Commencement Of Final Trip

I embark on the final trip of my first contract as a Fishery Observer sometime this evening and will be back on the 25^th, when my contract expires. It has been an awesome adventure, full of new experiences and breathtaking sights. I am the last Saltwater Observer in Kodiak, the rest have moved further out the Aleutian chain for other fisheries for the remainder of their contract. Looking back, I recall the name of my boat recurring repeatedly during training as being the “odd boat” for a number of reasons. It is the smallest factory vessel in Alaska and the only one with no flowscale to weigh the fish as they enter the factory. It has other exceptions that set it apart from other boats as well. I was told it was a challenging assignment, especially for new observers. It was intimidating being the very first one in my class to leave Seattle for Kodiak and be deployed immediately, with less prep for my special assignment than I had anticipated and been led to believe. But to be honest, I wouldn’t have had it any other way. It has been a very positive experience. I have been able to hone my relationship with the captain and crew to a great balance of professionalism blended with friendly optimism in which everyone helps each other get through the job and day. My next assignment will likely be in Dutch Harbor for Pollock on either a catcher catcher vessel, or a huge processor. It will be something new and different which is once again exciting, yet intimidating. But I take comfort in knowing that all the information I need to perform my job correctly in each scenario is outlined in my manual, aided by NOAA advisors that I can often communicate with while I am at sea.

On a different note, yesterday I saw Orcas for the first time since I have been up here. It was a pair—a male and female, I believe. Unfortunately I cannot share my pictures, as I was on the boat when I took them, and it did not occur to me in the moment to get off the boat to take them, thereby allowing me to publically share them. That was a good was to nearly conclude my contract. One more trip, then a short vacation in Palmer with family friends before my next contract begins. I will be flying up my love whom I miss very much, and will share a little slice of Alaska with her. There will be lots of hiking, fishing, and relaxing to be done which I am looking forward to very much.

I have not been hiking quite as much, as we have been in port for shorter periods of time, as our newer crew is getting quicker with the offload process, thereby decreasing the amount of time we spend in port. But rest assured, I will fill my, of late, photo-less blog with many more in coming weeks until my next assignment, and a change of scenery, begins.

Epiphany

I’ve been on this boat for 65 days now; the end of my first contract as a NMFS Fishery Observer is only a few weeks from completion. All has slipped into routine as we were told it would; days have become more fluid and continuous than they have ever been in the past. I’m beginning to feel the effects of solitude from those I care about and the physical fatigue from the odd hours and broken up sleep schedule. I work in 2 to 4 hour bursts each scheduled haul-back which could occur at any time. The last string of 4 on hauls was particularly strenuous, only getting 3 to 4 hours of sleep between sampling. Work is very physical and dirty; I work up a sweat and get covered in fish slime and scales every time, and only have an opportunity to shower once every 3 or 4 hauls. I have always been a light sleeper so it takes me some time to wind down from working and fall asleep. During the day I forget about the constant hum of the engine, but am reminded of how loud it actually is when I lay down to sleep. I’ve never been much of a coffee drinker, but I am discovering it doesn’t do much more for me than keep me awake at the precise moment that I need to fall asleep. Other than being a little tired, all is well. Crew is in pretty positive spirits, weather has been good to us, and fish are coming in at a steady rate. I write this on 6/29, about half way through my 5^th or 6^th fishing trip. I am sitting in the galley of the boat somewhere East of Kodiak, waiting for my 30 minute cue for haul back.

A pleasant distraction from my sampling occurred yesterday when a Humpback Whale breached very close to our vessel on the Port side. I was frustrated at first because it was the best whale sighting I’ve had since I have been up here and there was no way for me to take a picture of it, as my camera was in my bunk and I was in my raingear covered in fish slime. To rinse off, take my gloves off, and get my camera was at the risk of not experiencing it at all. So I decided to just stay at my sampling station and absorb it all; a beautiful creature just being. It was magnificent, but with an addition of playful innocence. I know Humpback Whale sightings are nothing earth shattering in Alaska, but it was enough to divert me from my often rigorous and monotonous work, and inspire me to remember why I am here. The ocean is such a vast place filled with wonders beyond imagining, many of which have yet to be discovered. Man has an obligation to realize his part in all of this, and step up to the plate to ensure that this delicate balance is kept. Our future generations will look back on us fondly if we can accomplish this and not rob them of the natural living beauty that we took for granted and let slip away into nothingness. It is much more satisfying, even on a spiritual level, to acknowledge how closely tied and even related we are to every ant, bird, elephant, fish, and plant on this planet, than to arbitrarily place ourselves separate and above it all, with it all at our disposal. Now is a time that they need us just as much as we need them.

I was reading a book by renowned biologist E.O. Wilson who was discussing how we place values on organisms. With respect to the Blue Whale, which came only a few hundred individuals away from extinction, many “were eager to continue the hunt even at the risk of total extinction” and were convinced that “killing them all and investing the money would yield the whalers and humanity the most money over letting them recover and harvesting sustainably”. This argument is prevalent in industry worldwide even today in the 21^st century. But what is wrong with this argument? The answer is simple—

“The dollar and cents value of a dead blue whale was based only on the measures relevant to the existing market—that is, on the going price per unit weight of whale oil and meat. There are many other values, destined to grow along with our knowledge of the living organism in science, medicine, and aesthetics, in dimensions and magnitudes still unforeseen. What was the value of the blue whale in A.D. 1000? Close to zero. What will its value be in A.D. 3000? Essentially limitless, plus the gratitude of the generation then alive to those who, in their wisdom, saved the whale from extinction. No one can guess the full future value of any kind of animal, plant, or microorganism. Its potential is spread across a spectrum of known and as yet unimagined human needs.”

All I can say is be kind to your environment, those around you, and if you have the power to put people in a position to do that in a higher capacity, do it.