NOAA Scientists Trace Gulf Stream Meanders

Marine Currents May HaveCaused 1976 New Jersey Fish Kill

NOAAINMFS Developments

A massive 1976 fish kill off NewJersey may have been caused in part byan unusual combination of ocean cur­rents, according to scientists with theNational Oceanic and AtmosphericAdministration (NOAA).

Gregory Han, Donald Hansen, andJerry Galt of the Commerce Depart­ment agency's Environmental Re­search Laboratories have studied theocean currents off New Jersey for thesummer of 1976, when 'severe oxygendepletion turned the waters deadly.They reported, at a recent meeting ofthe American Geophysical Union, thatan uncommon current pattern prevailedwhich could have transported phyto­plankton from a wide region and con­centrated them in one area, where theycontributed to the consumption of oxy­gen in the bottom waters.

Han emphasized that the study dem­onstrated only one possible cause of themortalities. "We've shown a mech­anism for concentration of plankton andother organic material, but we can't tellhow much oxygen these organismswere actually burning," he said.

It originally was thought that theanoxia might be caused solely byphytoplankton naturally occurring inthe area, combined with normal sum­mer stratification of the water. Whenthe plankton drifting on the surface die,their remains sink to the bottom anddecompose, a process that consumesoxygen. Stratification, in which watersform stable layers, tends to cut off thebottom waters from infusions of oxy­gen from the atmosphere.

There was more to it than that in thisinstance, according to Han. He and theother scientists used a computer modeldeveloped by Galt to simulate the cur-

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rents off New Jersey during the summerof 1976. The model uses data on cur­rents, water density, and temperature toprovide a picture of water movements.

Much of the data used in the modelcame from an intense environmentalstudy of the New York Bight-a sec­tion of the Atlantic Ocean betweenLong Island and New Jersey-byNOAA's Marine Ecosystems Analysis(MESA) program. This informationcame from current meters moored in thearea, and other types of measurementsmade from ships during routine re­search voyages.

"During the summer," Han said,"the currents east of New Jersey nor­mally flow to the southwest. But in1976, winds from the south turned the

Satellites operated by the NationalOceanic and Atmospheric Administra­tion are helping that agency's scientistsexplore and map the intricate, mean­dering collection of ocean currentsstemming from the Gulf Stream. Thiscomplex current system, the NOAAscientists have reported, can now bemapped in detail from the tip of Floridato Labrador's Grand Banks in two days,a task formerly requiring weeks of shiptime to accomplish.

This is one of the results of a studyreported at the recent meeting of theAmerican Geophysical Union inMiami, Fla., by George A. Maul, P.Webb DeWitt, Alan Yanaway, andStephen R. Baig of the Commerce De­partment agency. According to Maul,an oceanographer with NOAA's Atlan­tic Oceanographic and Meteorological

flow around near the shore, pushing itnorthward, back toward the mouth ofthe Hudson River. There was a con­vergence of currents, and this couldhave brought in, and concentrated, or­ganisms and organic matter from allover the Bight." This event, in turn,was coupled with an upwelling of waternear the shore, he said. "So you had anonshore flow along the bottom, and anoffshore flow at the surface." The wat­ers flowed north, rose, and flowed backto the southwest.

The converging currents were capa­ble of concentrating large numbers of atype of phytoplankton called Ceratiumtripos in a relatively small area, wherethey could have become trapped bytheir own natures, according to Han.Different species of phytoplankton pre­fer to live at different depths, and Cera­tium is found at the level where thecurrents converged.

The phyloplankton added substanti­ally to the consumption of the area'ssupply of oxygen, both through respira­tion, and decomposition, the NOAAscientists believe. Other types of or­ganic matter brought in by the currentswould also have decomposed, usingstill more oxygen.

Laboratories in Miami, the constantlyshifting meanders along the west wallof the Gulf Stream in particular are ofimportance not only to mariners, but tothose concerned with the carry-off ofpollutants in coastal waters and otherphenomena.

Shipboard time-series studies usingcurrent meters and other equipment inthe Gulf Stream system indicate thatmeanders have longer periods in someregions than in others. While an annualperiod seems to dominate the system inthe eastern Gulf of Mexico, meanderperiods in the region between Cape Hat­teras, N.C., and the Grand Bankssoutheast of Labrador are about 1.5months. Other shipboard surveys haverevealed that the fl uctuations in the GulfStream current boundary may last 4-10days 'in the Straits of Florida near

Marine Fisheries Review

Miami, and 4-7 days at Onslow Bay,N.C.

"Little is known about meanderperiods briefer than a fortnight in theGulf Look Current or in the GulfStream northeast of Cape Hatteras,"the NOAA scientists reported, "orabout longer (monthly or annual)periods in the Straits of Florida or offOnslow Bay."

Furthermore, it is not practical tosimultaneously study the meandersalong the entire I ,500-nautical-mile(2,750-kilometer) Gulf Stream systembetween Cuba and Labrador by conven­tional shipboard techniques, Maul andhis colleagues said. As a result, theNOAA scientists concluded that satel­lite observations of the sea surfacetemperature pattern associated with theentire current system is presently theonly practical method for synopticallytracking the meanders.

Before the launch of NOAA's firstgeostationary operational environmen­tal satellite in 1974, many satellite in­vestigations were limited to casestudies using a few good cloud-freeexamples. The GOES satellite, how­ever, has an operational 30-minute ob­servation schedule which means theimages can be put together in a continu­ous sequence so that, on the average,the entire current can be located every2-3 days.

As a result, Maul and Baig, who iswith NOAA's National EnvironmentalSatellite Service, located the entireGulf Stream from the Yucatan Straitbetween Mexico and Cuba and theGrand Banks near Labrador, Canada,using sateIlite image sequencetechniques. A subsequent study of theGulf Stream by another scientist usedGOES data to investigate meanders offOnslow Bay, N.C., and found frequen­cies similar to shipboard observationsmade in 1961.

Foreign Fish BoatsOff U. S. CoastsIncrease in March

The number of foreign fishing ves­sels sighted in the United States 200­mile conservation zone increased from

July /978

Foreign fishing vessels sighted off U.S. coasts InMarch 1978 and 1977.

No. of Vessels

March MarchArea Nation 1978 1977

New England andMid-Atlantic Canada 0 1

Japan 5 14Mexico 2 0Soviet Union 19 24Spain 21 21

-47 60

Gulf of Mexico Japan 15 0

Alaska Japan 123 73S. Korea 6 1Soviet Union 56 46Taiwan 1 0

-186 120

Total 248 180

206 in February to 248 in March, ac­cording to preliminary figures releasedby the National Oceanic and Atmos­pheric Administration. The ships,sighted by the Commerce Departmentagency's National Marine FisheriesService and Coast Guard personnel,were from six foreign nations.

The largest number, 143, was fromJapan which had 123 vessels fishing for

Fishing VesselAccidents Eyed

The causes of fishing vessel sinkingsand accidents will be studied by Uni­versity of Washington scientists under a$1,794,000 National Oceanic and At­mospheric Administration (NOAA)Sea Grant announced by Secretary ofCommerce Juanita M. Kreps. Thestudy, being done in cooperation withNOAA's National Marine FisheriesService, could result in saving lives andmillions of dollars worth of fishingcraft, the scientists believe.

The project is one of 51 to be pursuedby Sea Grant scientists at Washingtonunder the grant, which will be aug­mented by non-Federal matching fundsof $1,025,000, according to Ned A.Ostenso, Director of NOAA's NationalSea Grant Program. The researchersplan to compile an extensive record ofaccidents involving commercial fishingvessels so that a permanent Fishing

groundfish and pollock off Alaska, 15fishing for tuna in the Gulf of Mexico,and five fishing for squid off New Eng­land and the Mid-Atlantic coasts. TheSoviet Union had 56 vessels fishing forgroundfish in Alaskan waters, and 19vessles fishing for squid and hake offNew England and the 'Mid-AtlanticStates.

The summary of foreign fishing ves­sels operating off U.S. coasts duringMarch 1978 and March 1977 is given inthe accompanying table.

Foreign vessels sighted off the coastsin 1976 were as follows: January-420,February-510, March-435, April-560, May-924, June-970, July-842, August-543, September-514, October-452, November-258, December-240. In 1977: Jan-uary-3 19, February-314, March­180, April-235, May-374, June-767, July-786, August-492, Sep­tember-437, October-378, Novem­ber-256, and December- 188. In1978: January-158, February-206,March-248.

Vessel Safety Analysis Center, similarto the military's Aviation Safety Cen­ters, can be established.

Cooperating in the collection of datawill be the U.S. Coast Guard, under­writers, vessel owner associations,legal representatives, and individualfishermen. Benefits of such a data base,say the researchers, will be availabilityof information from a single source,more accurate statistics, more effectivesafety programs, and wide dissemina­tion of the underlying causes of acci­dents with anticipated reductions in los­ses of lives and vessels.

In addition to the study of fishingvessel casualties, other new projectsbeing initiated this year include an in­vestigation into the distribution, abun­dance, growth, and residence time ofjuvenile salmon in the Skagit saltmarsh; a program, along with industry,on genetic improvement on salmonbeing raised in pens; a study into theeconomic impact of marine recreationalboating in Washington, being underta-

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ken in cooperation with the NorthwestMarine Trade Association; and, a pro­gram to develop teaching materials fortwo sequential courses outlining how touse environmental information in mak­ing decisions in coastal management.

Two other new educational projectswill be initiated at the University's In­stitute of Marine Studies. One will be todevelop a syllabus of readings for acourse in ocean law enforcement, andthe other to develop a seminar course onthe technical, legal, economic, and en­vironmental aspects of managingmarine resources.

Under this year's grant, marine ad­visory services will continue at aboutthe same level of effort as last year,although much more emphasis will beplaced on the establishment of astronger field program in the ColumbiaRiver region.

Bowhead WhalingRules Published

Final regulations controlling the sub­sistence hunt of bowhead whales byAlaskan Eskimos during 1978 havebeen published by the National Oceanicand Atmospheric Administration's Na­tional Marine Fisheries Service. Ac­cording to the Commerce Departmentagency, these regulations implementthe limited aboriginal subsistance quotaadopted by the International WhalingCommission (lWC). Effective 20

March 1978, Alaskan Eskimos wererequired to adhere to the bowheadwhale quota of either 12 landed or 18struck.

The regulations allocate the IWCquota among the affected villages (Kak­tovik, Nuigsut, Barrow, Wainwright,Point Hope, Kivalina, Gambell,Savoonga, and Wales) and providethat, once a village has achieved itsquota, it must cease whaling. If a vil­lage does not reach its quota, the re­maining portion may be reassigned toanother village. The regulations pro­vide for licensing of whalers, prohibitwhaling in a wasteful manner, and es­tablish requirements for markingweapons.

Residents of nine villages annuallyhunt the whales during their spring andfall migrations through openings in thesea pack ice near their villages. Whalehunting has been an important part ofthe culture and subsistence lifestyle ofAlaska Eskimos for centuries. Thespring hunt, when most whales are tak­en, begins about 1 April, depending onice conditions, and lasts 6-8 weeks.

In addition to the Federal regula­tions, the Alaska Eskimo WhalingCommission (AEWC) has prescribedregulations for its member whaling cap­tains to assure that the equipment andwhaling techniques used will comple­ment the Federal regulations and willpromote the use of the best means pos­sible to reduce the number of whalesthat are struck and not landed.

NOAA will implement a $700,000multi-year research program to deter·mine the status of the bowhead whalestock. The Eskimos have agreed to as­sist in ·the program by allowing the re­search personnel access to the whalesthat are landed and permit them to takespecimens. Eskimo whalers will con­tinue to count whales after the hunt hasended and report the results to the re­search party. NOAA will assist in es­tablishing additional research camps onthe ice in response to a suggestion bythe AEWC.

NOAA has made arrangements witha commercial company to investigatepossible modifications and improve­ments in the weapons used by the Es-'kimos to reduce the number of whales

that are struck and lost due to improp­erly functioning weapons. A represen­tative of the company visited the vil­lages in March to instruct the whalerson the proper procedures to load themunitions and to demonstrate the use ofthe weapons. If the weapons need addi­tional modifications, NOAA will fundadditional development work neededon the weapons.

NOAA will provide eight electronic"pingers" and two tracking devices toat least two of the Eskimo whaling cap­tains so that the research team can testthe effectiveness of the tracking devicesto follow whales that have been struckin order to facilitate recovery.

The U. S. has arranged for an interna­tional observer from Denmark to ob­serve the hunt and will provide accom­modations for the observer.

Eskimos will be employed by the Na­tional Marine Fisheries Service to assistNMFS enforcement agents that will beused as monitoring teams in six of theEskimo villages during the spring hunt.The Eskimo will be a Federal employeewhile a member of the team and willassist the NMFS agents in informingwhalers of the strikes and landings ofother whalers, recording information,performing inspections, and carryingout any necessary investigations.

After a village has reached its quota,the NMFS agents will leave and thelocally hired employee will continue tomonitor activities of the village. Infor­mation gathered by the local reportingofficer will be made available to theAEWC which may use the informationfor enforcement of the AEWC regula­tions.

Scientists ObserveCaribbean Currents

The surface waters of the Caribbeanmay retain pollutants longer than exist­ing current charts suggest, according toa National Oceanic and AtmosphericAdministration (NOAA) scientist. Re­porting at an April meeting of theAmerican Geophysical Union in MiamiBeach, NOAA oceanographer RobertMolinari described results from a recentstudy which used satellite-tracked

Marine Fisheries Review

Study Boosts Foreign Sales for U.S. Fish

buoys to trace the circulation of theregion.

Molinari said that Caribbean surfacecurrents were much more complicatedthan had been generally believed, sothat water-and any pollutants it mayreceive-would tend to remain in theCaribbean for months before returningto the Atlantic through the FloridaStraits. "This longer residence time hasimplications for environmental impactstudies, since any pollutants dischargedin the region would remain longer thanpreviously assumed," he said.

The conventional view of currents inthe area, explained Molinari, a re­searcher with the Commerce Depart­ment agency's Atlantic Oceanographicand Meteorological Laboratories inMiami, is based on "pilot charts,"compiled from numerous ship observa­tions spanning the last century. Thecharts show a simple pattern of watermovement in the Caribbean-a flowfrom east to west, at about a knot or aknot and a half (slightly over a mile anhour), with little north-south variation.The new buoy results show quite a dif­ferent picture.

For the study, Molinari and col­leagues at Nova University and theUniversity of Puerto Rico deployed atotal of 19 mini-buoys at the eastern endof the Caribbean Sea. The buoys carrywind sensors and drogues-a type ofunderwater parachute that ties the buoyto the water and minimizes the effect ofwind. In October 1975, scientists on theNOAA ship Researcher deployed eightof the buoys in the passages betweenislands of the Lesser Antilles. Threemonths later 11 more were set afloat,within several passages, and west of theundersea Aves Ridge. Their move­ments were tracked by satellite, aver­aged together, and plotted on charts.The results did show a general east­to-west flow, but hardly in a direct line.

The buoys made large excursions tothe north and south, Molinari reported,carried by meanders (winding currents)and eddies (circular, whirlpool-likemotions). In the Grenada Basin, be­tween the Lesser Antilles and the AvesRidge, eddies as large as 60 miles (100km) across caught the buoys. Meanderscarried them 150 miles (250 km) to the

July 1978

north and south. The course of thesemeanders described a wave patternacross the sea, watery oscillations witha wavelength of 240 miles (400 km),the same as the distance between themajor ridges in the basin. Molinariplans further study to see if the twoobservations are related.

In the corner of one basin of the sea,the researchers found the waters rotat­ing in the opposite direction from thatshown on pilot charts. They also foundthat the flow in the eastern Cayman Sea,south of Cuba, is dominated by a largeeddy. The researchers were surprised athow their results differed from the pilotcharts, but, according to Molinari, "thecharts are based on the movements of

A $400,000 contract to study thestructure and trade barriers of foreignmarkets for species of fish which, al­though abundant off U.S. coasts, arelittle used domestically, has beenawarded to Earl R. Combs, Inc. l

, Seat­tle, Wash., by the National Oceanicand Atmospheric Administration(NOAA).

The Commerce Department agen­cy's study also will determine the capa­bility of the U.S. fishing industry toproduce products for these markets, ac­cording to NOAA AdministratorRichard A. Frank. "This study is part ofNOAA's continuing effort to improvethe economic health of the domesticfishing industry by encouraging de­velopment of new export markets forU.S. fishermen," Frank indicated. Theproject, lasting a year, will examinemarkets in 16 European and Far Easterncountries where many fish under­utilized in the U.S. are considered del­icacies. Squid, herring, eels, and vari­ous underused groundfish are in shortsupply overseas.

By examining market structure,price mechanisms, and trade barriers,

'Mention of trade names or commercial firmsdoes not imply endorsement by the NationalMarine Fisheries Service, NOAA.

ships, a ship's motion is affected by thewind as well as currents, and the windsdo blow pretty consistently from east towest. "

The main implication of theirfindings, Molinari said, is that thingsstay in the Caribbean longer thanthought, implying that pollutants mighthave a greater effect, because it wouldtake longer for circulating waters toflush them out. Other implications areless obvious. The Caribbean, theNOAA scientist pointed out, is a part ofthe North Atlantic Gyre, the grandclockwise circulation that includes theGulf Stream. What happens here af­fects what goes on in the entire NorthAtlantic, he said.

the study will identify potential marketareas and provide the U.S. fishing in­dustry with information on marketingtechniques, pricing mechanisms, andproduct type and demand in specificmarket areas. The project also willidentify potential demand for fish andshellfish, including underutilizedspecies, in domestic markets. Bothdomestic and foreign impediments todevelopment of these fisheries will bereviewed. Such items as tariffs, gearregulations, border taxes, and quotasall may serve to inhibit the developmentof markets or the supplies needed.

The contract is funded by six De­partment of Commerce units: the Na­tional Marine Fisheries Service, theEconomic Development Administra­tion, and four Regional Commissions(Coastal Plains, Pacific Northwest,Upper Great Lakes, and New England).

Frank emphasized that the U. S.fishing industry had helped design thestudy and would participate in its de­velopment. Noting the study was a sig­nificant step in identifying specificmarkets for fish products available inthe United States 200-mile zone, hesaid it will provide guidance to thefishing industry on when and how todevelop this potential.

The contractor will visit various in­dustry groups to gather information.

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throughout the project. In the fall, aNational Conference on Fishery De­velopment will be held to review thefindings of the study. However, duringthe progress of the work, findings ofimmediate use and interest will be re­layed to industry so that opportunitiesmay be taken advantage of as they ap­pear.

NOAA Monitors MarineMining Tests in Pacific

Operational test-mining of the deepocean floor was underway for the firsttime in history in the central PacificOcean in April, with scientists from theNational Oceanic and AtmosphericAdministration (NOAA) on-site toevaluate their impact on the marine en­vironment.

A converted ocean oil-well drillingship, the Sedco 445, owned by one of agroup of U. S., Canadian, West Ger­man, and Japanese companies thatmake up Ocean Mining, Inc. I, waspumping manganese nodules from thesea bed at a depth of more than 3 miles,testing a system by which the nodulesare collected, separated from otherocean floor material, and lifted up to thevessel.

During the early stages of the testperiod, the NOAA Ship Oceanog­rapher, working nearby the Sedco 445,observed the effect of these activities.Two separate events were also moni­tored: the plume of materials along theocean floor generated as the collectordraws in and separates the nodules andother materials, and a surface plumecaused by shipside disposal of excessmaterials brought to the surface alongwith the nodules.

The precise environmental effect ofboth events is uncertain, requiring theirmonitoring, according to Robert E.Burns. NOAA's chief scientist on theproject. The Commerce Departmentagency official was doing his monitor­ing with previously-placed ocean bot­tom instruments, while a colleague,

'Mention of trade names or commercial firmsdoes not imply endorsement by the NalionalMarine Fisheries Service. NOAA.

30

mineralogist Leal Kimrey, was aboardthe Sedco 445, sampling the surfacedischarge. These monitoring activitiesare essential to the planning of futureFederal regulation of ocean-mining op­erations.

Later in Aplil both ships sailed the1,000 miles northwestward to Honolu­lu where the Sedco 445 was to berefitted to return to the work area andtest a different collection system. TheOceanographer was to monitor this ac­tivity, as well, which was expected tolast until mid-May.

The mining tests and environmentalstudies, both of which started early inApril, culminate extensive preliminaryactivites. Industry has been working forseveral years to develop techniques forcollecting the nodules, while NOAAresearchers have been engaged in base­line studies of the waters, life forms,and sea bed prior to the start of themining tests. The nodules are roundishlumps of rock containing high concen­trations of nickle, copper, manganese,and cobalt. When the current series oftests is completed, NOAA's deep oceanmining team will maintain a watch overthe mining site, observing how it re­covers, and how long the recovery willtake.

Seafood Taste TestMethod Is Developed

As part of a rrogram to furtherdomestic use of traditionally under­utilized fishery resources. the hsheriesDevelopment Division of the NationalMarine Fisheries Service (NMFS)Southwest Region has designed a tastetest methodology to evaluate new sea­food preparation. Interval scales ofseven are used to rate food items interms of appearance, texture, 'flavor,and overall eating quality. Single-wordadjectives describe the ends of eachscale, and the remaining five intervalsare left unlabeled. For analY'iis pur­poses, integer values are assigned toeach scale interval after the taste testershave rated the food.

The developed methodology wasused to test the taste acceptability ofPacific hake and walleye pollock dishes

at two Los Angeles food conventions.A description of the test situation andresults can be obtained from: FisheriesDevelopment Division, NationalMarine Fisheries Service, NOAA,P.O. Box 3266, Terminal Island, CA90731. Their telephone number is:(213) 548-2571.

Benton Named AssociateAdministrator of NOAA

George S. Benton, former Presidentof the American Meteorological Soci­ety and former Vice President of JohnsHopkins University, has been nomi­nated hy President Carter as AssociateAdministrator of the National Oceanicand Atmospheric Administration(NOAA), it has been announced. Thenomination requin.:s confirmation bythe Senate.

NOAA Administrator Richard A.Frank said Benton, one of the Nation'sleading authorities in the atmospheric,oceanic, and hydrologic sciences, willsignificantly strengthen the CommerceDepartment agency's managementteam. President of the AmericanMeteorological Society in 1969, Ben­ton received his bachelor and doctoratedegrees at the l'niversity of Chicago,and joined the faculty at Johns Hopkinsin 194~. He was appointed Professor ofMeteorology there in 1957, and Chair­man of the Department of Mechanics in1960.

For three years, from 1966 through1969, he was Director of the ResearchLaboratories of the Environmental Sci­ence Services Administration, a pre­decessor of NOAA. In 1970 he returnedto Johns Hopkins as Chairman of theDepartment of Earth and Planetary Sci­ences. He became Dean of the Divisionof Arts and Sciences in 197 J • and VicePresident of the Homewood Divisionsin 1972. In addition to gaining an inter­national reputation for his academic ac­tivities, Benton is professionally rec­ognized for his research, which hasbeen primarily concerned with themechanics of rotating and stratifiedfluid systems, including the atmosphereand the oceans.

Maril/e Fisheries Review