Sea Log: 2024-02-28

Published

February 28, 2024

I decided we needed some spice for this log,1 thus I have done two things to add zest:

  1. Throw on some tunes2, then dance your heart out on deck while you wait for your nets. Make sure to wear full rain gear, rain boots, PFD safety vest, and hard hat to complete the look. You’ll know you’re doing it right when the winch operator calls you out for sick moves over the loudspeaker.3

  2. Added an AMA4 page to this site. So please holler with any and all questions for us. Ask away!5

We transited to our third station for most of the day today. It’s furthest out from shore (about 300 miles) so there’s likely fewer critters out here to get dragged up in our nets. This was true tonight–the MOCNESS was a pretty light haul, so we were able to process super speedily and get everything cleaned up and ready to go for the day shift crew.6

While it was definitely a light haul on biomass tonight, we did manage to drag up some sort of angler-adjacent fish. We’re pretty sure its got a light for bioluminescence and it came from the net that was open from 400-500m deep. Not 100% sure what it is, but I’ll ask around and update if I find out more.

four people posing with a black fish, held up by tweezers.

Did we do an entire photoshoot with this thing? Absolutely.

 

black fish in water in a splitter container.

Always fun catching live things.7 Makes it interesting dumping out the cod ends!

Sea fun fact of the day: While waiting for the deep MOCNESS to come up, we talked about some less-commonly-used words,8 such as fun ones like apricity9 meaning “the warmth of the sun in winter.” Feel free to drop this in your casual conversations today.

Footnotes

  1. I can’t just keep telling you about how I read and then stare out at the ocean. Staring at the ocean did pay off today though; saw a bunch of dolphins playing in the ship’s wake just before dinner.↩︎

  2. Tonight it was Pitbull↩︎

  3. If you were watching any of the ship cameras in the galley or computer lab, you’re welcome for the entertainment.↩︎

  4. Technically, an AUA page, because you can collectively ask us anything. Where us is anyone aboard this ship.↩︎

  5. Questions will likely be answered in future logs, but no promises.↩︎

  6. We washed the nets for youuuu! In fresh water even!↩︎

  7. Grace would like me to remind everyone that we are here for the zooplankton, NOT the vertebrates and big things.↩︎

  8. Fret not: we (Grace/Sam/me) also did our 10 calisthenics for each net dropped.↩︎

  9. This one comes from Sam, who got it from his aunt. So thanks, Sam’s aunt!↩︎