Training=Completed. Now For The Real Test...

My apologies for not having updated you all since the end of my first training week. That week was one of the slowest ever. In contrast, weeks 2 and 3 flew by faster than I could keep track. I took the final today. It was not easy, but I passed. It wasn’t like any other final I have taken. Not so much because of the difficulty of subject matter, but because what we’re learning REALLY matters. The consequence for not mastering the material isn’t just and passing with a score of 80% or higher is losing the job. This is for good reason, however. The things that I have learned in this program are unlike anything that I have ever studied. This newfound knowledge has the potential to save my own life and save others’ as well. Safety is always the number 1 priority. We will be working in some of the most dangerous conditions the ocean has to offer. Don’t get me wrong; we are not fisherman, and do not work quite as hard as they do; I have the utmost respect for them. But it can be an unforgiving environment for all who are subjected to it.

We checked out all of our sampling gear including but not limited to 4 sampling baskets, scales, measuring tape, specimen collection equipment, forms to fill out (a huge part of this job), life jacket, immersion suit, Personal Locator Beacon, strobe lights, etc. It is starting to feel real now. I will be leaving for Anchorage as early as Monday, as late as Friday. The nature of this job is ever-changing, and requires us to be flexible and willing to relocate at a moment’s notice.

The Saltwater trainees that survived the program, myself included, have been assigned to the Rockfish fishery in Kodiak. I am very excited about this opportunity, as Rockfish is the only fishery in Kodiak that my company covers, and the fishing window is relatively short. This means the probability of getting in is fairly low. I am told that Kodiak is a beautiful place, and I feel very fortunate to begin my adventure here. As I previously mentioned, I cannot post pictures that I only had the ability to take because of my job. I will, however, share as many pictures of non fishing boat origin as I can. More to come!

Training Week 1 Completed!

Training week 1 of 3 done! Training has been very intense and has left very little time for writing or thinking about much else. It has been a very difficult but rewarding process that consists of waking up @0630, making breakfast, walking 2 miles to the NOAA facility for the 8 hour 0830 training, then studying until midnight or later. Training during the day consists of a wide variety of topics including but not limited to (brace yourself for a very long run on sentence!) learning about the history and mechanics of the fisheries in Alaska, boat/safety/fish regulations, fish identification and physiology labs, random sampling techniques and design that are totally dependent on the vessel configuration, fishery, and catch composition, safety protocols in the event there is a life threatening emergency which is a very real possibility, and learning how to don an immersion suit in under a minute and how to survive in the North Pacific. Somebody perfectly described it as taking your favorite class 5 days a week for 8 hours a day.

The class is 2/3 trainees from my company and 1/3 from another observer provider. But they’re a solid group of people and we have become friends very quickly. We all have very similar interests (or we wouldn’t be here) and have lots to talk about. Although the nature of this job is temporary, and we all come from diverse backgrounds and geographically distant places, I hope to have made some lasting friendships.

Today’s training was extra awesome because we were tested on being able to put on our immersion suit in less than a minute (we all passed) and went in the water where we learned all sorts of survival/rescue techniques, from throwing a life ring, to properly getting inside of a life raft and different survival formations that maximize on heat/energy retention.

 

me in my immersion suit

On a different and slightly less awesome note, I will not be able to post as many pictures as I had previously thought and partially designed this blog for. The rule is: if you took the pictures on the boat, no matter what the picture is of, it belongs to NMFS. Because of certain confidentiality rules, I will be unable to post pictures that I take from the boat. I will only share them with you if you are someone I know and trust, but they must stay off the interwebs under penalty of death. Just kidding. But I might lose my job. So hit me up of you’re curious. I will keep updating as frequently as possible!

First Day In Seattle!

Alaska Essentials

After a hectic but enjoyable last week and a half at home spending time with friends and family, I am finally here. If I wasn’t ready to go before having dinner with my NOAA family, I definitely was after. They provided me with some much needed essentials that I was missing (see pic to right). As I was flying in, it looked quite a bit like Oregon and Northern California to me; although
I don’t have too many reference points. There is sort of a light but consistent drizzle, and it is a little cooler than I am used to. When I gave the shuttle express driver my destination address, he knew immediately where I was going and said “so you’re going to the bunkhouse, eh?” I just got to the apartment in Seattle a little while ago, and now that I am settled and have had some time to interact with the observers currently using the apartment, I can write a little. Everyone that I have met sofar is very friendly and surprisingly welcoming of newcomers. I was the first of the trainees for this session to show up. This appt is supposed to be dedicated to the trainees for the next 3 weeks, so I expect as they show up over the next 2 days, the more experienced observers will begin to clear out. I am glad to have started on the

My Appt Balcony

right foot with them nonetheless. I was told about a week ago that there will be a quiz on the first day of training on a hefty 107 page reading assignment. It has been hard to find time to read at home, but it looks like I will have some down time, and should be able to complete it no problem. The apartment is pretty basic, and reminds me vaguely of my freshman year of college living at Humboldt State. More to come.