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MISSION DISPATCH 1 October 02, 2005 | Claire Nouvian - @SEA Correspondent This cruise is the 6th and final edition of the Maine Event series led by Dr. Marsh Youngbluth of the Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institution. Since 2001, he and colleagues have been studying the roles of gelatinous zooplankton that live in midwater habitats within the Gulf of Marine and the deep-water canyons along the southern margin of Georges Bank. The ecological importance of these animals is poorly known. Traditional net tows usually transform such fragile fauna into amorphous globs of ooze that provide few hints about their vital organization, bizarre shape and feeding potential. However, with the aid of deep-diving submersibles, scientists have developed a better understanding of the biodiversity and behavior of soft-bodied zooplankton that inhabit the deep sea. 
Our cruise begins in Gloucester, Massachusetts. Gloucester smells of fish, strongly and everywhere, truly a fishermen's town. No coincidence that it's known as the city of The Perfect Storm. The weather is crisp and refreshing; the sunlight is stunning and revealing. The pale-colored wooden houses only need a housewife in a red dress waiting outside on a porch to perfectly match a painting by Edward Hopper. I suggest Gloucester also be remembered as the city of The Perfect Light. We are sailing on the R/V Seward Johnson tomorrow morning. During the few hours spent onboard the ship, I've made several discoveries:
2. One excellent surprise: two delightful women are in charge of the galley. We won't be fed just meat and potatoes. 
3. The most common phrase on the ship is: " Have you seen Marsh?" 4. Women are key elements in the beehive. Brandy Ninesling and Jessica Frost-Fajans are at home on the Seward Johnson. They have an answer for all those who look for Marsh. We love them. 5. You have to know your knots on a ship, no chance you can get away from that. Everyone tries a different method and memory trick with me: "it's the story of a snake that finds a hole in a tree, comes out of the hole, goes around behind the tree and back into the hole." That description is supposed to help me create a "bowline". I'm going to dream of snakes and trees tonight. 6. All oceanographic research ships have two common features: a wet lab and a dry lab. The wet lab gets all the fresh samples from the sea; the dry lab processes data in a second stage. 7. One person on this ship has set up a very different lab: his tanks don't have the same shape as everyone else's and his overhead lights are red. He doesn't move around at a frantic pace, his gestures are precise and focused, AND, he speaks with a different accent. That is David Shale, the quintessential English cameraman who produced magnificent footage for the BBC's Blue Planet series. He's aboard to video and photograph animals that the JOHNSON SEA-LINK I (JSL) will bring up from the deep. Today, his van is still messy and warm, but soon, he will be working at 40 F (about 5 C), the temperature at which many deep-water animals live. 
Since last April when Marsh invited me to join this cruise, I have been
dreaming about seeing deep-sea animals alive. Now, watching the effort
that David and others are putting into setting up the labs and
photographic tanks, I know I am close to realizing my dreams. Deep-living
fauna will soon be onboard and accessible! I can barely contain my
excitement.
And I hear the collection process is gentle enough to ensure the animals will be in great shape when the submersible returns from a dive, thanks to the samplers on the submersible and the skill of the pilots. Speaking of which, where is the submersible? Kelly Robinson and myself are newcomers on the ship. One of the queen bees (Brandy) gave us a tour of the JOHNSON SEA-LINK I. Wow! This undersea vehicle is an impressive technological tool. It's also a beautiful object, a perfect half sphere with a fish-eye aspect. Small thrusters appear on all sides and allow precise maneuverability, dozens of samplers provide for the capture of critters, and a piston pump, which injects formalin the second an animal is captured. Why? Because if the sub cruises around for 3 hours after the animal is collected, chances are that all the food in the stomach will be digested by the time the sub reaches the surface. Formalin both kills and preserves. That way, gut content analyses can be conducted without bias. 
The JSL submersible is a pearl of modern oceanography. One thought struck me this morning: if I ever go down, how will I accept the idea of not going back down again, and again, and again? Without having set a foot inside the sub, I can imagine that journeys into the dark, hyperbaric reaches of the sea must become addictive. End of the day, it's 10 pm and last-minute necessities will be purchased at the local hardware store tomorrow. We've walked to the mythical Crow's Nest bar for a well-deserved libation. The two fish guys, Franz Uiblein and Andrey Suntsov, join the group. They are just back from Boston where they toured the New England Aquarium. Five of us stand in a circle; 5 nationalities chatting together: Austria, England, France, Russia and USA. Marine biology is the field where you can make international friends. 
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