Post by Drew Mertzlufft

Heya!

My name is Drew Mertzlufft and I am pursuing a Masters degree in marine biology in the Oceanic Ecology lab at Nova Southeastern University (NSU) under the guidance of Dr. Tracey Sutton. The main goal of my thesis project is to describe the diet and ecology of pelagic juvenile scorpionfishes (suborder: Scorpaenoidei) from the Gulf of Mexico (GoM). In addition, I am creating a taxonomic key to aid in the future identification of Atlantic pelagic juvenile scorpaenoids. While the taxonomy, diet, ecology, and life history of adult scorpionfishes in the GoM are well documented, the identification methods, diet, and food web relationships of juvenile scorpionfish remain largely unresolved.

      Drew in action (Photo:  H. Judkins)

Aside from my thesis, this is my first time out to sea on a research vessel. I must admit that it has been an extremely humbling experience thus far. I am very fortunate to be surrounded by an extremely considerate and compassionate team of highly distinguished scientists as well as the incredibly proficient and friendly crew. All of which have been helping me use the scientific method to figure out how to remedy sea sickness. Not to mention the chance to see and work with fishes that most people go their entire lives without knowing of their existence! I am very grateful to be able to assist with the collection and processing of all fishes captured during the seventh DEEPEND expedition as well as helping update the Cruise Track.

Some of my favorite animals so far:

     Deep sea amphipod (Phronima) Photo: DM                    Lanternfish (Myctophid species)  Photo:  DM

Cookie Cutter Shark (Isistius brasiliensis)  Photo: DM

Post by Daniella Milanese

Hello, everyone!

My name is Daniella Milanese and I am a graduate student in Dr. Tamara Frank’s deep-sea biology lab at Nova Southeastern University. I am currently working on my master’s thesis on “Plastic Ingestion of Deep-sea Pelagic and Benthic Decapods of the Charlie Gibbs Fracture Zone at the Mid-Atlantic Ridge”. For my thesis, I’ve extracted plastic particles out of pelagic and benthic crustaceans before I find out if ingestion differs by region of the fracture zone.

Photo:  Daniella and Tammy Frank (Photo:  H. Judkins)

Besides my research, this is my first DEEPEND cruise and I am beyond excited to be part of such a wonderful team that works together to survey the Gulf’s deep-water ecosystem. Being in Dr. Frank’s lab, I have worked with majority of the decapod species captured in the Gulf, but to work with fresh specimens is a brand new experience! Being able to see true coloration and pristine photophores is truly a treat and a wonder to see. On this DEEPEND expedition, it’s my job to help identify and process all decapods captured.

Photo:  Deep Sea Shrimp (Photo: DM)                                       Photo:  Deep Sea Shrimp (Photo: DM)

    Photo:  Fangtooth  (Anoplogaster cornuta) (Photo: DM)

We left the dock on the R/V Point Sur at midnight and reached our first station in the Gulf of Mexico around 2 pm today.  All supplies, microscopes and equipment got set up and stored away in the dry lab and we settled in for the welcome and safety meeting.  The great news is that since we followed the LUMCON Covid-19 protocols including quarantine, and we are vaccinated, the team is ready work!

Today has been spent putting the MOCNESS together.  This is a Multiple Opening and Closing Net and Environmental Sensing System that we use to collect a variety of organisms from various depths in the midwater column (MOC10).  We will be dropping the 6-net system to 1500 m and collecting animals at different depths as it comes back to the surface.  Part of the team is testing and calibrating the acoustics array which will collect data using sound waves throughout the cruise.  The CTD (measures conductivity, temperature, and depth) has been set up as well which will be deployed to collect water quality data.  Our DEEPEND photographer is spending the day setting up his lab as well.  Things are coming together quite nicely so far.

We are excited to be out here and ready to do some science!

The time has come!  Our first NOAA RESTORE cruise efforts are underway.  Strategically packing the van for the trip is the true test for the team.  All the nets, acoustic equipment, microscopes, field guides and supplies are loaded into a van under the watchful eye of April Cook, our amazing program manager at Nova Southeastern University.  Every year, it seems like a miracle that everything fits but it always does!  It takes approximately 12 hours to make the journey through Florida, Alabama, and into Mississippi.  Other team members drive cars/SUVs with their own gear and everyone arrives in Gulfport, MS tonight so we are ready bright and early tomorrow morning to load the gear onto the R/V Point Sur.  Tomorrow will be a day of setting up the dry lab, storing supplies, putting the MOC10 net together, and attaching the acoustics equipment to the vessel so we can leave at midnight.

We are excited to get underway and will update you in the next day or two!

(Photos:  Ashley Marranzino)

After an odd year dealing with the pandemic, which resulted in one postponed research cruise, the DEEPEND team is gearing up for our first NOAA/RESTORE cruise later this month!  We are excited that we received funding through 2024 to continue our important midwater survey and associated projects.  We have a series of three cruises planned, with the first one going out on April 24^th, 2021. We will be exploring the northern Gulf of Mexico using a midwater trawl and acoustic equipment to identify long-term trends in pelagic fish, shrimp, and squid abundance, and determine how observed trends relate to environmental changes and human pressure (e.g., pollution). The ultimate goal of the project is to provide information that can be used by resource managers to protect the natural resources of the Gulf.

The team will be leaving from Gulfport, MS, on the R/V Point Sur for 12 days and we are ready to get to work!  As in the past, we will have a shiptracker and a HYCOM oceanographic model running in real time to help guide our voyage.  We will also maintain a blog to document the various projects and discoveries throughout our journey.  These are all accessible on the home page of the DEEPEND website: www.deependconsortium.org   

If you want to read more about NOAA/RESTORE Science program, here is the link: https://restoreactscienceprogram.noaa.gov/

Looking forward to sharing our experience with you!