffy clouds and fairly even blue water in the background beyond the rail.
portrait photo of a man in a red t-shirt wearing sunglasses and a very wide-brimmed straw hat; he leans on a railing of the deck and looks off dramatically into the distance
a man, mostly in silhouette due to the lighting, fishing off the back deck of the ship. beyond the railing is a lovely orange sunset obscured by just a few bits of cloud over dark blue waters.

Left to right: Josh with a barracuda he trolled off the stern deck; Chuck Godwin in the best hat; Sean reeling in the line at sunset.

Fishing operations on this leg are led by a capable and experienced Deck Department:

  • Josh Cooper, Chief Boatswain, has served on board for 3 ½ years.
  • Chuck Godwin, the lead fisherman, brings years of experience working aboard NOAA Ship Oregon II.
  • Sean Gronquist, a skilled fisherman, just celebrated his one-year anniversary on board this week.
  • Aaron Walton, a seasoned Lead Fisherman from NOAA Ship Bigelow out of Rhode Island, is augmenting the night watch team.
  • Malachi Olson, a contractor, is also supporting night operations as an augmenter.

During fishing operations, this team handles critical tasks: setting longlines, hauling them back in after one hour, and moving a specialized mesh cradle into place when large sharks are brought aboard. Their coordination and expertise are essential to ensuring the data collection is efficient, humane, and safe for both crew and animals.

Interview with Sean Gronquist

This interview is with skilled fisherman Sean Gronquist. He has been around the Atlantic Ocean his whole life, but on NOAA Ship Oregon II for a year. Growing up, Sean and his friends used to take all kinds of watercraft out into the Intracoastal Waterway around St. Augustine, FL, from a dock behind his house. He learned some basic mechanics from his friend, Jordan, who was able to fix 2-stroke engines on the fly when they were out on the water together. 

Sean graduated from the University of North Florida with a degree in anthropology and a dream to be an underwater “Indiana Jones.” He earned his captain’s license and worked as a charter fishing captain for 15 years, where the focus for him was locating the target species of his clients to catch whatever they requested, if possible. Sean literally helped customers check items off their bucket list (he runs Uno Mas Fishing Charters out of Stuart, FL). He could return to this profession if he ever needed to, but for now he finds joy in working toward the important goal of figuring out how many fish are off the southeastern coast of the US.

Why is your work important?

“We collect data that is used by multiple groups to set quotas or limits on fisheries. We’re one of the longest running surveys.”

What do you enjoy most about your work?

“Even during transits, no two days are the same. Straight up, I fish for the government. The fact that I found a job that pays me to do what I’m passionate about, you can’t beat it. I learn something new every day. “

What is the most important tool that you use for your job?

“My answer is simple: a sharp pocket knife comes in handy all the time. You can cut something, open things, all sorts of uses. “

If you could invent any tool to make your work more efficient and cost were no object, what would it be and why?

“It would have to be something to keep weeds off the line, a weedless spring to remove the sargassum weed from the trolling line. We fish off the stern when we have finished all that we need to do, and it’s a pain to have to pull in the lures all the time because they’re fouled with sargassum.”

When did you know you wanted to pursue an ocean career?

“I’ve always known I wanted that. I grew up on the water, so I just needed to figure out how to make a career out of it. I did marine mechanics on Yamaha engines at a guy’s shop but realized that the owner of the shop would always make a lot more money than I would. I did finish carpentry, too, but ultimately I decided to put down a hammer and picked up a wrench.

“My great grandfather was a merchant marine, and my grandfather was a See Bee in the Navy in Okinawa in World War II. It ran in my family, so I always figured I’d end up on a ship.”

Personal Log

I am having so much fun and learning so much on this trip. It’s always nice to interact with people who are like-minded about the wonder of the ocean. We have a range of people on this leg of the cruise (it takes 4 legs to sample all of the stations and regions). Here are the people on the day watch with me:

  • Trey Driggers, primary investigator for the project
  • Gretchen Kruizenga, survey technician (Ms. Fix-It!)
  • Tera Winters, survey scientist (and former veterinarian)
  • Evan Winters, volunteer entering college at West Florida University when we return

Everyone is pulling their weight (I always feel like I need to step up a little more, but I am trying to keep up at these new tasks) and getting along well. I will try to write more about these new friends in the future.

New Animals Seen

  • Spotted dolphins
  • Cannonball jellyfish
  • Lion’s mane jellyfish
  • Tiger sharks (large and small)
  • Sandbar sharks
  • Leech on the sandbar shark
  • Nurse shark
  • Bull shark
  • Sharpnose shark
  • Great hammerhead shark! (the other watch actually saw this shark, but they showed me the pictures! We are in competition now to see who catches the next hammerhead.)
  • Two large red snappers!
a somewhat out of focus view of two dolphins leaping above the surface of the water; blue, mostly clear skies, bright blue water.
a woman wearing a hard hat, life vest, and gloves crouches on deck to hold a large red-orange fish against a long wooden measuring board
a woman wearing a life vest, hat, and sunglasses smiles for the camera as she stands on deck grasping a small stripey shark behind its jaws
close-up view of a marine leech against the bright blue textured background of a fish glove. the leach is blue gray with a pattern of white spots in bands.
view of the underside of a hammerhead shark's head, held back by a blue gloved hand. the shark is suspended above the water in the mesh cradle.
a hammerhead shark in the water, caught on a line, as seen over the railing.

Photos clockwise, from top left: Spotted dolphins swimming in the wake for fun; Lila holding a baby tiger shark, a favorite!; great hammerhead shark on the longline, prior to hauling up; great hammerhead in the mesh cradle being measured, sexed, and tagged; leech (size approximately 2 cm) in my glove, removed from a large sandbar shark); Tera measuring a red snapper prior to removing otoliths (estimated to be around 15 years old).

Did You Know?

Otoliths, or fish ear stones, are the densest part of a finfish’s body and are made of calcium carbonate, the same material as seashells. They are suspended in a liquid to help the fish to know which end is up and to sense vibrations.

otoliths arranged in six neat columns against a black background. the otoliths have been dyed different colors prior to sectioning.
close-up view of two cleaned otoliths resting in the fingers of someone's upturned

Left: Otoliths from six species aligned at the core and ready to be sectioned. Photo: Sandy Sutherland, NOAA Fisheries. Right: Otoliths removed by Tera from the red snapper in the previous photos.

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Martin McClure: Let’s Talk Sharks, August 4, 2023

NOAA Teacher at Sea

Martin McClure

NOAA Ship Oregon II

July 25– August 9, 2023

Mission: Shark/Red Snapper Bottom Longline Survey

Geographic Area of Cruise: Gulf of Mexico/Atlantic Ocean

Date: August 4, 2023

Latitude: 33°47.753′ N

Longitude: 78°13.019 W

Air Temperature: 22.3 kph

Wind Speed: 26° Celsius

Science and Technology Log: Meeting the tiger shark

Let’s face it, sharks are cool! They are an apex predator of the ocean. They are hunters and capture our imagination. Like most people, sharks are fascinating creatures if you take the time to get to know them.

Sharks are an ancient group of fishes. They have been on Earth since before there were any trees. They are intelligent and can be are very curious creatures that want to investigate new objects. Some species have social structures and recognize each other, and form relationships that last over many years. Some sharks have been observed hunting in groups. Personality, or should I say “sharkonality,” wise, individuals have been observed to be more assertive or more timid. They have sensory organs called ampullae of Lorenzini that sense electricity to help them find prey. 

Sharks are quite varied. Some sharks must keep moving to breathe, while others can sit on the sea floor for hours at a time. Some sharks lay eggs, while others have live pups.

view from above of a tagged tiger shark in a sling net suspended on the outside of the ship's railing, above the water. three crewmembers stand on deck near the rail. they are wearing hard hats, life vests, and gloves.
A tiger shark in the sling ready to be released. Notice the tag by its dorsal fin.

So far we have caught sandbar, Atlantic sharpnose, tiger, scalloped hammerhead, and great hammerhead sharks. The Atlantic sharpnose, sandbar, and tiger sharks all belong to the family Carcharhinidae, or requiem sharks. They have a flattened but not wide snout. In many species teeth are similar because in the top row the teeth are triangular and serrated (like a saw) and in the bottom row they are narrow and smooth-edged. Their eyes have a nictitating membrane that functions like an eyelid, but they can see through it.  Interestingly, reproduction varies within this family of sharks. 

two gloved hands hold a small tiger shark up for a photo; only the middle of the shark, from the base of the caudal fin to the gills, is visible (tail and head are out of view.) This close-up shows the black and white markings on the shark, more like spots than tiger stripes.
Markings on a tiger shark pup. (ba-by shark doo doo doo doo doo doo)


Tiger sharks are striking to see up close. Their markings on their skin gives them their name and makes them easy to identify, even for a novice. Young tiger shark markings tend more toward spots that can grow into bars or stripes as they age. The bars will fade as the shark grows older.

The teeth of a tiger shark are easily identifiable as they are curved with a notch in it. Unlike other sharks in the Carcharhinidae family, the bottom row of teeth has the same triangular, serrated teeth as the top row. They eat a variety of food including crabs, squid, bony fishes, turtles, rays and birds as well as many other animals even other sharks. They have also been known to eat boat cushions, tin cans and even license plates.

They are one of the larger sharks, often growing 11 – 14 feet long and up to 1400 pounds. In the United States, tiger sharks are found from Massachusetts to Florida and the Gulf of Mexico.

Tiger Sharks have live babies called pups. They are ovoviviparous, and young develop inside their body before giving birth to live young. It is common for them to bear between 35 and 55 pups but have been known to have as many as 104. Because they bear so many pups, and the gestation is between 15 to 18 months, it is believed that they reproduce every three years.

Depredation: When a shark takes your fish

Depredation is when a fish has been hooked by a fisherman and is then attacked and eaten or partly eaten by another marine animal. This is obviously a problem for the fisherman because the fishermen cannot use the fish. According to Dr. William Driggers, Chief Scientist on the Oregon II Longline Shark and Snapper survey, depredation is on the increase in U.S. waters because shark populations are increasing. Shark populations are increasing because of good management of the shark populations. The most likely shark species to take a hooked fish is the whatever shark species is most common in that area. In other words, no one species is the worst offender. We have witnessed this at least six times on this survey leg.

A sandbar shark biting a red snapper on a fishing line at the surface of the ocean
A sandbar shark takes a bite out of a red snapper.
Caitlin, wearing fish gloves and a life vest, holds up only the front half of a red snapper. Just below the dorsal fin, ragged edges of the fish reveal a shark bite. Caitlin stands on the aft deck, and we can see obscured views of other crewmembers behind her, plus a cloudy sky.
Graduate student Caitlin Retzlaff shows the results of depredation.

Meet the Crew: Fisherman/Deckhand Josh Cooper

Josh is a professional fisherman aboard the Oregon II! Yup, one position on this crew is to be a professional fisherman.

The responsibilities of a fisherman are many. Everyone on the boat has very well defined duties and must be flexible and a good team member. He helps load the ship before it leaves the dock. He helps with docking by handling the lines. There are many duties once underway. There is painting and cleaning to be done, preparing gear and running the machinery used for fishing.

Then there is the fishing. Josh loves fishing. The fishermen are on board to help handle the big sharks and other large fish. Josh has done a lot of fishing. He sometimes operates the crane when the cradle is needed for a big shark. In emergency situations Josh is on the fire team and operates the small rescue boat that is aboard the Oregon II.

Josh running the crane to use the cradle.

Josh graduated from the University of Alabama, but a degree from a university is not required to be a fisherman/deckhand.  After earning a dual major in biology and marine biology, he went to Alaska as a fisherman on commercial fishing vessels.

After that, he joined NOAA as a fisheries observer.  In this job, he was on commercial fishing boats. He would be assigned to join a fishing boat, usually a small boat with two to three fishermen. It was his job to collect data on the fish caught. This would include species, length and weight. After doing this for two years in Alaska, he moved to do the same job in the Gulf of Mexico. Josh continued to do this work for six more years.

He first came to the Oregon II as a contractor working with Artificial Intelligence (AI) teaching the computers to recognize fish species. He was doing this when a position opened up as a part of the deck/fisherman crew. He has been on the Oregon II for two years. He likes that the accommodations are better than many of the other boats that he has lived on and he likes the people that he works with.

Being a fisherman is a big commitment. Josh says that he is out to sea about 140 days a year. When the ship is docked there are many maintenance tasks to be done. 

Josh sits on a bench on the aft deck of NOAA Ship Oregon II. It's a bright, clear day. He's spreading his arms about as wide as they can go and smiling at the camera. A pair of yellow fish gloves rests on the bench beside him.
Josh telling a fish story. He was not exaggerating, by much.

Personal Log: Schedules

A 24 hour analog clock, hung on a wall. the NOAA logo is at the center of it. it is about 14:05 (2:05 pm).
NOAA Clock

Life on the Oregon II is dictated by schedules, until it’s not. My basic schedule is dictated by my shift. I am on the day shift, which means that I work from noon until midnight. The night shift is midnight until noon. We use a 24 hour time schedule to avoid any confusion about which 8:00 or 10:30 we are referring to. So I am working from 12:00 – 0:00. During that time we might set and haul as many as three stations, or as few as one, so far.

Many factors might impact this schedule, including transit time between stations, as well as weather. I usually wake up some time between 7:00 and 8:00. Breakfast closes at 8:00 and I do like breakfast. On those mornings that I do not make it to breakfast, there is always fruit, cereal, and a variety of leftovers available. The rest of the morning I can use to exercise, write, read and relax. I like to enjoy a few minutes up on the flying bridge watching the ocean or observing a haul below. Lunch begins at 11:00 and I like to get in there fairly early to be sure that I am ready for my shift at 12:00. Our shift simply takes over where the last one left off. Sometimes we are in transit, but we might take over with the set or haul. We continue for the rest of the shift with the station schedule until midnight. Dinner is scheduled from 17:00 – 18:00. If we are not able to make it to the galley due to working, they will hold a dinner for us.

The ship operates and holds to schedules 24-7 unless there is a problem with the weather or mechanical problems. It has taken a while, but I have adjusted to this schedule and it feels pretty normal. Currently, we are taking shelter near shore to wait out a storm. We are expecting a 24 hour delay with no fishing stations.

A photo of just the moon - orange, but with some topography visible - against a completely black background
The Sturgeon Supermoon

One of the real treats is the natural beauty. The ocean is not just a repetitive body of water, but an everchanging montage of colors and shapes. Sometimes a light green, to deep blue at other times. At night, the blanket of black is broken by the white foam of the bow waves and whitecaps. There are dolphins, sea turtles, sea birds, not to mention all of the interesting creatures that come up on the longline. Sunsets never fail to disappoint, and then of course, the moonrises. We were lucky enough to be hauling in the longline when the Antares rocket was launched from Wallops Island, Virginia. We watched as the orange glow slowly receded into the clouds. Just a few minutes later, the Sturgeon Supermoon rose behind the clouds on the horizon. That was an incredible experience. There is always some new natural beauty to be found out here. Nature may be beautiful but it is not subject to our schedules.

Animals seen: spotted dolphins, laughing gulls, gag grouper, scamp grouper, oyster toadfish, bonita, great hammerhead, scalloped hammerhead, sucker fish

We had been watching these dolphins coming to the surface. This is the video we got when we retrieved the CTD.
oyster toadfish, photographed head-on, in a white plastic bin.
Oyster toadfish, watch out for those venomous spines.
Photo credit: John Brule

Did you know?

Have you ever had someone wish you “fair winds and following seas?” Josh explained this saying to me. While we were talking, the boat was rocking back and forth in 3-5 foot waves. Not a particularly smooth ride. He commented that, “It seems like we always find the trough.” I asked him what he meant. He explained that when waves are coming from one side or the other, this is said to be “in the trough.” The low point between waves is called the trough. The smoothest ride on a boat comes when the waves are coming from the stern, following the ship, so to speak. That would be the seas following the boat.

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Martin McClure: Starting the Survey, July 30, 2023

NOAA Teacher at Sea

Martin McClure

NOAA Ship Oregon II

July 25– August 9, 2023

Mission: Shark/Red Snapper Bottom Longline Survey

Geographic Area of Cruise: Gulf of Mexico/Atlantic Ocean

Date: July 30, 2023

Latitude: 31°21.967’N

Lonfitude: 80°12.135’W

Air Temperature: 27.5° C.

Wind Speed: 6.79 kph

Science and Technology Log: Longline Fishing

Teacher at Sea Stephen Kade created this graphic to help explain longline fishing.

We have started the longline survey and it is well organized and exciting. The first part of the process is called the set. We start the fishing process by baiting circle hooks. These hooks are attached to a 12 foot length of 3 mm line called a gangion (gan-jin). We use mackerel for bait. Each piece of fish is hooked through a circle hook.

Circle hooks ready for baiting

Next we drop over a buoy with a radar reflector on top called a hi flier. Attached to this is a 4 mm line called the main line. Then a weight is attached to the line and dropped. This anchors the beginning of the fishing line to the seafloor. Next, a numbered clip is attached to each gangion. The gangions are attached to the main line in order from 1- 50. A second weight is then attached to the main line and the process is repeated with gangions numbered 51- 100. A third weight is then attached to anchor this end of the line to the seafloor.

Tagging and attaching the gangions

Finally, a second hi flier buoy is attached and released to mark the end of the line.  As each of these steps is done a member of the team records it on a computer. This gives a precise time that each baited hook went in the water as well as when and where the anchors and buoys were released. 

Ready to drop the hi flyer

The next step is to take water measurements. This is done with a remarkable device called a CTD. CTD stands for conductivity, temperature and depth. Conductivity is related to how much salt is in the water (salinity) and is related to how well it will conduct electricity. It also measures the temperature and depth of the ocean at that spot. We attach a camera to it to see what the seafloor is made of at that spot. We want to know if it is a sandy bottom, sea grass, muddy, etc.  

The CTD


Then we wait one hour. 


The second part of the process is called the haul. The haul is simply the set done in reverse, except that we often catch fish. The fishermen use a grappling hook to retrieve the main line attached to the hi flier.

Grappling hook ready to thrown

When it is brought on board, the main line is attached to a winch. The winch is used to pull the main line up of the seafloor. As the main line is pulled in the gangions are detached and replaced in a barrel, the numbered clips are detached and kept on a line in number order. That way,  everything is ready to be used for the next set. Whatever is on, or not on, the hook is recorded on the computer. If the bait is missing or damaged is noted.

Weighing a barracuda

Any fish caught is noted on the computer and the team jumps into action. For sharks there are several things that happen. They are identified by species. The hook is removed and the shark is weighed. It is then measured for three different lengths, precaudal (before the tail fin), fork (at the fork in the tail, and total (the end of the tail fin). The sex, male or female,  and maturity is determined. Tissue samples are taken by cutting off a small piece of a fin. This tissue sample is placed in a small plastic vial and labeled. They are also often given a numbered tag. This information is all recorded and entered into the computer. 

Me, tagging a sandbar shark.

Meet the Crew: Lieutenant James Freed

NOAA Corps Lieutenant James Freed is the operations officer for the Oregon II. He has many responsibilities as part of his job. Part of his job is to liaison, or maintain communication, between the science party and the ship’s commanding officer (CO). That means making sure that everything that the science team needs is on the ship. If the science team has needs then we would go through him and not directly to the CO. As Operations Officer he is also in charge of organizing materials when they come aboard the ship. He posts the Plan of the Day which lets everyone on board know what to expect that day. Lieutenant Freed coordinates port logistics for the ship. This means he coordinates the loading and unloading of materials. His duties also include acting as Officer of the Deck (OOD). During this 4 hour shift he is responsible for the ship’s navigation and safety. His emergency response assignments on the Oregon II include being the nozzleman on the fire team, launching life rafts for abandon ship and he goes out on the rescue boat for man overboard. 
Lieutenant Freed grew up in Santa Rosa, California. He attended Santa Rosa Junior College and then transferred to University of California, Santa Cruz where he studied marine biology. During this time he worked as an intern on a fishing vessel and this is where he first heard about the NOAA Corps. He has now been in the NOAA Corps for 6 years. Before being assigned to the Oregon II he was first assigned to the NOAA Ship Bell M. Shimada in Newport, Oregon. He then moved to Seattle working with the Marine Mammal Laboratory at Alaska Fisheries Science Center. For this assignment his duties were quite varied. They included doing a lot of field work, flying drones, and doing whale biopsies. 
Lieutenant Freed is clearly enthusiastic about his career in the NOAA Corps. He describes it as an “incredible career” that supports his growth with leadership and management training. The NOAA Corps is growing with new ships and aircraft and will need to recruit new members.. The ships participate in a wide variety of tasks including fisheries research, oceanographic and atmospheric data collection and hydrographic mapping. 

Personal Log

Well these last few days have been quite a transition. After 2 1/2 days of transit from Pascagoula, MS to Miami. It was a bit shocking to see how the skyline has changed after 40+ years. It has grown, to say the least. We started fishing just north of Miami. The 10 person science team is split into two shifts. I am on the “day” shift. We work from noon to midnight. These long shifts are filled with alternating periods of activity and waiting. After the set we wait for an hour before the haul. Then, depending on where the next set is, there will be another wait of between two to three hours. The hauls seem to follow the same patterns. As the mile of line is reeled in, there are long periods with not much happening. Then, there might be three fish online within a few hooks. Last night it was two baby tiger sharks and a 1200 mm (3 ft. 11 in.) barracuda within about 5 minutes. When there is a shark too big to haul up by hand on the gangion, the crane is used. We all don hardhats, the crane is moved into place and everyone is busy taking measurements, preparing tags, and taking tissue samples. I was warned to bring a lot of reading material for the down time and I did that. However, with so many things to learn, interesting people to talk to, and beautiful scenery to watch, I have had little time for boredom to creep in.

Ready to release a baby tiger shark.

One of the most common questions that I had before I left concerned getting motion sick. Dare I utter the word… seasick. So far, I have been lucky… hmm, I can’t seem to find any wood around here to knock on. I started the voyage with what I consider to be a rational decision, take the Dramamine. We started with two days of beautiful weather. By the first sign of rough seas I had stopped taking the Dramamine so I went outside and watched the horizon for about an hour. I decided that watching the horizon on a beautiful day at sea had no drawbacks. I never did feel nauseaus. Some people recomended that I buy the accupressure bands which I did. When seas get rough and I am inside I will sometimes wear those. I have not been seasick, yet. I still take precautions like not doing computer work inside when in rough seas but so far I have been fine. In fact, as far as I know none of the volunteers or crew have been sick.

I cannot end this blog without acknowledging the stewards in the gally and the impressive menu available at each meal. I think that there are always three choices for a main dish and a variety of sides. Additonally, a salad bar is always available, snacks, and my favorite, ice cream.

Just one of three delicious options that night

Animals seen: sea turtle, dolphin, snake fish, spotted eel, barracuda, shark sucker. Sharks: sandbar shark, tiger shark, Atlantic sharpnose shark, scalloped hammerhead

shame faced crab

Did you know?

Most of the fish that we catch have parasites living in and on them?