Kristen S.

It is autumn in New England. Hurricanes sweep through the North Atlantic. The wind speed along the beach is swifter than ever. The surface of the ocean is disrupted by white-capped waves. The weather is anything but pleasant. 

F/V Kristen S. in port in New Bedford

So if a scientist needed samples from, say, Georges Bank, they would be completely dependent on the weather forecast. When a window of calm seas opened up, they might even drop everything and dash to New Bedford to hop on a fishing boat. That, my friends, is exactly what I did. 

You might remember I have a project right now on Atlantic sea scallops, Placopecten magellanicus. I went out on a fishing boat over the summer to collect data on scallop density, water temperature, food supply, and predator abundance at stations on Georges Bank. Out of all the parameters we measured (and tasty scallops we were allowed to keep), there was one piece missing: scallop larvae. You see, scallops spawn in the fall. If I was going to measure the density of larvae at each station, I would have to make an extra trip in October. Hopefully with decent weather. 

The fishing boat that hosted me this time was called Kristen S. The captain, Andrew, and his brother/deckhand, Eric, picked me up in New Bedford and headed out to sea. I was delighted to find Kristen S. was wider and a bit more comfortable than Three Graces, but honestly, I was still queasy most of the trip. At this point, it definitely seems the problem is me, not the vessel. Guess my body just doesn't like the waves on Georges Bank. Whatever. 

According to Eric, this seal 
often hangs out in the port.

Thankfully, I was still able to get my samples. Eric and I worked together at the edge of the back deck to lower my net into the water and bring it back up full of plankton. There must have been a phytoplankton bloom going on, because my samples were chock-full of diatoms. At times, we could even see a brown mass of algae at the sea surface. Clear, bubble-like salps were common in my samples, too - they must have undergone their own population explosion, fueled by the abundant diatoms. 

Other marine organisms came to supervise our sampling operation. Two common dolphins rode the bow waves of the Kristen S. as we steamed to our first study site at sunrise. The dolphins actually returned at dusk to breach and dance in the lights of the ship. The bright lights attracted some squid, who waved their tentacles near my net before jetting away. Every time I'm at sea, I fall in love with the abundance and diversity of ocean life. 

It was a successful trip, and we even made it back before the wind picked up again! I am grateful to Andrew and Eric for their help and for the samples now stashed safely in my lab.