Leg 1 is almost over! But before it ends, lets meet Alexis Sabine from USVI's DPNR

Kathryn and Aras deploy the epic MOCNESS

Leg 1 of the cruise is coming to an end tomorrow afternoon! As the scientists get their last few stations in, we got a chance to learn about another scientist from the US Virgin Islands. Alexis Sabine works for the U.S. Virgin Islands Departmentof Planning and Natural Resources.

She took a few moments from her shift to tell us about herself and her experiences so far during leg 1 of our research survey: 

Collecting plankton samples

“As a Fisheries Biologist with the Division of Fish and Wildlife, I participate in research and monitoring projects to assess the state of marine resources of the USVI to promote their preservation and effective management, including species important to the commercial fishing industry such as lobster, queen conch, and various fish species.”

Alexis examining larval fish under the scope

In my participation on this cruise, I am working with scientists from NOAA SEFSC, the University of Miami, and other institutions as they collect data to further their understanding of the early life history of larval fish. My role is to help deploy instruments such as a CTD (which collects water quality data as well as water samples), and two types of nets that are towed while the ship is underway to collect plankton samples at various depths. These include an S10 or Surface Neuston net and a MOCNESS (Multiple Opening/Closing Net and Environmental Sensing System)[Learn about our nets from previous blog post]. The MOCNESS is particularly exciting for me since it is my first time using this type of net, and it provides important information regarding the depth stratification of plankton from the surface down to 100 meters. I have been learning how to set up the net system and run the deployment using a computer that monitors the depth, speed, and angle of the net from inside the ship’s lab, and processing the plankton samples after the nets are retrieved.

This cruise has provided me with the opportunity to enhance my hands-on experience in oceanographic and biological sampling methodologies and also learn how to identify larval fish collected in the net tows. This is harder than it sounds, since fish in their larval

Larval parrotfish (Scaridae)

phase look completely different than adult fish! My participation in the cruise allows me to share my knowledge of the USVI waters with the rest of the group and learn about their current research aims and projects, knowledge which I will share with my colleagues back at the Fish and Wildlife office. 

Redband parrotfish adult

I hope to be able to apply the new techniques and research ideas I learned about to develop some new projects of our own that can fill some of the data gaps in the early life histories of commercially important fish species in the USVI. I am grateful for the opportunity to join the cruise and look forward to future collaborations with the other scientists on board!”

Alexis also got a chance to look at other fishes under the scope and told me her favorite so far was the sargassum fish! So I found some nice photos from our extensive larval fish archive! These are juveniles and they easily blend in with their floating sargassum ecosystem! 
To learn a bit more about Alexis' work, check out the USVI Department of Planning and Natural Resources Fish and Wildlife webpage!

Sargassum fish also known as Antennaridae (likely Histrio histrio) ~ 40 mm TL

Sargassum fish (~30mm TL)