Newfoundland and Labrador Survey Day 21

 

Day: 21

Date: 18 May 2013

Position: 44 55.7N, 56° 05.1W

Time:  6:00pm

Weather: Slight swell, Patches of Fog

 As we continue to survey the waters off the south coast of Newfoundland, we are encountering a wider variety of species in our fishing sets. The depths of the ocean offer a whole array of weird and wonderful creatures! Some of the ‘fan-favourites’ over the past few days have included: Hagfish, an odd eel-shaped, slime-producing and ancient fish that attacks both living and dead prey and literally eats them from the inside out; and Lampreys, a jawless, parasitic fish that attaches to larger fish using its disc-shaped mouth and sucks the blood of its host. Nature is not always pretty! We have also seen a few Longhorn Sculpins, the species with the distinction of having the longest scientific name in the North Atlantic –Myoxocephalus octodecimspinosus – now that’s a mouthful!

Sea lamprey use this round mouth to attach to, and feed on, larger fish.
Photo: Laura Wheeland

  

Brynn battles the slime of the Hagfish, trying to get a measure of its length
Photo: Laura Carmanico

We also had a bit of a reprieve from the fog, allowing the scientists and crew a chance to keep an eye out for marine mammals and sea birds. Those who were patient enough were rewarded with a bounty of sightings! Minke and humpback whales have been spotted near the boat, and dolphins were seen jumping in the distance. For the birdwatchers among us, we continue to see many of the Northern Fulmars, Gannets and Herring Gulls that have been hanging around throughout our trip, but we are now starting to see a wider variety of species, adding Shearwaters and Guillemots to our list.

A Humpback whale shows its fluke (tail) as it dives.
Photo: Brynn Devine

Northern Fulmar, Fulmarus glacialis

Photo Credit: Laura Wheeland

On Friday we were lucky enough to see a Basking Shark Cetorhinus maximus. Basking sharks are the second largest species of fish (second only to Whale Sharks), and can grow to be nearly 32 feet (10m) long!! We estimate that the one we saw was likely around 12-15 feet long. Despite their massive size, these animals are not to be feared – Basking sharks are filter feeders, swimming around near the surface with their large mouths open, which passes water through their gills. Fish eggs, larvae, and small invertebrates, such as krill, get filtered out of the water by rakers in the gills, and are then ingested by the shark. These food items may be tiny in comparison to the shark, but they are extremely high in both nutrients and abundance.

Basking sharks spend much of their time swimming near the surface with their gaping mouths open, collecting small prey.  Photo Credit: Greg Skomal/NOAA Fisheries Service

The presence of these large krill-eating animals is not a surprise. Over the past few days we have been detecting large amounts of plankton in our acoustic data, and last night’s plankton tow yielded the most abundant krill sample we have collected in the waters around Newfoundland so far.

With just a few days left of the survey, we are all excited to see what surprises the ocean still has in store for us before we return to life on land!

Blog by Laura Wheeland

Newfoundland and Labrador Survey Day 20

Day: 20

Date: 17 May 2013

Position: 45° 5.03’ N, 55° 24.52’

Time:  7:30 pm      

Weather: Slight swell.

 

CFER was established with a basic premise to investigate how ecosystem-based approaches to management could compliment and perhaps improve traditional single species methods.  Hence, CFER has been expanding its sampling protocols to include data on not only cod and other commercial species but to numerous other species within the ecosystem. 

Snow crab (Chionoecetes opilio). Photo by Laura Wheeland

Some offshore seastars. Photo: Laura Wheeland

  This increased emphasis is fueling a number of research projects conducted by several scientists and graduate students. In addition to providing an understanding of the dynamics of the current ecosystem, we hope to monitor responses of the ecosystem to environmental changes, with special emphasis on climate change and rising ocean temperatures.

As part of this ecosystem monitoring, food web modeling provides a key method to describe species interactions. Two main methods are being utilized to describe these food web interactions: stomach content analysis and stable isotope analysis. 

Muscle tissue samples and data sheets for carbon and nitrogen stable isotope analysis. Photo: Jon Fisher

Samples for both of these techniques are being collected during this survey from a number of representative species. The stomach content analysis provides a snapshot in time which allows for identification of the exact species that the predator has consumed. The stable isotope analysis provides information on the diet of the predator on longer time scales, ranging between days and months depending on the tissue sampled. Differences in isotope ratios within tissues allow us to differentiate fish that have fed near bottom from those that have fed on more pelagic (up in the water) food. By analyzing the flow of nutrients through the various members of the ecosystem we can reconstruct the overall food web and characterize the dynamics of predator-prey relationships in different places and times.

CFER's Kyle Krumsick, sorting the catch. Photo: Jon Fisher

Food web modeling and the analysis of species interactions is the basis for the RDC (Research and Development Corporation) funded PhD project of Kyle Krumsick, whose Masters research studied variability in cod diet over spatial and temporal scales.  

Short-horned sculpin. Photo: Brynn Devine

Blog by Kyle Krumsick 

Newfoundland and Labrador Survey Day 19

Day 19

Date: 16 May 2013

Position: 45° 24.66’ N, 55° 09.27’

Time:  9:30 pm          

Weather: Slight swell. Wind 25 knots.

The scientists and crew aboard the Celtic Explorer now find themselves in the waters of southern Newfoundland. We are now in NAFO Subdivision 3Ps. This portion of the survey is our last leg before returning to St. John’s. Travel from the Northeast was not uneventful. Acoustic monitoring continued throughout and we completed fishing sets east of St. John’s and on the Southern Grand Bank.  The northern part of the Grand Bank had many schools of capelin, but in the southern half most of schools were sand lance, a small and slim fish that forms schools (as does capelin) but also burrows in the sandy seafloor. On the southern Grand Bank we completed the satellite tagging with 5 very large cod caught in short order, tagged, and released to the sea.

Now we are on our way again. We have been looking forward to this part of the trip. As we travel south our catches have begun to incorporate a greater diversity of species.

CFER employee holds a large redfish that turned up in our catch before returning the specimen to the water. Photo: Jon Fisher

During our time at sea, we have been allocating a considerable amount of our sampling efforts to a species of great ecological interest to the Newfoundland and Labrador marine ecosystem: capelin. In Newfoundland waters, capelin has historically been an important prey species for several species of groundfish, making up a critical link between zooplankton and especially cod. Capelin is a fatty fish. For predatory fish, such as cod, a diet of oily capelin can be crucial for egg development and contributes to the overall fish condition. This critical role as a fatty food source affects the wellbeing of many species that depend on capelin in their diet. How fast these fish grow, how they survive, and how successfully they reproduce may all depend on the availability of capelin as food in these waters.

A bucket of Capelin collected on the Celtic Explorer. Photo: Jon Fisher

 Dr. Erin Carruthers is a post doctoral fellow working with the Centre for Fisheries Ecosystems Research. Her research focuses on capelin in Newfoundland and Labrador waters. Capelin biomass declined abruptly in the early nineties. As a species of great ecological importance, fisheries biologists strive to understand the factors that contribute to its recovery. As part of Dr. Carruthers’ project, she examines whether capelin are food limited. While at sea, CFER have been (acoustically) monitoring capelin aggregations as they perform vertical feeding migrations and collecting whole capelin of all size categories for Dr. Carruthers to examine later in the laboratory for quality and stomach content analysis.

CFER graduate students sorting a capelin catch. Photo: Jon Fisher

Another birthday happened aboard the Celtic Explorer. CFER Newbie Victoria Howse or (New Vic) turned two dozen years old yesterday. This was celebrated with another home-made card and a few euros for the boat’s duty-free shop. As far as our murder game is concerned the deaths have slowed as only the cleverest are left plotting. Cheers!

All smiles! A crowd of hard working scientists take a photo-op after a long day of at sea research. Photo: Jon Fisher

Blog by Victoria Neville

Newfoundland and Labrador Survey Day 18

Day 18

Date: 15 May 2013

Position: 44 32.3 N; 51 12.7 W

Time: 02:13 UTC

Weather: Thick fog, wind 20-25 kts, swell 2-3 meters

On the Celtic Explorer, there are many scientists looking to collect samples for a multitude of studies. Although we are all working hard to organize and sample the organisms that make their way into the wet lab, it would be an impossible task without the crew that we work with. Everyday we are grateful for their work ethic, positive attitudes, and constant stream of jokes and laughs (some of which we understand, others we don’t, and some we don’t want to!).

Most of the crew were long involved in the fishing industry before coming to work aboard the Celtic Explorer. Either as skippers or crew on fishing boats, they acquired fishing skills that are absolutely essential for the successful completion of our research. Everything from plankton tows, CTDs, water sampling and trawling incorporates a certain amount of risk. Working with heavy and fast moving gear on slippery decks requires experienced able-bodied deck crew. This is comprised of Martin, Ken, Hagar, Tim, Jimmy and Frank. They ensure that all sampling is completed as safely and efficiently as possible.

Working together to pull in the catch (left to right: Ken, Hagar, Martin and Jim)

    Martin hard at work on the deck      

With such a large group and many hefty appetites, the cook team does an exceptional job of providing what can only be described as feasts. After we think Lou and Mickey have outdone themselves, they haven’t yet failed to cook up another mouthwatering dish, such as world-class fish and chips (and coming from Newfoundland, we know fish and chips), or incredible desserts like banaffe pie (an incredible banana and toffee pie).

Electrician Paul, and Technician Phillip may have highly technical jobs on the crew, but their skills have been invaluable in other areas as well. The scientists have relied on Phillip on many occasions for keeping the satellite internet working and his help in fixing the television and stereo equipment, a necessity for maintaining morale, especially in the downtimes between fishing tows. Paul has also been indispensable, repairing one of the most highly used pieces of equipment on board – the coffee machine! – without which we’re sure productivity would have suffered.

               The engineers, Damien, Rusty, and Dave, have been working hard to keep the ships engines and all the other equipment in top condition. They are also welcoming tour guides, giving some of the students a tour of the engine room, and explaining some of the ins and outs of the mechanisms of the ship’s inner workings.

Captain Antony and officers Kenny and Adam on the bridge navigate the ship, keeping course through the survey transect lines and monitoring the radar for icebergs and fishing vessels through the Newfoundland fog.  Thanks to their skills and experience we are able to successfully fish specific signals we see on the echosounder, which enables us to verify which species comprise that acoustic signature, and collect samples of them. They also keep the scientists happy by providing us with daily crosswords and word puzzles, and even the answers when we can’t figure them out.

On top of all of this, they have all proved to be extremely handy. They can mend a torn net in record time. This task has presented itself a few times, as even smaller rocks can rip through the netting. Without these traditional fishing skills, we would be out of luck in terms of much of our research. You would be hard pressed to find a better crew!! Thanks guys!!

Ken hamming it up for the camera.

Blog By: Laura Carmanico, Brynne Devine and Laura Wheeland.

Newfoundland and Labrador Survey Day 16

Day: 16/17

Date : 12/13 May 2013

Position:49 26.8 N; 051 09.9 W

Time: 23:12 UTC

Weather: Wind 25 knots

 

It’s now been 16/17 days since we have left St. John’s harbour and as we sample we’ve been lucky to encounter some very interesting species. 

Herring (Clupea harengus). Photo credit Victoria Howse

 

 

 

 

 

  The Atlantic Herring (Cluepea harengus), unlike the lumpfish is a pelagic species spending its time in the water column. Herring are a widespread species that form large schooling aggregations, with the largest recorded school containing 4 billion fish.  We have encountered herring in several places well offshore during this voyage.

Atlantic Bobtail Squid (Sepiola atlantica). Photo credit Victoria Howse

Atlantic Bobtail Squid (Sepiola atlantica) is a very small cephalopod that we have encountered in our last few tows.  The bobtail squids belong to the order Sepiolida that are similar to cuttlefish and are known as dumpling squids. Squids belonging to this group possess a light organ in their mantle that is used in camouflage. These tiny inverts are also talented swimmers who can use their mantle fins or jet propulsion to get around.

Lumpfish (Cylopterus lumpus). Photo credit Victoria Howse

The lumpfish (Cylopterus lumpus) is a benthic species known for its peculiar appearance and modified pelvic sucker disc. When lumpfish reproduce the males care for the young first by fanning the eggs, and continue to guard them until the larvae hatch.  The female however are targeted for their roe and are fished inshore from April to July. The lumpfish seemed to bring out the parental instincts of the wet lab crew, after a full-blown photo shoot the lumpfish (aka the model) was carefully released back into the ocean.

Last night the night shift crew came across an enormous shoal of capelin that stretched over an eight mile transect, it would appear that this shoal was moving south and that the cod are following this shoal.

Levels of paranoia remain high amongst those of the scientists and crew who are still “alive” in the murder mystery game. Johannes was brutally bludgeoned with a bread roll as I exited the wet lab, betrayed by his closest work partner Dom. On the same note Victoria was slain with a frozen codfish in the hallway by her fellow dayshift worker Laura C.

We are still in the Bonavista corridor endeavoring to get a better understanding of the movements and distribution of the northern cod stock. The seas have been reasonably calm and the weather extremely foggy with low visibility for many days now. The Canadians have been trying to convince the skeptical Irish that this is in fact typical weather for Newfoundland and they should continue to believe that the sky is in fact actually blue and the sun will shine again!!

Soon we must leave the Bonavista Corridor. We will be heading south to the fabled fishing grounds of the southern Grand Bank …

Johannes Bulfin and Victoria Howse

Newfoundland and Labrador Survey Day 15

Day: 15

Date:  11 May 2013

Position: 49° 05.75’ N, 51° 10.02 W’

Time: 23:00

Weather: Wind 14 knots

 

A tiny grenadier appears in the laboratory. Photo: Victoria Howse

We are now ten days from home! In our off time from mapping out cod aggregations we’ve been adding a bit of fun. A mini birthday party occurred over dinner today for research scientist Dr. Sherrylynn Rowe, who according to rumours is nearing 40. A huge and delicious chocolate mocha cake was prepared by our intrepid galley staff Lou and Mickey and Sherrylynn was showered with a curious mix of presents. These included a homemade card prepared by some of the more artistically talented graduate students, chocolates and various other gifts.

Sherrylynn and her bounty of strange gifts. Photo: Victoria Howse.

As recreation, we have found ways to entertain ourselves. The most recent is the murder game, introduced last year by English grad student Kate Barley. It’s a bit like clue. Each player draws three slips of paper: a person’s name, a place on the ship and a harmless object. In order to win, you must lure the person to the specified location and touch them with the object. You have then “murdered” them. The murders so far have been rampant and people are peaking around corners and treading lightly around the boat. The last one in wins.

This is my second cod survey with the CFER. So for me, I use these little games and activities for team building. With so many new faces coming to our research group each year, I look forward to this time at sea to get better acquainted with the new people and projects. I joined the group in 2011 as a bright eyed graduate student. I was fresh out of an honours project that examined snow crab on the west of Newfoundland but since then I have become quite addicted to cod research.

CFER's Victoria Neville holding her study species Atlantic cod Gadus morhua. Photo: Victoria Howse

I’ve been working over the last two years on little calcareous earstones within the codfish we collect. These stones (otoliths), which have been mentioned on the blog before, have been helping me to reconstruct the ambient history of the cod we collect from hatch-date to catch-date using geochemical techniques. When combined with the behavioural, tagging and genetic research at CFER this work is helping us to resolve fundamental questions about cod stock mixing and stock origins.

Over the past two years I’ve begun view each of these otoliths as precious. You see, nearly every aspect of the fish’s life is recorded in these structures and it is up to me to mine out this invaluable information. And as far as I’m concerned I’m about as lucky as a fisheries science geek can be!

For more information and to try aging fish using their otoliths on your own, check out:

http://www.afsc.noaa.gov/refm/age/ageinginteractive/pop_easy.htm

Blog by Victoria Neville

Newfoundland and Labrador Survey Day 14

Day: 14

Date:  10 May 2013

Position: 48 50N 50 20W

Time: 19:00

Weather: Wind – SW25 knots, seas 2-3m

 

During the past few days we have been busy with the northern cod. The routine goes something like this: first we locate the fish with our scientific echosounders, especially tuned in to recognize medium to large sized cod (see picture below).

 

The boomerangs in the lower right are individual Atlantic cod swimming in the ocean near the seafloor at a depth of 332 m. Some of these are large fish (the red ones – the colour scale reads from blue = small to red = large).

Then we fish to catch some of them, which enables us to know the exact size of the fish, their spawning status, what they have been eating, and later back in the lab we will learn their age and genetic background.

We are also tagging some of them with what are called ‘popup’ tags – they are called this because they ‘popup’ off the fish after a specified time period (ours are set for 1 year), then transmit a whole years worth of hourly data on the temperature and depth the fish was swimming at and give a daily estimate of its location. All this information then is sent via satellite back to our computers no matter where in the world the fish is or we are. CFER is the first in the world to test this technology on Atlantic cod – we started this work in 2012 with support from the Newfoundland and Labrador Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture.

  

A large Atlantic cod, about 1 m in length, fitted with a ‘backpack’ and satellite popup tag. Some of his confreres (buddies) are with him. These large fish can drag these tags around with little apparent effort. The tag looks larger than it really is in this picture because it is in the foreground.

 The first ever cod tagged this way was a large one – it was tagged by myself and Dr. Sherrylynn Rowe with the help of the crew of Celtic Explorer - and liberated on the Flemish Cap on May 6, 2012. It popped up on May 6, 2013, 1 year later and right on schedule, and is now transmitting its data via satellite as it drifts across the ocean. Quite remarkable! There is a lot of excitement to see these data. What we know thus far is that this fish, a big one of 117 cm and a particular favourite of Dr. Rowe, at the time the tag was released was only about 20 nautical miles from where it was liberated 1 year ago. Where the fish journeyed over the year is yet to be determined – but we will know soon.

Last year, we released 25 tagged fish. Some popped early and one was caught by a fisherman, giving some extraordinarily valuable data, but 12 are still out there and are expected to popup later this month with a full year of data.

 

Dr. Sherrylynn Rowe cradles a tagged cod – making sure it is OK and strong after the capture and tagging. This one looks rather perplexed but is in fine shape and near ready for release.

This year, we have already released 37 satellite tagged fish – some on the Flemish Cap but most in the Bonavista Corridor. The fish range in size from about 90 to 110 cm. We will be going south soon to tag 5 more on the southern Grand Bank. After the tag is put on the fish, they are kept in a resting tank to get their strength back. They are given lots of room and plenty of fresh seawater.

 

Dr. Rowe cradles a tagged cod ready for release back to the ocean from whence it came. Fish are liberated at the same spot they were caught. Crew members look on – ready to make the release.

The final step of the tagging process is the release back to the sea. It is done ever so gently by our crew who fabricated a tarp bed that can be lowered to the sea over the gunwhale of the boat. It takes some superb coordination to do this – but our men have mastered this to near perfection.

Crew members Tim, Hagar, Ken, Martin, Jimmy and Bosun Frank Kenny all have helped with the release of the tagged cod. Captain Antony Hobin sometimes provides musical accompaniment. Dr. Rowe looks on.

 The final stage occurs when the big cod swims off the tarp bed – in every case the fish gives one or two flips with its tail and is last seen heading straight down. They know where they want to be. We wish them luck – they will be primary data collectors for the next year.

The big cod takes only a couple of tail beats and off he goes into the deep. Straight down! We wish the fish well. On these fish much is riding in terms of learning the annual movement and environmental experiences of the cod stocks of Newfoundland and the Grand Banks.

 

So on we go – more fish to measure, more ocean measurements to make, and more fish to tag. This is teamwork, with all hands contributing to the success of the research…

(All photos by the author)

Dr. George Rose (Chief Scientist and Director of CFER)