Following an eventful 22 days at sea filled with dozens of trawls and transect lines, the NOAA Ship Reuben Lasker pulled into port in San Francisco, California under the morning cover of fog.
Wrapping Up
As a very successful sampling leg came to an end, the trawl team and deck crew quickly transitioned to cleaning up and preparing for the next leg of the survey. We were treated to a fresh clean working lab at the start of Leg 2, which was really helpful for the survey starting off so well. We also needed to ensure equipment is maintained and working properly for the long term. Everyone jumped in and worked efficiently to clean everything from top to bottom. The deck crew also sprayed off external surfaces with a high pressure hose and gave the trawl net a deep clean to remove as many fish scales as possible. A clean workspace also allows for a quick inventory of supplies needed for the next leg. I cleaned my personal gear as soon as I got home, too, but I’m still finding fish scales everywhere!
No Two Cruises Are the Same
Now I’m firmly on land (mostly—the “sea legs”, or what’s referred to as dock rock, haven’t subsided). I have had a chance to reflect on my time on the West Coast, participating in a different survey, and meeting new people. First and foremost, even though this was my ninth NOAA cruise, it was vastly different from all the others. It was my first time sampling on the West Coast, so species composition was different; the biological sampling was done via trawling (I have only done trap surveys); and the weather was much colder than daytime trapping in the South Atlantic. The sea conditions were also more intense than those I have experienced in the Southeast U.S.. The largest waves I had experienced on a vessel were 5 feet, while we had waves as high as 8 feet on this expedition! Luckily the vessel was bigger and could handle it easier (keeping my lack-of-seasickness streak alive). Also different was working so closely with the crew of the ship. Typically my experience during other surveys has been a lot more hands-on in deploying and retrieving traps. I wouldn’t even know where to begin with deploying a large trawl net. This was where the experience of the crew was a necessity. The science crew helped out where we could, which was mostly keeping the deck clean of salps—gelatinous jellyfish-like critters that leave slime on deck—and other items that could cause the crew to slip.
Highlights From My Time on the West Coast
The crew of the Reuben Lasker is top notch from the Commanding Officer down. I believe that everyone contributed to the success of the scientific survey in a positive way. Thank you for everything!
It’s cold on the West Coast (Hollywood got it wrong—shocker!); I expected it to be warmer than it was! While I did receive ample warning and a packing list, my one and only sweatshirt got plenty of usage! My apologies to the staff again for that; it did get washed a few times, though!
Morale on such a long cruise is of utmost importance. During day-to-day operations, keeping crew spirits up is vital for maintaining successful operations moving forward. From bingo night, to DJing music during sample sorting, to the laughs of the crew on deck, and examining really interesting samples together, there were plenty of opportunities to keep everyone excited to continue working day after day.
Getting out of my comfort zone was a great learning experience. While I have participated in research trips before, this one was way different from—yet just as challenging as—any other survey I’ve done before. The working hours were totally flipped, the sampling technique vastly different, and species composition all new. Plus, meeting new people expanded my network. This wouldn’t have been possible without the invite and initial connection.
Writing a blog is harder than it seems, especially to ensure accuracy and appropriateness. While my name is the one showing up on the blogs, there was a large team of communications staff and scientists that helped make this blog series a success. THANK YOU ALL!
