Fishing for Data: real world applications for oceanographic observations

Waters off the Northeast U.S. have warmed faster than most of the world’s oceans, with potentially drastic impacts on fishing industries. Spend the day learning from top researchers at WHOI and the Cape Cod Commercial Fishermen's Alliance (Fishermen’s Alliance) about how scientists and fishermen are working together to  document and understand these changing ocean conditions. 

Start the day learning about the eMOLT Project from Mel Sanderson of the Fishermen’s Alliance, one of the collaborators on this NOAA research initiative. Fishermen engaged in eMOLT put put sensors on their gear to record water quality parameters such as temperature and dissolved oxygen, providing insight into how ocean properties are changing. Mel will give a high level overview of how the environmental sensors work and then dive into how fishermen are using the data to improve their fishing businesses.

Next, WHOI’s Caroline Ummenhofer and Finn Wimberly will describe their WHOI Sea Grant-supported project to assess ocean conditions in Massachusetts, including the Outer Cape Cod Coastal Current (OCCC), a major exchange pathway of freshwater and nutrients between the Gulf of Maine and the Mid-Atlantic Bight. Scientists have only sparse data from this critical region, but by partnering with the Fishermen’s Alliance, they are now using fishing vessels to collect vital conductivity, temperature and depth data.. Caroline and Finn will introduce a web-based, custom-built tool designed to easily visualize the data collected: https://ccocean.whoi.edu/. The data offer scientists a better understanding of changing ocean conditions,and enable fishermen to use the information to make real-time science-based decisions. Through hands-on exploration of the web-tool, we’ll discuss how educators and students can use the data to engage with oceanographic concepts.

In the afternoon, we'll demo the eMOLT curriculum. This was designed to introduce high school students to key oceanographic and water quality concepts using the eMOLT dataset. It provides place-based lessons rooted in Massachusetts data  on topics involving Oceanography, Fisheries, Water Quality, Marine Biology, Data Manipulation and Analysis, and much more. Each lesson includes Next Generation Science Standards and Massachusetts Framework associated with the topics covered.

At the end of the day, take home a thumb drive with background material and the classroom activities.

Next Generation Science Standards:

MS Ecosystems: Interactions, Energy, and Dynamics

• LS2-1. Analyze and interpret data to provide evidence for the effects of resource availability on organisms and populations of organisms in an ecosystem.
• LS2-2. Construct an explanation that predicts patterns of interactions among organisms across ecosystems.
• LS2-4. Construct an argument supported by empirical evidence that changes to physical or biological components of an ecosystem affect populations.

MS Growth, Development, and Reproduction of Organisms

• LS1-5. Construct a scientific explanation based on evidence for how environmental and genetic factors influence the growth of organisms.

For financial assistance or other questions, contact Grace Simpkins, gsimpkins@whoi.edu