Mission: Shark Longline Survey
Geographical Area: Southern Atlantic/Gulf of Mexico
Date: August 20, 2011
Weather Data from the Bridge
Latitude: 26.87 N
Longitude: 83.99 W
Wind Speed: 10.86 kts
Surface Water Temperature: 30.30 C
Air Temperature: 28.90 C
Relative Humidity: 72.00%
Science and Technology Log
Checking in with the Bridge . . .
We’ve been catching fish all week and I was curious how the Officer of the Deck (OOD) was always able to get one nautical mile of line out successfully and reel it in without getting it snagged on the propeller. After all, without this function, the survey wouldn’t happen. When the Commanding Officer heard I wanted to know the process, he called me up to the bridge to show me how the procedure works. Brian, Junior Officer, was also on the bridge. Between the two of them they gave this teacher a great lesson in navigation. So let me walk you through the deployment of gear. Future captains, officers, pilots, or any of you that like to figure out how to chart a course, this is for you!
The first thing that must be determined is the direction and rate that the ship is being pushed by the seas. We want the wind and current to push us off of the longline when we are retrieving it. This is figured out by doing a drift test.
The OOD declutches the engine and allows the ship to drift for 5 minutes while monitoring which direction and how much the ship is pushed. When I was on the bridge the ship was being pushed to the Northeast, and the current was 0.5 knots. Knowing this the OOD wants to situate the ship so that the seas hit the Starboard side, pushing the ship to port and away from the line. For this, the Cap has a little bit of a trick. He puts a model ship in the middle of the 360 degree compass to visualize where the boat will drift. Talk about hands-on learning at its best!
After the angle of the ship is determined, the OOD moves the ship in that direction and signals the Field Party Chief (FPC) that all is clear. While the crew is on deck setting or hauling, the bridge is monitoring all actions to make sure everyone has their life vests on and hard hats when needed for the crane operation. In addition, the OOD watches the radar for incoming vessels.
Checking in with the scientists . . .
One of the scientists on board, Bianca, was taking blood samples from various sharks. I found it very interesting so she was kind enough to walk me through the process of gathering blood. After she draws the blood from the shark it is kept cool until she is ready to process the samples.
After it is taken out of the centrifuge, a reading is taken in order to see the percentage of red blood cells (hematocrit). Finally Bianca centrifuges the rest of the blood and freezes the plasma. She will conduct further analyses on the plasma when she gets back to her lab.
It is hard to believe my trip at sea is almost over. The day before I left on my voyage, I met a man, Pauly, who was a captain in the Pacific. He said, “While at sea, be a sponge. Soak up everything you can.” I took his advice. Two full journals later, I am one educated student about the workings of a NOAA Shark Longline Survey. It is true, I have learned so much in the field of science, but of equal importance I have learned some valuable life lessons. Read on to find out some of them.
- That I finally have gone one whole day without hitting my shin on a “knee knocker.”
- That it is crucial on a ship to be a team player. You can actually put yourself at risk with an “I” mentality.
- That on a ship when an engineer asks, “Is your head working okay?”, they are actually referring to your restroom and not your noggin.
- That it will take a while to get used to anyone calling me anything other than “Teach,” “Jen,” or “Oklahoma.”
- That the OOD doesn’t have to remind me anymore to put on my hard hat when the crane is being operated.
- That I have a strong preference to baiting the head of an Atlantic mackerel over the tail and I still struggle with baiting the middle of one.
- That I will miss all the day shift stories during our set out and haul backs.
- That I will miss hanging out in the dry lab and wet lab.
- That I have heard some great sea stories AND I have learned how to tell one.
- That I have a greater sense of empathy for students who can’t quite “get” a concept. I have been that student that needs “extra help” for the past 2 weeks at sea.
- That I will miss the adrenaline rush of catching and tagging a shark. Mark, our Chief Scientist, wonders what there’s left for me to do that will give me that much of an adrenaline surge. He is right. I am hooked.(pun intended).
- That in 14 days I have not texted one time and I have only made 6 calls on my cell phone to my family, all in a matter of 1 hour when we had cell service. I actually learned how to survive and thrive without my cell phone.
- That I will miss my curtain around my bed to keep out the morning light.
- That I will have to get used to not having to hook the doors to stay open.
- That I will REALLY miss all the fine cuisine cooked up by Walter and Paul.
- That every time I hear keys clank together, it will remind me of the 100 number hooks.
- That there are some really cool jobs out here in technology, engineering, science, fishing, and navigating. I can’t wait to talk to my students and others about all the opportunities NOAA has to offer!
- That I have gained 30 lifelong friends. I cannot thank them all enough for sharing with me their depth of knowledge and love for what they do.
More pictures from NOAA Ship Oregon II