Canada C3 is coordinating about two dozen science programs during the 150 day expedition. It's the perfect opportunity to survey Canada's expansive coastlines, and the scope of the programs include the very small (DNA and microplastics) to the very large (polar bears and whales) and everything in between. You can get a sense of the range of studies being done on the C3 Expediton Science page. The Communications Team made this short video about the science programs that were happening during Leg 2. (Bonus: the back of my head makes a cameo appearance at 0:45!)
Some of the journey participants were there specifically to run the science programs. My roommate was the Chief Scientist for Leg 2, Dr. Lyne Morissette, an absolute gem of a woman, and a world renowned whale expert. Lyne could not possibly be a better person, and I am so grateful that I got to know her and hang out with her for 10 days. Lyne spent most of her time doing field work, and in the on-board science lab, which is a re-purposed shipping container filled with state of the art lab equipment.
The green shipping container on the starboard side is the science lab.
The "Canadensis Lab" is on loan from Dalhousie University in Halifax, NS, and it is pretty freaking cool. Check it out:
One of the other scientists aboard for Leg 2 was Daniel Hatin, a fisheries biologist who "is involved in large-scale monitoring of fish movement such as American eel, lake sturgeon, muskellunge and striped bass."
Daniel in the lab, prepping equipment.
Everyday, there were a few spots open for journey participants (like me) to participate in the science program instead of doing the larger group activity. On the second day that we were docked in Quebec City, a small group of us went with Daniel to meet with some of his colleagues who were catching and tagging striped bass in the St. Lawrence River.
The protocol was as follows: There were four gill nets, each about 60 m long, set perpendicular to the shore line, in an area where striped bass are known to spawn. Each net was was hauled up on to the boat every 30 minutes, and when there was a fish in the net it was placed in a holding tank on the boat where it was then measured, sexed if possible, and had a couple of scales removed for analysis back at a lab on shore. Then a tiny electronic tagging devise was inserted just below the skin midway down the fish's body and it was released back into the river.
Hauling in the net.
That's Heather Rankin, second from right, hauling in a net like a proper Cape Breton girl!
I remarked at how warm the water was for such a large river. The water temperature was 17 degrees Celsius that day, and one of the researchers told me striped bass spawn at 16 degrees. Hot stuff!
The holding tank on the research boat had a pump and a hose that was constantly recirculating water from the river, providing the fish with water that was the same temperature as the environment that they had just come out of, and lots of dissolved oxygen so they wouldn't suffocate.
This is the fish that I pulled in! Isn't he handsome?
Most of the bass that were pulled in were around 18" long. I asked one of the researchers if they ever caught any other kinds of fish, and she said that yes, on occasion they do. Their most exciting "by-catch" during this round of sampling was a salmon that was over one metre long. Holy mackeral! (haha)
Two of the researchers resetting the net.
Heather caught a fish.
Daniel, with Ville de Quebec in the background.
Heather, looking very satisfied with the day's catch.
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