Katie Wurtzell
Cornell University
Researched age-zero pollock populations in the eastern Bering Sea to better understand the seasonal progression of a year class.

The walleye pollock fishery is one of the largest fisheries in the United States and is an important component of the Bering Sea ecosystem. The highlight of my summer was the opportunity to spend three weeks aboard the NOAA Ship Oscar Dyson for part of the 2010 AFSC echo-integration trawl survey. Aboard the Dyson, I was able to observe and assist in the collection of active acoustic data first hand which proved to be invaluable in my analysis work. I also assisted in the fish laboratory, performing tasks such as processing of plankton and mid-water fishing tows. I helped sort the catch, measure and weigh fish, and collect stomach and otolith samples. I also assisted with the collection of physical oceanographic data, including assisting in the deployment of Expendable Bathythermographs (XBTs), water sampling, and processing of oxygen and chlorophyll samples.

Additionally, I was able to gain experience living at sea, including attempting to run on a treadmill aboard a rocking ship, learning about the inner workings of the vessel from the labs to the engine room, and getting to know the diverse group of scientists and crew including ornithologists, marine mammalogists, fisheries biologists, engineers, fishermen, and NOAA Corps officers. The Bering Sea was an interesting place to spend the summer; most days were a blur of constant fog, but on the rare days when the sun was shining, it was sunny late into the night. I was also able to observe a variety of sealife first hand – guts and all! I had the opportunity to “get my hands dirty” with walleye pollock, a smooth Lumpsucker, and numerous invertebrates ranging from massive jellyfish to tiny Euphausiids. We also were fortunate to see numerous cetaceans and thousands of seabirds.