It will cycle through the pictures every 8 seconds, so keep watching and keep your eye on your favorite!
Enjoy!
Thursday, February 20, 2014
Slide Show of the Pictures
Great job on the photos Divers!
It will cycle through the pictures every 8 seconds, so keep watching and keep your eye on your favorite!
Enjoy!
It will cycle through the pictures every 8 seconds, so keep watching and keep your eye on your favorite!
Enjoy!
Aganda for Tomorrow's Symposium!
5th Annual Scientific Diving Symposium
Friday, February 21, 2014
Hosted by the North Carolina Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores
MORNING SESSION (Divers
Only):
8:00-8:30 Registration, Hospitality, and Meet and Greet
Opening
Remarks - Ethan Simmons, DSO NC Aquarium at Pine Knoll
Shores
9:00-12:00
Scientific Diver Meeting
- Carteret County response to dive emergencies
- Lessons learned from recent DCS event
- Changes to first responders and hospital workers
- DAN and Duke continuing education for hyperbaric medicine
- Marty McCafferty, Diver’s Alert Network - DAN, “How good is your emergency action plan?”
- Recent discoveries of DAN research
12:00-1:00 Lunch
Buffet sandwich bar with soup and sides catered by Capt. Bill’s Waterfront
Restaurant, Morehead City, NC
AFTERNOON
SESSION:
Opening
Remarks - Ethan Simmons, DSO NC Aquarium at Pine Knoll
Shores
1:10-1:25 Lauren
Heesemann, “Citizen Science and Sanctuaries”
1:25-1:50 Phil Hartmeyer, “Passengers, packages, and copper: the
steamer Pawabic and its place in history”
1:50-2:05 Christine
Buckel, et al., “Baseline
ecological assessment of the Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary:
guiding design of a research area”
2:05-2:20 Jenny Vander Pluym, et al., “Characterization of fish communities,
benthic habitats and contaminants in the St. Thomas East End Reserves”
2:20-3:05 Marty
McCafferty, “Challenges in diagnosing DCI”
3:05-3:25 Wilson
Freshwater, “New
species and new records of marine algae in North Carolina—an important marine
transition zone”
3:25-3:40 Inga E. Conti-Jerpe, “Maybe old, but
probably new, borrowed (where known) and beautifully blue – the new
stoloniferous Octocoral, Genus species (TBA): Invasive in its known range?”
3:40-3:55 Erin
Burge, “Groupers and their associated
reef fish assemblage near Cape Fear, North Carolina”
3:55-4:10 Steve Broadhurst, “ECARA—Eastern Carolina Artificial Reef
Association”
4:10-4:25 Members of the PEDRO crew, “Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point PEDRO:
Capabilities Briefing”
4:25-4:40
Photo
contest winner vote tally and announcement
Closing
Remarks: Jenny Vander Pluym
HAPPY
HOUR: 5:00 -- Bistro-By-The-Sea in Morehead City in
conjunction with the “If you can’t
beat’em, Eat’em!” Lionfish Tournament. Cash Bar.
Directions from Aquarium to Bisto-By-The-Sea:
1.
Turn left on Salter
Path Road—at the light after leaving the aquarium
2.
Turn left on Atlantic
Beach Causeway—main light in Atlantic Beach
3.
Turn left on
Arendell/Hwy 70—light after crossing the bridge
4.
Turn left into Bistro
By the Sea’s parking lot—next to Taco Bell and Hampton Inn
Abstract List
Coastal Carolina Science Diving Symposium February 21, 2014
Citizen Science and Sanctuaries
Lauren Heesemann, Research Coordinator,
Monitor National Marine Sanctuary
Lauren Heesemann will talk about two
citizen science, diving programs the Monitor National Marine Sanctuary hosted
in 2013 and would like to grow in the future. While one focused on nautical
archaeology and the other fish and invertebrate communities, the sanctuary
hopes to work towards one project that merges both themes, Bringing Shipwrecks
to Life.
Passengers, Packages, and Copper: The Steamer Pewabic and Its
Place in History
Phil Hartmeyer, Eastern Carolina
University
Pewabic was a famous
passenger/package propeller whose history sheds light on the social and
economic zeitgeist of the Great Lakes during the nineteenth century. The
"Queen of the Lakes" had a short career, and was tragically involved
in a collision with its sister ship in 1865. Along with the dozens of
passengers, 250 tons of pure native copper was taken to its grave. Within weeks
of the accident, inventors flocked to Alpena, Michigan with revolutionary
designs in diving technology to access Pewabic's
cargo. The wreck's identity as a salvage training ground continued into the
1970s when the last salvage expedition was staged in 1974. Since then the wreck
has become a poster child for the Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary where
it now is the focus of continued site monitoring, and underwater archaeological
study.
Baseline ecological
assessment of the Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary: guiding design
of a research area
Christine
Buckel, NOAA’s National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science
Randy Clark, Chris Taylor, Christine
Buckel, Laura Kracker
The most recent Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary Management Plan calls for a baseline ecological assessment of fish and benthic communities in order to inform the design and implementation of a research area to investigate the impact of fishing and diving within the Sanctuary. We implemented a three-year study of fish and benthic invertebrate communities on the East and West Flower Garden Banks using three complementary techniques: 1) scuba and technical diving to characterize benthic and fish communities on the coral reef at depths between 18-46 m; 2) remotely operated vehicles (ROV) to survey resources at depths greater than 46 m, (an area that represents 98% of the sanctuary); and 3) fishery acoustics (sonar) to estimate fish biomass in the water column across all habitat types and depth strata. This comprehensive study revealed fish and benthic communities that likely represents one of the least impacted coral reef ecosystems in US waters of the western Atlantic and Caribbean region. Diver surveys found significantly greater biomass of commercially important apex predators in high-relief, upper-mesophotic reefs >31 m deep. Simulation studies using these baseline data and further research on fishing effort and impacts are recommended to determine the most appropriate implementation of a research area within the sanctuary.
The most recent Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary Management Plan calls for a baseline ecological assessment of fish and benthic communities in order to inform the design and implementation of a research area to investigate the impact of fishing and diving within the Sanctuary. We implemented a three-year study of fish and benthic invertebrate communities on the East and West Flower Garden Banks using three complementary techniques: 1) scuba and technical diving to characterize benthic and fish communities on the coral reef at depths between 18-46 m; 2) remotely operated vehicles (ROV) to survey resources at depths greater than 46 m, (an area that represents 98% of the sanctuary); and 3) fishery acoustics (sonar) to estimate fish biomass in the water column across all habitat types and depth strata. This comprehensive study revealed fish and benthic communities that likely represents one of the least impacted coral reef ecosystems in US waters of the western Atlantic and Caribbean region. Diver surveys found significantly greater biomass of commercially important apex predators in high-relief, upper-mesophotic reefs >31 m deep. Simulation studies using these baseline data and further research on fishing effort and impacts are recommended to determine the most appropriate implementation of a research area within the sanctuary.
Characterization of fish communities, benthic habitats, and contaminants
in the St. Thomas East End Reserves
Jenny
Vander Pluym, NOAA’s National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science
Laurie J. Bauer, Jenny Vander Pluym, Tony Pait, Ian Hartwell
Located at the southeastern end of St
Thomas, US Virgin Islands (USVI), the St. Thomas East End Reserves (STEER) is a
marine protected area encompassing 9.6 km2. The marine areas of the STEER
include a diverse array of habitats, including coral reefs, lagoons, seagrass
beds, and mangrove forests, which support numerous fish and shellfish species.
In addition, STEER is an important recreational and commercial resource for the
island of St. Thomas. The adjacent watershed is considered highly impacted and
urbanized, with numerous sources of point and non-point pollution, leading to
concerns about potential contamination and its effects on the marine resources.
To fill knowledge gaps and inform management of STEER, several complimentary
projects were developed in coordination with STEER’s Core Management Team,
including an assessment of biological communities and chemical contamination
within the STEER. In support of this work, field surveys were conducted in June
2012 across coral reef, soft sediment and mangrove habitats to characterize the
fish and benthic communities in the STEER marine ecosystem. The study provides
the first spatially comprehensive characterization of fish and associated
benthic habitats in STEER and will serve as a baseline from which to monitor
changes over time.
Challenges in Diagnosing DCI
Marty McCafferty, Divers Alert Network
New species and new records of marine
algae in North Carolina—an important marine transition zone
Wilson Freshwater, Research Specialist,
University of North Carolina--Wilmington
Maybe old, but probably new, borrowed
(where known) and beautifully blue – the new stoloniferous Octocoral, Genus
species (TBA): Invasive in its known range?
Inga E. Conti-Jerpe, University of North Carolina, Wilmington
iec1896@uncw.edu
Inga E. Conti-Jerpe, University of North Carolina, Wilmington
iec1896@uncw.edu
A brilliant blue octocoral species was photographed attached to the Liberty Ship wreck off of Masonboro Inlet, NC during October 2013. Searches of the “Guide to the Shallow-Water (0-200m) Octocorals of the South Atlantic Bight” did not reveal this species, nor have subsequent searches of Octocoral guides for other regions of the world. It was realized that Jenny Vander Pluym had photographed the species on the Indra wreck during summer 2013, and that it had been collected and put on display by Marc Neill at the Fort Fisher Aquarium. In addition to its blue coloration, this species is characterized by a stolonate growth form, conical calyces, and retractile polyps. Sclerites are colorless and predominately spindles. Sclerites from the stolon are spindles, crosses, needles, antlers, and butterflies with more predominant tubercles than the spindles and crutches of the polyps. Both the mitochondria-encoded COI and MutS genes have been sequenced for a specimen provided by the aquarium, and BLAST searches revealed no close homology with any sequenced species. Phylogenetic analyses suggest a close relationship with the Alcyoniidae and Nephtheidae. An appeal is made for information on its presence in Onslow Bay and other regions of the Carolina coast.
Using Underwater Video to Monitor Fish Assemblages on North
Carolina Hard-bottom Habitats
Erin Burge, Associate Professor,
Coastal Carolina University
Groupers and their associated reef fish
assemblage near Cape Fear, North Carolina, were observed using scuba and
underwater stationary videography during a 7-mo period. Primary observations by
both techniques were made on Gag, Mycteroperca
microlepis (Goode and Bean, 1879), and Scamp, Mycteroperca phenax Jordan and Swain, 1884, while other grouper
species were noted for videos only. Inferred minimum population sizes by
location ranged from 0 to 4 gag, 0 to 13 Scamp, and 0 to 2 Yellowmouth, Mycteroperca interstitialis (Poey,
1860), using stationary video. Estimated densities by video camera were highest
for scamp at 480/ha. Gag density was estimated at 145/ha and Yellowmouth Grouper
at 50/ha. In total, 68 fish species including groupers were recorded by video
and richness by site ranged from 10 to 26 (n = 34; mean 18.9, SD 4.2). Reef
fish community structure as measured by mean Bray-Curtis dissimilarity between
paired sites was 0.339 (0.2 SD) indicating a substantial overlap in species
composition between most sites. Given the economic importance of the
snapper-grouper complex and the desire to develop non-extractive (or reduced
impact) survey techniques, stationary video observations hold promise for
monitoring changes in reef fish assemblages. This presentation will consist of
a short introduction and 9-minute video summary of the project outcomes.
ECARA – Eastern Carolina
Artificial Reef Association
Steve Broadhurst, Eastern
Carolina Artificial Reef Asssociation; DSO Duke University
The Eastern Carolina Artificial
Reef Association is a non-profit organization in Carteret County whose purpose
is to create and monitor artificial reef habitat. Through these community based
efforts, ECARA encourages conservation through a better understanding of the
importance of artificial reefs. This presentation will be an overview of
ECARA’s history, present, and future.
Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point PEDRO:
Capabilities Briefing
Members of the PEDRO (Search and Rescue) crew
Friday, February 14, 2014
More Pictures!
Thank you so much for your submissions! Check out the latest pics!
We will vote at the symposium on Friday!
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| Cryptic Juvenile Peacock Flounder OR You can't see me |
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| Counting Diadema along a transect OR How far a swim is it to the boat? |
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| Directing Traffic with Scientific Divers in Training |
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| Flamingo tongue (Cyphoma gibbosum) and feeding scar. OR Your spicules and gorgonin are no match for my rasping radula |
Friday, February 7, 2014
Submitted Pictures So Far...
Despite the error message, we are receiving your awesome submissions! If you don't see yours here, then, please try submitting them again (ignore the error message) or send them to ccsda.info@gmail.com. Can't wait to see who the winner will be!
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| Hard at Work...or not! |
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| High Hat |
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| Yowzers! |
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| Angelfish Hello! |
Latest Symposium Announcement!
5th Annual
Science Diving Symposium
Friday, February
21, 2014
Hosted by the
North Carolina Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores
The
Scientific Diver Symposium is held annually in Carteret County, NC and is open
to all Scientific Divers, Scientists, and Educators who are located in or
around Carteret County and contribute to expanding knowledge of marine and
estuarine environments. To be clear, your work does not have to be in North
Carolina!!! Symposium goals are:
1. Allow
scientific divers to meet and exchange information with other divers on
methods, techniques, and research that requires the use of SCUBA as a tool,
2. Share
knowledge of safer and more efficient diving and research methods, and
3. Educate
non-diving scientists and educators about ways SCUBA and divers might enhance
their success
The
morning session will be open to divers only; the afternoon session will be open
to all scientists, educators, and those who are interested. Please
register
before Feb. 14 so we can get a proper head count and plan the presentation
order. You may register for the
afternoon the day of the symposium.
Cost
paid at the door:
Morning
session: $10
Lunch:
$10
Both
if registered before Feb. 21: $15, the day of $20
Afternoon session: FREE!!
Happy
Hour: Bistro By The Sea in MHC in
conjunction with the “Eat More Lionfish” event.
Submit entries for the Photo Contest directly from the registration page or send them to ccsda.info@gmail.com and win a dive at
the aquarium!
If
you have questions, please contact Jenny Vander Pluym (Jenny.VanderPluym@gmail.com).
MORNING SESSION (Divers Only):
8:00 - 830:
Registration, hospitality, and Meet and Greet
9:00- 12:00: Science Diver Meeting:
9:00- 12:00: Science Diver Meeting:
- Carteret County response to dive emergencies
- Lessons learned from recent DCS event
- Changes to first responders and hospital workers
- DAN and Duke continuing education for hyperbaric medicine
- Marty McCafferty, DAN, “How good is your dive plan?”
- Recent discoveries of DAN research
12:00- 1:00:
Lunch Buffet sandwich bar with soup and
sides catered by Capt. Bill’s Waterfront Restaurant, Morehead City, NC
AFTERNOON
SESSION: Presentations by research and education divers
held in Sound Side Hall at the NC Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores and moderated
by Janelle Fleming, University of North Carolina Institute of Marine Sciences.
Opening Remarks. Ethan Simmons, DSO NC Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores
1:00-2:00:
Scientific Presentations
2:00-2:30: Marty
McCafferty, DAN: TBD
2:30-2:45:
Break
2:45-4:00:
Scientific Presentations
4:00-4:15: Photo
contest winner decided by crowd.
Closing Remarks: CCSDA
HAPPY HOUR: Bistro By the Sea in Morehead City in conjunction with the “If you Can't Beat 'em, Eat 'em” event. Cash Bar.
***ALL PROGRAMS PLEASE
BRING A POSTER VERSION OF THEIR LOCAL DIVE PROGRAM FOR DISPLAY IN THE
AQUARIUM***
--IMAGE HEAVY, VERY LIGHT TEXT!!!
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