A Chronicle of the Invasion

As of today I am half way through my Bahamian adventure here on Lee Stocking Island.  I have had the privilege of meeting some very interesting people whom I’ve learned a great deal from along with many experiences I will never forget.  Living and working here has challenged me both physically and mentally, resulting in a few changes I would like to share.

#1- My skin keeps getting darker and darker while my hair gets lighter and lighter (we’re talkin on the verge of platinum blond here).  I’m pretty sure my parents will hardly recognize me as their own child when they come to pick me up at the airport. 

#2- My once scrawny, little arms seem to have developed small bulges, which I guess can legitimately be called muscle now. Must be from all the heavy lifting of scuba tanks and gear in and out of the boat every day.  (I should note that this was a VERY small change, but still a change all in all)

#3-  My dependency on the internet has increased drastically.  Facebook is my only contact with friends from home and Skype has been a lifesaver to keep in touch with the family.  My cell phone on the other hand has sat on my dresser gathering dust since the day I got here. 

#4- Scuba diving is as natural as walking for me now. I hardly think about the fact that I’m underwater anymore. In fact, most times I’m actually more comfortable and relaxed underwater than on land because I am free of all the outside stresses.  On my wall I have a clipboard to keep track of all my dives this summer and as of today I am up to 117 scientific dives.

#5- I have gained new insight on the rigors of fieldwork and the excitement of finding answers to your own questions.  Being surrounded by curious and knowledgeable minds is extremely interesting and inspiring.

When people call or write, I’ve found that most are interested in what i do everyday out in the field. So, I thought i would elaborate a little.

Right now the gradstudent I am working with is researching the effects of lionfish density on an entire reef.  Primarily looking at the recruitment of native fishes and observing how their numbers change in the presence of lionfish. This is basically a bigger version of his studies from previous summers which involved surveying many patch reefs with a single lionfish on them.  This new experiment presents a couple challenges including the transport of over 100 specimens, identifying each individual lionfish, and keeping the high density reefs high and the low density reefs low.  To make this experiment possible I usually help out with three main jobs: Collecting, Clipping, and Counting

During the collection phase of getting this experiment ready was an exciting process.  Everyday the team would go out armed with hand nets, huge coolers, buckets, puncture proof gloves, and scuba gear.  Our mission was too collect lionfish from sites that were to be low density and transport them to the high density sites.  It took about a week to complete entire reef searches of all the sites and to collect the lionfish that were there.  At one point we had approximately 40 plus fish in the boat all at once.  That’s alot of venomous spines in a very confined area.

After collections, next step was to find a way of identifying each fish once we placed them in their new homes. We did this by clipping specific dorsal spines making sure to give different combinations to each individual.  This process puts everyone on the boat at a much greater risk for getting poked.  One person measures the fish while someone else records it. The recorder then tells the person clipping which spines to cut while the person measuring holds the lionfish down on the boat deck.  Once the spines are clipped a portion of the tissue is collected and preserved in ethanol as a genetic sample.  Spines are disposed of in a sharps container and the entire process starts again with the next fish.Things can get pretty dicey when a lionfish starts floppin around on the boat deck while in the middle of clipping a spine.  To stay as safe as possible everyone dealing with the fish wears puncture proof gloves.  Lionfish have venomous spines both along their back and undersides.  We record the dorsal clips of each fish before releasing them onto the high density reefs. 

Just recently we have been going out to each of the experimental sites to check on how the lionfish treatments are holding.  We remove any lionfish from the low density sites and transport them elsewhere; this is the easy part.  When it comes to the high density sites, each fish we see has to be counted and their dorsal clip recorded.  This can get pretty confusing when trying to differentiate between 15 lionfish in a single hole.  The next time we visit these sites, we won’t be counting the lionfish but instead the native populations  to see if the results of high lionfish densities are as predicted. 

For the past 2-3 weeks I’ve been collecting, clipping, and counting lionfish.  I get to scuba dive every day and each time I go down, I swear I see something new.  I’ve found that what I like most about this job is the creativity involved in trying to make an experiment work.  It is important to be flexible because you never know what surprise mother nature has in store for you next.

I’ve decided that collecting lionfish is  a lot like an extreme version of an Easter egg hunt.  Instead of baskets, we have hand nets. Instead of on land, we’re underwater. And instead of eggs, we’re hunting a fish adorned with 19 venomous spines. I can hardly believe they’re paying me to do this.

Over the past couple of weeks I have come to realize that many events in my life have helped to prepare me for this adventure to the Bahamas.  None of  these experiences were conscious decisions I made in order to make myself more eligible for the job, but are  proving to be very useful now.  I’d like to give just a couple examples. 

 #1-  I have found that the many years of ballet I took since the age of 5 are very helpful in keeping myself on the boat.  Docking  can be a series of dance moves that involve tip toeing my way to the bow, leaping to the dock, and tying a quick knot; all the while making sure to avoid cleats, ropes, massive splinters, and an unexpected plunge into the ocean. 

#2- Just this past year I started doing some rock climbing at OSU’s recreation center with my roommate.  I’ve found the same skills involved in scaling a large rock can be just as handy when dragging myself along the bottom of the ocean against a ripping current. 

#3- I’ve always loved riding the mechanical bulls at county fairs.  I’ve ridden horses my entire life and I would often make bets with unknowing boys that I could stay on the bull longer than they could.  It is amazing how similar staying on a bucking, mechanical bull is to riding on the bow of a boat through the wind and the waves.

#4-  My favorite pastime is a competition on horseback called team penning. It involves herding three specific cows into a pen in less than a minute and a half.  To accomplish this is it crucial to know how a cow reacts to your horse and how to use that knowledge to move the cow where you want it to go.  I’ve found this skill to be amazingly helpful when catching lionfish.  Lionfish move about the same way a cow does when reacting to the placement of a net. For example if the net is placed behind the fish, it will likely move forward. Put the net in front of the fish and it will come to a stop and likely turn around.  When catching and moving over 40 lionfish in a single day, this skill has become extremely valuable. 

The whole point of this post was to show that I was more eligible for this job than I initially thought.  When first applying for this internship I wasn’t sure I’d have much to offer, being that I was a Freshman with no lab experience.  I wonder how many people don’t apply for something because of a lack in education or training.  I think people have more to offer than they know and sometimes the only thing stopping them from achieving that dream job, internship, or scholarship is the failure to turn in the application.

During my first week on Lee Stocking Island, I have learned some major do’s and don’ts.  First, never forget to call mom and dad to let them know you made it safely onto a secluded island in the Bahamas. It will nearly cause them a heart attack and result in your own embarrassment when they call everyone on the island, including your grad student.  Second,  never take your computer outside at night when emailing and catching up with friends.  Especially if you are deathly afraid of moths the size of your fist.    Third: never bring headphones on a morning jog.  You don’t need music to distract yourself from the real world when there is a pink and yellow sunrise on the water accompanied by sounds of the island coming to life.   Fourth: always, always wear bug spray.  Especially after three days of rain.  Fifth: always check for black widows both in your wetsuit and mouth piece before scuba diving (this isn’t from personal experience, but still seems like a good idea).  Lastly, the number one rule when handling lionfish: DON’T GET POKED.

Life on Lee Stocking has been all about falling into the routine. Every day begins with breakfast at 7, which can be challenging with a faulty alarm clock and a three hour time difference.   Meals are prepared by either Miss Darling or Sue; two Bahamian women from the nearby island Exuma. Following breakfast, boats are loaded with tanks, scuba gear, water, food, first aid kits, and any other supplies needed that day.  From here on, every day is different.  Some days I’ll count fish til dinner with grad student Mark Albins, while other days I might be catching lionfish with Professor Mark Hixon.  After a day of diving, the work is only half done. Data collected has to be carefully photocopied, checked for errors, corrected if needed, and then transferred to a computer.  In addition, a log is kept on the number of dives, tanks used, boats taken out, sites visited, and the work accomplished each day.  The routine keeps everyone working efficiently as a team.  Of course the routine could never predict all the surprising adventures, breathtaking views, and new experiences I would encounter on this island…