November 10th, 2018
Day 11 of EN626: ADEON 3 by Quintin Diou-Cass
Hello from the crisp blue water and brisk current of the Gulf Stream! We are currently in our 11th day of the trip, and we’re running against the clock to do as much as we can before 35-40 kt winds and 11-16 ft seas hit us on Tuesday. Our luck hasn’t been too great today, as some squalls have inserted themselves right into the middle of our lander recovery process, preventing us from contacting the sunken instrument. I know, how rude! We delayed, and after a hearty breakfast we were able to contact the lander and bring it up into the surface world.
In bringing the lander up, we were surprised to find several strange fish hanging from one of the lander’s orange floats! These little buddies must have hitched a ride as the lander made its way to the surface, unfortunately perishing from the rapid change in pressure. Rachel Eckley, another volunteer, collected the fish to preserve them, identify them, and send to other scientists at a later date once we arrive back on land. Based on the collective efforts of Rachel, Chris Graupe, and myself, we tentatively identified the fish as juvenile Cutthroat Eels, a type of scavenging bottom-feeder. We will have to wait until the preserved specimens find their way under the microscope of an expert to know for sure, but trying to figure it out for ourselves left everyone with a sense of scientific excitement reminiscent of what early oceanographers must have felt! There are so many cool critters in the ocean, but the vast expanse of water often means that sightings are few and far between. Any chance we get to see something cool like these fish, let alone collect them to study, is a very lucky day indeed!
