If These Puns are Bad, Then Let Minnow!

Posted on August 2, 2015 by sea_abb

Yet again, I find myself on Monday morning in a wetsuit heading out to Otter Rock Marine Reserve to collect SMURFs and sample the juvenile fish. I’ve decided this is one of my favorite jobs I’ve done so far with the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife. The start time is not too early, it’s a good way to start the day, and I get to swim in the ocean. No matter how cold or early, I would take any opportunity I could to get in the water and do some field work.

The day was very successful and Rosalyn was able to go with us, which made it a lot more fun. The day did not end after the field work however. There was a total of 275 fish that needed to be identified and measured. It took until about 8 pm, but we were able to finish and go to the local bar and sit down for a beer. It was a long day.

Something I have realized from this week is that I really want to go to grad school at some point. I think there is a lot to be learned in the field of marine biology and I even though I don’t know when I will go, I want to continue my education. I’ve been looking a lot of different places and even schools abroad as well. There are so many programs that look so interesting!

As the weekend rolled up, our plan of attack was to finally hike Cascade Head, which is one of the more popular hikes in Lincoln City. It was around 5 miles and had an amazing view at the top. I cannot get over how gorgeous Oregon really is and how much of it that I still have yet to explore. As the weekend calms down, I am spending the day relaxing and resting for the week ahead. I cannot believe that the end is now in sight. It seems like only a short while ago I was graduating from college and on my way to Newport.

Another update is that I get to attend the American Fisheries Society Conference in Portland in two weeks! I have never been to one before and am excited to be around people that are passionate about the same things that I am. It will also be a great way to end the internship and summer. I am hopeful for the future and so far this has solidified that I do really love working on the coast and in marine science.

Oh my Cod…Not Another Fish Pun

Posted on July 26, 2015 by sea_abb

Field days are the best. They take up a good portion of the work day, they involve going out on the water, and they are more fun than sitting in front of a computer and drinking your weight in coffee. Yet, as I’ve learned, while there are weeks with numerous field days, there are also long days that consist of sitting at the office and looking at a computer.

This is what my week six consisted of. Although while sometimes I watched the minutes tick by, there were times where I really enjoyed working with the data that we had collected, while in the office. This week I was able to take data collected from long lining, (one of the surveying methods used in the Marine Reserves), and use ARCgis to map where fish were taken up and what species they were. This was a tedious process, but very satisfying once I was able to put the map together. Another reason I enjoyed this was the fact that this was one of my goals I wrote at the beginning of the summer. I now feel like I have a better grasp on using ARCgis and really enjoy using it as well. While the week consisted of a lot of sitting, I learned a lot and am chipping away at some of my goals for this program.

While work takes up a good chunk of the day, some of the shenanigans we get into after we get back to Hatfield can turn the most boring days into fun. Thursday night we decided it was time to test our vocals and hit up Hoovers Bar and Grill for some Karaoke. It took Rosalyn and I some time, but we decided on ABC by the Jackson 5. We quickly learned that we both did not possess the skill to reach the pitch of that of a ten year old Michael Jackson. It didn’t matter though. We killed it anyways.

As well, this weekend was relaxing and a ton of fun. On Friday we explored the Yaquina Head State Park and wandered around the lighthouse. Saturday, I was able to go to one of my good friend’s wedding in Eugene and today I went diving in Florence! It was an action packed weekend and I am very much looking forward to my next week of adventures!

Sara scoring some epic fish videos

Top of Yaquina Head State Park overlooking Agate Beach

Whale, Whale, Whale…What do we have here?

Posted on July 19, 2015 by sea_abb

When looking back on my childhood, I could easily tell you that my love for whales began right here in Newport at the Oregon Coast Aquarium. Like any native Oregonian kid in the 90’s, I fan girled hardcore for Keiko the whale (Aka: Freewilly) and would harass my parents constantly to go visit him in the aquarium. I knew then that I wanted my future career to be focused around marine animals, especially whales…

Monday began with another SMURFing trip that occurs every two weeks. As I talked about before, it was an amazing experience and I was excited to do it again. This time, I did not suit up and get in the water, but instead helped to collect data and extract the juvenile fish from the SMURF. Although, this time we didn’t only see juvenile fish, we saw a whale! It was a crazy sight and came so close to Sara and Dani who were retrieving the SMURF. I wasn’t even in the water and I thought that it was so incredible! This experience just solidified why I love marine science (and whales) so much.

The rest of the week consisted of more sea star monitoring. This time, Sara and I worked with a team from UC Santa Cruz on Wednesday and Thursday. Again this was awesome, and the getting my hands dirty was great, yet unfortunately the 4 am wake up each day was a struggle. Waking up and being at work when it is still dark out is the weirdest experience although I still really enjoyed it. The fact that three of my work days this week consisted of field work was a win and also on Friday we were able to go to the aquarium for our mid Summer check in with Sea Grant! I was able to put my rockfish speices I.D to the test while wandering the aquarium and check out some sea lions and otters. They also had great fudge in the gift shop. They get an A plus in my book. Friday was also very humbling in the fact that it helped me to realize that I need to brush up on my public speaking. A workshop was held on scientific communication and speaking in front of everyone was actually quite terrifying to me. It is definitely something I must overcome and I’m glad we had the workshop.

Finally, I would like to say that I am in awe that we are in week six now. I have had a great experience so far and I am looking forward to the last half of the summer and continue hanging out with my fellow interns!

Endless Oppor”TUNA’ties

Posted on July 5, 2015 by sea_abb

Week three is officially over and I can very confidently say that this has been my favorite week of working for the Marine Reserves Program, hands down. The week consisted of three days of field work and stability and deadlines for some of the goals that I want to achieve while here in Newport.

As I talked about the previous week in my blog post, I was able to go out SMURFing on Monday morning. This turned out to be a lot of fun even though we had an early wake up. During this excursion, my job was to replace each of these larval recruitment nets (SMURFS as they call them), and bring the ones that were already deployed back in to sample. When the nets come up on the boat, they water is dumped on them and they are shaken to attempt to retrieve juvenile fish from them. From there the fish are measured and counted. It is a way of monitoring the recruitment of fish in the marine reserves and the comparison areas. There were a total of eight SMURFS to retrieve and replace, four in the comparison area (Cape Foulweather) and one in the Otter Rock Marine Reserve. We were done by ten in the morning and the process is very straight forward so it didn’t take long.

The week continued to get better and on Tuesday, Sarah (the other Marine Reserves intern , Christian (our supervisor) and I were able to go to the aquarium and snorkel in the tanks. I cannot get over how amazing this was and the fact that as a kid this was my lifelong dream whenever I went to the aquarium….besides meeting Keiko. For the most part, our reasoning for going was to help us identify the rockfish species that live off the coast so when we score videos, we will be more confident in the fish we are identifying. I also think they just wanted us to have some fun. :)

But wait, there’s more. Thursday we went sea star sampling at Otter Rock Marine Reserve! During this time, we looked for sea stars in the intertidal area of the reserve and categorized them as either healthy or diseased with sea star wasting disease. The amount of sea stars in the area has decreased dramatically due to this, yet during the time monitoring, we found one that could be categorized with the disease. In the long run, I realize that office work will be a big part of the job as well, but for now, I am really enjoying being able to go out in the field so much!

One of the best things that I enjoy about this job is the fact that on Wednesdays they have soccer! For an hour during lunch for the past two weeks, I’ve gotten to play pick up outside on the lawn by the dorms. It’s been fun and definitely a good way to get out of the office for a bit, plus I LOVE playing soccer. The only downer is a lot of the World Cup woman’s soccer matches have been at four so I haven’t been able to watch them as much as I’d like. Although right now I am currently watching the final and the US is doing work. Hopefully when I write next week I will be able to say that I watched a US win!

Another “FIN”tastic Week

Posted on June 28, 2015 by sea_abb

It’s already the end of week two and I can’t believe that next weekend is the fourth of July. I also can’t believe how tiring it is having a real job. I don’t think I have slept so soundly in my life. Even on the days where I’m not that mobile, I come home drained and starving for dinner. My coffee intake has increased even more than normal (which I did not think was possible), But all around I am really enjoying my work!

This week turned out to be more challenging and required a few more trips to the local coffee shop than normal. We started the week the same way we ended the last by scoring more videos and identifying fish species from the lander videos. It was oddly calming doing this Monday. I sat in the “video” cave to score while listening to classical music with Steve the video guy. I actually thoroughly enjoy scoring videos and wish I could do it a little more often than I have gotten to. It’s helped me to learn to identify many of the Oregon fish species, and now I know what to look for when trying to pick them out. It’s a fun process and can be nice in the mornings when you are still tired and need to just sit and relax for a bit. The rest of the week I worked with a lot of GIS. I have VERY little experience with it so I was a little intimidated when they first said they wanted me to use it. Much of the week was working with GIS and they are hoping that in the next couple weeks, I will be able to use it with the hook and line surveys that are used to monitor the marine reserves. It should be fun and I am looking forward to gaining a useful skill.

Another survey used is SMURFing (not the little blue men). This is an acronym for this method and unfortunately the full name is escaping my mind as I write this post… These are plastic nets that are used to collect fish larvae and measure recruitment in certain areas. They are collected every two weeks from locations within marine reserves and control areas off the Oregon Coast. I am very excited because I am able to participate in setting SMURFS and collecting ones that have been set out already. This means I will be able to dress down in full wetsuit and jump in the ocean to retrieve them. I am stoked to finally be doing field work. It is something to look forward to and I’m pumped to being using my snorkel gear this summer after all!

As for the weekend, the OSG scholars are taking Portland! So far we are planning to go to the Saturday market and hit up some of the food carts and then hiking on Sunday. It will be an action packed weekend that will consist of a lot of food, beer, the outdoors and fun! Hopefully I will snap some good pictures to post for next week. As for now, the bed is calling my name and I am going to answer. I hope to have some good stories for the following week. Until next time!

Let the Summer O”FISH”ally begin!

Posted on June 22, 2015 by sea_abb

My first week as a Sea Grant Summer Scholar is now finished and I don’t think I could have asked for a more overwhelming, fun, and exciting start. On Monday the 15^th, I graduated from the University of Oregon and on that very next day I was studying fish species at the Hatfield Marine Science Center in Newport, Oregon. Needless to say the week has been a whirlwind. Now that life has calmed down a bit, I feel like it will be easier to relax and explore the new area that I am in. I have never spent a summer in any place other than Portland (where I am originally from) so I think this will be a breath of fresh air and a great new adventure.

For the Sea Grant Program, I am currently working for the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife on the Marine Reserves Ecological Monitoring Project. While I do not know exactly what the summer will bring, I am excited to be working with marine reserves which are a relatively new management option in Oregon. I am working on the same project with an REU scholarship recipient named Sara and am enjoying having a partner in crime. So far we have been learning a lot of the near shore fish species off the Oregon coast that we will potentially see in the marine reserves. All I’m going to say is I never I thought that I was done reading scientific reports when I graduated college. Unfortunately I was very wrong. It’s not too terrible though. We did get to tour the Oregon Coast Aquarium and are set to snorkel in the tanks sometime next week to sharpen our identification skills. Other than that, we have been learning to cut and score videos that are placed in the actual marine reserves as well as control areas via landers. These are basically anchors that are placed in the water with three different Gopro cameras attached and record the fish that are present in the area. Scoring has been fun but can be very tedious and the idea of fieldwork sounds more and more appealing for the following weeks.

Since I do not have a specific project that I am assigned, our supervisor Brittany has said she would like me to dip my toes in a couples different areas to get the feel of what they do on the marine reserves team. These include, sampling intertidal plots for sea star wasting disease, some GIS work for hook and line surveys, and helping to score fish lander videos. Something that she wanted me to do while working on these things was to film these experiences on a Gopro and potentially use the videos for advertising. I am beyond excited to do this and love that I can take my Gopro out in the field.

All around, the week has flown by and I cannot believe that it is already the end of June. Newport seems to be a gem of a town and a far cry from the bustle of Portland where I am originally from. I am looking forward to the experiences that will come from this internship as well as living in a new place with new people that are passionate about the same things!

Sea Grant Scholars

Learning through experience, for the future of our oceans

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