sunrise – NOAA Teacher at Sea Blog

September 30, 2026

Melina Vella: “Spot” the Difference, September 16, 2026

NOAA Teacher at Sea

Melina Vella

Aboard NOAA Ship Henry B. Bigelow

September 10 – 30, 2026

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

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

Date: September 16, 2026

Weather Data from the Bridge

Latitude: 35º06’30.5927”N

Longitude: 075º14’04.2990”W

Wind: Northwest wind at 10 knots

Air Temperature: 25.2ºC (77.3ºF)

Science and Technology Log

Let me set the scene of an average tow for you. A conveyor belt of flopping fish (and others) moving at a rate of, what I estimate, sometimes hundreds of fish a minute. Practiced hands are moving with precision and speed to pick out dozens of fish and place them into their respective buckets. Oh–also–the ship is reorienting itself towards the next survey station so there’s a fair bit of unpredictable jostling. Gushing water sloshes around inches deep on the floor. The sensory experience is unlike any I’ve experienced before.

close-up view of a pile of fish on a nondiscernable surface. Most of the fish are one of two small, similar species, both silvery with yellow pectoral fins. in the foreground is a horseshoe crab; two other horseshoe crabs, lying amid the fish at odd angles, appear toward the back of the photo. — Quick–what species do you see?? I spy a couple horseshoe crabs, croaker, and some spot…

It’s overwhelming, but also such a thrill. I’d describe it as a similar experience as one of those blind boxes you can get at your local toy store. Just like the outside of the box has pictures of the types of toys you’ll get, we have a fairly good idea about what species to expect. But, there’s always the chance you might pull a never-been-seen-before fish.

Melina, wearing orange overalls and large blue latex gloves, grins as she holds up a small skate (type of fish similar to a ray) for a photo. she is in the wet lab. — Holding a small Clearnose Skate (Raja eglanteria), one of my favorite skates that I see often in the Delaware Bay!

For the first few days, it felt like everyone was speaking in code, especially when it came to the names of some of the animals we were catching. I’d never heard the words “Loligo” or “Illex” in my whole life. Eventually, though, I figured out that those terms translated to “squid,” and that’s as far as I’ve gotten.

five small squid laid out at random on an electronic measuring board. they are not yet arranged straight against the measurement line. the largest may be 20 centimeters. — Squid lined up on the fish measuring board.

I’ve put together this brief list of must-know species that we commonly encounter that are frequently mistaken for one another. Maybe by the end of the trip I’ll be able to tell them apart…

Squid: Illex & Loligo

There are quite a few types of squid we could come across during our survey, to include Shortfin (Illex illecebrosus) and Longfin Squid (Doryteuthis pealeii). Illex have shorter triangular fins than the rounded longer fins of a Loligo. The skin of a Loligo will slough off more easily. Coloration also varies between the two squid, with Illex more of an orange-brown and Loligo leaning purple and pink.

scientific illustration of a shortfin squid — Illex are also called Shortfin or Summer Squid (NOAA Fisheries).

scientific illustration of a longfin inshore squid — Loligo are also called Longfin Inshore Squid, Winter Squid, and Boston Squid. They have had multiple scientific names, some of which include the Loligo genus (NOAA Fisheries).

close-up photo of a small squid against a blue background; its triangular fins are extended — An Illex specimen showing off its triangular fins (Photo by Fisheries and Oceans Canada via WoRMS).

close-up view of a pile of small squid on an electronic measuring board - these are only 6 to 8 centimeters — A pile of small Loligo (which we endearingly nickname “small-igo”) on the fish measuring board before processing.

Spot & Atlantic Croaker

You’d think this one would be intuitive for me, considering this Spot (Leiostomus xanthurus) and Croaker (Micropogonias undulatus) are the two of the fish we catch the most during our seining programs at the Nature Center, but unfortunately not. The most helpful tip is that a spot will have, well, a spot!

close-up image of a spot against a white background — Spot have a more slender body and rounded snout (North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality).

close-up photo of an Atlantic croaker against a gray background — Atlantic Croakers have much more heft to them, as well as a slight protruding point to their caudal fin, or tail (Florida Museum photo by Zachary Randall).

However, especially when dozens of them are flopping vigorously and moving on a conveyor belt, that tiny spot can be hard to find. The area on a croaker where the pectoral fin meets the body can also be dark and round (not unlike a spot’s spot…).

Four-Spot, Ocellated, Windowpane, & Summer Flounder

I’ve always been fond of flatfish. They’re such a funky shape (and typically quite delicious as well). At the Nature Center, we had an adorable Summer Flounder named June.

a fish tank. small laminated cards line the top outer edge of the tank - they contain photos and names of the species in the tank. we can see a small flatfish on the front pane of glass, aligned with its tail pointing upward and its face toward the sand. — June the Summer Flounder pressed against the tank vertically.

We’ve come across plenty of flatfish during this cruise. The main ones that I have the most trouble telling apart are the Fourspot (Hippoglossina oblonga), Ocellated (Ancylopsetta quadrocellata), Windowpane (Scophthalmus aquosus), and Summer Flounder (Paralichthys dentatus). All four of these species are left-eyed flatfish, meaning that if you placed the fish with the mouth oriented upwards below the eyes, they would be on the left side of the fish.

scientific illustration of a peacock flounder — A Peacock Flounder (*Bothus lunatus*) is a left-eyed flatfish found in tropical and subtropical areas of the Atlantic Ocean (Animal Diversity Web).

close-up view of a very circular, very stripey flatfish in a white bucket of water. its tail is like a small circle attached to a large one. — We caught a very distinct right-eyed flatfish, the Naked Sole (*Gymnachirus nudus*).

So, the eyed-ness (that’s not a word but you know what I mean) is not gonna help you much with differentiating this quartet of resemblant fish; you’ll have to zoom in and take a closer look at their unique features.

A Fourspot Flounder will have four very distinct eye-like dark spots, called ocelli. They are situated in pairs with one pair closer towards the tail and the other in the middle of the body. Of course, it’s not just the fourspot flounder that will have four spots.

The Ocellated Flounder will also have four large ocelli, but they will be distributed across the body differently. Three of an Ocellated Flounder’s spots will be in a triangle shape towards the right half of the body and the last spot above the pectoral fin.

scientific illustration of a fourspot flounder — Fourspot Flounder (*Hippoglossina oblonga)*
(Illustration by H.L. Todd Illustration, Courtesy University of Washington Libraries via DNREC)

photo of an ocellated flounder against sand; we can see the four large spots — Ocellated Flounder (*Ancylopsetta quadrocellata*) (Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute)

Lastly, the Windowpane and Summer Flounders are going to have smaller spots scattered along their bodies. Windowpane Flounder are named for their thin, near-transparent bodies. They are more rounded than the other similar oval-shaped flounders. Windowpane Flounders have many small dark spots. In contrast, Summer Flounders typically have five larger prominent ocelli towards the tail-end of the body. Summer Flounder can reach up to forty inches, whereas windowpane tend to max out around about half that. Another helpful diagnostic feature is that the dorsal (upper) fin of a Windowpane Flounder will have fringed rays towards the front, almost like little hairs.

close-up photo of a windowpane flounder on a white background — Windowpane Flounder (*Scophthalmus aquosus)*
(Smithsonian Environmental Research Center)

close-up photo of a summer flounder on a white background — Summer Flounder (*Paralichthys dentatus)*
(Smithsonian Environmental Research Center)

Aw, Shucks

I’ve been lucky to have some of the freshest seafood I’ve ever encountered over the past week. The whole mission is an indescribable undertaking, and one of the ways those onboard are rewarded is through being able to eat our catch.

It’s truly a group effort with every team having a hand in the process in some way. The deck crew is pulling up the giant hauls while coordinating with the bridge. The engineers are scurrying around fixing things before anyone even notices they need repairing.

The science team is measuring and processing. The team estimated this tow to be over 3,000 pounds, with the overwhelming majority of the haul Atlantic Sea Scallops (Placopecten magellanicus).

view of a large bin on deck full of hundreds of scallops. toward the back of the bin, a crewmember with a blue hard hat, rain gear, and life vest reaches an arm into bin. we can see a portion of the net in the background. it is nighttime. — The day watch team was rewarded with a very scallop-y tow (Photo Credit: NOAA SST Ben Tuttle).

Throughout my time on the ship I’ve learned not only a lot of technical science, but also picked up some skills I never knew I’d learn onboard. If you need someone to shuck about a hundred scallops with minimal precision but a lot of enthusiasm, I’m your girl. I’m also not afraid to get my hands dirty (or rather, inky) and prep dozens of Loligo for some fresh calamari.

baskets of scallops — A couple baskets of fresh scallops set aside from the big scallop tow.

buckets of shucked scallops on a sorting table near a measuring board — Shucked scallops being rinsed and bagged.

close-up view of a bowl of scallop pasta — The final product: a fabulous pasta with seared scallops.

We shucked enough scallops to fill a couple plastic bags and handed them off to the galley crew, who whipped up a delicious scallop pasta for lunch the next day.

Personal Log: The Pros and Cons of Night Watch

Pro: Talk about a golden hour!! You’re rewarded halfway through your shift with a sunrise view unlike any you can see on land. The flying bridge gives breathtaking views from all directions.

view of sunrise over the ocean, seen from an outside deck and also through the bridge windows — Looking through the bridge windows from the deck outside.

a tower with satellite instruments, painted red, stands out in the light of the sunrise — A glamour shot of some of the ship’s external instruments.

Cons: My meals are all outta wack! I’m truly a creature of habit–on land I alternate pretty consistently through my go-to breakfast foods of apple cinnamon oatmeal or Lucky Charms. However, when your breakfast is at 11 p.m., what’s the move? Should I be eating the meal the Steward Department saved for me from a few hours before while I was fast asleep, or do I adhere to strict traditional breakfast foods?

Did You Know?

Did you know that some people can’t visualize anything in their mind? It’s estimated that about 1% of people experience a lack of visual imagery, also called aphantasia. Unfortunately for me and my species identification abilities, I fall into this 1%. On the other hand, many of my science team members can mentally call up an image of a fish with such precise colors and details that they basically turn into a walking field guide.

August 21, 2026August 28, 2026

Sabrina Whitaker: A Day in the Life, August 19, 2026

NOAA Teacher at Sea

Sabrina Whitaker

Aboard NOAA Ship Thomas Jefferson

August 18-31, 2026

Mission: Hydrographic Survey, Leg 3

Geographic Area of Cruise: Lake Ontario

Date: August 19, 2026

Weather Data from the Bridge

Latitude: 43°22.554’N

Longitude: 76°44.490’W

Winds: W-SW at 5 knots

Temperature: 76° F

Science and Technology Log

A NOAA research vessel is a 24-hour operation. The crew works 12-hour shifts that can start at any part of the day or night and in the rain or shine, pitch black or full daylight.

My day began in the quiet dark at 5:00 a.m. with Ensigns Connor Harrell and Julian Santos as they prepped one of the ship’s small survey boats. Before heading out on the water, thoroughness is everything. They meticulously inspected the engine compartment, checked the water and oil lines, verified the batteries, and—equally crucial for a long shift—packed their sandwich ingredients for the day.

two NOAA Corps officers in navy blue NOAA Ship Thomas Jefferson sweatshirts lean over the engine compartment of a small launch vessel — Ensigns Harrell and Santos inspecting the small boat they would later take out

view of a pink-orange sunrise over water; on the horizon, we can make out a distant shoreline — Sunrise over Lake Ontario after inspecting the small boats

By 6:00 a.m., the entire crew gathered for the daily safety meeting to review small boat operations, including resolving past mechanical issues and flagging things to watch. We discussed both small boats on Thomas Jefferson: one had just received a new alternator, while the other developed a persistent clicking sound. The cause? It requires a specialized lubricant that isn’t currently stocked on the Thomas Jefferson. A temporary alternative lubricant is keeping things safe and operational in the meantime, even if the click remains for now.

By 6:20 a.m., it was time to launch. Watching the coordination required to launch both small boats was incredible—it took less than five minutes per boat. I watched my roommate, Hydrographic Survey Tech Haley Kenyon, balance on the moving small boat, calmly releasing heavy lines, relying entirely on her upper body strength and footwork before stepping back inside.

Deploying Boat 2904

view from an upper deck over a railing of NOAA Ship Thomas Jefferson as a small launch vessel motors away from the larger ship. the water is teal, illuminated by the sunrise. — Small Boat 2904 after being deployed into the water

These small boats serve as essential advance scouts for the Thomas Jefferson, especially when surveying specialized areas like designated dumping grounds. Using side-scan sonar, they map the seabed and detect potential hazards in shallow or tricky waters, ensuring our main vessel can later navigate safely to conduct high-resolution multibeam survey scans without risking the ship’s hull. Deploying the small boats also speeds up data collection significantly—with Thomas Jefferson and two small boats working simultaneously, we can map vast stretches of the lakebed in a fraction of the time.

Of course, science at sea always comes with unexpected variables. Boat 2903—the one with the brand-new alternator—ran into electrical trouble mid-morning and had to be recovered early. While Boat 2904 pressed on with its mission, the crew was understandably frustrated. But on a research ship, equipment problems are simply part of the job, and it was necessary to bring the boat in for further inspection.

Meanwhile, aboard Thomas Jefferson, we were running our own multibeam scans. The multibeam and sidescan systems integrate positional data from a variety of Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) including GPS, European Galileo satellites, and other available orbital networks with depth soundings.

Josh sits at a desk looking at an array of at least seven computer monitors — Survey Tech Josh Gautier collecting hydrographic survey data for NOAA ship *Thomas Jefferson*

To turn sound waves into precise depth measurements, however, you need to know the speed of sound in water, which changes constantly based on temperature and salinity. To capture these variables, a Moving Vessel Profiler (MVP) is deployed. Towed behind the ship, the MVP measures salinity and temperature profiles through the water column. The survey techs aboard NOAA ship Thomas Jefferson launch it roughly every hour, or whenever we transit to a new area, allowing us to continuously calibrate our sonar equations against local water conditions.

Ali, wearing a hard hat and life vest, stands near a small torpedo-shaped scientific instrument suspended from a cable — Hydrographic Senior Survey Tech Ali DiTommaso preparing to launch the MVP

At 4:00 p.m., Boat 2904 returned to the ship. We wrapped up the afternoon with our daily debrief—a chance for both the small-boat teams and the shipboard crew to compare notes, troubleshoot the day’s electrical snags, and refine our approach for tomorrow before heading off to dinner.

Personal Log

Living quarters on a working ship must make use of every usable square inch. I share a room with Haley Kenyon, one of our fantastic survey technicians (and one of the people who went out on the small boat from the morning’s launch video).

view into a stateroom, showing two bunked berths, a narrow wardrobe, and a chest of drawers — Stateroom with two berths

Our room is surprisingly spacious with plenty of storage. Haley is a permanent staffer, so she’s aboard Thomas Jefferson long term, while I’m settling in for my two-week adventure. We each have space in the dresser and closets, and I have the bottom bunk. While the porthole offers a fantastic view of the lake, my lower berth keeps the early morning light out of my eyes.

view of gray water through the top half of a porthole — The view from the porthole in my room

Our room connects to the adjacent stateroom via a shared Jack-and-Jill bathroom with a toilet and shower. It’s compact, but totally functional. Both connecting doors lock securely from the inside—though there’s always a slight paranoia about accidentally locking yourself out. Conveniently, our sink and mirror are located right inside our bathroom in our bedroom, making it super easy to brush teeth and wash up even if the bathroom is occupied.

Did You Know?

Dessert is a mandatory shipboard requirement.

On NOAA Ship Thomas Jefferson, official protocol dictates that the crew must be served a dessert at both lunch and dinner. We are extraordinarily lucky because our Chief Steward, Danni Cuff, is a pastry chef trained at the Culinary Institute of America.

Needless to say, the food aboard is great. So far, my scientific duties have been complimented by an impressive rotation of scratch-made cakes, pies, and warm cookies.

a pecan pie, with about one quarter already eaten — One of the pies available to the crew on *Thomas Jefferson*

July 31, 2026July 31, 2026

Jo Slavitz: A Lot of Fish in the Sea: July 26, 2026

NOAA Teacher at Sea

Jo Slavitz

Aboard NOAA Ship Oscar Dyson

July 19 – August 10, 2026

Mission: Summer Pollock Acoustic Survey, Leg 3

Geographic Area of Cruise: Bering Sea, Alaska

Date: July 24, 2026

Weather Data from Bering Sea

Latitude: 58° 48.960’ N

Longitude: 173° 43.168′ W

Winds: E at 15-20 mph

Air Temperature: 45.68° F (7.6° C)

“The charm of fishing is that it is the pursuit of what is elusive but attainable, a perpetual series of occasions for hope.” – John Buchan

Science and Technology Log

As the saying goes “there are lots of other fish in the sea,” so how exactly does NOAA Ship Oscar Dyson find mostly Alaskan pollock in such a huge ocean? It’s a combination of structured transect planning, analyzing complex acoustic data and a little bit of luck.

Transects: At first glance the map of the 3 legs of the Alaskan Pollock Survey look like a crazy zig-zag path, so what’s going on and where are we going? The Oscar Dyson is traveling on a transect. A transect is a line drawn by scientists across an area used to measure, count and record the species living there. Oscar Dyson scientists are tasked with figuring out how many pollock are living in the Bering Sea, what age they are and their reproductive stage. As Oscar Dyson travels along each transect, the scientists decide where good places are to sample the pollock population using a long trawl net. It’s difficult to look into the ocean (though we will talk about cameras later) so NOAA scientists actually “listen” for the fish as they swim under the boat.

line drawing of NOAA Ship Oscar Dyson demonstrating acoustic calibration. we can see the sounding board extending beneath the hull; metal calibration balls are suspended farther beneath the sounding board. — The sounding board on the bottom of Oscar Dyson sends and receives frequency information. (NOAA Fisheries)

EchoSound: Many people are familiar with the way animals such as bats and dolphins emit sounds and use echoes to gather information about their surrounding environment. The scientists on the Oscar Dyson also use sound and echoes to gather information about their environment in the Bering Sea. The boat has a sounding board underneath called a transducer that emits energy pulses at different frequencies and receives the echoes as they are bounced back. Objects with different densities send back different amounts of echo energy. Scientists in the Acoustic Lab onboard Oscar Dyson watch a screen for echo patterns that match the patterns that are expected from individuals and schools of pollock.

photo of a screen displaying an echogram. in this graph, the x-axis is time and the y-axis is depth; colored dots represent the intensity of backscatter from a particular frequency encountered at each depth over time. — An echogram is a visualization of an echosound

Check out this image of an echogram. Echograms are a visualization of detected echo sounds. The bright red lines at the top and the bottom of the screen represent the surface and the dense ocean floor. The top wave of blues and greens is referred to as the “munge” ; it is a mixture of stirred up air bubbles, algae, plankton and other things that the team has determined is not pollock. Pollock are primarily in the area just above the bottom to about the middle of the water column. Boney fish such as pollock have a specialized organ called a swim bladder which allows them to take in and release gas, thus changing their density and allowing them to rise and fall in depth like a submarine. Not only is this organ useful to the fish, the air it contains has a different density from the surrounding water and reflects the echo energy that is emitted and picked back up by the ship’s transducer. Look carefully and you can see little colored dots and patches just above the ocean bottom depicted on the echogram. Those are fish and schools of fish. The scientists are confident that they are pollock but to be sure they need to collect a sample of the fish in those areas and get measurements from them.

diagram of a trawl net being pulled behind a vessel. labels point out the codend (the narrowest part at the back); the headline rope; the sweeps (lower lines); the weights attached to the lines; warp wires connecting the trawl to the vessel; and otterboards to help direct fish into the net. — Basic Trawl Net (source: Nettingland.com)

Trawl: Once a spot has been identified by the scientists, a call goes out to the crew, “Fishing, Fishing, Fishing”. This alerts all aboard that the vessel is going to break from the transect and drop the nets into the spots that had lit up with fish patterns on the echogram. The net is rolled out from a giant spool controlled by the deck crew rather than the scientists. The tip of the net is called the codend, from the old English word “cod” meaning a bag or pouch and this is where the fish are collected. At the opposite end of the net is the opening where fish enter. The weave, or meshes, of the net gets progressively tighter the closer it is to the codend.

three crewmembers wearing hard hats and life vests kneel to attach equipment to a portion of the trawl net on the deck of NOAA Ship Oscar Dyson — “Turtle” being attached to the kite

photo of the output from the FS70 echoscan showing a radar image across two-thirds of a circle — “Turtle” being attached to the kite

Attached to the net are several pieces of equipment that allow the scientist to analyze what is going into the net and when, during the trawl. The FS70, or netsounder, is a bright yellow device that also uses echoes to gather information. This piece is also sometimes called the “turtle.” You can see the crew here connecting it to a special part of the net called the kite. The kite and netsounder are attached and fly just above the opening of the net allowing the scientist to monitor what is going in.

Next to the picture of the crew you can see the image of what is being recorded by the netsounder on an information panel. This image of the “turtle” shows whether it is flying correctly, or oriented in the correct direction. The 2/3 circle image is a visualization of the echos the netsounder is receiving. The rainbow of color on the very bottom of this circle is the echo bouncing back from the bottom of the ocean, above that is another rainbow that represents the bottom of the net, above that if you look closely there are small blue marks just forming an oval with the rainbowed net bottom, those are the top of the net. When fish go into the net, they are represented as small dots, or blobs if a whole school is captured within this oval. The screen showing the echogram from below the ship and the screen with the netscan are placed next to each other on the control panel so that scientists can see the fish coming and hopefully adjust the nets accordingly to catch them.

close up view of a control panel showing two displays: the FS70 echoscan output, and the echogram of acoustic backscatter. — The control panel on the Bridge.

Scientists only want a sample of the fish, so they monitor the netsounder until they feel they have enough fish to accurately represent what they are seeing and then call “Haul Back.” This call tells the crew to raise the net back onto the boat, and the science crew to put on their wetlab gear in preparation for fish processing.

Try It on Dry Land

Swim bladders allow fish to change the density and buoyancy of their bodies, allowing them to change their position in the water column. Buoyancy is an upward force of an object causing it to float or sink. You can make a simple model of a fish’s swim bladder (and a fun catch game) using items found around your house.

You need:

Paperclips
1 pen cap (Bic pen or other with the stick part)
1 soda bottle with cap
Clay

Instructions:

illustration of a hand holding a plastic bottle filled with water and the pencap diver — Source: sciencebob.com

Fill bottle to top with water
Secure clay around stick of pen cap (do not cover opening)
Bend paperclip to form hook
Attach paperclip into clay with hook pointing down
Drop cap/hook into soda bottle so that it floats
Twist another paperclip into an L shape and drop to bottom
Put cap tightly on bottle

To Activate:

Squeeze the bottle and watch the pen cap drop
Release your grip and pen can will rise
Practice controlling where in the water column you can direct the cap
Can you dive the cap to the bottom and hook on to the L shaped paperclip?

What in the Science is going on… The cap holds a bubble of air underneath which allows it to float. When you squeeze the bottle the pressure makes the bubble smaller and changes the density of the cap causing it to sink. A fish’s swim bladder works by the same principles. Find out more here: www.instructables.com/Cartesian-Divers/

Personal Log

a circle, representing the earth tilted on its axis. arrows point out the north and south celestial poles, the meridian, the zenith (90 degrees). ellipses inside the circle represent three different paths of the sun. the first, closest to the north celestial pole, is labeled "Sun's path on July 21." The middle one, around the celestial equator, is labeled "Sun's path on March 21 and Sept 21." The third, closer to the south celestial pole, is labeled "Sun's path on Dec 21." — Sun Path Diagram

Life on Oscar Dyson is different in many ways then life on land. For one, the scientists work in shifts. There is a 4 am to 4 pm shift considered the dayshift and another from 4 pm to 4 am considered the nightshift. Acoustic monitoring and fishing happen all day and all night. I am on the day shift. Adding to the change in daily rhythms is the extended amount of daylight during the Alaskan summer season. The sun is up and bright when I hit my bunk to sleep. The sun will not set until approximately 12:30am, some nights I have gotten up in the night to watch the sunset out my window. I report to the Acoustic Lab at 4 am in the dark to find out what the night shift has been working on, the sun will then rise again at around 7 am. It takes some getting used to as the sun is a natural trigger for my body to know when to be active and when to rest. It makes for a long day, but who can complain with such a stunning beginning.

a beautiful view of sunrise over railing of the ship. there is a pile of rope in the foreground. the sky is golden, and the water, curling softly with the ship's wake, reflects the gold light. — Bering Sea Sunrise

May 26, 2026May 28, 2026

Mandy Freeman: Life Between Sunrises and Humpbacks, May 24, 2026

NOAA Teacher at Sea

Mandy Freeman

Aboard NOAA Ship Henry B. Bigelow

May 19 – May 29, 2026

Mission: Sea Scallop HabCam Survey

Geographic Area of Cruise: Northeast Atlantic Ocean

Date: May 24, 2026

Weather Data from 13 miles due East of Monomoy Point, Massachusetts
Latitude: 41 32.7776 ° N
Longitude: 069 42.0435 ° W
Wind Speed: 12.5 knots E
Air Temperature: 10.5 °C (50.9°F)

Science and Technology Log

The Habitat Mapping Camera System (HabCam) has been taking LOTS of pictures of the life near the sea floor. As part of the nightshift, my duties include annotating the HabCam images, driving the HabCam vehicle as Pilot, and serving as Co-Pilot.

Annotating images involves identifying and measuring scallops, as well as identifying other animals like round fish, flat fish, skates, crabs and whelks.

As Co-Pilot, there are several monitors with varying data from both the ship and the HabCam that must be watched in order to see obstacles on the path to avoid a collision. The depth of the HabCam is controlled by a “joy stick” that deploys and retracts the cable attached to the frame surrounding the HabCam. Ideally the camera should be kept within 2 meters from the ocean bottom.

As the Pilot, I must constantly monitor and adjust for the ever-changing distance from the seafloor to keep the HabCam from touching bottom. Some areas are easy to navigate, while others are rocky with “surprise” boulders.

BEFORE Annotations

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) places a strong emphasis on producing reliable, standardized research data, so I was required to watch a training video, pass a verbal quiz, and then take a 200 image test to ensure my annotations met those standards.

view of a desktop computer at a workstation. we cannot really interpret anything on the screen. a sea scallop shell rests on the table off to the side. — Training and a test before I could annotate images

screenshot of an underwater view of a scallop on the seafloor — Live Sea Scallop from training session

Mandy sits at a corner desk with an array of computer monitors and a control panel with a joystick. she faces the screens intently as she grips the joystick with her right hand — Mandy piloting the HabCam

Mandy stands on deck in front of the HabCam, a large apparatus housing underwater cameras. she wears an orange hard hat and orange life vest. — Mandy standing on deck with the HabCam

Drifter Buoys

Through NOAA’s Adopt a Drifter Program, I also had the opportunity to deploy two drifter buoys while aboard the NOAA Ship Henry B. Bigelow. The mission of this program is “to connect classrooms around the world with NOAA data, and provide a real-life, interactive classroom experience to teach students about ocean science” (Adopt a Drifter Program). After decorating the buoys, we deployed both buoys from the starboard side of the ship at 5:21 AM and 5:22AM on Friday, May 22, 2026. As soon as I have a link to track them, I will post here!

If you or your school would like to adopt a drifter buoy, you can find out more information HERE.

Lewisville High School side of buoy

close-up of the buoy portion of the drifter showing the orange outline of a cat's paw and the words "c/o 1998, 2020" — Clemson University side of buoy (Mandy is a 1998 & 2020 graduate of Clemson)

close up of the buoy portion of the drifter showing a sticker of the state of South Carolina with a moon and palm tree from the state flag, and a NOAA Teacher at Sea Program sticker — Representing Mandy’s home state of South Carolina and the NOAA Teacher at Sea Program

three people stand on the deck of ship, in front of the railing, at sunrise. Mandy is in the center. Andrew and Tommi to her left and right each hold up a heavy drifting buoy, which consists of the float, cable, and folded up drogue. All three wear hard hats and life vests. — Andrew Merlino (Survey Tech) and Tommi Truong (Able Seaman) assisted Mandy in the deployment of the buoys (Image courtesy of Kristen Jabanoski)

Mandy and Tommi, wearing hard hats and life vests, stand at the railing of the ship at sunrise and watch as the drifting buoy flies through the air toward the water. Tommi's arms are still extended from tossing. With low lighting, this photo is a little out of focus. — Deployment (Image courtesy of Zach Fyke, NOAA Watch Chief)

view of the drifting buoy in the water: a round blue and white float, attached to a cable, attached to a folded "drogue" or fabric tail. the cardboard packaging will dissolve and allow the drogue to extend. we can just barely see the Lewisville High School sticker. — Buoy In (Image courtesy of Zach Fyke, NOAA Watch Chief)

Personal Log

Ship living isn’t all that bad, but night shift has been an adjustment! I am in a stateroom with three other ladies; two of us are on night shift (11:30 PM – 11:30 AM) and two are on day shift (11:30 AM-11:30 PM). When you leave for watch, it is common courtesy to NOT return to the stateroom when your bunkmates are sleeping. *It’s a good idea to set your things out before going to bed so your essentials aren’t left behind!*

close up view of a single lower stateroom bunk. we can see a nightlight mounted to the wall, a curtain drawn aside, and the ladder up to the top bunk

view of lockers in the stateroom, with luggage and backpacks visible on the floor in front of them.

view of a small desk and chair tucked next a locker in the stateroom. above the desk is a window with blackout curtains.

view of four bunks, stacked in pairs, in the shared stateroom. each bunk has its own curtain. we can also see a sink and a locker.

view of the head (bathroom) with toilet, shower, sink

My stateroom: four berths, storage lockers, desk, head

What day is it? Not really sure…But I have thoroughly enjoyed getting to know the crew and learning how the HabCam collects images of sea life and how NOAA uses this data to inform the local fisheries. More about the crew later!

I’ve had the opportunity to see some amazing sunrises…

view of sunrise over the railing of NOAA Ship Henry B. Bigelow. the water is calm and gray. an orange sun peeks over low gray clouds and illuminates parts of the horizon; it adds a golden tinge to the otherwise gray water

view over the railing at calm gray waters, cloudy gray skies, but a riotous streak of neon red-orange right at the horizon

And today, we had the honor of watching humpback whales while SNOW fell!

All humpback whale images courtesy of Zach Fyke.

Did You Know?

The Humpback whale can weigh up to about 40 tons, grow to around 60 feet (18 meters) long, and live roughly 80–90 years. They are known for their long migrations, complex songs, and acrobatic behaviors such as breaching and tail slapping. Humpback whales are found in oceans worldwide and feed mainly on small fish and krill (Humpback Whales – NOAA). They are also called the “singing whale,” because the male mating song can change from year to year and can last as long 30 minutes (Fun Facts About Wonderful Whales).

Although humpback whale populations are increasing, they remain on the endangered species list. Their greatest threats include entanglement in fishing gear and marine debris, vessel strikes, harassment from boats, ocean noise, and changing climate conditions (Humpback Overview – NOAA).

Did you know different animals (and fish) make specific sounds? Watch the following video to learn more about how NOAA Fisheries uses Passive Acoustic Monitoring to study not only the humpback whale, but many different types of sea life! Listening for Whales. Visit the NOAA Mammals: Sounds in the Ocean site to hear the differences between 32 mammals including the humpback whale and the minke whale!

Careers at Sea

portrait of a man in a fleece with a shoulder bag strap standing at a ship's railing at sunrise or sunset — Rhett Finley, NOAA Passive Acoustics Branch in the Northeast
(Credit Rhett Finley)

Meet Rhett Finley, a fieldwork team lead from the NOAA Passive Acoustics Branch in the Northeast. Rhett grew up in Tulsa, OK and developed a passion for science at just 6 or 7 years old. By the age of ten, he already knew he wanted to become a marine biologist, inspired by the nature documentaries he watched growing up. He later attended Texas A&M University at Galveston, where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Marine Biology.

When I asked Rhett how he became drawn to the field of bioacoustics, he said “it was because of its versatility and noninvasive nature and the ability to integrate it with other scientific disciplines, like genetics. This approach is an effective means of collecting detailed data on threatened species especially in remote or difficult to access areas and therefore can contribute to well-informed conservation management efforts for those species and their respective habitats.”

His job with the NOAA Fisheries Passive Acoustics Branch involves:
– placing underwater microphones (hydrophones) in designated areas, such as wind farm areas and marine sanctuaries
– assists with analyzing and interpreting acoustic data, which is visualized in the form of spectrograms (picture below).

His current focus is on the minke whale (Balaenoptera acutorostrata). More information on this whale found here. The goal of this NOAA division is to “use passive acoustic technologies to study the behavior and movements of marine animals, their contribution to the ocean soundscape, and how they are affected by human-made sounds” (Passive Acoustic Research in the Northeast)

a graph showing frequency (Hz) v time (m:ss). sounds show up as yellow or green markings against a darker purple background. annotations point out a humpback whale song (markings in a patter that extend the full length of the x-axis); North Atlantic right whale upcalls (a few vertical markings toward the left side of the x axis) and sei whale downsweep doublet (two curved downward markings toward the right side of the x-axis.) in the low frequency values there are a lot of scattered green markings from ship noise. — Spectrogram showing unique calls by multiple species including humpback whale song, North Atlantic right whale upcalls, and a sei whale downsweep doublet with low-frequency ship noise overlapping.
Credit: NOAA Fisheries

Interested in this type of career? NOAA offers internships to both undergraduate and graduate students, as well as high school students! Check out the opportunities and scholarships available HERE!

For more information and great pictures, check out the NOAA Fisheries New England/Mid-Atlantic Facebook page! Or their Instagram page.

June 25, 2025June 25, 2025

Jenna Cloninger: CTDs and Cephalopod Central, June 20, 2025

NOAA Teacher at Sea

Jenna Cloninger

Aboard Bell M. Shimada

June 11 – June 26, 2025

Mission: Integrated West Coast Pelagics Survey (Leg 1)

Geographic Area of Cruise: Pacific Ocean, California Coast

Today’s Date: June 20, 2025

Track the Ship: Bell M. Shimada

Weather Data Snapshot: 9:54am, Pacific Daylight Time

Currently, the air temperature is 58°F (14°C) with a wind speed of 23 knots and a wave height of 9 feet. Not only are the seas rough offshore, but the wind is making it very chilly to work outside. Luckily, we have some gear that keeps us warm for times when we need to be outside for extended periods. The sky is clear, and the sun is shining, so I am counting my blessings despite the cooler temperatures.

two women bundled up for outdoor work in large red "float coats" and beanies - they are striking somewhat silly poses for the camera. Jenna (left) is wearing a Teacher at Sea beanie. — Melissa (left) and myself (right) preparing to go outside for UCTD deployment.

Science and Technology Log

It’s been an exciting week regarding technology! I had the opportunity to help prepare a CTD (a piece of equipment mentioned in a previous blog post) for deployment as well as the opportunity to observe a UCTD being deployed. A CTD (Conductivity, Temperature, Depth) is a tool that measures how salty and warm the water is at certain depths . For larger CTDs, the ship comes to a stop, scientists then lower the CTD using a cable, and it collects data as it goes down. A UCTD (Underway CTD), however, is a smaller version that can be used while the ship is moving. It’s dropped into the water and pulled behind the ship, collecting data as it sinks. This allows scientists to gather information more quickly and without stopping the ship. Both tools are important for helping scientists understand seawater conditions and how they change based on depth, time of day, season, location, etc.

Elias stands, and Jenna kneels, near a large apparatus consisting of a white metal frame, a ring of gray water sampling bottles, and a scientific probe. Jenna is wearing a hard hat and doing something (stringing a wire?) on the CTD as Elias looks on. — Elias and myself preparing the CTD for deployment.

Jenna, wearing a red float coat and Teacher at Sea beanie, stands on deck and holds what appears to be a metal tube in both hands for a photo. — Photo of me with UCTD equipment.

In other news, we have run into several different cephalopods this week. Cephalopods are part of a group of marine invertebrates that includes octopus, squid, cuttlefish, and nautilus. They are known for having large heads, arms or tentacles, and relatively high intelligence when compared to other invertebrates. In our case, we caught a few different kinds of squid, a few small octopus, and a nautilus in our trawling net. I was particularly excited to see the nautilus, because I had never seen one in person before!

close up view of a paper nautilus against a white background; we can see the curved shell with sawtooth bumps, and the eye of the nautilus peeking out the opening of the shell — Paper Nautilus

a squid in a green plastic basket — Robust Clubhook Squid

smaller squid photographed against a plastic blue background — Market Squid

close-up view of a small octopus — Tuberculate Pelagic Octopus

three octopus in messy piles in a green plastic basket — A group of three (3) Seven-Armed Octopus.

As you can see, cephalopods come in many different varieties. I enjoy teaching about them in the classroom because of their unique evolutionary features, like chromatophores, which are specialized cells that enable cephalopods like squid, cuttlefish, and octopuses to rapidly change color. It should also be noted that cephalopods are part of the phylum Mollusca, just like the abalone that I discussed in a previous blog post. In general, I really love teaching about mollusks in the classroom because of the amount of diversity that we see within the phylum.

Personal Log

Speaking of squid, I tried calamari (fried squid) for lunch yesterday. I typically do not eat seafood of any kind, but when you’re on a ship, the food options may not always be what you want them to be. (That’s not to say that the food isn’t amazing, because it is. I am simply a picky eater.) Let’s just say that I will not be eating any more squid any time soon. (But I will still pose for pictures with them!)

a gloved hand holds out a very round squid for a close-up photo — Me, holding a Sandpaper Squid.

I also got to photograph a sunrise on the Pacific! The mornings have typically been hazy, or the boat has been facing the wrong direction for me to view the sun properly, but I finally managed to catch the sunrise while out on the back deck after processing our last catch of the night. Seeing the sunrise and sunset on the Pacific are two goals that I had when I started this journey. Unfortunately, because of my night shift hours, I do not think I will be able to catch a sunset any time soon. Perhaps on the last night of the cruise, I will stay up past my “bedtime” and wait for the sunset!

view through the A-frame on the aft deck of the sun rising over the ocean. seabirds trail the boat, silhouetted against the sun. to the right of the deck, a group of four crewmembers wearing personal flotation devices and hard hats work to untangle a trawl net. — Sunrise on the Pacific ocean from the fishing deck of NOAA ship Bell M. Shimada.

On another note, it has been 10 days since I left Georgia and arrived on the west coast, and I am starting to feel the effects of working such long days. I miss my family, and I miss the comfort of home. That is not to say that I am not enjoying this learning experience, because I am. But I want people to know that individuals who conduct research on scientific vessels like NOAA ship Bell M. Shimada are some of the most hard-working people I have ever met. I get to go home after 16 days and return to my own house with my own bed and other creature comforts. Some people are on this ship for several legs between now and September, and if they’re not at sea, they’re at their respective places of everyday work, such as an office or science center. It’s quite admirable, and humbling, to see how dedicated these people are to marine science and to the well-being of our oceans. It makes me want to be a better teacher so that we have people in the future who love and care for the ocean and are interested in preserving it as well.

view through a porthole window of a churning ocean — A view of the rough seas from my stateroom.

Did You Know?

Let’s talk about butterfish! Off the Atlantic coast, there is a commercial fishery for Atlantic butterfish. There’s another species of butterfish known as the Pacific butterfish that is quite common off the coast of California even though it’s not fished commercially in this region. I have decided that butterfish are the cutest fish that we have caught in our net so far! I love them so much that my teammates toss me all the butterfish when we are sorting our catch, and I make excited noises when I find them buried amongst our anchovies, mackerels, and sardines. In honor of the humble butterfish, I dedicate this Did You Know? section to them!

a hand holds a fish up to a laminated photo of a group of fish (labeled Peprilus simillimus, Pacific butterfish) mounted on a metal wall — A Pacific butterfish from our catch being compared to an image of the species.

According to NOAA, butterfish are small, round fish that are bluish on top with silvery sides and belly. They have small mouths, blunt noses, and grow to about 6–9 inches long, though some can reach 12 inches and weigh up to 1.25 pounds. Butterfish grow quickly but don’t live long; most only live about 3 years and can reproduce by age 1. They spawn in the summer (June and July) and swim in loose groups, feeding on small invertebrates. Why do we care about butterfish? Many animals, like bigger fish, marine mammals, and seabirds, eat butterfish. That means that they are a humble yet important piece of a healthy and balanced ocean ecosystem.

an orange-gloved hand holds three fish by their tails, splayed out like flowers, above a pile of smaller fish (probably anchovy) — A bouquet of butterfish, my new favorite fish.