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L£7T TO RIGHT: Skill and precision are required to manuever the submersible Johnson Sea-Link II on and off the R/V Seward Johnson. The sub offers 

 cramped quarters, but spectacular underwater views. Jonathan Hartsell adjusts sampling gear. 



A WORKING CRUISE 



The days are long for the 19 researchers 

 plus crew aboard the R/V Seward Johnson and 

 its submersible vessel the Johnson Sea-Link 11, 

 which are based at Harbor Branch Oceano- 

 graphic Institution in Florida. 



The schedule for this particular mission is 

 set by Ross and Sulak, as well as Liz Baird of 

 the N.C, Museum of Natural Sciences and 

 Fritz Rodhe of the N.C. Division of Marine 

 Fisheries. Their team includes graduate 

 students and Alan Felker, a seventh-grade 

 teacher from Boone who also teaches at 

 Appalachian State University. 



Aboard ship, data are collected and 

 analyzed in four shifts. For example, Felker 

 works from midnight to 6 a.m. and again from 

 noon to 6 p.m. The work not only enhances 

 his knowledge, but also allows him to be a role 

 model for his students. 



'Through activities such as this 

 expedition, we hope students will see the large 

 variety of occupations that the scientific 

 community offers," Felker adds. 



While in the compact submersible, the 

 scientists use sophisticated still and video 

 cameras to record activity. They also audio- 



tape personal observations. 



"That is why you are there — to 

 accurately extract information," Ross explains. 

 "Video is a great permanent archive of the 

 animal's behavior." 



Back in the shipboard lab, the team 

 reviews the videos and selects clips to place on 

 the Internet. 



In addition to the cameras, the sub has a 

 collection system that allows researchers to fill 

 up to 12 buckets during each dive. Meanwhile, 

 a variety of sampling gear is used throughout 

 the day and night — surface trawls that reveal 

 the Sargassum communities, otter trawls or 

 tucker trawls that work at varying depths, even 

 a small "sled" to take benthic samples. 



Specimens vary. The bounty may include 

 a Porpida, which has tentacles and is related to 

 the jellyfish. Another catch includes hundreds 

 of brittle stars. 



"Every time we put a piece of equipment 

 in the sea, we learn something new," says 

 Baird, who daily would review e-mail 

 questions sent by students of all ages. 



"They ask questions directly related to our 

 experiences the previous day," she adds. 



A DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE 



Traditionally, fisheries stock assessments 

 have utilized models that draw upon data gathered 

 through trawling samples. But in many locations, 

 the high-profile reefs prevent research trawling. "If 

 they can't trawl, they can't get fish counts in these 

 habitats," Ross says. 



That means the submersible trips offer the 

 only sampling possibilities for certain areas. But 

 the scientists are after more than fish counts. They 

 are looking at the ecology, community structure, 

 food chain relationships and other factors. "Who's 

 eating whom? Where does the food come from?" 

 Ross questions. 



One of the research projects compares 

 observations from the submersible to the catches 

 reported by a commercial fishing boat, the Amy 

 Marie, working with the team in The Steeples area. 



"Indeed, we saw many of the same top 

 predators, including yellowmouth grouper, red 

 snapper, vermilion snapper, scamp and porgy, that 

 typically wind up in the local fish markets. But 

 through the eye of the submersible, we saw much 

 more," Sulak says of the dives where 50 or more 

 species were recorded. 



Comparison of trawl and submersible data is 

 part of a project funded by the N.C. Fishery 



28 SPRING 2003 



