Back to Work

Yesterday we anchored in Cape Cod Bay and at 8am this morning, we pulled anchor and we are headed back out to Bear Seamount to continue our sampling.  Yesterday was spent catching up on data entry and doing work we brought out with us to do.  There was a variety of work being done- homework assignments for the undergrad and graduate students, manuscript editing and writing and some college football watching done by others.

We did see some marine life while anchored and as we head out to the site.  We have seen multiple mola molas (ocean sunfish) which are always a treat to see at the water's surface. These animals are the largest bony fish in the sea and they reach 11ft in length and can weigh up to 5000 lbs as adults.  They are omnivores who feed near the surface.

Ocean Sunfish  Photo:  Save Nature Save Human Blog site

We saw many marine birds as well- Northern Gannets and Shearwaters were the most common ones flying close to the surface of the water.  We also were lucky enough to have some Atlantic White-sided dolphins ride the bow briefly before falling back riding the waves alongside the ship a few hours ago.

 

Atlantic White-sided Dolphin  Photo:  Whale sightings blog site

Tomorrow I will highlight the crustacean and fish projects we are doing-  we've been collecting some beautifully odd-looking animals.  Stay tuned!