On Wednesday July 23rd, an EISF team joined another R/V Fish Hawk cruise, this time lead by Dr. David Mann with graduate student Peter Simard. An Eckerd College survey team was invited along to photograph and record any sightings of dolphins during the voyage for their ongoing cetacean photo-identification project.
The cruise objective was to deploy passive acoustic sensor systems, devised by Mann and Simard, as well as retrieval of acoustic data loggers that had been recording underwater sound data from existing sensor locations. These sensors are part of a large acoustic array system spread across the West Florida Shelf, developed with the goal of researching the role of oceanographic processes on cetacean distributions.
An EISF cameraman dove with Dr. Mann in order to film the retrieval and replacement of underwater data loggers. Later, topside interviews were conducted with Dr. David Mann and Peter Simard. Dr. Mann is an expert on marine bioacoustics, whose studies focus on sound production and hearing of organisms ranging from lobsters and fishes to sea turtles, manatees, and dolphins.
Film audiences will be surprised as to how "vocal" marine inhabitants can be and that the sounds they make are remarkable indicators of environmental conditions they live in. Correlations are being discovered between certain sounds that marine animals make dependent on being in various ocean conditions, healthy or otherwise.
Peter Simrad is working on Dolphin Ecological Variation and Oceanography, collaborating with other researchers in dolphin tracking and identification. The Eckerd College dolphin survey team assisted him in lowering hydrophones over the stern to listen and record dolphin vocalizations, stopping at different locations on the cruise.
Meanwhile that day, I was supporting another EISF team boating around the Tampa Bay area filming various underwater habitats near Fort De Soto, Egmont Key, Longboat Key Pass, Mullet Key, Jewfish Key, and Sister Keys. We found some wonderful sea grass areas lively with many varieties of fish, crabs, and scallops. When the sun came out we filmed some picturesque shorelines.
Back on shore, EISF’s Dr. Bud Cross was accompanied by Kent Fanning, USF/CMS Associate Dean, to scout campus locations for filming interviews and various “B”-roll (background) shots over the next two days. The University of South Florida’s College of Marine Science is teaming with activity, where the labs are busy with faculty and students conducting cutting-edge research.
Submitted by Dan Powell, EISF Director of Marine Operations