Timeline of Teachers at Sea on the Eastern Bering Sea Pollock Acoustic-Trawl Survey
For 30 years, Teachers at Sea have joined NOAA scientists to survey pollock in the eastern Bering Sea. The following snapshots from our archives reveal how the survey, our program’s relationship with it, and the Bering Sea itself have changed over time.
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1994
Susan Willson, from McNeil High School in Austin, Texas, sailed as the first Teacher at Sea on the Bering Sea pollock acoustic trawl survey. It was a new experience not just for her but also for the scientists, who weren’t used to hosting teachers. She was the only female member of the science team. “All the guys were not sure what they could ask me to do or how interested I was in the [fish processing] operation,” she wrote. After being left out of the first few trawls, she reminded the chief scientist that she was there to participate in the data collection, and “after that, I had all the work I wanted.”
1999
By the time Debra Merrill, from Sparks High School in Sparks, Nevada, headed to sea, the scientists were much more comfortable with teachers. “I’m treated as part of the ship,” she wrote. “Teachers have been sailing aboard the (now decommissioned NOAA Ship) Miller Freeman for several years and scientists are always willing to answer questions and provide ideas for classroom activities.”
While Debra helped the team collecting data on pollock, other scientists on her cruise searched for the extremely rare North Pacific right whale, which for many years had been thought extinct. And on the last day of her 30-day survey, “after hundreds of hours watching the Bering Sea, the marine mammal observers were able to see and film North Pacific right whales.”
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2004
For many of the teachers, going to sea was a life-changing event. Jillian Worssam, from Sinagua Middle School in Flagstaff, Arizona, reflected on the impact of her experience on her outlook as NOAA Ship Miller Freeman returned to port.
“Four weeks ago I stood in Dutch Harbor, Alaska, about to board a 215-foot NOAA research vessel with no idea of what was about to unfold. Here I was, a teacher from Arizona, about to spend 30 days on the Bering Sea, to study walleye pollock, a fish I had never previously heard of… I saw thousands of pollock, and many other species, and have learned to truly appreciate a new ecosystem. I am sorry to leave. I have made friends, expanded my mind, and had an amazing adventure.”
Jillian was so enamored with life at sea that she took leave from teaching. She sailed aboard the Miller Freeman as a volunteer for several more surveys before returning to the classroom!
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2007
Marine science teacher Roy Arezzo, from the New York Harbor School in New York City, was one of the first Teachers at Sea to sail on NOAA Ship Oscar Dyson. This ship ushered in a new class of ultra-quiet fisheries survey vessels. In a recent podcast interview, he reflected on the impact of that experience 17 years ago. “For me, it was about understanding food systems better. Students eat every day, so I was excited to really be surrounded by people that understood fisheries,” he recalled.
“[The Teacher at Sea Program] enriched my perspective. It gave me a toolbox that I didn't have with access to data… I was able to connect [my students] to actual research that was going on. It connected students to global systems as well.” Now retired from teaching, Roy is spending a year advising NOAA education projects as a Teacher at Sea Alumni Association NOAA Fellow.
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2010
Teachers at Sea on the Bering Sea pollock survey have come from 20 states (and the District of Columbia), but teacher Story Miller had the distinction of sailing as a local. In 2010, she was teaching 7th and 8th grade math and science at Unalaska Jr/Sr High School in the town of Dutch Harbor itself.
Story knew her students were already familiar with pollock. “The pollock industry is incredibly important to the people living in Dutch Harbor and Unalaska because pollock is one of the main fishes processed there,” she wrote in her blog. She used her time at sea to explore the science and career possibilities behind sustainably managing the fishery. “The Teachers at Sea have an important role of working under the scientists and other crew members to learn about the research being conducted in an attempt to bring real science into the classrooms.”
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2014
Mary Murrian taught 5th grade math and science at William Henry Middle School in Dover, Delaware. Preparing for her cruise, she noted that her East Coast students might recognize Dutch Harbor from the Discovery Channel show Deadliest Catch. At sea, she compared methods between science at sea and in her classroom. “I have my students journal in both their math and science classes. And now I can show my students proof that scientists actually do the same thing.”
Mary delighted in using the electronic fish measuring board that the scientists had invented for the survey. “Once the tool touches the board (it makes a noise which sounds similar to ‘ta-da’ to let you know it captured its measurement), it automatically records the length in the database on the computer. I wish I had one for my classroom. Oh, the fun my students could have measuring!”
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2018
Not all of the teachers who sailed aboard the Midwater Acoustic-Trawl Survey were science teachers— the program is open to teachers of any subject. Emily Cilli-Turner, a math professor at University of La Verne in California, described herself as “a person with almost no experience working with biological specimens, much less fish.” But after 2 weeks at sea, she felt like an expert in the fish lab.
“At this point, I know more about pollock than I ever thought I would,” she wrote. “I am primarily responsible for measuring the length of the pollock sample. However, Mike and Darin have also taught me how to tell if a pollock is male or female. I have also become good at extracting the otoliths, which involves a precise cut of the pollock. I finally feel like a useful part of the team.”
Read Emily Cilli-Turner’s blog
2024
Now that the school year has started, Nick Lee has returned to Codman Academy in Dorchester, Massachusetts. He’s looking forward to incorporating pollock into his existing curriculum. “The scientists’ research involved concepts that are already a key part of AP Environmental Science, like biodiversity, sustainable fishing, and ocean currents,” he explains. He was also excited to see so many applications to his computer science classes.
“I’m still processing my experience as a Teacher at Sea, but overwhelmingly I feel lucky to have spent 3 weeks aboard NOAA Ship Oscar Dyson and grateful to all of the people I met along the way.”
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