2024 Bottom Trawl Survey in Photos
Ever wonder what life is like when your office is a large floating marine laboratory? Our photo gallery highlights some of the incredible sights and scenes from the 2024 Bottom Trawl Survey season.
Our Bottom Trawl Survey reached a huge milestone in the fall of 2023—it turned 60 years old! To continue celebrating this milestone, scientists from our science center captured some of the things they experienced during the 2024 survey season. Their year in photos documents the ebbs and flows, incredible marine life, and cherished moments of survey life.
Scientists aboard NOAA Ship Henry B. Bigelow sort a catch during the fall 2024 Bottom Trawl Survey. This particular tow ...
Hannah Palladino, Kevin Teran, Mark Wuenschel, and Rachel Hickey collect biological data and samples during the fall 202...
During their down time on the fall 2024 Bottom Trawl Survey, scientists and crew aboard the NOAA Ship Henry B. Bigelow m...
Another dreamy ethereal sunset captured during the fall 2024 Bottom Trawl Survey. Credit: NOAA Fisheries/Ana Brown
Third engineer Patrick Rizzo holds up a fish print they made during down time on the fall 2024 Bottom Trawl Survey. They...
Scientist Emily Liljestrand holds one seriously adorable octopus caught during the fall 2024 Bottom Trawl Survey. Credit...
Scientists Sabrina Dahl and Sam Bradfield processing Atlantic sea scallops during fall 2024 Bottom Trawl Survey. Credit...
NOAA Ship Henry B. Bigelow officers and crew (Chris Love, ensign Daniel Pearlstein, and Ryan Willyerd) preparing to depl...
Watch chief Jakub Kircun during the fall 2024 Bottom Trawl Survey. Credit: NOAA Fisheries/Catherine Foley
Chief survey technician Katherine McGinnis and scientist Bridget St Amand process squid during the fall 2024 Bottom Traw...
Cuteness overload! Scientist Ana Brown holds a weee little paper nautilus collected during the fall 2024 Bottom Trawl Su...
Scientists and crew aboard NOAA Ship Henry B. Bigelow were treated to the aurora borealis on October 10 while surveying ...
What better way to see the aurora borealis on October 10 while surveying Georges Bank than aboard the NOAA Ship Henry B...
Fall 2024 Bottom Trawl Survey daytime operations on the back deck of NOAA Ship Henry B. Bigelow. Scientists and crew wor...
Fall 2024 Bottom Trawl Survey nighttime operations on the back deck of NOAA Ship Henry B. Bigelow. Scientists and crew w...
Sunrise from the bridge of the NOAA Ship Henry B. Bigelow during the fall 2024 Bottom Trawl Survey. Credit: NOAA Fisheri...
Senior survey technician Stephanie Stable and chief bosun Chris Rowley inspect the net after a tow during the fall 2024 ...
Another gorgeous sunrise off the bow of NOAA Ship Henry B. Bigelow. Credit: NOAA Fisheries/Catherine Foley
This lightfish was caught during the fall 2024 Bottom Trawl Survey. These fish have an elongated lower jaw and a mouth f...
The genus for the Atlantic silver hatchetfish is Argyropelecus. This comes from the Greek word “argyros” meaning silvere...
Monkfish are ambush predators. They blend in with the ocean floor and use a modified spine on their heads to lure smalle...
Pancake batfish are flat like a pancake, hence their name. They’re covered with tubercles—cone-like scales, small spines...
Gapers are quite an interesting fish. Their snout is concave and has a modified spine with tantalizing thread-like bits ...
We caught this mantis shrimp caught during the fall 2024 Bottom Trawl Survey. These crustaceans have a pair of long, sha...
Close up of a large gulper shark caught during the fall 2024 Bottom Trawl Survey. Like other members of the dogfish fami...
Armored sea robins are demersal, meaning they’re found at or near the bottom of the ocean. They have very sharp spines a...
This small juvenile gaper was caught during the fall 2024 Bottom Trawl Survey. Juveniles are tough to identify to specie...
This monkfish caught during the spring 2024 Bottom Trawl Survey is nearly 3 feet long. Monkfish are opportunistic feeder...
Fish biologist Sam Truesdell from our Population Dynamics Branch can usually be found running stock assessment models, b...
The Leg 1 day watch working the spring 2024 Bottom Trawl Survey. Left to right: Equipment specialist Rob Alexander, biot...
Research fishery biologist Stacy Rowe (R) gets ready to sort a tow during the spring 2024 Bottom Trawl Survey. Credit: N...
Equipment specialist Rob Alexander repairs a net in between stations during the spring 2024 Bottom Trawl Survey. Prior t...
Research Fishery Biologist Stacy Rowe (L) measures an Atlantic spiny dogfish that NOAA Corps LTJG Heather Gaughan (R) ho...
Equipment specialist Dom St. Amand (L) and fish biologist Sam Truesdell (R) measures an Atlantic torpedo caught during t...
Division Director for the Population and Ecosystems Monitoring and Analysis Division holds a clearnose skate caught duri...
Fishery biologist John Galbraith assesses a red cornetfish’s long and narrow body shape. From the head-on perspective, o...
This beautiful Atlantic croaker was caught during the spring 2024 Bottom Trawl Survey. They’re members of the drum famil...
Chain dogfish egg cases caught during the spring 2024 Bottom Trawl Survey. Ironically chain dogfish are in the catshark ...
Survey scientists sort and process spring 2024 Bottom Trawl catches by species or species groups. Catch is delivered for...
Check out the toofahs on this inshore lizardfish! They are a voracious predator that buries itself in the sand or mud to...
In U.S. waters, cobia are most abundant from Virginia south through the Gulf of Mexico. They can grow up to 6 feet and 1...
This little reticulated spikefish was caught during the spring 2024 Bottom Trawl Survey. Credit: NOAA Fisheries/Catherin...
Leopard sea robins are easily identified by their spotted patterning and two black spots on their dorsal fin—one between...
Beardfish are easily identified by the pair of long barbels on their chins. This beardfish was caught during the spring ...
Longfin squid caught during the spring 2024 Bottom Trawl Survey. Longfin squid can be found along the Northeast continen...
Close up of a Longfin squid’s eye. Their large eyes help them see in light and darkness. This longfin squid was caught d...
Dreaming of sunsets like this one during the fall 2023 Bottom Trawl Survey. Credit: NOAA Fisheries/Jessica Blaylock
We collect salinity, temperature, and depth data and other kinds of hydrographic data during our surveys. We use these d...
🎵On the ship again…Just can’t wait to get on that ship again🎵 Science center scientists were ferried out to NOAA Ship He...
Celebrating Women’s History Month with the women of the spring 2024 Bottom Trawl Survey. Leg 1 women (L to R): Danielle ...
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