The morning begins with a very informative on-camera interview with Morehead City physician, Dr. Jeff Anderson. Dr. Anderson, intimately involved with the SCUBA community, discusses the potential health hazards of the invasive lionfish and the recommended treatment for envenomation (lionfish stings).
Lionfish stings are excruciatingly painful and are a new marine-related injury, previously not encountered by Atlantic coast physicians and first responders. As such, the footage from Dr. Anderson’s interview is a valuable resource for the medical communities, as well as those in the SCUBA, fishing and coastal communities.
While Curtis, Susan and Betsy were at Dr. Anderson’s office, Norb was with the Beaufort Lab’s Dive Master and scientist, Pete Parker, having his final dive and swim “check-out.” Prior to launching our trip, Pete and the NOAA Chief of Operations, Dave Dinsmore, as well as Doug Kesling, the research diving coordinator of the Foster cruise and others, aptly provided the professional and expert knowledge to lead us through the complex process of getting our underwater cinematographer, Norb, certified to be able to dive off of the NOAA vessels. Norb has gone through the arduous process of becoming NOAA-certified to dive off of the NOAA vessels and with the NOAA scientists on this trip…lots of paperwork, letters regarding scientific diving experience, decompression with oxygen/first aid/CPR certifications, medical exam, written NOAA dive exam, and more. He passes with flying colors and the underwater shoot is now definitely on!
Two local college students, Patrick Moore and Alex Heller, join our team as production assistants during the afternoon topside production shoots. EISF has a mission of mentoring young people interested in film making and marine science and these two soaked up every word and experience of the day, while providing additional assistance on location.
With Curtis doing the topside cinematography, our writer, Betsy Crowfoot interviews Dr. David Johnson, the NOAA Beaufort Lab Director, in the afternoon. The Beaufort Lab is the second oldest federal marine research laboratory in the nation, founded in 1899. The lab is uniquely situated at a location on the east coast where two biologic and geographic areas overlap, i.e. where northern and southern species inter-mix. The Gulf Stream represents an extension of tropical and sub-tropical habitats with species that one would typically imagine reside only in the Caribbean. Yet, these exotic and captivating species reside in the waters, nestled amongst the shipwrecks, rocky reefs and tropical corals of North Carolina. Because of its proximity and abundance of lionfish off the North Carolina coast, the NOAA CCFHR (Center for Coastal Fisheries and Habitat Research, a/k/a the Beaufort Lab) has become the predominant federal marine laboratory to study the lionfish invasion.
Dr. Johnson, a very articulate and forward thinking manager, eloquently presents the numerous benefits of high definition in scientific research during his on-camera interview, as well. Susan, having visited the Beaufort Lab on other North Carolina trips and establishing numerous collaborations with Dr. Cross and the lab scientists there, views Dr. Johnson’s vision and pro-technology attitude as a real plus in EISF’s partnership with the NOAA CCFHR.
Later in the afternoon, scientist Jennifer Potts is interviewed on the knoll outside of Duke’s marine laboratory overlooking the water, with the historical Front Street of Beaufort in the background. What an inspiring example of women in marine science she is and she advises young girls interested in following her footsteps to “persevere!” Jennifer studies the aging and growth of the lionfish. Initial analysis of the samples suggests that lionfish off the coast of North Carolina have not been there for very many years. The aging is determined through the examination of the otoliths (the ear stones) of the lionfish which is analogous to counting the rings of a tree. The lionfish in North Carolina, having no predators, are also larger than the Indio-Pacific lionfish found in their indigenous habitats. Jennifer also explains that the lionfish in the Atlantic are growing at a faster rate as they haven’t any known competition for food and habitat. The economic impact of the lionfish on recreational and commercial fisheries, like the groupers, is also an important research study for the future. The recreational and commercial fishing communities have been a critical source of information regarding the proliferation of the lionfish in the local fisheries’ waters.
At the end of the day, the EISF team heads to the NOAA R/V Nancy Foster for a pre-cruise briefing and to load the equipment for the next day’s sail.
