Crew Accounts: 2002 Central Pacific Research Voyage
A
Pacific Crossing
Trina Steele
August, 2002
ORV Alguita Crewmember 2002
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Our Mission: To sample ocean water and determine the ratio of plastic fragments to zooplankton. To videotape and photograph organisms living in this environment. To safely cross the largest body of water and experience the forces of nature that exist therein.
July 24, 2002- Our voyage began on a beautiful sunny day from Long
Beach, CA, homeport of ORV Alguita. Our crew of 5 consisted of 4
males and myself, the lone female, who all resolved to endure uncanny
personalities. Over the course of 19 days, we became close friends
and learned to trust each other day to day surviving the experiences
necessary to accomplish our mission.
A journalist, Tom Hayden from U.S. News and World Report, joined
us. He interviewed our team regarding our voyage intentions and
spent the night on Alguita engaging in our camaraderie and common
goal. We arrived in Santa Barbara marina the next morning where
we topped off fuel, made a last minute grocery pick up, received
a plethora of fresh organic fruits and vegetables donated by Given’s
Farm and made final cell phone calls to our loved ones. A Santa
Barbara News Press reporter and a local TV channel’s cameraman
came aboard to report on our voyage. Once our final preparations
were complete, we waved good-bye to the media and embarked on our
journey.
July 25, 2002- Through gales and rough seas of 10 to 12 feet, our first week was the less desirable, however this was the open ocean and a quick introduction to the forces of nature we would be subject to for this Phase I voyage.
July 31, 2002- After roller coaster riding for a week (Day 7), we began spotting trash floating within 30 meters of our vessel. We entered a high- pressure system, and the seas calmed. As we sailed along, we documented each sighting into our logbook until they became so frequent; we began steering toward the floating items to rake them up. Each macro debris we whisked up had a tremendous amount of fouling. We began videotaping the pelagic organisms living aboard insitu and invitu. It was then our combined efforts were activated and our mission began. We gathered black fish net floats, wine bottles, a TV tube, Japanese glass fishing floats, Styrofoam fragments, plastic crates, nylon knapsack packaging, plastic bottles and scotch-whiskey bottles. Utilizing 3 types of trawling systems deployed with a gantry off the stern, we systematically netted samples from the water. We collected data from surface, 10 meter and 30 meter levels, documenting conditions and volume over time. To our amazement, the captured organisms were swimming among colored plastic fragments. Trawl after trawl sample verified that the first wasn’t a fluke. We were dumb-founded as day after day, samples were collected, and more plastic debris was observed in each trawl. We carefully poured the sieved product into jars, labeled and prepared them for storage. The samples will be studied using the same protocol as the 1999 published study: A Comparison of Plastic and Plankton in the North Pacific Central Gyre. At that time, the quantity of plastic fragments to zooplankton was a 6:1 ratio.
Mike, our dedicated Marine Biologist identified the living pelagic organisms and gave us a better understanding of how these small creatures live and thrive in their great blue aquatic environment.
August 1, 2002 - Our keen videographers Matt and Drew were anxious to find what could be seen down below. They broke water and discovered a unique ecosystem all its own. We enjoyed viewing their videos, which magically transformed the gelatinous creatures into dancing mermaids of the ocean; little fluttering organisms, pulsing with direction and purpose within their vast aquatic home. We all had a chance to dive among these graceful creatures, descending to 100 feet, with visibility greater than our descent and water temperature reaching upper 60’s F. The sun’s penetrating rays enhance the water’s color. The ocean’s color provided comfort inviting even the weary. The nighttime videos captured greater detail of the luminescent qualities possessed by these invertebrates. One videoed subject wasn’t so free. On video, we watched the riveting movement of a pulsing medusa, entangled in twine and monofilament thought to be from a derelict fishing net. This creature appeared to be doomed as compared to a free moving brethren, the unlucky creature had to pump twice as much to move half the distance. The interference of plastic and inorganic matter within a living creature brings sadness to our crew.
Along the way, we lived as a tight crew, enjoying Captain Moore’s creative meals, playing gin rummy, catching sunrises and a sunset illuminating the sky into bursts of lighted brilliance all colors of the rainbow. And then there were the occasional rainbow each more fabulous than the last. Capt. Moore entertained us with stories, we watched videos, and listened to our familiar CD’s brought from home and swam off the stern of the boat as the water temperature climbed daily ultimately reaching 77.7 degrees F. We caught fish, watched the various seabirds fly by and gazed at the stars during the night watches. We listened and laughed at Mike’s comical sense of humor. He could throw you into stitches and keep you there.
Thank goodness for the strength of this ocean going vessel, the ability to communicate with loved ones via the satellite phone, the incoming email system and the trust that we developed for each other to make this journey a success.
The islands are in view and the mood has shifted from discovery and voyaging to awareness and relaxation. Our reconnaissance mission has ended. We are anxious to reconnect with terra firma. Phase I has been a most rewarding experience for me, truly a chance of a lifetime. I have acquired new skills and new friends which I will never forget. The genesis of my future endeavors of academia in marine research and preservation of our World and the Oceans has begun.
Posted: 8/30/02