Today I got to help out and observe how the MA Division of Marine Fisheries goes about sampling certain species of fish. I met with Vin Malkoski, and two other workers in order to launch the boat. The plan for the day was to pull up five fish traps throughout the bay, and take samples of Tautog fin spines which could later be used to find the age of the fish. So, we headed off into buzzards bay, and found the first trap! 
When we arrived at a trap, Vin would start by pulling it onto the boat with a hauler. This was always exciting to watch, because we never knew exactly what was going to be in the trap! The first trap we pulled up had the most eclectic group of fish; It had not only our target tautog, but also a flounder, a spider crab, and even a toadfish! Vin told me that they can have an attitude, but I thought he was a pretty cute fish. 
Once the trap was on the boat, one of the workers would sort of the fish, making sure any Tautog that were pulled up were both grown enough for sampling, as well as not recaptured from a previous sample batch. Once the right fish we’re sorted, their spine was clipped, stored, and labeled for review later on. We went through this process four more times, and eventually we had all the samples we needed. Before heading back to shore however, we needed to refuel the boat, and then load up for the next days work. We pulled up next the the pier, first unloading the traps from today, and then loading up with buoys that will be getting set tomorrow.
The next day Vin and I met at the marina again, but today I got to join him and Dr. Greg Skomal. Dr. Skomal is a Senior Fisheries Biologist at the Division of Marine Fisheries, and an accomplished explorer photographer and author. Dr. Skomal’ s goal for today was to launch the buoys which we had loaded onto the boat the day before. These buoys are equipped with an acoustic device which receives a signal from acoustically tagged sharks, and later provide data to Dr. Skomal, as well as the Atlantic White Shark Conservancy about shark position and movements! On our way to the coast of Cape Cod, I was able to practice steering the boat, and get used to navigating out on the ocean. Thank you Vin for all of the guidance! While we were under way, we got super lucky and saw a pretty big leatherback sea turtle too! Once we arrived at our first site, we immediately began to see seals by the hundreds along shore.
We started to get to work placing buoys, first we would attach the buoy to a mushroom anchor, then make sure the chain was in place to deploy without getting caught or tangled, and finally tossing the anchor into the water. We went through this process multiple times, leaving these buoys along the coast. On our last buoy, it started to rain, so I got to don the foul weather gear, and tossed the last anchor into the water. 
After the work was finished, we began the steam home. In all it was a great day, and I am so thankful to both Vin and Greg, as well as the Division of Marine Fisheries.
