September 6, 2011

St. Andrews New Brunswick, Canada 

Today is our first day in St. Andrews (excluding the the 12 hour car ride). After a quick breakfast, we headed to the nearby research center of the Canadian Department Fisheries and Oceans. We boarded onto the Fundy Spray, a modified lobster boat, and departed to collect some samples. After 20 minutes we collected some plankton from the surface of the water. The finer net collected much more than the other one. Later on, we dropped a scallop drag (the metal equivalent of a fishing net used to accumulate specimens from the sea floor). A pile of sea urchins, rocks, hermits crabs and scallops was the result. Finally, the crew dragged a large fishing net through the water for a half-hour and filled a metal basin with water. The fishing net dragged in a solid variation of fish species and several lobsters, one of was absolutely staggering in size. It was a foot and half long, weighed approximately 11 pounds and had claws which could separate your finger from your hand with ease. Afterwards we sorted through the fish in the basin and found some species of fish that i didn't even know existed for example the Shorthorn Sculpin. The Sculpin's defensive mechanisms are to flare its gills and vibrate its stomach. We had to measure the different species of fish and then the guides decided whether to keep them for the Huntsman aquarium or to throw them back into the bay. Some of the fish didn't survive the pressure so we kept them for dissection later this week. All in all our first morning here in New Brunswick was a great success.
Nick and Connor