Frost on the Pumpkin

It was chilly out there this morning. 26 degrees. "Frost on the pumpkin," as my dad would say.

Ps. I upgraded to Lightroom 3.3 today in preparation for one of my New Year's resolutions, 365 : A Photo Every Day :)

Linguine with Turkey Sausage and Arugula

So simple and so yummy.

(Tweaked from Cooking Light November 2011)

Ingredients:
1 package Jennie-O Hot Italian Turkey Sausage
2 cans stewed tomatoes
Red table wine (splash for the sauce, glass for yourself!)
2 tsp crushed red pepper
1 tbs minced garlic
1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp black pepper
4-6 oz linguine
1/2 bag fresh arugula
2 tbs olive oil
Romano cheese, as needed
French bread

Directions:
1. Remove sausage from casings and brown with garlic over med-high heat.
2. Stir in tomatoes, crushed red pepper, salt, and black pepper.
3. Add red wine. Bring to boil uncovered. Reduce heat.
4. While sauce reduces, cook pasta according to package directions.
5. When pasta is tender, drain and toss with sauce. Add arugula and toss again. Top with cheese and serve with bread.

Foggy Morning

A quiet, foggy morning by the water.

Smalltooth Sawfish Abundance Survey :: October 2010

Wednesday October 20, 2010
The Drive.

It feels like Friday. That means that I’m going to be messed up on what day it is this entire trip.

Only 4 people this trip.

The technician and I drove our truck. So much room when there are only two of us that it feels like we’re leaving something important behind. The FSUers showed up in a new shiny white truck with just over 300 miles on it. Looks like the Section 6 money finally came through.

The drive went quickly, however, and we were checked in, unpacked and having enchiladas in Room 106 before 20:00. Home, sweet home-away-from-home.

Tomorrow we download.


Thursday October 21, 2010
Getting ready to leave the apartment this morning, I realized that I packed one of the boyfriend’s Crocs instead of both of mine. That’s what I get for packing in the dark.

The graduate student’s computer is still in the shop from the screen backlight being fried during The Great Bailout on the September trip. We spent the morning pulling stations, working on an outgoing tide. We left the MB2 and CB3 stations for the afternoon when we’ll have more water.

Back at the apartment for lunch and to download the data using my personal laptop. We started encountering problems when changing out the batteries. Receivers would work then we’d put a new battery in and they’d stop. Frustrating. This happened to three receivers. All HOBOs are working fine … even the Lopez River Mouth problem child. We made a decision to replace all the batteries with brand new ones ASAP. Btw, no data on any receivers … no sign of Eve. Bummer.

The new head park ranger did a house call during lunch. He was both very friendly and very intense. He had some very good questions, comments and suggestions. He sure is a talker. After he left, I had the feeling we were being watched … more closely now than ever before.

Took the afternoon and incoming tide to put all the working stations back in. Pulled MB2 and CB3. We couldn’t get to those on the skinny morning water. “Um, neutral or something!”

Long day. 0600-1700. Beautiful weather. Lots of birds. Haven’t seen an alligator yet. More people around as the season is getting geared up down here.

BBQ chicken baked potatoes, coleslaw, and steamed broccoli for dinner.

Ameircan Dad. Family Guy.

UCLA vs Oregon. Go Ducks!


Friday October 22, 2010
ENP.

Outgoing tide all morning. The FSUers are helping us fish today. If we catch one, we’ll put a tag on it and they’ll start tracking with their boat.

Started out at Lopez River Mouth in a new spot. We set the 200s on the opposite side of the river of the acoustic station across the wide mud flat on the north side (Uh, have a preposition!). The habitat was sandy/muddy close to the mangrove shoreline, shell-y in the middle, and sandy by the edge.

This trip we’re doing something a bit different with the benthic samples – we’re working them up in the field. This will save the FSU graduate student a trip down to the lab from Tally. So, for lunch, we went back to the dock and worked up the samples while waiting on the incoming tide.

The team is sore today from lifting the receivers and cinder-blocks yesterday. Doing it all twice (16 x 2) is a bit much for one day. That laptop can’t come back from the shop fast enough.

After lunch, we set at Mud Bay. Nothing. Then, moved to CB3 to replace the receiver and fish. Made two sets. Nothing, but mullet and catfish.

Off the water a little late. Already had a voicemail from the ENP rangers. Yep, they’re definitely watching us more closely now.

A quick swim in the pool at twilight. The FSU graduate student finished up moving the benthic samples from Rose Bengal to EtOH.

Chili for dinner. Pirates of the Caribbean.

Telemetry note – WW1 is still out of the water and will remain out of the water until the next time we clean/download (Which we plan to do the weekend after the STS meeting in St. Pete in November … just got to clear it with the boss-man.). MB2 will be replaced by the receiver that is being used to actively track. I'll work on RMA-ing these receivers when I get back.


Saturday October 23, 2010
Faka Union.

Dawn. Halfway to Port of the Islands I realize the truck is 11 miles to empty. Dropped PRISITS at Port of the Islands. 5.5 miles to the Iron Rhino and the closest gas station. Will we make it? Hold your breath. We did.

There was a man passed out in his truck at the gas station with his lights on and truck running. He was breathing, but the scene was strange. Too drunk to drive? Who knows.

08:00. The suns is up now and we’re back at Port of the Islands, motoring slowly down Faka Union Canal and birding. There’s a bird that we can’t place and our team bird nerd is not on this trip with us. It looks like a little blue but with lighter legs. Maybe a juvenile tricolored? It is time to buy a good bird guide for my dry bag.

Fished Panther Key on the outgoing in the AM. No STS.

Moved to the spoil island in Faka Union Bay with the incoming. Set 2 nets on the west-side and 1 on the east-side. NE wind, full moon, low-low. The place is dry and incoming is slow. We wait. Dropped the hyprophone in the water and listened to Mermaid Radio.

15:30. We catch one – Male, 145 cm STL. Recapture, but we aren’t sure who he is. There is no acoustic tag and no apparent scarring from the acoustic tag. We scan him for a PIT-tag and, yup, he’s one of ours. Also the T-bar tag on the 2nd dorsal looks great. The FSU graduate student put another acoustic tag on him. We finished working him up, and let him go.

Pulled all the nets, put the hydrophone in the water, and listened to his tag croak. Then, we headed home slowly back up the canal. The FSU graduate student is silent and pensive. Her focus is palpable. The reality of the next 36 hours sets in. It is go time – time to track this bugger for 24h. What do I do when there is something seemingly impossible that has to get done looming on the horizon? I make a list and get organized.

Game plan – The FSUers will come back out tomorrow and find him. They’ll start the 24h track when they do. My technician and I will stay back at the apartment all day and rest. We’ll meet them out at dusk, bring more food and water, and continue to track all night and the remainder of the 24h on PRISTIS. Makes sense – there’s more safety equipment on PRISITS and she’s waaaay more comfortable. We take an inventory of what we have for night ops (headlamps, batteries, lantern) and what we’ll need (more batteries, flashlight, sleeping pads, warm clothes).

It is after just sunset when we get off the water. The sky is amazing. We hit up the Naples Wal-Mart and Home Depot for supplies. Driving back on Hwy 41, the moon is full and leads the way. We’re not back to the apartment until close to 21:00 much to the dismay of the apartment owners and our next door neighbor. Seems they were worried when we didn’t come back at our normal time and were going to give us to midnight before calling the Coasties. I appreciate the sentiment, but, Jesus, can you imagine? What is up with drawing all this attention all of a sudden?

Crawfish Etoufee. Beer. Thoughts of what’s ahead. We watch Mizzou beat Oklahoma.

Ps. LSU lost to Auburn. Sucks.


Sunday October 24, 2010
Let’s Do This.

07:35. The FSUers are up, packed, and in the truck leaving for Faka Union Bay. My technician and I wait at the apartment. We’ve both had entirely too much coffee to go back to sleep.

Looked up the mysterious bird. Juvenile tricolored still have a white belly so that’s out. Going by Wiki, little blues do have lighter legs than the crappy guide we’re using shows. Mystery solved. Definitely time to buy a better guide.

Facebook, email and photos. Looks like there might be some weather this afternoon. Ftw? Of course the weather would act up the one evening we’re planning an overnight. Boss-man approved our plan to download after the St. Pete meeting so I book it, leaving my cell number with the front desk. They can call me if they are worried, not the Coasties.

The hardware store in EC is closed on Sunday so the technician and I drive to Naples to get the remaining supplies we couldn’t find last night. Oh goodie, there’s a sale at Sports Authority! I pick up more Columbia gear.

We’re back at the apartment when the FSUers check-in around 12:45. They haven’t heard a peep (And I have the sinking suspicion that they won’t until the tide is completely in late this afternoon.), but they have had to use their on-the-fly bad-ass graduate student skills to plug another hole in the boat – this time with a rotting piece of transom. Not sure how it happened, but they also melted the NEG terminal on one of the batteries. Float on, graduate students!

Lunch. Dolphins vs Steelers. Nap.

I wake to rain.

16:00 – They’ve heard nothing and plan to stay out until 17:30 then head back. We begin to prep dinner and get everything packed and ready just in case. They’ll check-in again to let us know whether or not to come.

16:40 – They check-in again. Storms. Lots of rain, but no lightening. No sign of the tagged STS. They’re heading back. I check the forecast again. Storms are expected tonight, too. Shit.

18:25 – I haven’t heard from them in almost 2 hours. Restless. Dinner is ready and Planet Earth is on TV. So, this is how the locals felt yesterday.

18:40 – They’re back. Stories, stories, stories. Photos, looking like drowned rats. We help them unload, get them dried off and cleaned up.

Stuffed shells for dinner. NFL.

If you could have someone famous narrate your life, who would it be? Mike Rowe.


Monday October 25, 2010
ENP.

08:00. We’re sitting at the “Chicky Hut” in Sunday Bay. Beautiful silence. How is it that I’ve been coming here for almost 2 years and have never seen this place? Never even heard of these park-built pit-stops for kayak/canoers? “You could hit it with a 9 Iron from the WW2 station.”

When we do open our mouths, morale is low. Apathy. Aggravation. We’re all kinda rubbed raw by the locals at the dock, telling us where “all the sawfish are” but admitting that they never call in sightings. “Y’all ever fish *insert river name here*,” “I see them all the time at *x, y, z*,” “I saw 12 a couple months ago *over there* ,” and “You should come out on my boat. I see them all the time.” It is hard to keep coming back here month after month with smiles on our faces when we fish 10 hours a day for 4-5 days and only catch 1 or 2 animals … or none.

Fuck it. I’m taking this bitch on the other side of the island … on the other side of Hwy 29. We’re going on an adventure. And I’ll buy that creepy dude at the dock a 6-pack if we catch one.

09:45. All nets are in the water on the west-side of Chokoloskee Island. It was super skinny through that creek that runs on the east-side of Hwy 29 and under the bridge, but we made it. Of course we did, my boat can run over dew. Outgoing tide, 26C, salinity 28. Very shallow (60 cm). Took benthic and worked it up on the boat – not much there, but the bottom is more clay than we see anywhere else. From where we’re sitting, I can see our truck parked at the dock. Now we wait.

Started checking the nets at 10:30. Lots of mullet and catfish. Crevalle jack, ladyfish, red drum, snook. We saw a HUGE tarpon that was disguised as a STS. I mean HUGE. Like 150 cm TL. Fooled us for a minute. Maybe that’s was the locals are seeing?

Wind picked up at noon. East 15 kt at least. Tide started coming in.

12:45. Muthafucker. Looks like I owe someone beer. We caught one – Female, 146 cm STL. The FSU graduate student got a tag on her, but it took a little longer than normal because we were working off the bow of the boat and the Lotek equipment was breaking (neoprene backing) or not available (plastic backing). We also used crimps on this tag in addition to tying knots as we suspect it was the knots that came undone on the original tag we placed on the recaptured STS from Saturday.

Pulled the remaining nets. Sat and listened to her tag croak. Discussed making this side of the island a regular fishing spot and also speaking with the ENP Wilderness Committee in order to get an acoustic station over here. Shoe tastes nice.

15:00. Nets in the water at Turner River. Since I’m in a ranting mood today, here’s another one. I know what zoo animals feel like. The tour boats and guide fishermen go by, (sometimes) slowing down to (always) stare. We stop what we’re doing and wave. We’ve even stopped to answer questions. I understand that this is all part of being a steward to the oceans, a responsible scientist, and a friendly person, but how tired am I of hearing these types of questions/statements? “Y’all getting paid to do that?,” the fisherman yells snidely as he hardly slows down to pass us almost swamping us while we’re on anchor waiting while the nets fish. “Hm, our government tax dollars at work,” says a man upset about our truck and boat being in his way on a Saturday morning. “You mean, they’re working?,” we overhear a woman ask a guide. Yes, yes we are working! Yes, yes this is my job! I’m head to toe filthy, had entirely too much sun (Just ask my dermatologist!), have worked over 75 hours away from home and slept in a shitty bed all week. And, I do it EVERY MONTH. You’re on FREAKING VACATION in a NATIONAL PARK. And, btw, they are *my tax dollars, too. I know the cranky people are the exception, but dude. Maybe I’m just tired, maybe I need a break.

We pulled the nets at 17:00. Lots of that green algae that looks like “Dr. Sues threw up.” That's definitely a Top-10 Quite of the Year. We dropped the receiver back in at the Lopez River Mouth station and then headed back to the dock.

Another bout of small town life – We got back to the apartment and were packing the boat and truck for the long ride home tomorrow and the lady that owns the lodge comes running across the parking lot tell us that the ranger called the front desk looking for us. I immediately call the ranger. We were only 45 minutes late with check-in. What is the deal? These people got me feeling cagey. But, there’s a cute couple with a cute puppy and all exasperation quickly melts away.

Nachos. MNF.


Tuesday October 26, 2010
Pandora. Cracker Barrel. Pretty steady traffic through Naples and Tampa. So freaking tried. No trip over the Sunshine Skyway as we’re car pooling. Picnic lunch.

There are some pretty messed-up billboards through Ocala/Gainesville:
1. That’s Not How That Works : Don’t Put the Pregnancy Test in Your Mouth.
2. 1-800-VASTIME.
3. Creepy Chick in Camo, Holding a Semi-automatic Weapon.
4. The Vegetarian Cheater.
5. Cross-eyed Kid with Butterfly on His Nose.
6. Medieval Times.
7. Café Risque : Couples Welcome.
8. The Yellow Anti-abortion Baby.
9. Not My Little Girl.
10. The Man from Sistine Chapel Ceiling Pointing at a Pregnant Lady’s Belly.
11. Random Bible Quotes from “Narrow Road”, Telling Me I’m Going to Hell.
12. Vote Liberals Out in 2010. America’s Coming for You, Congress!

Regardless of politics, we make it home in pretty good time.

Thus ends October and STS 2010. See you next year Room 106.

Species of Birds Seen in the Everglades :: October 2010

True to the guide books, the raptors were out in force!

Anhinga – Male and Female
Blackbird – Redwing – Flock flew over at Hurddles Creek ENP
Cardinal
Cormorant
Crow – American
Dove – Mourning
Duck – Muscovy – Seen in Naples
Eagle – Bald – Flew over Hwy 41 going south as we were going north to Port of the Islands - Also, mating pair were back on their roof at Port of the Islands
Egret – Great, Snowy
Flicker – Northern – Heard at Turner River ENP
Grackle – Boat-tail
Grebe – Pie-billed
Gull – Laughing
Hawk – Red-shouldered – Seen at dock at Port of the Islands
Heron – Black-crowned night, Yellow-crowned night, Great blue, Green, Little blue, Tricolored
Ibis – Glossy, White
Kestral – American – Seen along Hwy 41 near Port of the Islands
Kindbird – Grey – In tree in WalMart parking lot in Naples
Kingfisher – Belted
Mockingbird – Northern
Moorehen – Common
Osprey
Owl – Bard – Heard at Turner River ENP
Pelican – Brown
Sanderling
Sandpiper – Spotted, Least
Spoonbill – Roseate
Turn – Caspian, Royal, Sandwich
Vulture – Turkey, Black
Woodpecker – Red-bellied – On palm in Everglades City

I <3 Halloween

Kids. Candy. Costumes. What's not to love?!

The Fight for Curbside Recycling is Still Alive!

Download now or preview on posterous

Recycling.pdf (573 KB)

This was in a colleague of mine's mailbox yesterday.  She lives in King's Point.

I just called the number and spoke with a very nice lady who explained to me that they are starting small with one truck in the King's Point area.  They also hope to get large drop-off bins at their establishment (Trash Rolloff Inc.1627 Airport Rd Panama City, FL).  She said that if there is a positive response, then they will expand.

So, call the number and let them know where you live and that you're willing to participate when the program is expanded.

Hooray for recycling!

Smalltooth Sawfish Abundance Survey :: September 2010

Sunday September 26, 2010
2 trucks, 2 boats, 6 chicks. That’s how we roll.

Me, my technician and intern, and a graduate student from UWF that is working on STS age and growth (And thus, has only ever seen an STS vertebra and never the real thing!). The FSU graduate student and her graduate student friend.

We are geared up and ready to track for 24 hours should we hear Eve or catch a new one.

Two of the 6 are on antibiotics, but assured me they are feeling much better this week than last.

Took the drive slowly – stopping for breakfast in Tally and lunch in Ocala. Halfway, the technician takes over driving and I take a nap. Played a new game, Count the Number of Different Florida License Plates. We drove straight to the apartment, arriving after dark.

Room 106 was still dirty from the last tenants (Buncha dirty fishermen!) so they set us up in 104 for the night. No oven in 104, and I prepped a pan of lasagna for dinner. But, true to the excellent customer service we always receive at The Captain’s Table Lodge, they let us use the oven in 106 and sleep in 104, promising to help move all our stuff into 106 tomorrow after it is cleaned.

I say “they” – the owner is a twin! Totally tripped me out. No wonder it looks like she is always around!

Difference between 104 and 106 other than the lack of oven – bigger TV and better coffee pot. Both rooms have newer furniture. Looks like our government dollars have been used to spiff up the place. Nice.


Monday September 27, 2010
Downloading

The weather was amazing today. Wind out of the east, low humidity. I can feel summer wanting to give up her grip.

Good news. Four receivers had data from Eve. The last time she was picked up with September 5, a week after we tagged her.

Bad news. Seven of sixteen lithium batteries were completely dead. Also, one of the receivers containing data (CB2) is completely fried and will have to be returned to the shop in hopes they can retrieve the data and fix it. Took all freaking morning to get it all finished and we had to bring 5 back because I only had a few backup batteries on the boat. The FSU graduate student is having one of her office mates FedEx more batteries. There is a good chance we missed Eve leaving the area.

By the time we got back to the apartment, they had moved all our stuff and gear to 106, including the better coffee pot. Sweet!


Tuesday September 28, 2010
Shhh … be very, very quiet.

Getting the FSU graduate student’s jon boat unloaded from the truck and in the water with all her gear was a terrible ordeal (and there was a TON of gear – engine, trolling motor, 2 deep cycle batteries, gas tank, bilge pump, hydrophone, food cooler, PFDs, paddle, bucket, slickers, dry bag, etc. etc. etc.). Gnats! Noseeums! Mosquitos, oh my! Once we got the arrows on the gas line pointed in the right direction, the engine fired right up. Kinda.

We split up. Me taking PRISIS and my crew to put the 6 HOBOs back out and the two FSUers staying at the dock to figure out their engine problems. I give them our hand-held EPIRB, compass, and GPS. We were to meet up at Mud Bay later in the morning.

Nets in the water at Mud Bay and fishing the outgoing tide and the FSUers making transects across CB2, listening for Eve, by 10:00. The weather is starting to come in bands from the south moving east. TD16 is supposed to get here late this afternoon and dump all kinds of rain on the area overnight. We’re under a flood warning.

The FSUers come back to us around lunch. Weather in CB2 was getting bad and there’s was no sign of Eve. After the band passes, they are headed back to CB2. We decided to rendezvous at Turner River at 1600. We move the nets to Turner River with the slack tide.

The FSUers pass us, heading to the dock at 1500. The dark clouds are building, they have no protection from weather, and move slow since they’re so weighted down. We fish for a bit more, then pull the nets quickly when the rain starts.

We start heading back in torrential rain. I can’t see shit, slow down, flip on our running lights, and use the GPS to navigate. My crew is sitting on the deck. A bolt of lightening strikes very close. The closest I have ever been to a bolt of lightening. The closest I ever want to be. Honestly, the most scared I have ever been out on the water.

Quick like bunnies we unload and secure PRISITS and our gear at the dock before helping the FSUers with theirs. Thank god they made it! We are soaked. The truck is super-soaked. But, we’ve cheated death once again. “The Everglades, man …” <-- to quote the technician. Dropped everything off at the apartment and then gassed up the truck (Btw, the gas station farther away from the apartment is a much better establishment than the one closer to the apartment.). Stopped by the hardware store for some DampRid (Of course they have DampRid. They have everything!). I’m going to have to have the truck professionally cleaned at the end of the season. It is getting funky. The batteries showed up. No field tomorrow. TD16 is suppose to become Tropical Storm Nicole overnight and we are in her path. She’s supposed to move fast, though, so we should be good to go on Thursday. Spinach and artichoke dip with chicken for dinner. The Office on TBS. And then I passed out.


Wednesday September 29, 2010
Waiting out TD16/Nicole

Everyone else is still asleep. It is just after 8am and I’m sitting on the front porch with my coffee, reading the news on my phone and checking the weather. Wind is blowing a bit, but nothing too terrible. The clouds are black and heavy, but it is not raining right now. Very humid.

I’m going to read some more in The Girl Who Played with Fire.

When the FSU graduate student gets up, we’ll get the batteries and receivers all ready to go.


Thursday September 30, 2010
Faka Union Bay

The better coffee pot died this morning. That should have been a sign. Had to stop at the gas station for our fix. Saw, but did not buy, a bag of Spree.

More drama this morning with the FSUer’s boat. It had a hole in it. A significant hole. We towed their jon boat behind PRISTIS and didn’t realize how significant the hole was until we got all the way down the canal to our fishing spot. The FSUers immediately hooked up the bilge pump and headed back to the dock for a fix. We stayed to fish.

“Sawfish! Sawfish! Sawfish!” There was a juvenile STS swimming along the mangrove across the mud flat on the west side of the spoil island when we first pulled up (0900). We spooked it, but figured it would be back. Everyone except the UWF graduate student saw it, poor kid. The tide was outgoing all afternoon.

Got a call from the FSUers around noon saying that their bilge pump stopped working halfway up the canal and they had to bail with a boot. Yes, a boot. They made it back to the dock and were now back at the apartment. They picked up some quick weld at the hardware store and was going to use a Coke can to patch the hole. How pissed was the FSU graduate student that we saw an STS immediately and she was having to deal with an old, leaking boat? At least a 9. The game plan changed – we were to fish all day and attempt to catch the one we saw. If we caught it, we were to slap a tag on it. Then, at sunset, the FSUers would come back out and track it for 24 hours.

We set all four nets and checked them periodically all day, catching only catfish, mullet, and YOY bull sharks. The tide began to come back in around 1600. We continued to fish until 1830, then hauled all gear. No nothing nowhere. Jaded and solemn, we headed back up the canal toward the dock.

The sunset was beautiful.

The FSUers had dinner ready for us when we got back to the apartment (Tabouleh). I made us all grilled cheeses, too. We ate and commiserated on the shitty day. Come to find out, the Pelican Case that the FSU graduate student kept her laptop in was not 100% watertight and it got wet during the bailout. That, or the humidity got to it. Anyway, the screen is very dark and very hard to read. She was able to get her thesis and all the data off it so at least there’s that.

Whoever coined, “That which does not kill you makes you stronger,” probably was running a field program in the Everglades.

Exhausted.

FML today.


Friday October 1, 2010
Last Day – Multi-tasking in ENP

Stopped at the gas station again for coffee this morning. Bought the bag of Spree. Today will be better.

A leak in the FSUer’s boat this morning, but this one is much smaller. They were able to use liquid electrical tape and press on. They’ll be running transects all day, listening for Eve.

We put back the Turner River Mouth, Turner River, and Hurd2 receivers first thing. Then fished all 4 nets in Mud Bay with the remaining incoming tide. Took benthic samples.

The weather is beautiful today. First cold front of autumn. Low humidity. Makes me feel like I can breathe again.

Pulled the nets at slack tide and moved to CB2. Put back the CB2 receiver, then fished the mud flat along the south corner of the bay. Took benthic samples. Saw the FSUers running transects. Stayed there for about an hour and half. Ate lunch. Pulled the nets and moved to Lopez River Mouth. Set the nets across the mud flat at the creek mouth along the south end, attempting to catch anything coming out the creek with the outgoing tide. Saw some sort of elasmobranch shadow swimming near the gear, but couldn’t tell what it was. Pulled the gear when the water started to rush out. Caught a YOY bull shark and some mullet. Moved closer to the Lopez River Mouth receiver and set the nets again.

Around 1600 the FSUers showed up on their way back to the dock. No sign of Eve, they reported. Low tide was slacking up. We pulled the gear and lead the way back through the gauntlet. That’s the first time I have ever navigated the Lopez River Mouth Lemans-like S-Curve at low tide. Comin’ in hot!

We told the FSUers we’d see them back at the dock and split up to go put the Hurd1 receiver back in. There was a juvenile alligator (~120 cm STL) sunning on the exposed mud flat at Turner River as we passed. White Ibis were feeding all around it.

The Captain’s Table Lodge is rockin’ when we get home. Boats and trucks and older men in Columbia shirts everywhere. Classic rock and country music playing from the back of someone’s SUV. Several grills going. We pack up the truck and boat, minimizing what we’ll have to pack in the morning. I checked out at the front desk and met a few of the guys. Seems they’re all here for a once-a-year friendly fishing trip. They give me a beer and we chat. Nice people. Said that the guides call us The Sawfish Girls. They say we "run the everglades." It feels nice to be complimented.

Back in our apartment, it’s Nacho Friday!

Stayed up entirely too late watching A Few Good Men (Some of the crew had never seen it!).


Saturday October 2, 2010
The Drive Home

In the truck at 0600. Stop at Cracker Barrel in Ocala for breakfast, then we split up. The FSUers are driving a diesel truck that can make it all the way back to Tally without stopping.

We stop in Ocala for gas, switching drivers. We stop again in Gainesville to pick up a Diva Cup for one of the crew. Ladies, if you don’t know what a Dive Cup is, look it up. Buy one and use it. It will change your life.

We played the Florida License Plate game again. I think we got up to 60 different tags, round-trip. Ridiculous.

Back at the lab by 1800 and unloaded by sunset. The UWF graduate student is headed back to P’cola tonight. She’ll txt me when she gets there.

September Over.

Species of Birds Seen in the Everglades :: September 2010

Cormorant - Double crested
Crow – American
Dove – Collared, Mourning
Duck – Muscovy
Egret – Great, Snowy
Flicker – Northern – heard at ENP Mud Bay
Hawk – Red-tailed
Heron – Yellow-crowned night, Great blue (juvenile and adult), Green, Little blue
Ibis – White, Glossy
Killdeer
Kingfisher – Belted
Mockingbird
Nuthatch – heard at ENP Mud Bay
Osprey
Pelican – Brown
Sandpiper – Spotted
Spoonbill – Roseate
Turn – Royal
Vulture – Turkey, Black
Warbler – Yellow – heard at ENP Mud Bay

A New Notebook

Today I began a new notebook.  It felt good to hold it in my hands and turn its clean, unmarked pages.  What exploits lie ahead?  What voyages, breakdowns, and novel ideas wait to be documented?  What exciting times will come?  And like those before me, I will hold close the old notebook to use as reference, compass, and cheat-sheet.  Here's to the future, my friends.  My we never forget the past.

Spinach, Feta & Almond Stuffed Chicken

I tweaked this one from Cooking Light September 2010.

Ingredients:
1 bag fresh spinach
1 package crumbled feta cheese
1/4 cup sour cream
2 tbs sliced almonds
1 tsp ground thyme
1 tbs lemon juice
2 tbs minced garlic
3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts halved
Salt and pepper to taste
1 tbs olive oil
1/2 cup low sodium chicken broth
Side dish - 1 lb fresh green beans or 2 cups jasmine rice, uncooked

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Slightly wilt spinach in a non-stick skillet over medium heat. Wipe skillet clean and save for chicken. Move to a mixing bowl and pat dry. Add feta through garlic. Mix thoroughly.
3. Cut a slit in each halved chicken breast. Stuff with spinach and cheese mixture. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
4. Heat oil over medium-high heat in skillet. Add stuffed chicken. Cook 3 minutes on each side until browned.
5. To an oven-safe dish, add chicken broth. Place in chicken. Cover. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes or until done.
6. While chicken bakes, prepare side dish.

What Autumn Tastes Like

It may still be 90 degrees and 70% humidity outside, but at least I can drink like it's September.

The New Kitchen Accessory

The Alex installed a bottle opener in the kitchen this afternoon.  Inaugural beer - Arrogant Bastard.

Smalltooth Sawfish Abundance Survey :: August 2010

Friday August 20, 2010
So, it’s me, the interns, the graduate student, and the head co-cheese this trip. I don’t really know what to expect from the head co-cheese, but it can’t all be bad … he did drive the first leg.

Saturday August 21, 2010
My notes are a mess. Written in the margins, line drawings of sets, set direction, and way-points, arrows to opposite pages. Good lord. But let me back up …

We launched at Port of the Islands and fished out at Hog Key first thing on an incoming tide. We were looking for that little female we tagged in June. No luck. The heat was blistering, the sun brutal. No breeze this morning. Certainly the entire week cannot be this way. We’ll melt.

We moved to Faka Union Bay with the incoming tide. We spotted an untagged STS the moment we pulled up to the west-side. Got the nets in the water on both sides of the island and took benthic samples. The graduate student dropped the hydrophone in the water and began listening for the two males we tagged here in July.

At 12:35 we caught, tagged, sampled, and released a male YOY STS (SRX85) on the west-side of the spoil island. After release, he swam north and south along the west-side of the island for about an hour. We moved the nets to around Faka Union for a few sets and then came back to see if we could hear him again. Yup. Same spot, swimming north and south along the west bank of the spoil island and periodically stopping to rest. We listened to him do this for another hour. Salinity 15.1. Temperature 32. It was 17:00 and we had to get home ahead of the weather.

No luck with that. Got poured on going up Faka Union Canal on an outgoing. Took FOR-EV-ER.

Tonight we toasted to finding, tagging, and tracking another STS. Plus, it is the return of football (even if is it pre-season). I fall asleep listening to local commercials and the excited chatter of my crew.

Sunday August 22, 2010
We were back in Faka Union today, trying to catch another one and listening for the other tagged three.

No wind again this morning. The head co-cheese got out the push poll and moved us north to south along the island while the graduate student listened.

08:26 – Faint signal near southwest-side of the spoil island using the multi-directional hydrophone.
08:32 – Faint signal near northwest-side of the spoil island using the directional hydrophone.
09:15 – Lost signal.

Fished the rest of the day in several different locations here and there in both Faka Union and Fakahatchee Bay. Came back to the west-side of the spoil island around 15:30 with the high high slack tide.

15:40 – Threw anchor near northwest corner of the spoil island, close to cut-through. Using the directional hydrophone.
16:04 – Picked up a fairly strong signal every 4 seconds.
16:09 – Lost signal.
16:11 – Picked up signal again. North end of the island near the cut-through.

Then, we began to hear the signal and lose the signal every few minutes – like the animal was sticking its head out of the mangroves and then moving back in. He acted this way for about an hour. In and out. In and out. We started the steam back at 17:20.

Instant replay of yesterday. Rain, and lots of it coming back up Faka Union Canal with the outgoing tide. Misery.

Chicken tetrazzini for dinner.

Monday August 23, 2010
Rain delay this morning. No worries. The weather should all get out of here by noon and there’s an incoming high-high all afternoon.

The graduate student went back to sleep. The interns are reading and inter-netting. The head co-cheese proclaims he is cooking tonight and heads off the Naples to buy groceries. I am at the kitchen table trying to fill in the gaps in my field notes from the past few days, but it is so quiet in the apartment that I can barely keep my eyes open. I make another cup of coffee, check the weather, and settle down to my latest read – A Game of Thrones.

On the water by 11:30, cleaning telemetry station in the rain by 11:45. Off the water by 14:30. That must be some sort of new record. We were busting ass. The rain finally clears and the remainder of the day is overcast and cool(er).

We hit the pool when we get back. The head co-cheese leaves early to begin dinner. Oh, and what a dinner it turned out to be. Tuna dip and lime daiquiris for starters. Bolognaise and a nice red wine for the main course. Bananas Foster for dessert. I fear the crew is being spoiled.

Watched Back to the Future, pretty much quoted the entire movie.

Tuesday August 24, 2010
Adventure!

Slight hiccup in getting on the water this morning. Had to replace the battery in the Lopez River HOBO (again!) and the hardware store did not open until 08:00.

On the water by 08:30. Fishing Mud Bay in Everglades National Park on an outgoing tide by 08:45.

The head co-cheese takes out his fly-fishing rod and walks the flats, watching the nets while the rest of the crew naps, reads, and has breakfast. It is overcast and so very quiet.

At 10:00, the head co-cheese gives the graduate student a fly-fishing lesson a la A River Runs Through It and while she practices he checks the net on the west-side of the mangrove island. A bit of excitement to wake everyone up as he comes back with a YOY bull shark.

So, that happens. Then, the graduate student goes back to loading and tossing the fly-rod. The interns read and watch her. I begin to doubt that we’ll ever catch a STS in the park. Time passes slowly.

I must’ve dosed off as I am startled awake by the head co-cheese screaming WE GOT ONE! I snap awake and realize that he is on the west-side of the island, calling for help. The interns take off with the dip net and the graduate student and I stay back to get all the tags and sampling bits ready. It is 11:40.

They come back around the corner and she’s a beautiful 120 cm STL YOY. The first in the array. And a girl. Pure awesomeness. She’s chill while we work her over, tagging and measuring and photographing. As we get ready to release her, the graduate student gets the hydrophone ready and I grab the camera. I film the release and here comes the first active track in the park. Woot. Yeah, yeah, I know you gotta throw out the first 24-36 hours to account for stress, but whatevs. She’s tagged now and I’m stoked again … stoked like I haven’t been since I worked on my Master’s thesis. We call her Eve.

In all the excitement, we did not recognize a storm blowing up until we hear the thunder. We watch it for a bit, then pick up the nets and move to Turner River with the incoming tide. In a couple hours another storm blows up. We moved the nets again – this time to the mouth of the Lopez River. We fish there for the remainder of the incoming and pull the nets at 17:00.

BBQ chicken sandwiches and french fries for dinner. The head co-cheese makes dessert again. We watch a The Office marathon on TBS. I fall asleep early.

Wednesday August 25, 2010
Day 5

We’re back in the park today instead of Goodland, trying to catch another sawfish. The head co-cheese wants one more. We put the nets at Turner River for the outgoing tide in the morning.

At noon-thirty just as we’re pulling up to move, a park ranger comes around the bend. He flags us down and starts chatting. He’s young and new to the place – just relocated from Florida Bay. I invite him to come with us to Mud Bay as we’re headed that way to try and find Eve, the sawfish we tagged yesterday.

We throw anchor near the Mud Bay 3 acoustic station and, as the graduate student puts the multi-directional hydrophone in the water, the head co-cheese begins to field the ranger’s questions. See? This is precisely why it is good to have him around. You know, in addition to kick-ass dessert every night. Unfortunately, we hear nothing and after about 35 minutes the ranger’s got to get back to work. We exchange cards and he says that he’d love to have a beer with us the next time we’re in town. Poor dude, there are very few chicks in Everglades City under 60.

We pull anchor, set the nets on both sides of the mangrove island, and begin push-polling a transect around the corner on the west-side of the island. I make a note to bring a trolling motor on the next trip.

13:52 – Strong signal. 25o49.159 n 81o19.688 w.
14:07 – 94 db. 300 degrees. 25o49.151 n 81o19.746 w.
14:09 – 100 db. Same spot.

She is in the corner around the bend on the west side of the bay in a little hole that we’ve fished only once and she’s just hanging out doing that thing the other one did – poking its head in and out every few minutes.

We pull the nets, catching nothing and go back to listening to her sitting in one spot. At 17:00 we pull anchor and head back to the dock. This is a start and we all begin speculating on what the receivers will tell us next month.

Nachos. So good.

Thursday August 26, 2010
Up early and breaking tradition. We seek out an IHOP in Naples before getting on the road. The head co-cheese drives the first leg, taking the Sunshine Skyway. He must be getting antsy because he drove like a maniac through Tampa traffic. Still, he got us safely to Ocala for lunch.

The rest of the trip, I drive. I don’t remember much of it. It all starts to run together at this point.

We drop the graduate student off in Tally in the pouring rain and get back to the lab before dark. The interns and I clean the boat and put away the gear right away as we all plan to take tomorrow off.

Well, that's all for August. We made it. And, honestly, I think this was the best trip so far.

Species of Birds Seen in the Everglades :: August 2010

Anhinga
Cardinal
Crow – American, Fish
Dove – Collared, Mourning
Duck – Muscovy
Eagle – Bald
Egret – Great, Snowy
Flicker – Northern <-- heard at ENP
Grackle – Boat-tail
Grebe – Pie-billed
Gallinule – Purple
Gull – Laughing, Herring
Hawk – Red-tailed
Heron – Great blue, Green, Little blue, Tricolor, Yellow-crowned night
Ibis – White
Kingfisher – Belted
Kite – Swallowtail
Limpkin
Mockingbird
Moorehen – Common
Nuthatcher <-- heard at ENP Turner River
Osprey
Pelican – Brown
Sandpiper – Spotted, Least
Starling – European
Swallow – Tree
Turn – Caspian, Royal, Sandwich
Vulture – Turkey, Black
Woodpecker – Pileated

Strength Ride :: Hysteria :: 75 min Labor Day Ride

Target HR 75-85%, Recover to 70%

1. Krupa – Apollo 440 (6:15) Warm

2. Hysteria – Muse (3:45)
Seated flat – 90-100 rpm
RwR – 60-80 rpm – on chorus

3. Repo Man – Ray LaMontagne (6:00)
Seated climb 2:00
Standing climb 1:00
x2

4. Sprawl II – Arcade Fire (5:30)
Recover 1:00, then
Seated flat – 75% – 90-100 rpm

5. Black & Gold – Sam Sparro (4:30)
Seated climb – 60-80 rpm

6. Club Can’t Handle Me – FloRida (4:00)
RwR – 60-80 rpm

7. Rock That Body – Black Eyed Peas (4:30)
Seated climb
Standing climb – on chorus

8. Move for Me – Deadmau5 (6:30)
JoH 2:00
Standing climb 2:00
x3

9. I Remember – Deadmau5 (6:30)
Recover 0:30, then
RwR 2:00 – 60-80 rpm
Seated flat 1:00 – 90-100 rpm
x2

10. Tightrope – Janelle Monáe (4:30)
JoH

11. Undisclosed Desires – Muse (4:00)
Seated climb – 60-80 rpm

12. Gettin’ Over You – David Guetta (6:00)
Seated climb 1:00
Standing climb 1:00
x3

13. I Feel Love – Vanessa Mae (7:00)
Recover 1:00, then
Standing climb 0:30
RwR 0:30
Seated climb 0:30
x4

14. Sunrise – Yeasayer (4:00) Cool
15. Northern Lights – Bowerbirds (3:00) Stretch
16. Cape Dory – Tennis (2:39) Stretch

Recently Added :: Last Blast of Summer 2010

Alphabetical by Artist:

1. Apollo 440 - Krupa
2. Bowerbirds - Northern Lights
3. Boy Eats Drum Machine - Hoop + Wire
4. Caravan Place - Suzy
5. Cut Copy - Where I'm Going
6. David Guetta feat. Ferge & LMFAO - Gettin' Over You
7. The Dirty Heads - Lay Me Down
8. Free Blood - Quick and Painful
9. Ray LaMontagne & the Pariah Dogs - Repo Man
10. The Love Language - Heart to Tell
11. Tame Impala - Solitude is Bliss
12. Tennis - Cape Dory
13. Vines - Ride

Chicken with Italian Sausage Crock-pot

I was pleasantly surprised by how much flavor this recipe brought to the table. Definitely field worthy! Watch the sodium - it can be cut down if you choose to use ground turkey or chicken instead of sausage.

Ingredients
1 lb mild or hot Italian hot sausage
6 boneless chicken tenderloins
1 can white beans
1 can red kidney beans
2 cups chicken broth
1/2 medium onion
1 tsp ground black pepper
French baguette, sliced

Directions
1. Brown sausage in a large skillet, stirring to separate. Spoon into crock-pot.
2. Place remaining ingredients in crock-pot. Cover. Cook on LOW 5 hours.
3. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed. Move setting to WARM.
4. Serve over a couple slices of baguette.

Recycling in this county ...

... is useless.

I went yesterday to drop off at the Lynn Haven site and it was just shocking at the trash left along the side and also dumped inside the bins.

Folks can't comprehend that you cannot recycle a lawn fertilizer just because it is made of plastic or put cardboard in the plastic bin, which all results in the load going into the dump [or incinerator!].

So I stopped after seeing this and came home and put what could have been recycled into my dumpster. Unfortunately that's my last attempt at recycling in this county. If you see recyclables in my trash you know why.

My apologies to the planet.

- This was taken from an email sent to me this morning by a colleague, voicing her frustrations about the sad state of the recycling "program" in Bay County, Florida.

Smalltooth Sawfish Abundance Survey :: July 2010

Sunday July 25, 2010
Left my laptop in Lynn Haven this morning so after meeting at 0500, I pulled the boat down Krystal Lane. They see me rollin’ …

Back on the road by 0600. The interns (one new, one seasoned) were asleep before we got to Hwy 231. A quiet, open road with a strong cup of coffee and good tunes as the sun rose. I love the morning.

Stopped in Tally to pick up the graduate student. Bought breakfast flatbreads for everyone at Subway. We’re all awake now and very chatty. Catching up from our last trip together.

The last rest area on I-10 east before you get to I-75 south has the best smelling bathroom soap. Most rest area bathrooms have that awful pink stuff that leaves your hands all dry and smelling over-perfumed. This soap smells like coconuts, pina coladas, and the beach.

Arby’s for lunch, but not for long. All of us were still full from breakfast. Got the food to go, filled up the truck, and switched drivers.

Nobody in the pool at the big RV park on I-75.

Got to Naples in record time. Weather was great and traffic was light. Decided to have dinner at Cheeburger Cheeburger.

Locked the keys in the truck. The graduate student laid them on the seat and thought I had them as we all closed and locked our doors. I thought she had then because she was driving. I’m happy that we didn’t realize what had happened until after dinner. Called AAA (Thanks, Mom!) and was back in the truck and on the road to Everglades City before dark. Dear gelato place in Naples Park, You need to be open this time of year. We counted 15 cars that pulled up only to be disappointed.

Made a quick stop at Publix for a few more supplies.

Full moon rising over Hwy 41 ahead of us. Sun setting in the rear-view.

Quickly got moved into the apartment and unpacked by 2100. Mosquitoes were not too bad.


Monday July 26, 2010
On the water with the sunrise.

Passed a small alligator swimming up the Lopez River. In a hurry like he was late for a meeting.

Cleaned and downloaded the telemetry stations. All receivers found and in working condition. Had a small scare at HURD2, but just needed to wait for the tide to go down a bit in order to see the float.

Stopped on the sandbar at ENP Mud Bay while making the rounds through the park and the graduate student saw some sort of elasmobranch swimming on the west side of the island. That got us excited to come back and fish tomorrow.

Off the water from noon to 1400 while the tide came back up. Uploaded the HOBOs and ate lunch in the AC. Man, it is hot out there.

Beautiful weather all day. No thunder or storm clouds until late afternoon. I hope all the days are like this. We were finished and off the water by 1600. Let the seasoned intern put the boat on the trailer.

The new intern has a UTI. We drove into Naples to the pharmacy to get some AZO and cranberry juice. Needless to say, I am not very happy about not knowing her condition ahead of time. We are just too freaking far away from everything and working too long of days in extreme conditions for something like this to be going on. It has the potential to get bad quickly. I reiterated to the crew to please tell me of any conditions that are currently happening – aches, pains, scratches, general malaise, whatever. I may send/keep you home, but I will not be angry. I just need to know. I want us all to stay safe.

That said, we also picked up some rum and lemon juice. Once back at the apartment, I taught the seasoned intern how to make straight-up daiquiris – my favorite drink.

Crawfish Étouffée for dinner and a Family Guy marathon on TBS until bed.

Tuesday July 27, 2010
Fishing in ENP today. Outgoing high-low all morning.

At ENP Turner River and nets in the water by 0740.

The seasoned intern almost lost one of her Keens while taking benthic samples close in to the mangrove. After lots of cursing, giggling and searching with our hands through knee-deep mud, the graduate student was able to locate it. Leave no shoe behind! We’ve found zip-up dive booties to be the best foot apparel for staying on and protecting your feet from rocks, sticks, whathaveyou while trekking along the flats.

The new intern is a birder. She knows her stuff, too. Real good at it. Busted out the binoculars and watched white ibis and roseate spoonbill feed along the exposed mudflat. She was beside herself.

Manatee swimming up river. So quiet. Another beautiful day, but no sawfish so far.

Moved the nets to ENP Mud Bay with the incoming afternoon tide. We had planned to range test the receivers while the nets fished, but the test acoustic tag the graduate student brought today was not working properly. She was having a rough day.

Salinity low – 13. Temperature high – 32.

2 YOY bull sharks on the east side of the island at Mud Bay at 1525. Tagged them both. This seems to be their spot this year. Could they be out-competing the YOY sawfish in terms of space?

Picked up the nets at 1620 and made a trip up a portion of Turner River where we’ve never been, but have seen many boats head off in that direction. An adventure! Had plenty of water and was able to get all the way back into a small bay. I made a note to query the NSED on encounters in this area.

Off the water by 1700. Let the new intern put the boat on the trailer.

We’ve been getting on the water in the morning earlier than the ramp office opens so I’ve been paying after in the afternoon. I forgot my wallet back at the apartment so I dropped the crew and gear off. They laid the nets out, cleaned the booties, and unpacked the cooler while I went to settle our bill. This crew works really well together. I look forward to the next few months.

Another dramatic thunderstorm to cool things off a bit.

Made some more rice and had leftover étouffée.

A round of daiquiris. The Office. The Simpson’s. Wipeout.


Wednesday July 28, 2010
We freaking worked our asses off today.

Port of the Islands at sunrise. Slowly making our way down Faka Union Canal. Birds. Alligators. Manatees.

Set the 200s at Panther Key Gomez Point. Took benthic samples across the entire gradient from mangrove to edge of flat. Soil changed from shell to oyster to sand.

Outgoing high-low all morning. Left one 100 on the exact spot at Panther Key where we tagged the sawfish last trip and worked the other three nets all morning, fishing both Panther and Hog Key and taking benthic samples at each station. No rest. I was cracking the whip. Caught some huge mullet, a batfish, and a few mangrove snapper, but no sawfish.

Moved the nets to the spoil island at the end of Faka Union Canal with the incoming tide. Fished both sides of the island and the point closest to the channel. Took benthic samples right after setting the nets and only then did we sit down, have lunch, and breathe.

Around 1400, we checked the 3”-100’ on the northwest side and found 2 male YOY sawfish. We sprung into action. Lots of adrenaline. Tags, fin clips, blood samples, photos, measured and released. Incoming high-high tide and the water was murky as hell. By the time we were finished, we were about hip-deep and couldn’t see our knees.

The graduate student got acoustic tags on both animals and afterward we were able to listen to them for a bit using the hydrophone. That was a pretty neat ending to a loooong day.

Pulled all nets by 1630 and started making our way back to the dock.

Back at the apartment. Stuffed Shells for dinner. Daiquiris. SYTYCD.


Thursday July 29, 2010
Got on the water with the sunrise and motored to ENP Mud Bay to check the salinity. Arrived on site in time for slack tide. Slick calm. Quiet. Salinity 20 in the channel and 9 over the flat.

Tried to set one 100 on the west side, but before we could get the entire net in the water, a YOY bull shark hit. Tagged it, returned it to the water. Set the other 100 on the east side and the exact same thing happened. Tagged that one, returned it to the water. Took a minute to look around and could see two more untagged YOY bull sharks swimming about. Decided to pull the nets. There are no sawfish at ENP Mud Bay right now. Only YOY bull sharks.

Thought we might try the other side of Chokoloskee Island. The local guys tell us all the time how they see sawfish along the side of Hwy 29. The tide was going out by the time we got over there and whoa! It is super shallow! We’ll need an incoming high-high to get over there … unless we set the nets from shore.

Took it out to the keys next to get some high salinity sets in. Had to take it slow at first because the channel is not well marked and the tide was going out. I’ve never been out that way by myself (Mote took us out there once, but I was not driving.). Got up on a plain and promptly went over some super skinny water. PRISTIS made it. High five! Got the 200s in the water on the east side of Rabbit Key where the local guys say they sometimes see sawfish. Took benthic samples. Very sandy.

Had a near manatee experience. We were just settling down after setting the nets and the thing breached by the boat like we were on a Disney ride! Scared the crap out of us! Manatee, but no sawfish.

As the tide started coming in, came back up the channel and found a protected cove on the east side just south of the mouth of the Lopez River. Salinity 24. Bottom sandy and muddy to shells and oyster. Looked good, but didn’t catch anything save mullet.

Moved the nets to the mouth of the Lopez River and fished there for a couple hours until a large thunderstorm blew up. No sawfish. Got off the water by 1730 ahead of any real weather.

Tabouleh for dinner. Another round of daiquiris (I gotta confess, the seasoned intern makes them better than I do). SYTYCD results show. Billy Bell voted off. Mainstream is just not ready for his brilliance.

Friday July 30, 2010
The alarm goes off. I lie in bed and assess my aches. The scrape on my knee hurts like hell. The ankle I twisted a year ago is pretty tender from standing on deck the last 4 days. I’ve got several very itchy mosquito bites. Wah.

Day 5 – Goodland.

Outgoing tide all morning. Able to get back to Grocery Creek with no problems before Palm Bay got too skinny. Nets in the water by 0800.

Dolphin. Manatee. White ibis. Roseate spoonbill. Green Heron. American bittern. Raccoon. GBH. And what we suspect (looking at the tall dorsal fin) to be a scalloped hammerhead feeding along the mangroves in the deeper part of the creek. The hammerhead was there all day.

The cloud cover is welcomed. My skin wants no more sun. And sitting at one spot for the entire tidal cycle is nice, too.

With the incoming tide in the afternoon, we begin to get restless and start to help the new intern study for the GRE by going over vocabulary. Kaplan words on flash cards. I am a querulous, dyspeptic toad. Yup, that pretty much sums it up.

Pulled the nets at 1700.

Nacho Thursday. A new tradition.

Forest Gump. Man, I love that movie. So many great quotes. Had to turn it off before the end because we're getting up early tomorrow to drive home.


Saturday July 31, 2010
Up and in the truck by 0500.

I stop at the Crackle Barrel in Naples and no one gets out for breakfast. The interns are passed out. The sun isn’t even up yet. I can’t keep my eyes open. The graduate student takes the wheel and when I do manage to open my eyes again we are already to Charlotte Harbor. Ps. The graduate student is quite motivated to get home. She’s just started dating someone new.

We take the Sunshine Skyway. Another new tradition.

Make great time to Ocala for an early lunch at Chick-fil-A. I take the keys and drive from here. The different scenery helps the time pass quickly. I’ve never driven this leg of the trip.

We plug in my phone and create a station on Pandora based around this one song I want to hear from the band Cage the Elephant. It keeps us singing along.

Drop the graduate student off in Tally and the seasoned intern takes shotgun. It is all downhill from here.

Back to the lab by 1700.

Species of Birds Seen in the Everglades :: July 2010

Bittern – American
Cormorant
Crow – American
Dove – Collared
Duck – Muscovy
Egret – Great, Snowy
Flicker – Northern – heard at Goodland Grocery Creek
Flycatcher – LaSagras
Gull – Laughing, Herring
Heron – Black-crowned night, Great blue, Green
Ibis – White
Kingfisher – Belted
Kite – Swallowtail
Mockingbird
Moorehen – Common
Nuthatcher – heard at ENP Turner River
Osprey
Pelican – Brown
Sandpiper – Pectoral, Spotted
Spoonbill – Roseate
Swallow – Tree
Turn – Caspian, Sandwich
Vulture – Turkey, Black
Woodpecker sp. – heard at ENP Turner River

Smalltooth Sawfish Abundance Survey :: June 2010

Monday June 28, 2010
I start this trip with renewed vigor. My vacation was amazing and not a day goes by that I don’t think about being pampered on that cruise ship at least once. New interns, also. Change is good.

Additionally, our colleagues at the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission caught 4 YOY last week in the Caloosahatchee River. A good sign.

Lunch in Ocala at Chick-fil-A. Yes, it was open this time.

Quick trip down. Light traffic. Weather good until south of Tampa when we ran into the typical afternoon thundershowers.

Dinner at Sushi Thai Too in Naples. We were going to hit up Saffron for some Indian, but they are closed on Mondays. Must make note of that.

Counted the Bentleys, Mercedes, Porsches, BMWs, Aston Martins, Jaguars as we rode from the restaurant to the apartment. Final count? Too many. That place is loaded.

The hotel checked us in again automatically. We unpacked quickly. Mosquitoes were not too bad since it had just rained.

Watched South Carolina beat on UCLA in Game 1 of the College World Series.

Short trip this time as the July 4th holiday is approaching. Tomorrow we clean stations in ENP.


Tuesday June 29, 2010
The gas tank makes a sucking noise when I pump the ball. The ball does not stay firm when the engine is on. Engine super sluggish. As long as I keep pumping the ball in between sitting still and starting the engine, we should be fine. Made a note to inform the mechanic when we get back to the lab.

Cleaned the first station at 0800.

Saw an alligator at the Lopez River station. Saw another one at the Turner River station. A couple of the hard floats at the station looked like they had been chewed on. Wild.

Cleaned the last station at 1100. Off the water by 1200 (record time!) ahead of some nasty afternoon thunderstorms and lightning. Went to Naples for a few errands.

Bugs were pretty bad this morning before the sun got up and on a tip from a USGS field team at the dock bought a ThermaCELL. We plan to test it out tomorrow.

Feta tomatoes and penne pasta for dinner. Wipeout on TV. This crew works and plays well together.


Wednesday June 30, 2010
Leaving gear at the dock and apartment. It takes time and patience to get the noobs familiarized with all the crap we take out on the boat, which days we use which buckets, and what is actually in each bucket. Plus, I got to get by head back into it after 6 weeks off.

Nets in the water at Turner River on an outgoing tide by 0800. Hot, but not too buggy. Lots of clouds and thunder in the distance. Breezy. Took benthic samples.

Wildlife:
Alligator, 5 ft
2 Manatee
Osprey
YOY female bull shark <-- in the net, three times.

Chased off the water around 1230 by scary weather. Sat it out back at the apartment. Back on the water by 1600. Fished Mud Bay with incoming tide. Took benthic samples. Rain and more rain. Lots of mosquitoes. The ThermaCELL works well, too, but don’t get it wet. No sawfish. Off the water by 1800. Vegetable jambalaya. The crew at it all (hungry!) and then freaked when I told them it was tofu. Evil field party chief rubs hands together and laughs maniacally. Muahah.


Thursday July 1, 2010
WE CAUGHT ONE!!

Fished the NWR at Panther Key this morning on an outgoing tide and around 1200 we caught a female YOY smalltooth sawfish. It was a total National Geographic moment. You know the moment, where the audience is lead to believe that the field crew will never ... ever ... see their target species ... where you feel all hope is lost ... queue dramatic music ...

She was beautiful. TL=109. The perfect size for an acoustic tag. We were all smiles and giddy like children. This gives me great hope.

As soon as we released her back into the wild, we decided to haul ass back to the dock and fish the remainder of the day in ENP at the mouth of the Lopez River in hopes of catching another one. The weather turned bad, but we stayed out in it. Took benthic samples. Watched for rainbows.

Fished until 1700, but caught no more sawfish.

Nachos for dinner. Cold beer. Yum.


Friday July 2, 2010
Home again, home again. Jiggidy, jig.

Smalltooth Sawfish Abundance Survey :: May 2010

Wednesday May 12, 2010
Whippoorwill. Whippoorwill. Whippoorwill.

The sun gets up earlier and earlier these days and the sky was light before we could cross the Hathaway Bridge into town. Crew of 4 this trip – intern, technician, graduate student, and me.

Super excited about having Chick-fil-A for lunch in Ocala. But, wait. Closed! Closed? On a Wednesday? Closed for renovations. Ugh. So we ate at Chili’s instead. A light lunch. We plan to stop at The Cheesecake Factory in Naples on the way in.

Barely any traffic. Made great time. I’m becoming more and more accustomed to the long car ride. The 7 hour trip to Monroe, LA, last weekend to help the sister pack up her apartment was nothing. Of course, I did sleep most of the way as the last two and a half weeks have been non-stop with HAZwhoper training sucking three days, finishing and submitting a new manuscript, SEDAR documents due, my birthday, recital coming up, teaching SPINNING, planning a vacation, my sister’s up-coming graduation, my best friend’s breakup, the house, kitties, and the boyfriend.

We arrived after dark. You know you are a regular when the hotel checks you in, leaves the door unlocked, the keys on the counter, and turns the AC on before you get there. Room 106 should have our name on it. Lots of mosquitoes so unpacking was hurried and involved a lot of slapping, clapping, and bouncing from one foot to the other.

Weather looks good for the entire week. East wind. Sunny.

Exhausted. Tomorrow we fish Faka Union Bay and Panther Key. I get through this trip and I get a vacation.


Thursday May 13, 2010
In the truck by 0700. On the water by 0745. It goes a little something like this – bug spray, sunscreen, bug spray. I shudder to think what those chemicals are doing to my skin.

Several dolphin and manatee in Faka Union Canal. Dolphin as well in the channel out to Panther Key.

Fishing Panther Key with the remaining outgoing tide by 0830. We are fishing out here first because we are waiting on the needles used to apply the acoustic tags to arrive via FedEx. They did not get packed and a note has been made to keep them with the other tagging gear and *not in a clever location.

Took benthic samples. No sawfish.

Moved nets to east-side of spoil island in Faka Union Bay with incoming tide. Took benthic samples. No sawfish, but more bycatch than any other trip so far – catfish, ladyfish, blue crab, crevalle jack.

Off the water by 1730. Back to the apartment to prep dinner. Chicken Tetrazinni. While dinner cooked in the oven, the graduate student napped (she is coming down with a sinus infection!), the intern and technician went to the pool, and I went for a short run. Dinner, TV, read for a bit, then sleep.

Tomorrow we clean the acoustic telemetry stations and fix the height of the poles as per our permit.


Friday May 14, 2010
On the water by 0720. Cleaning stations and pounding poles by 0800. Working on an outgoing tide. Off the water by 1100. We will go back this afternoon and get Lopez River Mouth, Cross Bays 3, and Mud Bay 2 and 3. We need a lot of water for those stations. We pulled 4 of the HOBOs and will get the other two this afternoon.

The AC in the apartment in the middle of the day feels nice. It is hot and buggy out there.

Stopped by a charter guy while we were cleaning the acoustic station at the Tuner River Mouth. Sweaty and muddy, we spoke for a bit about the project, the area, and sawfish. He said that he has not seen any this year, but admitted to not fishing the flats.

After we cleaned Mud Bay 1 this morning, we walked the flat on an almost low-high tide. Didn’t seen any sawfish, but the water was all turned up from the rushing tide. We did not stop to look at Turner River for the same reasons.

Back on the water by 1400. Two things to note – 1) an east wind blows water into Cross Bay 3 and 2) murky at Mud Bay on a high-high tide. Can barely see the bottom. Off the water by 1700.

Quick swim. Bean soup for dinner. Uploaded HOBOs and set them to start. TV. Bed.


Saturday May 15, 2010
Back to ENP to fish today. On the water by 0730. Fishing an outgoing tide at Turner River by 0830. Took benthic samples. No sawfish.

Gusty east wind. Partly cloudy. Quiet.

Moved nets to Mud Bay on incoming tide at 1230. Took benthic samples on both sides of mangrove island.

Lots of biting flies and bumble bees.

Watched an osprey bathe. Silly bird.

I always get turned out when the wind and tide/current are in opposite directions.

Pulled nets at 1600. No sawfish. Very murky over flat at high tide. Deployed the HOBOs. Off the water by 1700.


Sunday May 17, 2010
Truck 0700. Water 0730. Fishing Lopez River mouth with outgoing tide. Set all 4 nets and took benthic samples. No sawfish.

A couple local guys in the store suggested we try Rabbit Key, Little Creek, and the mouth of Lostman’s River. Those places are about a 45 minute steam from Chokoloskee on the outside. A little out of our range.

Set all four nets again in Sunday Bay with incoming tide. Showers all around us. Air feels cool. Rain and thunder in the distance.

A shark hit the 4”-100’ but got out before we could get to it. Probably a baby bull. Left a giant hole. Ugh.

Began pulling in the 4”-200’ and the graduate student got tagged pretty hard in the hand by a catfish. The whole spine went into the top of her hand. Blood everywhere. She was in a lot of pain. Washed with Hibiclens as best she would let me. Collected hot water from the engine in a bucket and submerged her hand to keep the swelling down. She was a big girl and tried not to cry. Took it like a champ. The intern and technician pulled in the rest of the gear and we headed back to the dock. No fishing Cross Bay 3 today. Weather starting to get crappy anyway.

ENP ranger with harmonica wanted to chat it up at the dock and I did as best I could with a storm bearing down and one of my crew in serious pain. We talked about the possibility of the sawfish being on a delay, but really, the more and more we fish and catch nothing the more and more I am convinced that the mothers pupped south of here.

Back at the apartment, the graduate student continues to run hot water from the tap over her hand. Even sits at dinner with her hand in a bowl of hot water. Says it feels better that way.

Chicken Cacciatori. Then movies – Hitman, Hell Boy, Beowolf.

Flip of the coin says we are fishing in ENP again tomorrow and skipping Goodland this trip. The hunt continues.

Caveat – If the graduate student’s hand looks bad in the morning, we’re going home a day early.


Monday May 17, 2010
Up with the sun and on the water again by 0730. South wind. Hand looks pretty good and she promised me to take it easy.

Added chain to Turner River station so the receiver stays under water through the entire tidal cycle.

Fished Mud Bay with outgoing high-low. Nothing.

Spoke with a local guide, Captain Ray. He said he was the one who took the scientists from Mote Marine Labs around back at the beginning of the project. Way back when they were just figuring things out. He said that he sees age-1 hanging out on the east-side of Chokoloskee Island on a high tide in the morning. He said to come back in June and July.

June Trip: Mon 28 – Fri 2
July Trip: Sun 25 – Sat 31

Fished Cross Bay 3 on incoming high-high. Catfish. Mackerel. Mangrove snapper. Mullet. No sawfish.

Weather held out today. Hot and sunny with clouds all around, but no rain. Flies everywhere.

Off the water by 1700.


Tuesday May 18, 2010
We come home from this trip licking our wounds and discouraged.

Recently Added :: July 2010

In the order added:

All to All - Broken Social Scene
House Of Jealous Lovers - The Rapture
Light of the Morning - Band Of Skulls
Little Lion Man - Mumford and Sons
Month Of May - Arcade Fire
O.N.E. - Yeasayer
Real Love - Delorean
Sunrise - Yeasayer
This Is The Life - Two Door Cinema Club
Velvet - The Big Pink
XXXO (Remix) (Feat. Jay-Z) - M.I.A.
Outta Your Mind [Explicit] - Lil Jon & LMFAO
Something Bigger, Something Better [Explicit] - Amanda Blank
Super Bad (Parts 1 & 2) - James Brown
Heartburn - Alicia Keys
Hot-n-Fun - N.E.R.D.
Stacked Actors - Foo Fighters
Shake Your Rump [Explicit] - Beastie Boys
Little Secrets - Passion Pit

Dear Royal Caribbean/Liberty of the Seas

It has been a week since we returned from our 7 day cruise in the eastern Caribbean, stopping in St. Martin, San Juan, and Royal Caribbean’s private resort in Labadee, Haiti. There were four people in our party and this was all our first cruising experience as adults. The ship, crew, and service providers were stellar.

I’ve had some time to adjust back to real life and these are the suggestions, finger-wags and praises I would like to share with the corporation in order to help them improve their cruising experience.

Dear Royal Caribbean/Liberty of the Seas,

• Johnny Rockets has the best onion rings. Ever.

• Did you know the Bicardi Distillery tour is free?

• Curtis, the bartender at Olive or Twist, is the man. In fact, Olive or Twist was our favorite bar on the ship.

• The Hoof and Claw was our second favorite bar.

• The drinks were expensive, but strong. Thanks for getting that right.

• Our head waiter, Tearecea, and assistant waiter, Hector, are two very special people. They made dining on our first cruise amazing. This cannot be said enough.

• Thank you, Captain, for dodging raindrops that first day at sea. Kudos on the zig-zagging. Additionally, thank you for passing Haiti on ship’s port side the afternoon we left the island. We had a beautiful view from our dinner table.

• I apologize for all the self-entitled assholes that you have to deal with every day.

• Of all the towel animals, I loved the monkey the best.

• The soups are consistently the yummiest thing on the menu.

• Come down on your prices (for excursions, spa services, etc.) by 1/3 and everyone would buy in.

• I felt very rushed on port-of-call days. It would be nice to have 7am-5pm in every port.

• Please have movie times for both main and second seating dining.

• Not everyone at the Guest Services desk is helpful or friendly. That was surprising.

• Both production shows we saw, Ever After and Up in the Air, were incredible. Awesome talent. Especially the guy with the broken foot!

• Unfortunately, we did not see the Welcome or Farewell production shows because they have only one showing. Can these two shows be earlier or later or have two showings to accommodate both main and second seating dining?

• Open a 24 hours kiosk in The Promenade that sells items like sunscreen, condoms, razors, aloe, bandaids, etc. These items could even be sold from a vending machine.

• Place a pen and pad of paper in each state room. An alarm clock as well.

• Boo! Charging for yoga, indoor cycling, and wifi.

• Yay! Recycling.

• Love the Vitality options at dining. Great idea.

• The coffee in the Windjammer is awful. The coffee in the main dining room is very good. The coffee in Chops is freaking awesome.

• Two words – Digital Photographs. Get rid of prints. They are such a waste of paper. Here’s an idea – tie the photos into the RC TV Menu as something guests can access from their staterooms and charge to their SeaPass account. Then, they can set a time to pick up the prints. If Walgreens can do this, you can too.

• The art in the aft starboard stairwells levels 2-5 is odd.

• Was what up with the wet bar fees charged to our account then reversed? And not even for a sum that makes mathematical sense. This happened to both rooms in our party.

• Thank you for express checkout; however, there was no announcement like was mentioned in the farewell video.

• Switch to pump hand soap in the stateroom toilets. Also, please supply each stateroom toilet with spray air freshener.

• Bingo was fun – even if we didn’t win. The South African guy that ran it was a riot!

• The Walk for Wishes fund raiser is super cool. I like that you give back. Kudos to the crew members that walked in uniform in the heat.

• More shade, please.

• For a small fee, provide 2 two-way radios to each stateroom so that we may keep up with everyone in our party. Or, let guests use the ship-based cellular system (I know you have one. I saw crew and service providers using it.). Or, better yet, free wifi so that we can use our phones to text.

• Water should be free and easily accessible. Everywhere. Always.

• The amount of food on board is overwhelming. The logistics required to keep something as large and involved as feeding 3 thousand people constantly for 7 days blows my mind.

• Cruise Compass – great idea. Lack of clocks – bad idea.

• Mike, the cruise director, was everywhere all the time. When does he sleep?

• The free backstage tour of the theater was killer. The sound engineers that gave the tour were very knowledgeable about not just what they did, but other aspects of the ships also. I would be interested in backstage tours of the rest of the ship – kitchen, bridge, laundry, cargo, engine room. I would even be willing to pay a small fee for these tours.

• I really dug the diversity of the crew. It kept conversations interesting.

Thank you for a great vacation. We will be back.

Sincerely,
Dana Bethea

State Room 2306
30 may – 5 June, 2010

Smalltooth Sawfish Abundance Survey :: April 2010

Sunday April 18, 2010
5:00. Ran late this morning due to my new phone, a DROID. Still trying to figure it out. The alarm is obnoxious. Likely the only thing I hate about it.

No technician on this trip. She was staying back to help with SEDAR data, but found out last night that her grandfather passed. Our thoughts are with her.

Good news regarding the project. Last week at the STS Implementation Team meeting, we were funded to expand our sampling efforts. This means we will go down every month for the next two years to sample and also to aid with the telemetry project. I try not to have an anxiety attack every time I think, type, or talk about it.

We stopped to pick up the graduate student in Tally and everyone grabbed a flat bread breakfast sandwich from Subway. They are so good. Consequently, no one was hungry for lunch when we got to Ocala so we pushed on through, deciding to stop in Naples for dinner before checking in.

We made good time down. Traffic was light and the weather was mild. We were in Naples before dark. Used my new phone to get us to Sushi Thai Too. Turn-by-turn navigation. Yeah, the DROID is pretty sweet.

Checked into the apartment and got everything moved in. Room 106. My second home.

The graduate student took out the acoustic tag we are to attach to a STS should we catch one this trip. It was a bit like APOLLO 13 when ground control put several people in a room, gave them a limited supply of tools, and told them to figure out how to get the crew home. We brainstormed and brainstormed and brainstormed. In the end, the intern figured it out. I drew up what we planned to do and made a list of supplies to get from the hardware store in the morning.

If we catch one this trip and get a tag on it, we will not active track. We simply don’t have the (wo)man-power right now.

Monday April 19, 2010
Spent the morning at the hardware store, purchasing supplies for tag attachment. Got 80 lb saltwater leader and size 4B leader sleeves. The graduate student had a friend from school make her small scalpels and she already had very small plastic tubing to reduce chaffing. We are essentially going to make a loop through the cartilage around the first dorsal fin to reduce drag. If we catch one and get the tag on, there will be plenty of photos.

Overcast, but no rain on the radar. Applied sunscreen anyway. And DEET. The mosquitoes are here, especially bad at dawn and dusk.

On the water in ENP by 9:30. Took the Lopez River – Cross Bays route to Mud Bay in order to check on the acoustic telemetry stations. All look great. The engine sounds much better after the tune-up (probably something we should do at least once a year!). In Mud Bay by 10:00 with low high tide. Walked both sides of the mangrove island in Mud Bay and saw no STS. Lots of blue crabs. Both nets were in the water by 10:30.

Outgoing. Nothing in the nets. Incoming. Nothing in the nets. Lots of jumping mullet though. Water temperature is higher than last month (24-25 C), but salinity is low (14-19).

As decided last week at the STS Implementation Team meeting, we took benthic samples. We plan to take benthic samples at every location (close to shore/mangrove, middle of sand/mud flat, and at the edge of the low tide mark). Each sample will be analyzed for sediment grain size and benthic infauna. This will further delineate habitat and understand STS “hot spots.” It will be a lot of work, but will have very cool results.

Headed home. As we turned the corner from Turner River into Chokoloskee Bay, we could smell the ocean. Chokoloskee Bay was like glass. It turned out to be a beautiful day. I love my job. We saw two cownose rays swimming at the surface near the dock. Off the water by 18:30. Called dispatch to let them know and headed back to the apartment.

Laid the 4”, 100’ net out in the yard. It was full of algae. Quick dip in the pool to cool off and exercise (3 minutes treading water, 2 minutes rest). Had Chicken Masala Crock-pot for dinner. Put the benthic samples in the fridge.

After dinner, we initialized and taped-up the remaining 3 receivers. This trip we will also be installing HOBOs (small devices that measure water temperature and light attenuation in real time) to 6 of the acoustic stations. We tried to initialized the HOBOs, but found they all needed batteries. We will purchase those tomorrow morning at the hardware store.

Life does go on at home while I am away. I spoke with my sister and she has decided to move to Houston after graduation in May in order to *finally be with her long-time boyfriend and take time off to study for her boards. I could not be happier for them and cannot wait to see her in a couple weeks. I also spoke with my boyfriend. We figured out the annoying alarm on my phone. He was able to find my old alarm-tone online, once again saving my ass. I love you, babe.

Tuesday April 20, 2010
Sunscreen and DEET. Butterflies and dragonflies. Gorgeous day, but no STS.

Purchased the batteries and worked like dogs all morning in ENP, installing 2 of the remaining 3 stations, attaching HOBOs to 6 and cleaning 12. Whew.

Set the nets at Turner River around 13:00. Took benthic samples of Turner River. Off the water by 18:00.

There is now more mud in our fridge than food.

A cold Yuengling in my hand and checked my email on the front porch while the rest of the crew cleaned up. Crawfish etouffee for dinner. Watched some crappy TV (all but one of the contestants this season on American Idol are tone deaf!). Uploaded some photos to FB.

Wednesday April 21, 2010
Launched at Port of the Islands today. Same cranky, old man behind the counter. He threw my credit card back at me when I tried to pay the launch fee. I just smiled. Oh-blah-dee.

Ran out to Panther Key first thing on several tips from local fisherman. Fished in the same location as other encounters per the data from NSED. Took benthic samples at Panther Key, using the oldest, rustiest ponar grab on the planet. That took some figuring out. Tony the Pony, we call it. Took lots of photos of habitat. Very sandy, more traditional beachy type area.

Fished the west-side of the spoil island in Faka Union Bay then moved the nets to the east-side. No STS, but several A. felis (“A. felis. I just met a fish named A. felis!). Saw manatee and dolphin.

Took benthic samples on both sides of the spoil island. Huge differences between the west- and east-side. HUGE.

Turned out to be a beautiful day despite the clouds and chill this morning.

Home by 18:30. Had a total The Graduate moment at the door of the grocery, wanting to buy beer but being denied access. The grocery closes at 19:00. Noted. Hit up the gas station instead, but had to settle for MU (riding the Mich-ul-train).

Leftover etouffee for dinner. Stayed up pretty late, chatting with the crew, drinking beer, hypothesizing why we’re not seeing any critters. Our best guess is that the mother’s avoided this area during the cold snap in January/February and either pupped offshore or further south. It will be interesting if the UF field crew sees more YOY in Florida Bay this year.

Thursday April 22, 2010
In ENP again today. Cleaned the stations we missed on Tuesday.

Got back into Cross Bays 3 and set the 100’s. Next time we need to get back here with the 200’s. Note to self – can only fish in this bay an hour before and after high tide (Chokoloskee tide table). Very shallow! Local guys say they see animals back in these mud holes all the time. Not yet this year, but every other year.

No benthic samples. We ran out of whirl packs. Will have to take them next time.

Moved the nets to Mud Bay, fishing the remainder of the outgoing tide and hoping to catch a glimpse of a STS. No luck. Could have had a crab boil with all the C. sapidus running around. Hauled the gear and hauled ass back to the dock to beat the low tide, making a pass by Turner River. No STS, but there was a small gator (3-4 ft) swimming close to the acoustic telemetry station.

Off the water early. Went for a swim. Spoke with The Mullet Wrapper editor. She gave me her personal email where I could send the article about our tracking project. I will do that when I get back to the office.

Tomorrow we will try the Goodland area. Getting discouraged. Four days in the field and nothing to show for it but a good base tan. We are all quite tired.

Friday April 23, 2010
7:00 – Up.
7:45 – In the truck.
8:30 – On the water. Launched at Caloosa Key.
9:00 – First sets in Goodland Bay. Waiting on the tide to come in a bit more before trying to make it across Palm Bay. SE wind is in our favor. No STS.
10:15 – Made it across Palm Bay with no problem. Noted that we need 1 hour before high tide (Coon Key tide table) to get back to Grocery Creek. Ran all the way to Goodland-Mud Bay, scaring the be-jesus out of every shorebird.
10:20-14:00 – Fished remaining incoming and 2 hours into outgoing. Wind and outgoing tide are in opposite direction, allowing us to fish longer. No STS. Will take benthic samples at this location on May trip. Hauled ass across Palm Bay.
14:30-16:00 – Fished in Goodland Bay again, picking two sandy spots around a couple mangrove islands. No STS.
16:45 – Off the water.
19:00 – Dinner in Naples. Hit up Sushi Thai Too again. Met up with an old friend from undergrad who now lives in Cape Coral. It had been about 10 years since I’d seen him, but it was just like old times. Got to *finally meet his partner, too. Couldn’t be nicer people.
21:00 – Drove back to the apartment down Hwy 41 with the biggest, goofiest grin on my face. Happy. So happy. Listened to some good tunes and watched the night sky.

Saturday April 24, 2010
Up at 5:30. Spoke with a man and his family in the parking lot. They were getting ready for the weekend tournament. He said he sees STS all the time at Camp Lulu Key. I gave him my card and asked him to call should he see one this weekend.

On the road by 6:00. Same old breakfast at the same old Cracker Barrel. Lunch, however, was in Ocala at Chick-fil-A. Mmmm.

The graduate student took over driving after lunch and I grabbed a quick nap. She drove us all the way to Tally. We dropped her off and got back on the road, quickly. Weather looked rough ahead. Huge front moving across the panhadle. Back at the lab by 19:00 ahead of the weather, thankfully.

Seacrest out.