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July 27, 2023 Crew Change
July 27, 2023 Crew Change
Our crew changed over in Carmenville, NL at 1400 on Thursday, July 27th. Check out the Hawke Channel Summary for all the amazing science activities completed during leg 1. The team will arrive in Funk Island Deep on Friday, July 28th near noon for first stations.
Pictured are most of the science crew from both legs 1 and 2:
Back l-r: Gordon, Meghan, Martin, Rachelle, Mary, Kavindu, Kasun, Hamza, & Jon.
Front: Robyn, Adam, Hannah (missing Sarah, who was the photographer!)
July 27th, 2023
First Day!
First Day!
Upon arrival to the Funk Island Deep marine refuge, our crew managed to complete one station with mapping completed overnight!
July 28th, 2023
Funky Views
Funky Views
Since arriving in Funk Island Deep yesterday, our crew has seen some beautiful scenery! Icebergs, seabirds, marine mammals, sunsets, and even Funk Island could be seen on the horizon! Today we managed to complete two stations, and had some marine friends splashing about to keep us company.
July 29th, 2023
Observing our Waters
Observing our Waters
A marine mammal observer plays a crucial role in monitoring and mitigating the impact of human activities on marine mammal populations. They are typically employed on research vessels, commercial ships, or offshore operations like oil and gas exploration. The observer's primary responsibility is to collect accurate data on the presence, behavior, and distribution of marine mammals in the area.
On this conservation trip, we have our own trained observer on board, Adam Templeton! When a mammal is sighted the position is immediately recorded along with the bearing and the range of the animal. During the encounter all available information is recorded such as:
Total number of animals
Water depth
Direction of travel (relative to the ship and compass points
Behavior and Description
This data is vital for assessing potential risks to marine mammals from activities like underwater noise, vessel traffic, and fishing operations.
Our Funk Island Deep trip began with high hopes, as the area is renowned for its abundant marine life and the North Atlantic is teeming with bait fish biodiversity, making it a hotbed for marine mammals to thrive. And we were not disappointed.
As we ventured towards our sampling area, the skipper alerted us to a group of majestic humpback whales breaching and playing in the distance. Humpbacks are renowned for their awe-inspiring acrobatics, and witnessing them leap out of the water and crash back down was nothing short of breathtaking.
But the surprises didn't end there. Among the waves, we spotted playful pods of white-beaked dolphins darting and diving, seemingly in sync with one another. Their sleek bodies gracefully gliding through the water brought a sense of joy and playfulness to the whole experience. These intelligent creatures are known for their curiosity and sociable behavior, and we were lucky to witness their spirited antics up close as they swam along the pressure wave at the bulbous bow of the Patrick & William.
As if that weren't enough, our journey also led us to encounter porpoises, the smaller but no less charming cousins of dolphins. The porpoises seemed more reserved but equally fascinating as they made brief appearances, leaving ripples in the water as they swam past the boat. Their shy and gentle demeanor contrasted beautifully with the boisterous nature of the humpbacks and dolphins.
The raw beauty of the North Atlantic and the joy of witnessing these creatures in their natural habitat left an indelible mark on all of us. The opportunity to see humpbacks, white-beaked dolphins, and porpoises thriving in the wild was a humbling and inspiring experience that made us cherish our oceans even more.
July 30th, 2023
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Underwater Adventures
Underwater Adventures
One piece of equipment that has just been introduced to the MCA project is the Seamor Chinook industrial grade inspection ROV, rated to go as deep as 300m. This ROV is being piloted by one of our students, Hamza Ouchguir! ROV's, or remotely operated vehicles, are used to explore the ocean without the dangers of diving. ROV's are typically piloted from a surface vessel, using a joystick and knobs to control the machine. A group of cables, or tether, connects the ROV to the ship, sending electrical signals back and forth between the operator and the vehicle. Our ROV has a camera housing, where we can attach a GoPro to show us the benthic environment in real time!
Because ROV's can be operated from a vessel or dock, they eliminate a lot of safety hazards with Marine work, as there is no need for human presence within the water. ROV's are much safer and simpler to operate then other submersibles or diving operations, and can dive much deeper and longer then a human can. This allows us to explore unique benthic habitats within our stations in real time that we may not be able to see with our Baited or Bouncy cameras!
July 31st, 2023
There's Something in the Water...
There's Something in the Water...
When sorting through our plankton samples from the Bongo nets today, RTP Meghan found something mixed in among the plankton. Two pieces of microplastics, one yellow in colour and very flexible, and one black that was slightly buoyant.
Microplastics are pieces of plastic under 5 micrometers in size, they often derive from plastic waste that gets broken down over time into thousands of tiny pieces. Things like paint chips, plastic water bottles, fishing rope, etc. Just like plastic of any size, microplastics take hundreds to thousands of years to break down, giving them an abundance of time to wreak havoc on the environment. Microplastics have become a recent issue in the fishing industry as once the plastic gets so small, fish and other aquatic organisms start to eat or breathe the plastics in through their gills. Not only does this cause numerous issues for the fish's health, but it also means that humans are now digesting these microplastics through our water and food, and microplastics can even be seen in blood samples!
With all of the pollution that happens daily, it is important to remember the reasons we make environmentally conscious decisions, even when they can be inconvenient at times. Keeping our planet, the oceans, and ourselves safe and clean is something we all need to keep in mind.
August 1st, 2023
Life in the Water Column
Life in the Water Column
While the primary purpose of the small mesh, paired pelagic "Bongo" nets is to collect zooplankton present in the water column, we often see presence of other species that live throughout the water column.
We have seen many species of interest throughout or samples over the last week, and here are some highlights!
Sea Angels: These whimsical creatures are tiny sea slugs from phylum Mollusca, their scientific name is Clione limacina. They have evolved to use their foot as wing like appendages to move freely throughout the water column. These are fascinating little creatures, and are always a cute addition in our plankton samples.
Amphipods: These crustaceans are scavengers that can be found in any aquatic environment. They have a unique morphological trait where their two front legs are very long and are armed with large claws, allowing them to easily grasp food.
Copepods: These creatures make up majority of the zooplankton found in our samples. They are thought to be the most abundant single species on the planet!
Juvenile Fish: Something we are very careful to look for in our samples is fish larvae and juvenile fish. This field season we have had a few show up in our samples, and we have even been able to identify the species of the one shown in the 4th picture on the left, an Arctic Alligator Fish, or Aspidophoroides olrikii.
August 4th, 2023
Tall Tales from the Sea
Tall Tales from the Sea
Our crew has had some memorable experiences on this leg of the trip, and some of them may be hard to believe...
This trip we have seen a plethora of marine mammals! From the shy Fin Whales and Harbour Porpoises, to the playful white sided dolphins and Humpbacks, we have had visitors each day of the trip!
We have seen numerous icebergs floating along the horizon, with seabirds flying above in the air. Our views have been nothing but incredible.
Some of our crew even experienced a once in a lifetime encounter. While retrieving the ROV, a thunder and lightning storm started to roll in, and our crew was carefully recovering the equipment when all of a sudden a shark surfaced right in front of the boat and lightning struck simultaneously. Sharks are known to be attracted to electricity, giving us the assumption that it was following the ROV tether. This was an amazing sight for the few members of our crew who were lucky enough to see it.
This trip has given us many wonderful memories, and we are so glad to have been able to share them with all of you!
August 5th, 2023
End of the Season... Or is it?
End of the Season... Or is it?
Today the Patrick and William docked at The Launch at 06:00 where our crew moved all of our gear off the ship and headed back to MI. This concludes our Funk Island Deep adventures.
Thank you all for following along on these two legs of our field season. Our crew had amazing experiences at sea and have gathered an abundance of important data in these two marine refuges. While we are done with Hawke Channel and Funk Island Deep for this year, we will be heading out to the Laurentian Channel Marine Protected Area on September 4th on a DFO led monitoring trip, and we hope you will follow along!
August 6th, 2023
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