Hi everyone!  Heather J here to share that the DEEPEND team has made it to their homes today-  we spent some time breaking down the lab, nets, and acoustics Tuesday and Wednesday, loading the truck and helped packed the last samples this morning at 3:30 am. Whew!  We did it- Another successful cruise with a different approach as it's part of the Deep Sea Benefits project we're just starting.  Can't wait to put the complete story together!

Here's a few pictures of some of the team in the last couple of days working hard... We can't thank the crew of the R/V Point Sur enough for their dedication to making sure we had a safe and rewarding cruise.  We are planning to be back out next year twice-  once in late April for our new NOAA RESTORE cruise and then in August for our next Deep Sea Benefits cruise.  Stay tuned for the next adventures!

Hello, deep-sea enthusiasts! It is Pedro A. Peres again with one more post on the blog. Today, I will talk more about metabarcoding environmental DNA (a long and fancy name for eDNA) being used to answer questions about the deep sea.

First thing, why is everybody talking about eDNA? This technique has gained popularity as a noninvasive method to inform conservation and management practices. By analyzing DNA shed by individuals in the environment, eDNA can characterize ecological communities of marine habitats that are not easily accessible and detect specific species and their spatial distribution without collecting specimens. In other words, eDNA does not require direct interaction with the organisms to obtain samples, minimizes disturbing animals and their habitat, and is particularly useful for monitoring protected species/areas for which obtaining sample permits can be restricted, time-consuming, or costly. Sounds amazing, right? But it is not as easy as it sounds. One of the significant challenges in using eDNA in the deep sea is collecting the environmental samples – water from the deep!

In this first NOAA Deep-sea Benefits (DSB) expedition, I am testing different eDNA samplers for current and future deep-sea investigations. One is very convenient, as it can be used with Niskin bottles coupled with a CTD, standard gears found in research vessels. After deployment, Niskin bottles can be triggered at a specific depth and location to collect water samples. After collection, water samples are filtered, and the filters are preserved for future processing. Looking at the photo, you might think: Ghostbusters? Dora the Explorer? Actually, just a scientist with a backpack eDNA sampler (https://store.smith-root.com/collections/edna-water-samplers/products/edna-sampler-backpack-lith-combo)

Photo:  eDNA backpack (aka Edna) to filter water samples

After bringing the CTD back on board, I’m connecting the backpack to the Niskin bottles to filter the water collected. We will use these samples to characterize deep-sea communities from different locations and understand their dynamics during day-night cycles. I’m thrilled to return to the lab and start working on these samples to unveil some deep-sea mysteries. Most of the fun is about to come. But while on board, although not seeing the animals, filtering water can has given me some excellent views!

Photo:  Pedro and Edna enjoying the sunrise!

By Aedan Mell

Hello, I am a research technician from the Marine Ecology and Acoustics Lab at FIU under Professor Boswell. I just graduated last spring with my bachelors and now I’m taking some time to gain more experience before graduate school. I got the opportunity to come along on this trip to help out with the acoustic transect surveys. We have 4 echosounders each transmitting adifferent frequency to allow us to observe Diel Vertical Migration, the largest animal migration on Earth that happens every day. It describes the synchronized vertical movement of deep sea animals and zooplankton to the surface at night to feed on phytoplankton. With our echosounders, we can observe this phenomenon as deep scattering layers that we can track vertically over the course of a 24-hour period.

Photo: Aedan with the CTD which sends some of the acoustic equipment down into the midwater column

This is my first trip doing research this far out at sea. It's also my first time actually working with echosounders, which is exciting because it's the instrument most of our lab’s work revolves around. I'm more familiar with another type of acoustic instrument called multibeam imaging sonar. This type of sonar uses multiple beams at high frequencies to record high definition acoustic footage. Personally, this is my favorite type of hydroacoustic instrument, as it allows you to see individual organisms and observe how they move through the field of view. It's also sometimes referred to as an acoustic camera, as its footage is more representative as a video footage rather than a standard echosounder echogram.

For our trip we brought a Kongsberg M3 multibeam imaging sonar. At 500 kHz, this model runs at a relatively lower frequency for an imaging sonar, facilitating greater sampling volume and range at the cost of reduced resolution. I'm super excited to drop this in the water and see what's going on down there. Hopefully our data will help us in target classification. A big issue with the echosounders is that it can be difficult to classify what kind of organisms are in these deep scattering layers. By dropping imaging sonar into these layers we could get a better idea of their compositions based on the observed morphologies of the acoustic targets. Maybe if we’re lucky, we might be able to see some predator prey interactions at night!

Photo:  Threadfin dragonfish 

From watching sharks surround our boat at night to pulling up rare deep sea critters, there have been so many great experiences on this trip it's hard to fit everything in this post. Just this morning our boat was surrounded by a huge pod of dolphins. One of the best nights was when we had to dock at a port in Pensacola to get away from Hurricane Francine. We were all a little bit seasick so getting off the boat was a welcome development. We went out to eat and got to know each other better while in port. It's been such a great experience, not only just to learn more about marine research and get professional insight from deep sea experts, but also to make friends and get to see what life is like on a research vessel.

Photos:  Sun over Gulf of Mexico; pod of Pantropical Spotted dolphins.

Hi Everyone, Zan here to share the workhorse of our operations....

The heart of our midwater animal sampling program is the 10-m² MOCNESS, which stands for “Multiple Opening-Closing Environmental Net and Sensing System”. That’s a pretty long name, so let’s break it down! The 10-m² part refers to the size of the MOCNESS frame: ours is pretty large, which is great for sampling the “micronekton” (animals roughly 2 – 20cm in size), but there are lots of other sizes if you prefer to sample smaller animals.

Photos:  Varying stages of the MOC prep that is involved before it is deployed.

The “Multiple” part of the name means that the MOCNESS is rigged up with several different nets. Unlike other fishing nets that might stay open the whole time you’re fishing with it, the MOCNESS has a number of different nets that can be opened and closed (the “Opening-Closing” part) at whatever depths we choose,  allowing us to sample specific depths of the water column. We have six nets on our 10-m2 MOCNESS, and one of our jobs is to decide what depths to target so that we get the best possible catches. Given that the animals we’re interested in catching all have specific depths that they prefer to live at during the day, and often migrate to different ones at night, having the ability to sample exact depth ranges is incredibly important for us to understand the ecology of our midwater animals and their behaviors. We make good use of our fisheries acoustics to help us decide where to fish!

 Photo:  Examples of Lanternfish that are caught in the MOC

The other parts of the name relate to the sensors that are mounted on the MOCNESS frame to help us understand the physical and chemical properties of the water column as we fish, and to make sure that the MOCNESS is moving correctly through the water. To make sure the MOCNESS is fishing correctly, we monitor the angle of the frame in the water, the horizontal and vertical speeds, and the depth of the gear in the water column. This last one is especially important because it tells us when to send a signal to the MOCNESS to switch to the next net. Different environmental sensors could be used, but the ones we’re mostly using include depth, temperature, and salinity, and we compare those to the CTD (conductivity-temperature-depth) casts that we’re making.

Photos:  Example of the MOC profile when nets are open/closed;  Zan's MOC monitoring station

Hello everyone! My name is Zachary Strebeck and I am a graduate student in Dr Tammy Frank’s deep-sea crustacean lab. I have spent a large amount of time identifying different deep-sea shrimp from the Gulf of Mexico down to species level!

Photo:  Zach; Photo credit: Savannah Strebeck

While I may have spent a lot of time with all the different kinds that the gulf has to offer, my focus is dealing with a shrimp family called Benthesicymidae. The name may seem intimidating, but they are simply a species that typically is found between 800-1200 meters and is a large consumer of the organic debris that sinks in the ocean, called marine snow.

Photo:  Deep sea shrimp

               I have the amazing opportunity to be on my first research cruise out here with the DEEPEND crew and I am having a wonderful time!! We have seen all sorts of cool specimens in our nets already, with much more to come and I am excited to see what other secrets the deep has to offer. Here are just a few of the critters we have pulled up so far!!

Photo:  Cystisoma (deep sea amphipod); small octopus

               Speaking of it being my first cruise, we successfully outran hurricane Francine! Talk about throwing me in headfirst to see how I handle rough seas. In any case, I am having a blast and can’t wait to see what shenanigans the upcoming days are to be filled with!

Hello everyone!

Unfortunately for the Deep-Sea Benefits project, the seas were too rough to safely work as Hurricane Francine passed to our west. We are all thinking about those who will be impacted by the storm. Fortunately for us, we have been in port in Pensacola to wait out the storm’s passage. All going according to our contingency plan, we’ll be back out in the open Gulf of Mexico on Friday to continue our work.

Caption: The R/V Point Sur shelters at Plaza de Luna Square, Pensacola, to dodge rough seas caused by Hurricane Francine. 

Perhaps this pause in the fast paced, day and night, on-and-off action of instrument and net deployments and acoustics surveys is a good time to take a step back and discuss the Deep-Sea Benefits project with respect to broader restoration activities taking place throughout the Gulf of Mexico. My name is Ian Zink, and I work for the NOAA Fisheries Deepwater Horizon Restoration Program.

NOAA works with our partners to implement projects to restore natural resources injured as a result of the Deepwater Horizon (DWH) oil spill that took place in 2010. Some restoration is fairly straight forward—like building marsh habitat to address injuries to coastal wetlands, and injuries to the fishes and invertebrates that rely on these habitats. A good example of this would be the Upper Barataria Marsh Creation project, which was recently completed in Louisiana.

However, some ecological processes in the Gulf of Mexico are less understood, meaning our ability to restore for them is not so straight-forward. The Deepwater Horizon restoration plan recognizes this, and thus places a strong emphasis on Monitoring and Adaptive Management. Monitoring is data-gathering that helps us assess the outcomes of restoration actions and inform future restoration activities.

The Deep-Sea Benefits project is using monitoring to gather information that will increase our understanding of ecological interactions among fish and water column invertebrates, sea turtles, marine mammals, and mesophotic and deep benthic communities. This information can be used to design restoration actions and calculate the benefits from other restoration activities. For example, the information collected by Deep-Sea Benefits will be incorporated into the Active Management and Protection project activities, including informing other agencies responsible for protecting Gulf of Mexico benthic habitat and resources about these protections. It will also help protect mesopelagic fish and invertebrate communities situated in the water column above them, thus contributing to protecting water column productivity—which helps support sea turtles, marine mammals, and mesophotic and deep benthic community productivity. These protections would also lead to conservation of the biodiversity inherent to these locations. The Deep-Sea Benefits project is layered—both figuratively and literally—on top of other restoration actions being taken to help restore for the injuries from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.

What do we do when a storm heads our way?  We head east! 

We have arrived to our next super station, Desoto Canyon, and are currently conducting acoustic transects before we do our next MOCNESS tows.  We have gotten word that due to the deteriorating weather conditions, we will not be dropping nets in the water today and after the acoustic transects are completed (later tonight), we will be tucking into Pensacola, FL for a night or two to let the weather pass before we head back out here.

Photos:  View from galley porthole; Kevin working with his acoustic data

If you think we are bored with no nets to sort, the answer is.... we aren't!  We have plenty of data entry to complete, students are using the time to work on their projects which includes reading scientific articles, statistical analysis and 3D modeling.  Some of us have even found some time for working out!

Photo: Part of the DEEPEND team working in the lounge

So, we are safe and sound, well-fed (it was Taco Tuesday today for lunch) and continuing to work away!

Hey everyone! My name is Sidney Trimble, and I am a masters student in Dr. Zan Milligan’s lab where I am also the lab manager. My thesis is estimating the carbon flux of a Hatchetfish called Argyropelecus aculeatus. These little guys eat a large amount of prey and exhibit diel vertical migration (DVM) so they may play a large role within the biological carbon pump (BCP).

Photos:  Sidney at graduation; a Hatchetfish specimen she will be working with for her MS project.

This is my first time on a research vessel, and I am so excited to be here on the Deep Sea Benefits cruise. My role on the ship has been working alongside Juliet Tretler and April Cook in managing the cruise database, processing samples, weighing and measuring specimens after identification.

Photos:  A couple of specimens collected so far:  juvenile anglerfish (female); pelagic nudibrach

We have just finished our night trawl at Viosca Knoll consisting of many Cyclothone, crustaceans, a nudibranch, my thesis study fish as well as various other hatchetfish, large pyrosomas, a juvenile female angler fish and many many more cool finds! It’s almost the beginning of day 3 and I am very excited to see what we find at our third site and learn much more from this amazing team of scientists! 

I’m Juliet Tretler, a graduate student at Nova Southeastern University on my first ever deep sea cruise. I’ve worked with Dr. Tracey Sutton on processing and cataloging samples from previous DEEPEND cruises for the past year, so I was eager to go to sea and see fresh samples of some of the fish I’ve helped preserve.

Today is our second day at Viosca Knoll, and early this morning (1am) our first night time net came up. All of us are falling into a rhythm now with our assigned roles and things are moving smoothly! Myself and another graduate student, Sidney Trimble, have been managing the database of our specimens, measuring, weighing, and logging fish as they are identified.

This morning we caught some Argyropelecus aculeatus, the subject of Sidney’s thesis, but I’m hoping we find some Stromateoids soon! This is a suborder containing medusafishes and driftfishes, which are associated with siphonophores and flotsam.  My thesis work focuses on the abundance and distribution of fishes from the suborder Stromateoidei in the Gulf of Mexico, and their relevance as prey items for large pelagic fishes like tuna and sharks. Historically Stromateoids were not considered major players among mesopelagic fishes, but the advent of projects like DEEPEND have shown that we have likely vastly underestimated their numbers.  T

his first Deep Sea Benefits cruise has already been a learning experience for all of us, and I feel so lucky to be part of this group of scientists! 

That’s all for now, thanks for reading!

Photos:  Sidney measuring a specimen; DEEPEND team sorting the catch.

Hi everyone!

We have arrived at our first station, Viosca Knoll! Yesterday was a busy day filled with assembling equipment and putting together the MOCNESS net (more on this in a later post) while at the dock and we headed out just after midnight after our safety briefing was completed by the captain.

            Photos:  Acoustic boom being lifted onto ship Friday; DEEPEND team at our muster station for a safety drill.

Today has been full of discussion, planning, and troubleshooting to make sure we are ready to go here at our first station.  The weather isn’t exactly cooperating as it’s very cloudy with occasional rain but a bit of a relief from the heat and humidity that usually is in place at this time of year out here. 

Photos: Weather forecast this afternoon; Sidney and April looking for small animals

The first nets have arrived on deck and everyone is getting used to their roles for processing the samples.  We should be finished with processing this trawl soon and we will take a nap until the next net comes up (around 1 am overnight).  We are excited to get this cruise underway!

Yes, my friends, it is time for another DEEPEND cruise! 

We will be heading out late on Friday, Sept. 6th into the Gulf of Mexico on one of our favorite vessels, the R/V Point Sur.  This trip will be a little different than our past DEEPEND cruises as we have received funding for a new project, "Deep Sea Benefits".  We will be using acoustics, our trusty MOC10 net, and perhaps have a couple new projects to share once we are underway.

The team will be examining the interactions of the mesopelagic and the deep-benthic regions along the outer continental slope at three locations in the northern GoM.  This project is really special in that we will be working with other existing projects in the region (ROV's, benthic landers) to hopefully create a full picture of the connectivity between the surface and seafloor when we analyze data from all parties.  VERY exciting stuff!

This project will run in parallel for the next four years to our long-term DEEPEND monitoring of the midwater (next five years) in the northern GoM. 

We are making plans, creating station maps, and packing everything up for next week as we set off on our first Deep Sea Benefits cruise!

We will be updating the shiptracker on our DEEPEND home page along the way and will be posting blogs here throughout our adventure.  Stay tuned!

By- Heather Judkins

Well, that's a wrap!  We finished processing our last station in the wee hours of Friday morning and headed bock to Gulfport, MS.  It's been quite a successful trip with many new finds and exciting new questions to look into as we continue to explore this region of the Gulf of Mexico!

At the last station, we had quite a haul of crustacean species as well as lots of hatchetfishes- both of which scatter sound.  We did acoustic work using the multibeam sonar to locate the DSL and towed the MOC10 system within these layers to get an idea of which animals may be found. This region is of the ocean is important because it represents the transfer of energy from the upper epipelagic to the deeper benthic systems.  Many of the fish and crustaceans in the DSL are prey for benthic invertebrates and predatory fishes. (see Haley G's blog for more on acoustics).

Various hatchetfish species and lots of crustaceans collected at the last station

Friday was a flurry of activity with packing up the lab, washing down the nets, and preparing samples for their journey home. 

Nets drying out before being packed up with the R/V Point Sur in the background.

We could not have done any of this without the amazing work by the R/V Point Sur crew which included feeding us morning, noon, and night; celebrating birthdays with us, and providing a safe and successful trip all around.  This is the last of the three DEEPEND/RESTORE cruises for this grant award and now we switch to analyzing all the data we've collected and producing products in the next year that can be used by resource managers.

This morning, the DEEPEND team members packed up their vehicles and made their way back home with so much to work on-  Until the next time!

DEEPEND Team photo

By Tracey Sutton

As we churn towards the finish line of another successful DEEPEND cruise in the offshore Gulf of Mexico, we take a pause to appreciate some new milestones. One of these is our 250^th deployment of the 10-m² MOCNESS pelagic trawling system, which has been the workhorse of DEEPEND. With six nets on each deployment, that means we have collected over 1500 pelagic trawl samples during our DEEPEND time series. Despite its status as the largest sample set of its kind, what continues to amaze us the most is that we continue to observe and collect NEW THINGS on every cruise. This one has been no exception.

We began the cruise by sighting an orca, then watched in wonder as a family of roughtooth dolphins used our ship lights to feed on flyingfishes in the middle of the night, and the just today saw a very large, silver fish leisurely swimming under the boat while we drifted with the afternoon breeze. Our best guess was that it was a louvar (Louvaris imperialis), a pelagic fish exceeding 6 feet in length and 330 lbs in weight. Our sampling has collected some incredible specimens of pelagic shrimps, dragonfishes (pictured), lanternfishes, eels, and one of my favorites, a whip-nosed anglerfish (pictured). We find that every trip out only makes us want to explore this miraculous ecosystem more. Tomorrow we will sample our last oceanic station and then head to a site over a deep-water coral complex to investigate pelagic-benthic coupling along the outer continental shelf.

I am so proud to be associated with the wonderful DEEPEND team.

By Lisa Rose-Mann

Hello again! I’m Lisa Rose-Mann and I’ve made it back on the R/V Point Sur for my second cruise with DEEPEND. YES! My research focuses on contaminants in the tissues of animals from the Gulf of Mexico. I am analyzing the stomach contents of Yellowfin Tuna (Thunnus albacares) and Blackfin Tuna (Thunnus atlanticus) and the fish themselves to discover if any persistent organic pollutants (POPs) like, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), polychlorinated biphenyl (PCBs), pesticides, and phthalates are present in their muscle or liver tissues. I use a method developed by Dr. Isabel Romero for the GC/MS/MS to detect these compounds in the tissues. The Gulf of Mexico has an enormous watershed which can bring many of these compounds to the ocean from runoff and PAHs occur both naturally and as a result of oil spills. It was especially striking for me on this trip out to see the marker on the navigation chart where the Deepwater Horizon oil platform once was. I couldn’t help but to take some time to reflect on what happened thirteen years ago and try to imagine what that must have been like out here on the water. The effects of the spill are still being studied by many scientists including myself.

Me and a squid from dissections; Dr. Isabel Romero and I in the lab.

Over the past year I have been very fortunate to be a NOAA Gulf B-WET (Bay Watershed Education and Training) fellow. I’ve been able to bring science to the classrooms of 3^rd, 4^th, and 5^th graders of some Title I schools in St. Petersburg, FL. They have really enjoyed the program and the specimens I’ve been able to introduce them to. After a few visits to the classroom and their own atmospheric observations they come to The Clam Bayou which is an Education and Outreach center for the USF College of Marine Science. There we provide an experiential learning experience for the kids in their own watershed. We take the kids fishing with the seine net, teach them about the importance of mangroves and explore a fresh plankton sample under the microscope, my personal favorite. I’ve already shared with them that I am on this cruise, and they are all watching the ship tracking and blogs. I’m really hoping to be able to connect with them online while I’m out here and introduce them to some of the coolest scientists I’ve been able to work with so far. And I really can’t wait to share some of these unique animals with them too! Shout out to Betsy, Kate, Nash, and students!

Photo of students (and me with them bottom left) at The Clam Bayou observing plankton.

And while those awesome kids are pretty far away from me right now, I cannot help but notice the little kids we all are on the inside in each of the scientists on board this vessel. The awe of each net’s product, the joy of discovering something never seen before, the ah ha’s shouted as the number of fin rays distinguishes one species from another. I can see it in their eyes, their smiles and utter passion for what they do.  I always admire their endless conquest to answer some of those questions we carry forward from our own childhood curiosity…what is that, what’s that for, and why.

Photo of the MOCNESS (Multiple Opening-Closing Net and Environmental Sensing System) as it arrives to the deck.

Hi Everyone! Haley Glasmann here, and I am back on the R/V Point Sur for my second DEEPEND research cruise. I’m a PhD Student in the Marine Ecology and Acoustics Laboratory at Florida International University, and I’m here with my advisor, Dr. Kevin Boswell. Our role on this cruise is to set-up and monitor the scientific echosounders. It takes a lot of work upfront to prepare our acoustics for deployment in the field, but all the hard work is worth it!

Haley Glasmann and Dr. Kevin Boswell assembling “The Pod.” 

Dr. Kevin Boswell, Haley Glasmann, and Dr. Heather Bracken-Grissom with “The Pod” assembled after a hard day’s work.

 The use of active acoustics in otherwise hard to reach marine systems, where video data and diver surveys are infeasible, can provide information about distribution and behavior of organisms. Every 5 seconds, we get 1 pixel of information. As the ship drifts along, we get an echogram, which allows us to visualize our data in real time! An 18kHz echogram is shown below, with depth on the y-axis and time on the x-axis. The brighter colors are indicative of the deep scattering layer community, and the yellow line represents the CTD track. Around 19:45 you can see the upward diel vertical migration, where organisms are moving into the upper water column for the night to feed. Mounted on the CTD is our Wide-Band Autonomous Transceiver (WBAT), which allows us to send an echosounder to depth. Integrating the ship mounted echosounders with that of the WBAT allows us to discern individual organisms within the deep scattering layer. 

Although the image below may just look like a bunch of rainbow blobs, the community in question is generally referred to as mesopelagic micronekton, ranging in size from 2-20cm, comprising fishes, siphonophores, crustacea, and other zooplankton. Many of these organisms take part in the diel vertical migration and play a key role in oceanic carbon cycling, moving between two to six billion tons of carbon per year. Mesopelagic micronekton are also valued for their use as “potentially consumable protein,” some countries already target them for use for aquaculture fish feed, and for use in pet food. 

18kHz echogram with WBAT echogram inlaid.

The Gulf of Mexico is a mesopelagic diversity hotspot, and I aim to further investigate how these organisms are arranging in space and how that changes as they move vertically. Learning more about the mesopelagic micronekton will allow us to develop a better understanding of niche partitioning in the deep-sea, as well as being informative for fisheries management.

A few mesopelagic micronekton that were caught in the MOCNESS (Multiple Opening-Closing Net and Environmental Sensing System). 

To keep up with more of my acoustic adventures, follow @scubahaleykat and @boswelllab on Instagram!

Greetings, fellow deep-sea enthusiasts! I'm Pedro A. Peres, a postdoc at Florida International University, and I'm back with my second post on the blog. Today, I want to talk about an exciting new technique that is revolutionizing the way we study deep-sea environments: environmental DNA (eDNA).

Traditionally, to analyze the DNA of marine animals, we would collect and extract tissue samples directly from the animal. But what if we could get DNA samples without even seeing or sampling the animal? This is where eDNA comes in. Every living creature in nature releases DNA molecules in the environment through various means like skin, mucus, feces, and more. Scientists have discovered that we can extract and sequence these DNA fragments to detect specific species or assess community composition, all without ever having to interact with the animals directly.

In DEEPEND|RESTORE, Dr. Bracken-Grissom and I are working with Jonah Ventures (ww.jonahventures.com) to use this amazing technique focusing on deep-sea environments. The main challenge is that eDNA is a relatively new method but even newer for deep-sea environments. Many of the references available investigate freshwater or shallow waters, which have different features than the deep sea. This means that replicating their sampling method might not be ideal for the deep sea. For instance, animals in the deep sea are more spread out than in other environments, so should we filter more water to have a fair representation of the community we are investigating? Can we use acoustics to guide where to fire the CTD to collect water? And many other questions that we are thrilled to investigate!

On this cruise, PhD candidate Stormie Collins is in charge of filtering the water, preserving the filters, and logging the CTD data so we can analyze everything later. She and I assembled a cool eDNA setup provided by Jonah Ventures, and Dr. Kevin Boswell and PhD student Haley Glasmann are helping with the CTD. Teamwork! I’m excited to see our findings and what eDNA can reveal to us about deep waters.

Hi everyone!  DEEPEND science is so exciting that even the whales are following us!  Just wanted to share that some of our team were lucky enough to catch a glimpse of an Orca today!  Even though it was a bit far from the vessel, a few pictures and video were captured.

As rare as they are to see out here, it is thought that there are some resident Orcas that live here in the Gulf of Mexico.  

We will be keeping our eyes open when we are out on deck as the sea state is perfect for more whale sightings!

               Hi! My name is Stormie Collins, and I am a PhD candidate at Florida International University. I have been involved in processing samples collected from DEEPEND|RESTORE cruises since 2019, however, this is my first time getting to go to sea with the group! I am largely interested in the way that organisms perceive the world around them, and the associated adaptations they have evolved to survive within their environment. In the deep-sea, many organisms utilize bioluminescence; a process through which a chemical reaction produces light. My dissertation focuses on vision and bioluminescence in deep-sea shrimps. Being able to see the animals freshly collected allows me to observe color as they are in life and provides a better opportunity to consider bioluminescence across species as many light organs become invisible after animals are placed in preservative. 

               Shrimps can be bioluminescent through dermal light organs called photophores, internal photophores that arise as a modification of the hepatopancreas, or through a luminous secretion, which may also be referred to as “spew”. Among decapod shrimps, luminous secretions are most common, and many species use this as a defense mechanism to evade approaching predators. Dermal photophores are embedded within the cuticle and are obvious. Internal photophores are obvious in sergestid shrimp (see below), however, they are also present in other shrimps, where they are much easier to overlook, particularly in red pigmented shrimps. The caridean shrimp Plesionika richardi is documented to have internal photophores, however, they have never been previously observed in this species by our team. Upon collection of 2 P. richardi, observation of internal photophores were indeed confirmed (see below), and when looking for them, are obvious. It is likely that this has been overlooked as the red pigmentation sort of masks the internal organs and they are no longer visible in preserved material.

               The most up-to-date count of bioluminescence depicts 94 independent origins across the tree of life, making this perhaps the most common form of communication on the planet. Though our current understanding of bioluminescence in shrimps with both dermal and internal photophores suggest they are used for counterillumination camouflage, I believe that the functional role of bioluminescence should be considered separately for each species. The presence of internal photophores in P. richardi provide an excellent example of how underestimated and overlooked bioluminescence may be in decapod shrimps, as well as many other marine organisms.

P.s.- the view from the ship is NOT too shabby ?

Hi everyone! My name is Natalie Howard and I’m a master’s student in Dr. Jon Moore’s lab at Florida Atlantic University’s Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute. This is my first time participating in one of the DEEPEND/RESTORE cruises and I am very excited to be here! I was introduced to the project while pursuing my undergraduate degree at the University of South Florida. While I was there, I helped Dr. Heather Judkins with pteropod data, and she introduced me to Dr. Jon Moore, where I now work with fish collected from the cruises.

This is an image of Melamphaes suborbitalis. It’s one of the larger Melamphaes, with an average standard length that’s over 90 mm! It also has a small spine on the top of its head, which is a distinguishing trait of this species.

My thesis project is focused on vertical migration and diversity of Melamphaes (Melamphaidae). The Melamphaes fish we find in the Gulf of Mexico are relatively small, averaging between 20- and 30-mm standard length and are dark brown in color. These fish reside in the meso- and bathypelagic zones during the day but will migrate into shallower waters at night to feed and avoid predation. This behavior is referred to as diel vertical migration, which I will be investigating as part of my research project. There have also been many recent taxonomic revisions of the family Melamphaidae, so I’m hoping that we find one of the newly identified species on DP09! 

Yes, you guessed it!  It’s time for another DEEPEND cruise in the Gulf of Mexico!  Vans are loaded and being driven to Gulfport, MS, gear is packed. scientists are scrambling to make sure we have everything we need, and everyone is traveling in the next day or two to arrive in Gulfport for another successful adventure.

Our current plan includes loading all the gear onto the R/V Point Sur on Monday and depart from Gulfport, MS at midnight.  We will be heading to our usual stations for collecting samples from 0-1500 m deep using the MOC10 net system once again.  This will be our 9^th DEEPEND cruise and the 3^rd as part of the NOAA RESTORE program which concludes next year.  We are very excited to keep this long-term survey going as we still know so very little about the deep ocean we are exploring.

We will be posting blogs along our journey once we get underway so stay tuned!