An Exciting Day at Sea

Andrew Meashaw, A-Watch, SUNY Environmental Science and Forestry

Today was an exciting day for all aboard the Cramer.  From a scientific standpoint we have entered into the predicted spawning area of the American eel, Anguilla rostrata.  After swimming out to sea from their freshwater habitats the adults are thought to spawn within the Sargasso Sea. The exact location of his spawning within the Sargasso remains a mystery.  Models suggest that the spawning area lies within the portion of the Sargasso Sea we have just entered. Hoping to help to solve this mystery, we plan to deploy our first meter nets of the voyage today at 2200.  Some of us are getting decked out in red, white, and blue for the deployment to help “persuade” some of these American eel to swim into our nets.

More exciting news came as a surprise during class with Cap’ telling us we would be able to “sample” the ocean by jumping in!  After a little preparation we were plunging in to warm blue water of the Sargasso Sea for an enjoying swim. For a brief time we got to float alongside the Sargassum and other organisms that we came out here to study. It is not often that conditions align for open ocean swims so it was a lucky experience that I think we will all cherish for a long time to come.

Shout out to all my family and friends reading, miss you all and can’t wait to tell you all about the voyage.

- Andrew Meashaw, A-Watch, SUNY Environmental Science and Forestry