Cruise GU-03-04, Legs II and III
October 24 - November 17, 2003

Legs II & III took us to the Eastern Gulf, primarily along the Florida coast. The anticipation of working in "no-rig country" and little traffic gave us hope that an easy laid-back cruise was ahead. We soon found out that Mother Nature had other things in mind.

Being at the doorstep of the winter season, cold fronts from the north swept into the Gulf twice a week like clockwork. Rain or shine, we continued working until conditions deteriorated to the point that we were forced to halt operations to insure the safety of the crew and scientists. Riding out the storms until the wind calmed down and seas subsided enough to resume operations was one of the challenges we faced.

Another challenge was working in areas where the seafloor was uneven. We encountered several places where the bottom conditions were too uneven to trawl. Unfortunately, we lost 2 nets and additional gear during the cruise. Below are some photos of the retrieval of a partial net, a broken cable and catching a few things we weren’t looking for.(Click on image for larger view)

Retrieving a partial net.

Another trawl, another catch. This time-someone else's lost gear.

What remained of the cable that was connected to the net.

The gear was torn up on this trawl.

Despite the hurdles, the cruise was finished successfully. Most of the tows brought not only the net back but also interesting creatures, some rarely seen before. It kept the scientists very busy sorting and classifying but there was always a little time for posing with the catch. (Click on image for larger view)

Watching the net come in.	Weighing the catch.	Close look at the catch before it is sorted.
GVA Lakindra Williams with the catch. (Photo by Frank Romano)	Scientist Frank Romano with the catch.	Showing off.
Scientist Rachel Schoen with the catch.	Third Mate Miri Skoriak with a rare speciman from the catch.	Entering fish information data directly into the computer system. (Photo by Frank Romano)

Not all the catch was fish and not all day was spent working.

Some R & R - CO practices his swing with an imaginary ball.

Balloons "delivered" in mid-Gulf.

Our "lookout" on the bow tower.

One of many awesome sunrises at sea.

Below are more close up photos of less seen creatures from the depths of the Gulf of Mexico. Fish photos by Dean Landi. (Click on image for larger view)

This cruise marked the end of our field season. The ship is now at its home port in Pascagoula, Mississippi for routine repairs and maintenance while the crew takes some time off to enjoy the holidays with family and friends. Our next field season begins in January 2004.

See the pictures and read about Leg I of the Deep Water/Small Pelagics Survey.

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•  Updated: December 5, 2003