In June 2024, scientists from NOAA’s Southeast Fisheries Science Center and partners at U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service set out on NOAA Ship Gordon Gunter, They’re collecting data for the second year of the Vessel Survey for Abundance and Distribution of Marine Mammals and Seabirds project. This survey helps us better understand the spatial distribution of marine mammals and seabirds within the Gulf of Mexico, providing information necessary to effectively plan and monitor restoration activities.
Follow along with our team of scientists as they document sightings, ocean sounds, and activities aboard the Gordon Gunter during the 2024 survey.
Learn more about the 2-year vessel survey
Day One
After a slight weather delay, NOAA Ship Gordon Gunter set sail at 10:00 a.m. on June 2. It took a whole day with the ship underway to reach the first trackline. The next day the team awoke to calm seas and winds, and visual operations began shortly after sunrise. The team saw dolphins, but they were too far away to identify the species. In the data set, we call these “unidentified dolphins.”
Once the trackline crossed over into deep enough water, the acoustics team successfully deployed the towed hydrophone array. Despite the winds picking up in the afternoon, the visual team spotted some common bottlenose dolphins, spinner dolphins, and a group of sperm whales. Additionally, the seabird team reported sighting the most boobies ever (15 brown and masked boobies) in 1 day on a Gulf of Mexico cruise!
The acoustics team worked for around 10 hours, testing the equipment and troubleshooting during the first day of the survey. They had six acoustic detections including unidentified dolphins, unidentified toothed whales, and sperm whales. Five out of six of these detections coincided with visual sightings. The quality of data was comparable to previous cruises on the Gordon Gunter and all technological bugs were worked out by the team.
Day Two
The team woke up to quite the surprise: a group of boobies were resting on the flagpole and pooping all over the bow! It seems the birds decided the ship’s bow needed a little redecorating! Based on the team’s aesthetic preferences and hygienic needs, the deck department made sure to thoroughly wash the bow.
The ship was headed east-northeast along the next trackline with 2-foot seas and a light breeze. They were in deep water most of the day, reaching the start of the continental slope shortly after dinnertime.
The visual team’s sighting roster for the day included pantropical spotted, rough-toothed, common bottlenose, and Risso’s dolphins, as well as sperm whales. The bird team had a slightly calmer day, encountering fewer brown and masked boobies than the previous day. They did, however, spot a wayward mourning dove and the first sooty terns of the cruise.
Acoustics work ran from sunrise through sunset, totaling 13 detections. The morning was dominated by sperm whale groups and the afternoon was all about the dolphins, including a close encounter with Risso’s dolphins.
During the late afternoon, the visual team was surprised to spot a large sailboat adrift. At the request of the U.S. Coast Guard, the Gordon Gunter approached the sailboat to confirm it held no passengers in distress. Fortunately, in this case, we later found out that the sailboat’s occupants ran into trouble in a storm. They were evacuated by the Coast Guard 3 days before we encountered it. All occupants were returned safely to shore and the boat eventually washed up on Pensacola Beach.
Stay tuned to follow along with us as we continue our journey!
