Cruise January, 2007

The research cruise held in January 2007 aboard the Albatross IV was arguably the most successful one for the NOAA LMRCSC to date.  Dr. Vincent Guida (NOAA, Sandy Hook Laboratory) served as Chief Scientist for the 2007 cruise.  Under his guidance and thanks to good weather, we surveyed for more days than any prior LMRCSC cruise (8 days) and sampled a geographic range that included Hudson Canyon to just south of Cape Hatteras (North Carolina).  We surveyed oceanic assemblages using a 36 ft. Yankee Otter Trawl (YOT), a 2 m beam trawl that sampled benthic habitats, and a Van Veen grab sampler that sampled sediment and associated macrofauna.  Previous cruises were dominated almost exclusively by sampling with the 36 ft. YOT.  As a result of increased sampling effort, species collection was phenomenal and provided tools for training students on taxonomy and fish identification (led by J. Love).  We collected nearly 17,000 individuals, 58 species, including 12 that species were new to our fish collection.  Notable species included deepsea hermaphrodites (longnose greeneye, Parasudis truculenta), phosphorescent pearlsides (Maurolicus muelleri), anglerfish (goosefish, Lophius americanus), and pelagic predators (Atlantic bonito (Sarda sarda).  A collection of a single, Loggerhead turtle (Caretta caretta) and several, large American Lobster (Homarus americanus) provided additional moments of excitement.  Some species (e.g., smooth dogfish, Mustelus canis) were used as demonstration specimens for students to learn anatomy and physiology (led by E. May).  Workshops in fish filleting and squid “de-boning” were provided by R. Corbin (graduate student).  The combination of ecosystems surveyed, sampling methods, species collection, and experiential learning activities provided our students a unique opportunity to learn biological and physical oceanography in a way unavailable to most students along the eastern Atlantic coast.

 Joseph Love, UMES