EISF.org - Blogs

Guardians of the Gulf - 2008 Dispatch 1

Tue, 22 Jul 2008 02:00:00 -0400

Start: 07/21/2008 - 07:00

End: 07/21/2008 - 19:00

Timezone: Etc/GMT+7

-Submitted by Dan Powell, EISF Director of Marine Operations

After working overtime performing ocean engineering on Navy projects for the last few months, I was so ready for a break. Timing was ripe when Susan Sember, EISF President, called me up and offered tasking to work on an high definition documentary production covering oceanographers researching the red tide, along with another HD documentary production later in the week, on critical sea grass studies. I jumped at the chance to travel back to Florida; it had been years since I took a boat cruise along tropical shorelines or been immersed in the warm Gulf waters.

Guardians of the Gulf - 2008 USF/CMS Production Dispatches

Tue, 22 Jul 2008 02:00:00 -0400

Start: 07/20/2008 - 08:00

End: 07/26/2008 - 20:00

Timezone: Etc/GMT+7

The EISF production team returns to Florida for more in-depth investigation into the researchers studying the Gulf of Mexico's red tide. EISF goes into the field with scientists and engineers from the University of Southern Florida (USF) - College of Marine Science (CMS) and Center for Ocean Technology (COT), Mote Marine Laboratory, along with Florida’s Fish and Wildlife Research Institute, documenting their collaborative efforts to develop and employ state-of-the-art oceanographic technology to unlock secrets of the red tide's harmful algal bloom.

Dan Powell, EISF's Director of Marine Operations, reports on the Behind-the-Scenes production of this High Definition Documentary Project; voyaging offshore on research cruises, diving into sea grass habitats, and flying over the Tampa Bay area in a helicopter for aerial footage.

Red Tide HD Production Dispatch 3

Fri, 27 Oct 2006 19:44:45 -0400

Start: 09/28/2006 - 08:00

End: 10/30/2006 - 08:00

Timezone: Etc/GMT+7

It’s always an amazing experience when I show people high definition footage, particularly, when it is their first time seeing this high resolution, immersive format. The wonderment, the awe, the total engagement with the content is so rewarding. Further, the spontaneous and even unsolicited brainstorming that transpires when the viewers recognize the unmatched scientific, education and outreach applications of this very special media is additionally satisfying. These same outcomes occurred with our recent mobile high definition screening at Mote Marine Laboratory & Aquarium. During a marathon week of 18 hour production days, my team and I were also involved in several high definition screenings in Sarasota and Bradenton Beach, Florida. With the assistance of Brian Greene and his “one of a kind” mobile HD production coach, we took the world of high definition, literally, right to the doors of our selected audiences.

Red Tide HD Production Dispatch 2

Thu, 12 Oct 2006 18:41:18 -0400

Start: 09/28/2006 - 08:00

End: 10/30/2006 - 08:00

Timezone: Etc/GMT+7

It was a grim sight: a juvenile loggerhead sea turtle splayed in a big black tub; curiously still.

So paralyzed by the potent neurotoxins of Karenia brevis, it was unable to lift its head to breathe while swimming. Instead, it lay motionless on a thick pad of foam, kept moist by a fine mist of water, at the MOTE Marine Laboratory’s Rehabilitation Center.

Loggerheads are benthic, or bottom feeders. They eat shellfish, crabs, and fish – animals laden with high concentrations of Karenia brevis during red tide blooms like the present one. Over 100 sick sea turtles had been brought in last year and now 2006 numbers were rivaling that count: just another example of the effects of this Harmful Algal Bloom (HAB).

Red Tide HD Production Dispatch 1

Thu, 12 Oct 2006 18:27:18 -0400

Start: 09/28/2006 - 08:00

End: 10/30/2006 - 08:00

Timezone: Etc/GMT+7

Another 15 minutes.

We arrived painfully early at our rendezvous point at Fort Desoto, Florida after a 45-minute drive – having allowed two hours. The sun was barely poking out of the horizon, and all I could think of at that dawning hour on Tampa Bay, was how I could have stayed in bed another 15 minutes.

Scouting the island for coffee (non-existent at this hour) we stopped instead to capture on HD film the golden sun as it rose from behind the Skyway Bridge. A multitude of seabirds danced their stealth ballet at waters edge, seemingly oblivious to the cars buzzing in the distance. It was a spectacular juxtaposition of natural and man-made elements, and reminded me of the permanence of the footprint mankind has placed on the earth.

Red Tide HD Documentary Production Dispatches

Sat, 23 Sep 2006 18:55:20 -0400

Start: 09/28/2006 - 08:00

End: 10/30/2006 - 08:00

Timezone: Etc/GMT+7

Join the EISF production team in Florida as they explore the local red tide – a Harmful Algal Bloom (HAB) caused by the micro-organism Karenia brevis.

Residents and tourists, scientists and entrepreneurs, doctors and politicians are among the people EISF encounters on this quest to unearth the impact and causes of this naturally occurring, but unwelcome, phenomenon.

Writer/Production Coordinator Betsy Crowfoot reports on the production of the High Definition Documentary Project; spotlighting the fascinating and inspiring work being done to preserve Florida’s beautiful Gulf Coast.

Lionfish Research Mission Log - July 29th

Sun, 30 Jul 2006 03:59:59 -0400

Start: 07/29/2006 - 08:00

End: 07/29/2006 - 12:00

Timezone: Etc/GMT+8

Chief Scientist Paula Whitfield popped up from the RIB (the accompanying dive boat to the R/V Nancy Foster) onto the deck of R/V NANCY FOSTER beaming. ‘We hit the mother lode,’ she announced, in her eternally effervescent way.

A record 16 lionfish had been surveyed in the transect – a 10m X 50m swathe of rocky ocean bottom.

But it was bittersweet news. High numbers were good for the scientists’ research, but bad for the environment. Invasive lionfish have a powerful toehold in their new habitat.

Lionfish Research Mission Log - July 28th

Sat, 29 Jul 2006 03:59:59 -0400

Start: 07/28/2006 - 08:00

End: 07/28/2006 - 12:00

Timezone: Etc/GMT+8

Life aboard a ship at sea is dictated by unfamiliar parameters.

There are strictly adhered to boat deployments and dive times. Emails come and go twice a day. There's a dress code (no flip flops; no tank tops in the mess hall). And the most precisely planned and regimented things are meal times, by which everything else is planned. They are chiseled in stone.

With all of this under our belts, we tackle Day 2.

Curtis films the early morning (0630) plankton tow: a search for lionfish larvae, while Norb readies for the first dive of the morning (0730) - a survey of lionfish on one of the earlier identified research sites - along with a side by side comparison of HD (high definition) vs. SD (standard definition) footage; or as he puts it "jumping off a two-story building with 600 pounds of equipment."

Lionfish Research Mission Log - July 27th

Fri, 28 Jul 2006 03:59:59 -0400

Start: 07/27/2006 - 08:00

End: 07/27/2006 - 12:00

Timezone: Etc/GMT+8

Topside research scientist James Morris' excitement is palpable. An earlier lionfish retrieval hadn't yielded what he was looking for: eggs and sperm to fertilize, to incubate lionfish larvae. But now Christine Addison, scientist and diver, proudly hands him a lionfish plump with eggs. She's just brought it up from a 120-foot dive on the reefs off North Carolina where beneath the endless blue waves and rich Gulf Stream waters, is a hidden Garden of Eden of the sea.

Lionfish Invasive Species Research Mission Logs

Thu, 27 Jul 2006 21:57:34 -0400

Start: 07/27/2006 - 08:00

End: 08/04/2006 - 12:00

Timezone: Etc/GMT+8

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.

Lionfish Project, EISF Preparation - July 26th

Wed, 26 Jul 2006 12:00:00 -0400

Start: 07/26/2006 - 08:00

End: 07/26/2006 - 12:00

Timezone: Etc/GMT+8

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.

Lionfish Project, EISF Mobilization - July 25th

Tue, 25 Jul 2006 12:00:00 -0400

Start: 07/25/2006 - 08:00

End: 07/25/2006 - 12:00

Timezone: Etc/GMT+8

After successfully writing a grant proposal for the NOAA Sea Grant & The Aquatic Invasive Species Program, Susan Sember and Dr. Bud Cross, in collaboration with NOAA research biologist Paula Whitfield, see the lionfish educational and outreach objectives begin to materialize today in a dynamic and wide-reaching way. Months of research and communication with the NOAA scientists, as well as with the medical, SCUBA, fishing, aquarium and the coastal target communities, lead now to the production of our high definition products. In addition, the opportunity to be a part of the R/V Nancy Foster lionfish research cruise provides an unmatched platform for this vitally important invasive species subject matter.

The new EIFS.ORG site is online!

Fri, 04 Nov 2005 19:05:46 -0500

Start: 11/05/2005 - 08:00

Timezone: Etc/GMT+8

At last, our new website is online! Unlike our former more static site, the new EISF.ORG is managed by a powerful content management system, which allows us to generate dynamic content, host discussion forums, media galleries and just about any type of content you can imagine. Around this site we hope to build a dynamic community of people interested in making a difference through high definition media.

If you haven't already registered, please take a moment to do so. It's easy and private. We have a strict policy of not distributing our member list. As a registered user, you will be able to participate in forum discussions, as well as be automatically notified about news, events, and new EISF.ORG features.