Video

Thanks again to all of the Canadian Coast Guard Crew aboard the Hudson and DFO Science Staff for all of their effort during our mission.

I've compiled 3 video clips, 1 for each of the 3 study locations: Emerald Basin, Laurentian Channel & the Gully MPA.  Each video shows the highlights at each location.  Enjoy!!!

Large sponge (Vazella pourtalesi) dominated in Emerald Basin.  The world's largest known concentration of this sponge.

Sea pens (Anthoptilum sp.) are present in the Laurentian Channel in concentrations not yet observed anywhere else on Earth.

Dense aggregations of bamboo coral (Keratoisis ornata) were observed along the "Southwest Prong" of the Gully MPA.  The diversity of this area was astounding.

Gully Feature Rich with Coral

Campod, along with our recently refurbished drop camera system (which has a depth rating of ~1500 m) were put to the test in the Gully Marine Protected Area to investigate an interesting physical feature.  Seasonal concentrations of birds and whales have been noted at this location, and its orientation provides what early evidence suggests might be a perturbation of Scotian Slope current water.

The first photos from this area revealed coral in abundance.  Numerous species have been identified thus far from the photos collected.  We departed the Gully and started heading for the Bedford Institute of Oceanography Monday at 12 pm Atlantic Time.  We hope to arrive at BIO in an hour and a half, at 8 am Tuesday June 14th.

Thank you to all of the CCG crew who made the trip easy for all of us.  As always the science is only possible with their assistance.  In addition, thanks to all of the Science staff for their professionalism and hard work.  Each mission highlights a passion our researchers have for benthic ecology and underscores the need to continue our efforts to piece together and interpret the complex puzzle of deep ocean ecosystems.

The following are image highlights of the transects run along the yet to be named spur that projects across the mouth of the Gully:

The early morning sun over the Gully Marine Protected Area.

The soft coral Anthomastus sp. (red).  Note the weight that triggers the camera (grey disk) is ~ 10 cm in diameter.

Sometimes life comes in shades of grey, like these Xenophyophores which are a complex scaffolding of mud and bits of shell created by a very large multi-nucleated single cell.

Bamboo coral (Keratoisis ornata) dominates the bottom on this feature at the mouth of the Gully.  It appears in concentrations at this location that rival any site in the world.

A CCGS Hudson crew member stands ready to deploy the drop camera at the rail.

Gear operator and photographer/videographer Kelly Bentham stands next to the drop camera.  He recently played a large part in refurbishing this gear to prepare it for deployment in the Gully MPA.

The gorgonian (or branching) coral  Acanthogorgia armata also appears to be common in this area.

 

The soft coral Duva florida appear very large and healthy at this location.

Anthomastus sp. has a pin cushion appearance when its large red polyps retract.  Note 8 tentacles on each polyp that give this subclass of Anthozoans their name, Octocorallia.

Small white polyps from coral of the family Anthothelidae also appear to be abundant at this location in the Gully MPA.

The flamboyant Actinurnus nobilis (purple anemone) sits on a sponge encrusted rock beside a very large bamboo coral.

Large, healthy soft coral attached to a large rock.

Another great picture of the soft coral Anthomastus sp.

A small cup coral, Javania sp.  This coral contains only a solitary polyp and some estimates put adults to greater than 100 yrs.

A bottom dominated by very large Bamboo coral.

More bamboo coral.  This coral can be found at depths in excess of 5000 m.

High Concentrations of Sea Pens in Laurentian Channel

Campod just completed 2 transects in the Laurentian Channel, 1 on the Nova Scotia side and 1 on the Newfoundland side.  In both cases, the dominant organism was a sea pen called Anthoptilum grandiflorum.  This visual inspection of the bottom confirms what we know of the area based on by-catch from DFO research vessel trawls.

We are now performing some transects in the Gully Marine Protected Area (refer to earlier blogs for more details or the "Learn More About" links to the right of this article).  We'll report on these findings as soon as information becomes available.  Again, sorry for the delay, but the internet is a little slow on the ship when it maintains a heading of about 245 degrees (and we've been at that heading most of the day).

A sea star moving along the bottom on hundreds of little feet.

An anemone in Laurentian Channel.

A red fish takes refuge near a sea pen (Anthoptilum grandiflorum).

Spiny crab.

Anthoptilum anchored into the sediment by their peduncles, a bulbous "root" at the base of their body, or "rachis".

Videograb in Emerald Basin

Videograb being deployed. 

Settlement box behind
jaws of videograb.

With Campoding now behind us, science staff mobilized Videograb and sent it over the rail and into the water below.  

Videograb was delivering settlement boxes the floor of Emerald Basin.  These modified milk crates covered in ceramic tile will act as substrate for settling fauna over the years to come and hopefully will provide information on the growth rates of Russian Hats.  They will be collected in the future when opportunities arise.

After delivering the settlement boxes, Videograb collected samples of rocks and fauna typical of Emerald Basin, including Russian Hats.  Some rocks retrieved were as large as a basketball and attached were recently settled Russian Hats about the size of a dime.

A very small Russian Hat clings to a rock face.

Science staff spent hours picking through Videograb samples, identifying species and adding the information to a database.  Once our work with Videograb wrapped up we began the 16 hr steam to the Laurentian Channel.  We are due at our first Campod site in the Laurentian Channel at 5 am on Saturday June 11.

Science staff clean a grab and pick our organisms that will be identified and cataloged.

A clump of Russian Hats on a rock collected by Videograb and photographed on the ship.

Science staff have a quick meeting before deploying Videograb.

Final Campod in Emerald Basin

At 6 am on Friday June 10th, we completed our final Campod transect in Emerald Basin.  When we get back to the Bedford Institute of Oceanography on June 14th, the job of analyzing the video and images will begin.  Below are a sample of the final images gathered from Emerald Basin by Campod.  At 7 am this morning we began Videograb deployments at sites identified during Campod transects.  A subsequent post describing Videograbbing in Emerald Basin and some early images will soon follow.

Long dead Russian Hats litter the bottom of Emerald Basin in massive aggregations.

A Cusk idles near a tube dwelling anemone. 

Small sea pens (Genus Pennatula) in Emerald Basin.  Check the links for more information on sea pens.

Sponge Everywhere

As we continue our work in Emerald Basin, it is increasingly evident that this location provides unique oceanographic conditions for sustaining these high concentrations of Russian Hats.  A temperature profile of the water column at this location, while similar in some regards to the rest of the Scotian Shelf is special because the near bottom temperatures at this point in time are 11 degrees Celsius. Emerald Basin is located on the inner part of the shelf, closer to land, but is connected to the seaward or outer edge of the shelf and continental slope by a channel that cuts between the fishing banks. Through this channel moves relatively warm slope water. This slope water is deep enough to have avoided the local effect of seasonal cooling in the winter, with the proximity of the warm Gulf Stream and North Atlantic Central Water mitigating the influence of the cold, southward flowing Labrador Current, making the basin a kind of "hot spot" for its location. As such, Emerald Basin is also an important, deep overwintering home for krill and copepod zooplankton, which are so important in marine ecosystems across the continental shelf and slope.

Tomorrow we will begin collecting bottom samples for taxonomy using Videograb.  Stay tuned for some great pictures.

A monk fish, master of camouflage lays in wait for an unsuspecting meal.

Red fish seek refuge near a large Russian Hat.  Unseen in this photo are the surrounding schools of Pollock.

Kevin MacIsaac and Sara Quigley log georeferenced biological data in specially designed software.

Shearwater dunks its head below surface for quick snack.

Marty King operates Campod during transects in Emerald Basin.

A Jonah Crab takes refuge within a large Russian Hat.

A good example of Russian Hats settling on hard substrate.  This bottom type is necessary for their presence.

Finally!! Our First Survey of Russian Hats in Emerald Basin

The first images of the ocean bottom were stunning and the high concentration sponges in this area appeared to be pristine.  As we moved down the first Campod transects, signs of trawling became apparent and matched our expectations of known trawling effort in the area.  Hundreds of high resolution geo-referenced images and video has been collected and these mark the start of images to be collected for analysis.  The primary objective for the visual examination of areas known to be historically trawled, is to assess the catch-ability of sponge by-catch which will improve predictive models that estimate by-catch of sponge by commercial trawling.

The first deployment of the CTD (Conductivity, Temperature and Depth probe) worked flawlessly.  We've successfully deployed Campod numerous times already and the imagery is very impressive.  We plan to spend one more day here and we hope to collect samples and additional photographs to supplement our collections to date.  Our internet connection is patchy so posts will be done when the internet is up and running.

Barry MacDonald operates Campod during deployment in Emerald Basin

Pollock swim over Russian Hats in Emerald Basin

A red fish peaks out behind a pristine concentration of Russian Hats.

A member of the Coast Guard crew aboard the Hudson deploys the CTD

Under Cover of Darkness

The CCGS Hudson set sail June 7th under perfect steaming conditions.  On our departure out of the harbor, a crescent moon hovered over the Halifax skyline.  This is the first time aboard an oceanographic research vessel for some of our Fisheries and Oceans staff, and the view of the brightly lit Halifax skyline receding in the distance as we steamed towards Emerald Basin was a welcome sight after days spent speculating on our eventual departure.

Downtown Halifax from the CCGS Hudson

As we passed under the MacKay bridge the CCGS Louis S. St-Laurent could be seen in dry dock  Not long after we passed by the wonderfully lit clock tower on Citadel Hill. 

The MacKay Bridge

The CCGS Louis S. St-Laurent

The Citadel Hill clock tower

Stay posted for more posts tomorrow.

Over The Hurdle

With our ship troubles now behind us, we will set sail for Emerald Basin this evening.  We should begin deploying Campod by early tomorrow morning.  Thank you all so much for your patience.

A Small Delay

The Canadian Flag blows in the Bedford Basin winds

On a breezy, cool morning at the Bedford Institute of Oceanography, Science Staff were working to complete gear trials in the basin prior to departing for our first Campod transect in Emerald Basin (check previous blog for more details).

Shawn Roach finishing preparation for a gear trial in Bedford Basin

Just as some of us were eating lunch, the ship's alarm bells began to ring and we all grabbed our life jackets and proceeded promptly to our muster stations where we awaited orders from the Ship's Captain.  After a lengthy delay, we were informed by the Captain that the ship had experienced difficulty in the engine room.  Upon further inspection, it appears as though the 

Carbon Dioxide fire suppression system was triggered in the engine room due to excessive heat.  As a precaution the ship has been sitting idle in the harbor as we await a tug to guide us back to BIO.

CCGS Hudson Coast Guard Crew prepare to investigate an incident in the engine room

A tug arrives to assist the Hudson back to BIO

We will keep you all posted as we receive more information or if details posted change.