Mission Logs from NOAA research vessel R/V Nancy Foster in its expedition from July 27 to August 4, 2006.

Betsy Crowfoot, EISF's journalist, participated in this exciting voyage to investigate the Indio-Pacific red lionfish invasion into U.S. Atlantic coastal areas.  Betsy posted Blogs "live" daily to inform us about her at-sea experience and new scientific discoveries from this mission's research.

“It’s not all about the divers,” Christine Addison explained as she leapt back aboard the R/V NANCY FOSTER.

It was an interesting statement from Christine, who had just surfaced from a half-hour lionfish survey in 120 feet of water (plus an equal amount of time in decompression). As much as we had been eager to hear her lionfish reports, she had made an interesting point.

Without the dive operations team facilitating with equipment and logistics, and ensuring the safety of the scientists; and without a well-oiled machine like the R/V NANCY FOSTER to carry them 60-miles offshore to the research site; the divers would be like ‘fish out of water’. It would be impossible for them to embark on the kind of extreme diving expeditions necessary to perform the critical survey and collection missions they were undertaking four times each day.