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In short, this was the best cruise I have ever led. The immaculate condition of the Research Vessel SEWARD JOHSON (RVSJ), the cooperation of the crew, the leadership of the captain, and especially the collegial and supportive orientation of Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institution (HBOI) made my other experiences at sea pale in comparison. My sincere gratitude goes first to the hard working seamen of the RVSJ; then to all the others at HBOI to numerous to name, who worked so hard to bring our research to Atol das Rocas, and to bring Atol das Rocas to the people of the world!

The Price of Discovery--Paperwork

I suppose I have become spoiled by all of my Bahamian research activities--for nearly 20 years the Bahamas Fisheries Department has welcomed my research cruises with open arms and a minimum of formalities. Not so with Brazil, it turned out. To begin with, getting the scientific crew and ship to Atol das Rocas required two years of difficult, delicate negotiations between the US and Brazilian governments, and between American and Brazilian scientists. To bring the R/V SEWARD JOHNSON to Atol das Rocas required me to write an amazingly detailed research plan, including specifications of the horsepower of the ship's diesel engines, the output of the ship's desalinators, crew statistics, etc., etc. I had to write four separate proposals: the core National Science Foundation (NSF) grant which gives me access to the US research fleet; another to the International Directorate of the NSF to fund our US-Brazil collaboration; another to the Brazilian Research Directorate (CNPq), and yet another to the Brazilian evironmental protection agency known as IBAMA, for permission to work at the highly-protected Rocas marine reserve. Everything had to be translated from English to Portuguese and back. Brazilian and US research teams had to be recruited and evaluated, and special "cultural" visas were required for the US participants. Just the air tickets to the Brazilian port of Natal took 2 months to finalize! Once in Brazilian waters, we were even required to have a Brazilian Naval officer on board at all times. Luckily, Lt. Comdr. Luiz Eduardo Brandao was friendly, relaxed, and fascinated with our research. He even participated in our field work.

Signed, Sealed, Delivered--

The scientific crew arrived at the port city of Natal, Brazil in the late afternoon. We met our Brazilian counterparts, signed and notarized yet more papers, and finally got underway to Rocas at 0800 on the 12th.

Our expedition would be exploratory; a survey to see just how much our predictions and local information related to the true situation at Rocas. As I wrote in my March 24 dispatch to the @Sea website, we learned quickly that theory and reality were worlds apart.

After a short time in the harsh Atol das Rocas environment, battering our equipment and ourselves, we figured out exactly what we need to do at Rocas next year to raise our tagging rate from 30% to 90%. We reaffirmed the old fisher's adage that FRESH bait catches sharks. We will have fresh bait next year.

We also found out that despite our best intentions to have the cruise be a learning laboratory for Brazilian students, 29 members in a field party is just too many. Next year, we will streamline to 20 or so. Everyone wanted to work with the live sharks, but we were limited by the Warden of Rocas to 12 people at a time on the island. Under these circumstances, frustration and boredom become real enemies.

Perhaps our greatest accomplishment was winning the trust of and respect of the "Queen of Rocas", Warden Maurezelia Brito. Initially, she treated us with extreme suspicion. Now, she is looking forward to our return in 12 months realizing that we are serious in our work and respectful of her domain. Her positive impression of our team will go a long way toward allowing us to do the intensive research that eventually will be required to understand the Rocas ecosystem.

So was the cruise a success? From my point of view, merely being allowed to work at Atol das Rocas was a success! Our immediate goal was to sample the juvenile population of the lemon sharks at Rocas. To this end, we were able to handle about 30% of the baby lemon sharks. But more importantly, we tested our methods, modified them, and will be prepared next year to tag them all.

Going Back for More--

In the long run, I'd like to understand the complex, compact little ecosystem operating at Rocas. On my first, short visit in 98, I was struck by the paucity of invertebrates such as starfish, sea urchins, and sea anemones. Why should such a rich, tropical environment with infinite crags and crannies and tidepools be devoid of these ubiquitous marine animals? As a first step, we began to look at the base of the oceanic food chain, at the plankton, and at the characteristics of the water masses and currents around Rocas.

In future years, should interest and funding materialize, I would like participate in an overall analysis of the trophic dynamics at Rocas and produce a predictive, computer simulation of the entire system. Toward this goal, we have begun to gather baseline oceanographic and biological data.

We have at least one more cruise in 2000, under the existing NSF grant. If re-funded in 2001, we stand a very good chance to achieve our long-term goals. But first things first. I have only 6 weeks to get my permits in and begin the maze of paperwork all over again!

But before I start shuffling next year's papers, I want to express my gratitude to all of the good people who helped get last year's paperwork signed, sorted, stamped, approved, ammended, appended, and appropriately filed. I first thank Dr. Ricardo Rosa, my Co-PI, and Tom Cocke at the US State Department; Alusio Campos at the Brazilian Embassy in Washington DC, Dr. Carlos Faria of CNPq, Dr. Gilberto Sales of IBAMA; and Dean Hoffman, my talented travel agent. I am especially grateful to NSF officers, Dr. Harold Stolberg, Susan Parris of the International program, and Dr. Kendra Daly of Biological Oceanography. All of these fine folks supported and advised me as I made my way through the reams of paperwork required to do oceanographic research at Atol das Rocas. Knowledge gained on our first mission on future visits will make all of the background work worthwile.