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Mission Log: Week 1 August 2 - 6 2004

During the first week (we actually made it offshore 2 days), We split up into two dive teams. Each dive team had separate tasks to accomplish and  dove the same site. A total of 18 lionfish were collected in 2 days.

   Dive team 1(lionfish observer group) Christine Addison, Glen Taylor, Paula
   Whitfield
   Dive team 2 (hunter/gatherer group) Doug Kesling and Jay Styron
   Safety Diver: Lance Horne
   RV Cape Fear Crew: Captain Chuck Ruch, Michael Rodaway and Ken Johns

   Day 1 and 2, August 2 and 3, 2004: "Blown out" courtesy of Hurricane Alex!

preparing onboard dingy for launch
Doug Kesling and Jay Styron hunter gatherer dive team Doug Kesling and Jay Styron, part of NOAA's Undersea Research Center team of divers, are preparing for the the days diving activities aboard the RV Cape Fear. (NOAA
   Photo by Christine Addison)


   Day 3, August 4 2004: It was a beautiful morning so the RV Cape Fear headed out to the City the Houston a shipwreck located approximately 45 miles from Masonboro Inlet in 100 ft of water. Dive team 1 (observer group) spotted 2 lionfish on this shipwreck during their underwater observations and deployed a temperature logger. Winter bottom water temperatures are likely the main limiting factor in controlling lionfish population therefore we will be deploying  several  bottom  water temperature sensors at several areas throughout Onslow Bay.

   The Hunter gatherer group successfully collected 4 lionfish specimens on the City of  Houston. After each site is completed lionfish specimens were examined and processed for future analysis of stomach contents, reproductive status  and  sex,  genetics, age and growth studies and stable isotope analyses.

  lionfish dissection
Christine Addison dissecting atlantic lionfish specimen
   Although these fish are beautiful they appear to be voracious predators, the stomach contents of all 18 fish collected appeared to be full of small fishes. Future analyses will reveal which species of fish are being impacted by the lionfish presence in the Atlantic. Below is a belted sandfish found undigested in the stomach of a lionfish (NURC photos by Doug Kesling).

belted sandfish recovered from lionfish stomach
belted sandfish
found in stomach
of lionfish


 Day 4, August 5 2004: The lionfish research team aboard the The RV Cape Fear
   headed up to the Naeco stern and Naeco bow shipwrecks  located approximately
   65 miles from Masonboro Inlet in northeastern Onslow Bay in 135 ft of water.
   The observer team deployed a temperature logger on the stern of the Naeco
   and spotted 8 lionfish along their observer transect in two successive
   dives. The hunter gatherer team fared much better and collected a total of
   14 lionfish in two separate dives.

sand tiger shark
A possible predator of the lionfish? 

  Even though very few if any predators are  noted for lionfish in their native habitat, possibly due to their venomous spines, sand tiger sharks like the one shown above may  be possible predators  of   lionfish  in  the  Atlantic. This sand tiger shark was  photographed during our video transect on the Naeco stern (NOAA photo by Paula Whitfield).
 

Lionfish displaying pectoral fins
Lionfish are most easily spotted by their pronounced fan-like pectoral fins which they hold away from their body when hovering over the substrate. Notice the white and maroon striped coloration of the body and the long separated pectoral  fins (image left), which take on a feather like appearance underwater. This is the search image used by divers  to spot lionfish (NOAA photo by Paula Whitfield).
 

Parting shot: week 1

searching shipwreck for lionfish
Glen Taylor searching for lionfish on the City of Houston
   (NOAA photo Paula Whitfield)
researcher underwater
Christine Addison searching for lionfish on hard bottom
   (NOAA photo Paula Whitfield)


Mission August 9-12, 2004

Mission August 16-20, 2004